Journal profile · Biology
Journal of Biological Education
ISSN 0021-9266 · eISSN 2157-6009 · Taylor and Francis Ltd. · UNITED STATES · Quarterly · Founded 1967
Journal of Biological Education: CAS Zone 4 · Education (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.12; hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 234 days to acceptance (82 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 49 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Biological Education is published by Taylor and Francis Ltd. and is in Zone 4 of Education in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Animal and Plant Science Education, Science Education and Pedagogy and Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Biomedical Research, together about 33.7% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Journal of Biological Education is firmly established as the authoritative voice in the world of biological education. The journal provides a forum where the latest advances in research into the teaching, learning and assessment of biology can contribute to policy and practice in biological education for all ages, connecting teachers, researchers and educators in a common endeavor to enhance biological education internationally. Special emphasis is placed on research relevant to educational practice, guided by educational realities in systems, schools, colleges, universities (including biology teacher education) and informal learning settings, and manuscripts are welcome from educators and researchers working in all of these settings. Manuscripts should be theoretically informed and methodologically rigorous. The Journal accepts the following submission types. Authors should be careful to choose the correct type upon submission (italicised). • original empirical research articles, founded in a recognized educational research methodological approach, and embedded in a critical review of relevant literature. Manuscripts should include an account of the methodology and methods used, explain the analysis carried out, discuss the findings in relation to existing knowledge (such as that explored in the literature review), identify conclusions and implications for educational research and practice, and recognise any limitations to the study. Authors should also note that purely experimental studies (with control and intervention groups of learners) will not be accepted unless they include sufficiently large sample sizes and randomized group membership. • review articles, developing a comprehensive understanding of a particular subject, drawing on the peer-reviewed and, if appropriate, professional literature, and deriving conclusions which may lead to valuable discussion and debate. If possible, the review should be founded in a recognized approach; for example, including ‘state of the art’ narrative reviews, meta-analyses, systematic reviews, critical reviews, and evidence syntheses. • critical evaluative reports of innovative or novel practical activities or other teaching and learning approaches in biological education. Such reports should not be presented as experimental trials (with control and intervention groups) of such approaches, unless they involve large sample sizes and randomized group membership. However, evaluations which draw on a combination of q
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Biology
Editor-in-chief Mark WinterbottomPublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Animal and Plant Science EducationPsychology12.3%
- Science Education and PedagogySocial Sciences11.4%
- Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Biomedical ResearchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology10.1%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering9.3%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance8%
- Educational Robotics and EngineeringComputer Science5%
- Diverse Educational Innovations StudiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.2%
- Biomedical and Engineering EducationEngineering3.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Education Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Education & Educational Research | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Education, Scientific Disciplines | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Education Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Education & Educational Research | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Education, Scientific Disciplines | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Education Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Education & Educational Research | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Education, Scientific Disciplines | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- CiteScore Q1 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
SCIESSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePubMedERICCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Academic Search Complete, Biological Abstracts, BIOSIS Previews, British Education Index, Current Abstracts, Education Index, Education Source, Educational Research Abstracts Online (ERA), Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), European Reference Index for the Humanities (ERIH), International Bibliography of Periodical Literature (IBZ), Studies on Women and Gender Abstracts, Zoological Record Online
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 1.12LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.2Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 4.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.6LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.6Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.1LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.1Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 33LetPub ·
- h-index
- 78OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 703OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.52OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 16.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 23.85%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 44LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 185,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,718 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 41 | 19 | 6 |
| 2025 | 49 | 28 | 56 |
| 2024 | 53 | 28 | 156 |
| 2023 | 44 | 18 | 173 |
| 2022 | 80 | 30 | 693 |
| 2021 | 69 | 20 | 742 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
234 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 157 days – 328 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 45 days (82 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 270 days
- Sample
- 82 articles with submission and acceptance dates (103 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Average review time (community reports)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 13%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 6 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 77 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 43 daysPublisher website ·
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access
- Open access Open access
Journal of Biological Education is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the discoverabi…
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Taylor and Francis Ltd.
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1967
- ISSN
- 0021-9266
- Electronic ISSN
- 2157-6009
- Society / sponsor
- Royal Society of Biology
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 60, Issue 4 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Biological Education
What CAS zone is Journal of Biological Education in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Biological Education is in Zone 4 of Education, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Biology / Education & Educational Research / Education, Scientific Disciplines. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Education. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Biological Education?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.12; CiteScore 4.1, h-index 78.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Biological Education?
Based on the dates recorded on 82 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 234 days (interquartile range 157–328 days); authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 13%. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
Which databases index Journal of Biological Education?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Biological Education is indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, PubMed, ERIC and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Biological Education open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Biological Education is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC charged, amount not published.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .