Journal profile · Ecology
Journal of Natural History
ISSN 0022-2933 · eISSN 1464-5262 · Taylor and Francis Ltd. · ENGLAND · Monthly · Founded 1967
Journal of Natural History: CAS Zone 4 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.9; hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 123 days to acceptance (113 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 141 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Natural History is published by Taylor and Francis Ltd. and is in Zone 4 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Marine Biology and Ecology Research, Plant and animal studies and Parasite Biology and Host Interactions, together about 25.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Ecology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Journal of Natural History is an international zoological journal publishing original research and reviews in taxonomy, evolutionary biology and ecology. It maintains its historical niche by publishing a broad range of systematics papers on all animal phyla from Porifera to Chordata, encompassing traditional taxonomic revisions and descriptions, cladistic analyses and molecular phylogenetics and phylogenomics. The journal has recognized strengths in entomology and marine invertebrates, but also welcomes papers on the natural history of all animal species and on the interactions of species with their environment. Preference is given to in-depth papers and extensive taxonomic reviews: single species descriptions are considered when accompanied by additional data of scientific interest. Authors wishing to propose a review paper should contact the relevant editor. Peer Review Statement All manuscript submissions are subject to initial appraisal by the Editors, and, if found suitable for further consideration, to peer review by independent, anonymous expert referees. reviewers have the choice of remaining anonymous, but are encouraged to provide their namesand submission is online via ScholarOne manuscripts.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Ecology
Editor-in-chief Andrew PolaszekPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 9, United Kingdom 4, Spain 2, India 1, Singapore 1 (22 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Marine Biology and Ecology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences11.9%
- Plant and animal studiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences7.8%
- Parasite Biology and Host InteractionsEnvironmental Science6.2%
- Insect-Plant Interactions and ControlAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.8%
- Crustacean biology and ecologyEnvironmental Science5.3%
- Lepidoptera: Biology and TaxonomyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.3%
- Marine Ecology and Invasive SpeciesEnvironmental Science4.4%
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and BehaviorBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biodiversity Conservation | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Zoology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biodiversity Conservation | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Zoology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biodiversity Conservation | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Zoology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceCAB AbstractsGeoRefCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: OCLC, CABI, AgBiotechNet, Agroforestry Abstracts (Online), Animal Breeding Abstracts, Animal Science Database, Biocontrol News and Information, Crop Physiology Abstracts, Crop Science Database, Environmental Impact, Field Crop Abstracts, Forest Science Database, Forestry Abstracts, Global Health, Grasslands and Forage Abstracts (Online), Helminthological Abstracts (Online), Horticultural Science Database, Irrigation and Drainage Abstracts (Online), Maize Abstracts (Online), Nematological Abstracts (Online), Organic Research Database, Ornamental Horticulture (Online), Parasitology Database, Plant Breeding Abstracts (Online), Plant Genetics and Breeding Database, Poultry Abstracts (Online), Protozoological Abstracts (Online), Review of Medical and Veterinary Entomology, Review of Plant Pathology (Online), Rice Abstracts
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
- 0.9LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.9Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 1.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.37LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.37Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.9LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.9Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 41LetPub ·
- h-index
- 82OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,671OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.77OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 5.56%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 132LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 3Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 97,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 6,380 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 123 | 16 | 22 |
| 2025 | 141 | 105 | 114 |
| 2024 | 112 | 53 | 154 |
| 2023 | 92 | 70 | 250 |
| 2022 | 91 | 84 | 314 |
| 2021 | 156 | 122 | 570 |
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
123 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 78 days – 183 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 39 days (113 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 168 days
- Sample
- 113 articles with submission and acceptance dates (280 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)
- 4–8 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 45%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 37 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 57 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 36 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, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Journal of Natural History 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 discoverability …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review Statement
Peer review policy Model summary
All manuscript submissions are subject to initial appraisal by the Editors, and, if found suitable for further consideration, to peer review by independent, anonymous expert referees.
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
- ENGLAND
- Language
- Multi-Language
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1967
- ISSN
- 0022-2933
- Electronic ISSN
- 1464-5262
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 60, Issue 37-40 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Natural History
What CAS zone is Journal of Natural History in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Natural History is in Zone 4 of Biology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Biodiversity Conservation / Ecology / Zoology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Natural History?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0.9; CiteScore 1.5, h-index 82.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Natural History?
Based on the dates recorded on 113 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 123 days (interquartile range 78–183 days); authors report an average review time of 4–8 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 45%. 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Journal of Natural History based?
Of the 22 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (9), United Kingdom (4) and Spain (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Natural History?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Natural History is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, CAB Abstracts, GeoRef and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Natural History open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Natural History 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .