Journal profile · Oceanography
Journal of Plankton Research
ISSN 0142-7873 · eISSN 1464-3774 · Oxford University Press · ENGLAND · Bimonthly · Founded 1979
Journal of Plankton Research: CAS Zone 3 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.02; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,533; median 157 days to acceptance (51 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 87 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Plankton Research is published by Oxford University Press and is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Marine and coastal ecosystems, Marine Biology and Ecology Research and Aquatic Ecosystems and Phytoplankton Dynamics, together about 49.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Ecology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Journal of Plankton Research publishes innovative papers that significantly advance the field of plankton research, and in particular, our understanding of plankton dynamics.
Source: LetPub
Research area (LetPub): Oceanography
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Marine and coastal ecosystemsEarth and Planetary Sciences24.3%
- Marine Biology and Ecology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences12.7%
- Aquatic Ecosystems and Phytoplankton DynamicsEnvironmental Science12.3%
- Marine and fisheries researchEnvironmental Science7.8%
- Microbial Community Ecology and PhysiologyEnvironmental Science5.5%
- Isotope Analysis in EcologyEnvironmental Science5.1%
- Fish Ecology and Management StudiesEnvironmental Science4.9%
- Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture StudiesEnvironmental Science2.9%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Oceanography | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Oceanography | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Oceanography | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
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
- 2.02LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.9LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.77LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.86LetPub ·
- h-index
- 85LetPub ·
- h-index
- 147OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 3,912OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.93OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 15%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 36.7%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 71LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 4,961 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 75 | 31 | 17 |
| 2025 | 87 | 37 | 146 |
| 2024 | 78 | 55 | 300 |
| 2023 | 59 | 46 | 423 |
| 2022 | 73 | 36 | 647 |
| 2021 | 91 | 42 | 1,164 |
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 PubMed · to
157 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 90 days – 223 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 35 days (51 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 206 days
- Sample
- 51 articles with submission and acceptance dates (58 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)
- about 1 monthLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
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 4,533 | — | — |
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.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1979
- ISSN
- 0142-7873
- Electronic ISSN
- 1464-3774
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Plankton Research
What CAS zone is Journal of Plankton Research in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Plankton Research is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Marine & Freshwater Biology / Oceanography. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Plankton Research?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.02; CiteScore 3.9, h-index 147.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Plankton Research?
Based on the dates recorded on 51 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 157 days (interquartile range 90–223 days); authors report an average review time of about 1 month; 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.
Which databases index Journal of Plankton Research?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Plankton Research is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Journal of Plankton Research open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Plankton Research is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,533.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, 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: .