Journal profile · Evolutionary Biology
Molecular Ecology
ISSN 0962-1083 · eISSN 1365-294X · Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd · UNITED STATES · Semimonthly · Founded 1992
Molecular Ecology: CAS Zone 1 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 3.66; hybrid open access; APC about USD 5,150; median 175 days to acceptance (120 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 50%; 470 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Molecular Ecology is published by Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd and is in Zone 1 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Genetic diversity and population structure, Plant and animal studies and Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock, together about 38.7% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Molecular Ecology publishes papers that utilize molecular genetic techniques to address consequential questions in ecology, evolution, behaviour and conservation. Studies may employ neutral markers for inference about ecological and evolutionary processes or examine ecologically important genes and their products directly. We discourage papers that are primarily descriptive and are relevant only to the taxon being studied. Papers reporting on molecular marker development, molecular diagnostics, barcoding, or DNA taxonomy, or technical methods should be re-directed to our sister journal, Molecular Ecology Resources. Likewise, papers with a strongly applied focus should be submitted to Evolutionary Applications. Research areas of interest to Molecular Ecology include: * population structure and phylogeography * reproductive strategies * relatedness and kin selection * sex allocation * population genetic theory * analytical methods development * conservation genetics * speciation genetics * microbial biodiversity * evolutionary dynamics of QTLs * ecological interactions * molecular adaptation and environmental genomics * impact of genetically modified organisms
Source: LetPub
Research area (LetPub): Evolutionary Biology
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Genetic diversity and population structureBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology24.5%
- Plant and animal studiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences8.2%
- Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestockBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.9%
- Animal Behavior and ReproductionAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.3%
- Wildlife Ecology and ConservationEnvironmental Science5.2%
- Fish Ecology and Management StudiesEnvironmental Science4.4%
- Genomics and Phylogenetic StudiesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4%
- Species Distribution and Climate ChangeEnvironmental Science3.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Evolutionary Biology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Evolutionary Biology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Evolutionary Biology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview 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
- 3.66LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.7LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.43LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.26LetPub ·
- h-index
- 203LetPub ·
- h-index
- 328OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 9,945OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.77OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 13.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 64.96%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 400LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 12,876 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 356 | 275 | 139 |
| 2025 | 470 | 358 | 1,620 |
| 2024 | 403 | 318 | 2,877 |
| 2023 | 445 | 346 | 5,336 |
| 2022 | 523 | 325 | 10,435 |
| 2021 | 552 | 324 | 15,368 |
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
175 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 122 days – 226 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 14 days (120 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 193 days
- Sample
- 120 articles with submission and acceptance dates (870 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 1.5 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 50%LetPub ·
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 5,150 / EUR 4,500 / GBP 3,860 | — | — |
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
- Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Semimonthly
- Founded
- 1992
- ISSN
- 0962-1083
- Electronic ISSN
- 1365-294X
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Molecular Ecology
What CAS zone is Molecular Ecology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Molecular Ecology is in Zone 1 of Biology, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Ecology / Biochemistry & Molecular Biology / Evolutionary Biology; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Molecular Ecology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.66; CiteScore 7.7, h-index 328.
How long does peer review take at Molecular Ecology?
Based on the dates recorded on 120 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 175 days (interquartile range 122–226 days); authors report an average review time of about 1.5 months; 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.
Which databases index Molecular Ecology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Molecular Ecology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Molecular Ecology open access, and what is the APC?
Molecular Ecology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 5,150.
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: .