Journal profile · Plant Sciences
Journal of Plant Biology
ISSN 1226-9239 · eISSN 1867-0725 · Springer Berlin Heidelberg · SOUTH KOREA · Bimonthly · Founded 1997
Journal of Plant Biology: CAS Zone 4 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.67; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,490; median 57 days to acceptance (83 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 50%; 46 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Plant Biology is published by Springer Berlin Heidelberg 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 Plant Molecular Biology Research, Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance and Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms, together about 33.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology and Plant Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Journal of Plant Biology, an official publication of the Botanical Society of Korea, is an international journal devoted to basic researches in biochemistry, cellular biology, development, ecology, genetics, molecular biology, physiology, and systematics of plants. The Journal publishes the following categories of papers: Research articles -- Manuscripts must provide a significant new contribution to our understanding of plants. All areas of plant biology are welcome. There is no length limit, but a concise and focused presentation is encouraged. Review articles -- Typically invited by the Editor-in-Chief. Authors interested in submitting a review article are encouraged to send a presubmission inquiry. Technical reports -- This category publishes new or substantially improved techniques, methods, and research tools. Protocols -- Journal of Plant Biology publishes clear, peer-reviewed protocols that ensure reproducibility through detailed, step-by-step instructions. These protocols are intended to provide practical methods that even beginners can follow with appropriate guidance. We welcome both novel protocols and classic techniques that have not been previously described in detail. If similar protocols have been published, submissions should highlight meaningful differences - such as methodological improvements or applications to new species or tissues. Authors interested in submitting a protocol article are encouraged to send a presubmission inquiry. The Botanical Society of Korea was founded on November 30, 1957 to promote studies, disseminate and exchange information on the field of plant biology. The first issue of The Korean Journal of Botany, the official publication of the society, was published on April 1, 1958. It was published twice a year, but quarterly from 5th volume in 1962. In 1994, it was renamed to Journal of Plant Biology and published in English since 1996. The journal entered its 50th year of publication in 2007.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Plant Sciences
Editor-in-chief Jong-Seong JeonPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 3 in mainland China (about 3%); most named South Korea 76, United States 8, Mainland China 3, Japan 3, United Kingdom 2 (95 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Plant Molecular Biology ResearchAgricultural and Biological Sciences14.3%
- Plant Stress Responses and ToleranceAgricultural and Biological Sciences11.1%
- Photosynthetic Processes and MechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology8.1%
- Plant tissue culture and regenerationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.9%
- Plant Reproductive BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.3%
- Plant Gene Expression AnalysisBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.4%
- Plant nutrient uptake and metabolismAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.3%
- Legal and Regulatory AnalysisSocial Sciences3.9%
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 | Plant Sciences | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 4 |
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 | Plant Sciences | 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
CASCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, AGRICOLA, Astrophysics Data System, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
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
- 2.67LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.7Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.4LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.64LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.68LetPub ·
- h-index
- 31LetPub ·
- h-index
- 67OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 774OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.73OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 10.43%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 45LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 115,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,790 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 32 | 7 | 6 |
| 2025 | 46 | 8 | 116 |
| 2024 | 34 | 3 | 184 |
| 2023 | 37 | 5 | 366 |
| 2022 | 37 | 3 | 334 |
| 2021 | 53 | 4 | 747 |
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
57 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 33 days – 90 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 22 days (83 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 81 days
- Sample
- 83 articles with submission and acceptance dates (89 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)
- 50%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,490 / EUR 2,690 / GBP 2,290 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 700 | — | — |
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
- USD 700
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 prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 200 words
- Keywords
- ≤ 6
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted4
- protocols4. Protocols -- Journal of Plant Biology publishes clear, peer-reviewed protocols that ensure reproducibility through detailed, step-by-step instructions.Length not stated
- research articles1. Research articles -- Manuscripts must provide a significant new contribution to our understanding of plants. All areas of plant biology are welcome. There is…Length not stated
- review articles2. Review articles -- Typically invited by the Editor-in-Chief. Authors interested in submitting a review article are encouraged to send a presubmission inquiry…Length not stated
- technical reports3. Technical reports -- This category publishes new or substantially improved techniques, methods, and research tools.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access
- Authorship
Authorship policy Model summary
Authorship credit should be based only on substantial contributions to (a) conception and design, or analysis and interpretation, of data; and to (b) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and on (c) final approval of the version to be published. Conditions a, b, and c must all be met.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Conflict of Interest
Conflict of interest policy Model summary
All benefits in any form from a commercial party related directly or indirectly to the subject of the manuscript or any of the authors must be acknowledged. For each source of funds, both the research funder and the grant number should be given. Unless acknowledged, it is considered that authors have no conflict of interest. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability
Data availability policy Model summary
The journal encourages authors to provide a statement of Data availability in their article. Data availability statements should include information on where data supporting the results reported in the article can be found, including, where applicable, hyperlinks to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Data availability statements can also indicate whether data are av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Journal of Plant Biology, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
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
- Springer Berlin Heidelberg
- Country or region
- SOUTH KOREA
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1997
- ISSN
- 1226-9239
- Electronic ISSN
- 1867-0725
- Society / sponsor
- Korean Society of Plant Biologists
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 69, Issue 4 (August 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Plant Biology
What CAS zone is Journal of Plant Biology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Plant Biology is in Zone 4 of Biology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Plant Sciences. 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 Plant Biology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.67; CiteScore 4.4, h-index 67.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Plant Biology?
Based on the dates recorded on 83 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 57 days (interquartile range 33–90 days); authors report an average review time of about 1 month; the community-reported acceptance is “about 50%”. 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 Plant Biology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 200 words; Keywords: ≤ 6; Cover letter: Required. 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 Plant Biology based?
Of the 95 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 3 (about 3%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are South Korea (76), United States (8) and Mainland China (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Plant Biology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Plant Biology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Plant Biology open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Plant Biology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,490.
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: .