Journal profile · ZOOLOGY
Journal of Vertebrate Biology
ISSN 2694-7684 · eISSN 1573-1189 · INST VERTEBRATE BIOLOGY AS CR · CZECH REPUBLIC
Journal of Vertebrate Biology: CAS Zone 3 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.29; fully open access; no APC; review about 21 days (submission to first decision, publisher); 34 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Vertebrate Biology is published by INST VERTEBRATE BIOLOGY AS CR 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 Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies and Fish Ecology and Management Studies, together about 31.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Ecology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Vertebrate Biology is a continuation of the periodical Folia Zoologica (ISSN: 0139-7893, e-ISSN 1573-1189). The Journal of Vertebrate Biology is an international journal for all fields of vertebrate zoology. The journal welcomes papers on the behaviour, ecology, physiology, anatomy, developmental biology, taxonomy, and evolution of vertebrates, including research at the interface of these disciplines. The journal is published quarterly, with one volume comprising four issues, with additional issues published occasionally. Please see our Guide for Authors for information on article submission. Proposals for reviews and monographs, as well as for special issues are encouraged. Please feel free to email the Editor-in-Chief with ideas. Editorial support to assist authors in producing review papers will be provided. The Journal of Vertebrate Biology has entered into an licencing agreement Open Access with BioOne and all manuscripts are released immediately after acceptance on their platform. The journal is indexed in EBSCO Gale/Cengage Learning Elsevier Bibliographic Databases incl. Scopus Clarivate analytics Databases incl. Web of Science The journal is available online through BioOne Digital Library Kramerius We support transparency in publication and encourage authors to deposit data and data analysis code in a trusted repository, to pre-register studies and data analysis plans, and submission of replication studies. VIEW EDITORIAL BOARD
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): ZOOLOGY
Editor-in-chief Carl SMITHPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Czechia 24, Poland 6, United Kingdom 4, United States 1, Portugal 1 (39 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Wildlife Ecology and ConservationEnvironmental Science14.9%
- Animal Ecology and Behavior StudiesEnvironmental Science9.8%
- Fish Ecology and Management StudiesEnvironmental Science6.6%
- Amphibian and Reptile BiologyEnvironmental Science6.6%
- Avian ecology and behaviorEnvironmental Science5.8%
- Species Distribution and Climate ChangeEnvironmental Science5.8%
- Bat Biology and Ecology StudiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.8%
- Animal Behavior and ReproductionAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.7%
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 | Zoology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Zoology | Zone 2 |
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 | Zoology | 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
EBSCOPublisher website
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
- 1.29LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.46LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.75LetPub ·
- h-index
- 20OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 55OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.29OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 98.11%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 33LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 254 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 23 | 23 | 8 |
| 2025 | 34 | 34 | 40 |
| 2024 | 36 | 36 | 72 |
| 2023 | 40 | 40 | 171 |
| 2022 | 28 | 28 | 209 |
| 2021 | 44 | 44 | 450 |
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
- Submission to first decision
- 21 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single-anonymous peer review, at least 3 reviewersPublisher website · model-extracted
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
Fully open accessOpenAlex
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | No APC | — | — |
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 prepare9 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 200 words
- Keywords
- 3–6
- Reference style
- Author–date
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Required, 3
- Highlights
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
- Not considered
- publications in preparation
Article types accepted4
- monographsManuscripts can be published as original research papers, short notes, reviews or monographs.Length not stated
- original research papersManuscripts can be published as original research papers, short notes, reviews or monographs.Length not stated
- reviewsManuscripts can be published as original research papers, short notes, reviews or monographs.Length not stated
- short notesManuscripts can be published as original research papers, short notes, reviews or monographs.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access
- AI use
Authors may use LLMs to assist with tasks such as generating or debugging code for data analysis, suggesting phrasing or structure, improving clarity and readability, or drafting short sections of text. Model summary
It is acceptable for authors to use LLMs to assist with tasks such as generating or debugging code for data analysis, suggesting phrasing or structure, improving clarity and readability, or drafting short sections of text.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability
Support for full transparency in publication; authors encouraged to deposit data and data analysis code in a trusted repository and to pre-register studies and data analysis plans. Model summary
We support full transparency in publication and encourage authors to deposit data and data analysis code in a trusted repository and to pre-register studies and data analysis plans.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Papers based on research that does not appear to have paid proper regard to conservation and animal welfare may be refused. Model summary
Papers based on research that does not appear to have paid proper regard to conservation and animal welfare may be refused.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license applied to articles and other works published by the journal. Model summary
The Journal of Vertebrate Biology applies the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license to articles and other works we publish. If you submit your paper for publication in the Journal of Vertebrate Biology, you agree to have the CC BY license applied to your work. Under this Open Access license, you, as the author, agree that anyone can re-use your article in whole or part for any purpose, for …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access
Open Access license allowing re-use of articles in whole or part for any purpose, for free, even for commercial purposes. Model summary
Under this Open Access license, you, as the author, agree that anyone can re-use your article in whole or part for any purpose, for free, even for commercial purposes.
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
- INST VERTEBRATE BIOLOGY AS CR
- Country or region
- CZECH REPUBLIC
- ISSN
- 2694-7684
- Print ISSN
- 0139-7893
- Electronic ISSN
- 1573-1189
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Vertebrate Biology
What CAS zone is Journal of Vertebrate Biology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Vertebrate Biology is in Zone 3 of Biology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Zoology. 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 Vertebrate Biology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.29; CiteScore 2.6, h-index 20.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Vertebrate Biology?
The publisher reports about 21 days (submission to first decision); first decisions include desk rejections. 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 Vertebrate Biology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 200 words; Keywords: 3–6; Reference style: Author–date; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Required, 3; Highlights: Optional; Graphical abstract: Optional; 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 Vertebrate Biology based?
Of the 39 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Czechia (24), Poland (6) and United Kingdom (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Vertebrate Biology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Vertebrate Biology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Journal of Vertebrate Biology open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Vertebrate Biology is a fully open-access journal. It charges no article processing charge.
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: .