Journal profile · Marine & Freshwater Biology
Journal of Phycology
ISSN 0022-3646 · eISSN 1529-8817 · Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd · UNITED STATES · Bimonthly · Founded 1965
Journal of Phycology: CAS Zone 3 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 4.25; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,900; median 146 days to acceptance (86 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 142 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus; the journal's website says it has moved to a new publisher.
The journal's website says it has moved to a new publisher: As of January 2027, Journal of Phycology will no longer be published by Wiley. More information can be found on the new publisher's website: https://academic.oup.com/ Source ↗Publisher website ·
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Phycology is published by Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd and is in Zone 3 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Marine and coastal plant biology, Marine and coastal ecosystems and Algal biology and biofuel production, together about 39.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Oceanography. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Phycology was founded in 1965 by the Phycological Society of America. The Journal is a leading international journal and publishes research from all over the world. All aspects of basic and applied research on algae are included to provide a common medium for the ecologist, physiologist, cell biologist, molecular biologist, morphologist, oceanographer, acquaculturist, systematist, geneticist, and biochemist. The Journal also welcomes research that emphasizes algal interactions with other organisms and the roles of algae as components of natural ecosystems. Papers are accepted on the basis of their original and meritorious data and ideas; our focus is on research articles but mini-reviews and reviews are solicited on especially important and timely subjects. Comments, which are reviewed, may describe methods or equipment, discuss papers previously published in the Journal, or discuss other topics of interest to our readership. Other features include Algae Highlights, which draws attention to some of the important papers being published in each issue of the Journal or elsewhere, and Book Reviews. The Luigi Provasoli Award, named in honor of the founding Editor of the Journal, is presented annually by the Editorial Board to the authors who in the Board's judgment have published the best research paper in the previous year in the Journal
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Marine & Freshwater Biology
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Australia 3, Canada 2, Spain 1 (6 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Marine and coastal plant biologyEarth and Planetary Sciences14.1%
- Marine and coastal ecosystemsEarth and Planetary Sciences13.7%
- Algal biology and biofuel productionEnergy11.9%
- Protist diversity and phylogenyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.2%
- Microbial Community Ecology and PhysiologyEnvironmental Science7.2%
- Marine Biology and Ecology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences7.1%
- Diatoms and Algae ResearchMaterials Science7%
- Aquatic Ecosystems and Phytoplankton DynamicsEnvironmental Science6.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINEPubMedCASCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest, AGRICOLA
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
- 4.25LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.7LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.96LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.45LetPub ·
- h-index
- 114LetPub ·
- h-index
- 200OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 5,392OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.95OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 11.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 50.65%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 113LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 8,985 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 132 | 99 | 67 |
| 2025 | 142 | 94 | 297 |
| 2024 | 123 | 88 | 806 |
| 2023 | 115 | 83 | 1,290 |
| 2022 | 82 | 38 | 1,115 |
| 2021 | 122 | 36 | 1,825 |
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
146 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 111 days – 221 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 42 days (93 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 199 days
- Sample
- 86 articles with submission and acceptance dates (293 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)
- 3–8 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewPublisher 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,900 / EUR 3,240 / GBP 2,590 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Submission fee
- No submission fee
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)
What to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 5
- Reference style
- APA
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Article types accepted5, with length limits
- commentComments may be submitted that describe methods or equipment or that discuss papers previously published in the Journal.Length not stated
- correspondenceResearch Articles:The following sequence should be used. Title page—Provide a concise title, including class or division (phylum) designation when a genus or sp…Length not stated
- letterResearch Articles:The following sequence should be used. Title page—Provide a concise title, including class or division (phylum) designation when a genus or sp…main text ≤ 1,500 words
- research articleResearch Articles:The following sequence should be used. Title page—Provide a concise title, including class or division (phylum) designation when a genus or sp…Length not stated
- reviewReviews and minireviews are generally solicited, but interested authors are encouraged to contact the managing editor.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Code availability, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, Peer review, Plagiarism, Preprints
- Authorship Author contribution indication
Author contribution indication: The journal requires authors to complete contributor information in the Authors & Institutions section of the submission system. Model summary
The journal requires authors to complete contributor information in the Authors & Institutions section of the submission system. More information on the contributor types can be found here.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Code availability
Originality policy: Manuscripts must not have been published, accepted for publication, or be under consideration for publication elsewhere; nor should they contain substantial data that is published elsewhere (unless published in a master's or doctoral thesis). Model summary
Manuscripts submitted must not have been published, accepted for publication, or be under consideration for publication elsewhere; nor should they contain substantial data that is published elsewhere (unless published in a master’s or doctoral thesis).
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest
Conflict of interest disclosure: The journal requires all authors to disclose any potential sources of conflict of interest when directly relevant or directly related to the work that the authors describe in their manuscript. Model summary
The Journal of Phycology requires all authors to disclose any potential sources of conflict of interest when directly relevant or directly related to the work that the authors describe in their manuscript.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability
Data policy: Authors must deposit data, strains, or other materials in scientific collections (e.g., culture collections, herbaria, GenBank, etc.) to make it possible to repeat the experiments and perform future research. Model summary
Authors must deposit data, strains, or other materials in scientific collections (e.g., culture collections, herbaria, GenBank, etc.) to make it possible to repeat the experiments and perform future research.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Ethics policy: A statement indicating that the protocol and procedures employed were reviewed and approved by the appropriate institutional review committee must be included in the Materials and Methods section of the manuscript. Model summary
A statement indicating that the protocol and procedures employed were reviewed and approved by the appropriate institutional review committee must be included in the Materials and Methods section of the manuscript.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review 1. Submission and Peer Review Process
Taxonomic papers policy: All holotypes of species or infraspecific taxa must be deposited in a recognized herbarium preferably with an accession number (not in a personal collection). Model summary
Once the submission materials have been prepared in accordance with the Author Guidelines, manuscripts should be submitted online at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jpy. For help with submissions, please contact: jpy@wiley.com. The online submission is a step-by-step process for which full instructions are provided, with additional support available online. The use of ScholarOne Manuscripts facil…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism
Plagiarism detection: The journal employs a plagiarism detection system. By submitting your manuscript to the Journal of Phycology, you accept that your manuscript will be screened against previously published works. Model summary
The journal employs a plagiarism detection system. By submitting your manuscript to the Journal of Phycology, you accept that your manuscript will be screened against previously published works.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints
Preprint policy: The journal will consider articles that have been submitted in part or in full to a preprint server, such as bioRxiv. Model summary
The Journal of Phycology will consider articles that have been submitted in part or in full to a preprint server, such as bioRxiv.
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
- Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1965
- ISSN
- 0022-3646
- Electronic ISSN
- 1529-8817
- Society / sponsor
- Phycological Society of America
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 62, Issue 4 (August 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Phycology
What CAS zone is Journal of Phycology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Phycology is in Zone 3 of Biology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Marine & Freshwater Biology / Plant Sciences. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Phycology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.25; CiteScore 5.7, h-index 200.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Phycology?
Based on the dates recorded on 86 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 146 days (interquartile range 111–221 days); authors report an average review time of 3–8 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly easy”. 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.
What are the manuscript requirements of Journal of Phycology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: ≥ 5; Reference style: APA; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Graphical abstract: Optional. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Journal of Phycology based?
Of the 6 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Australia (3), Canada (2) and Spain (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Phycology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Phycology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, PubMed, CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Phycology open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Phycology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,900.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; 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: .