Journal profile · Ecology
Journal of Tropical Ecology
ISSN 0266-4674 · eISSN 1469-7831 · Cambridge University Press · UNITED STATES · Bimonthly · Founded 1985
Journal of Tropical Ecology: CAS Zone 4 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.28; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,550; review 18–36 weeks (community reports); community-reported acceptance: easy; 37 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Tropical Ecology is published by Cambridge University Press and is in Zone 4 of Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies, Plant and animal studies and Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, together about 44.2% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Journal of Tropical Ecology aims to address topics of general relevance and significance to tropical ecology. This includes sub-disciplines of ecology, such as conservation biology, evolutionary ecology, marine ecology, microbial ecology, molecular ecology, quantitative ecology, etc. Studies in the field the field of tropical medicine, specifically where it involves ecological surroundings (e.g. zoonotic or vector-borne disease ecology), are also suitable. We also welcome methods papers, provided that the techniques are well described and are of broad general utility.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Ecology
Editor-in-chief Ferry SlikPublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics StudiesEnvironmental Science21.3%
- Plant and animal studiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences14.5%
- Wildlife Ecology and ConservationEnvironmental Science8.4%
- Forest ecology and managementEnvironmental Science4.6%
- Species Distribution and Climate ChangeEnvironmental Science4.5%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.5%
- Animal Ecology and Behavior StudiesEnvironmental Science3.5%
- Plant Parasitism and ResistanceAgricultural and Biological Sciences3.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 4 |
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
- 1.28LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.4LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.43LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.55LetPub ·
- h-index
- 76LetPub ·
- h-index
- 135OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,766OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.35OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 34.69%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 37LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,842 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 32 | 16 | 5 |
| 2025 | 37 | 16 | 59 |
| 2024 | 27 | 12 | 66 |
| 2023 | 35 | 12 | 153 |
| 2022 | 52 | 20 | 303 |
| 2021 | 46 | 17 | 355 |
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- 18–36 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 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 3,550 / GBP 2,460 | — | — |
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
- Cambridge University Press
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1985
- ISSN
- 0266-4674
- Electronic ISSN
- 1469-7831
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Tropical Ecology
What CAS zone is Journal of Tropical Ecology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Tropical Ecology is in Zone 4 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Ecology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 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 Tropical Ecology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.28; CiteScore 2.4, h-index 135.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Tropical Ecology?
Authors report an average review time of 18–36 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “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 Tropical Ecology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Tropical Ecology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Journal of Tropical Ecology open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Tropical Ecology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,550.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .