Journal profile · Ecology
Oecologia
ISSN 0029-8549 · eISSN 1432-1939 · Springer Berlin Heidelberg · GERMANY · Semimonthly · Founded 1968
Oecologia: CAS Zone 3 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.5; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,790; median 221 days to acceptance (101 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 199 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Oecologia is published by Springer Berlin Heidelberg 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 Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies, Plant and animal studies and Animal Behavior and Reproduction, together about 35.9% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Oecologia publishes innovative ecological research of international interest. We seek reviews, advances in methodology, and original contributions, emphasizing the following areas: Population ecologyPlant-microbe-animal interactionsEcosystem ecologyCommunity ecologyGlobal change ecologyConservation ecologyBehavioral ecologyPhysiological Ecology In general, studies that are purely descriptive, mathematical, documentary, and/or natural history will not be considered. In the Concepts, Reviews and Syntheses section, we seek papers on emerging issues in ecology, especially those that cross multiple boundaries in ecology, provide synthesis of important bodies of work or delve into new combinations of theory and observations with the potential to create new paradigms or challenge existing paradigms. These papers are usually invited, but we welcome unsolicited contributions. In the Views and Comments section, we seek short papers with the intent to provide contrary and/or broader perspectives on papers recently published in Oecologia. Alternatively, pairs of short papers which present opposing views on a topic of high interest in the ecological research community will be published in this section, with the intent to stimulate open debate. In both cases, the papers must be relatively short (up to 3 printed pages in the case of comments on previously-published work or up to 5 printed pages in the case of opposing view pairs of papers), and to contain not only an opinion or criticism on methods or statistics, but also relevant conceptual arguments and/or new data analyses that support the opposing view or comment. Manuscripts or letters intended for the Views and Comments section will be reviewed by one of the Editors-in-Chief and a Handling Editor in the field appropriate to the submission. Special Features are collections of integrated papers on a critical topics of broad interest. Proposals for Special Features should be submitted to the editors-in-chief.Methods are papers that outline new approaches that address standing questions in the discipline. Original Research provide the core of our journal and represent original investigations that offer new insights into ecological systems. The editors endorse the "Guiding principles in the care and use of animals" (approved by the Council of the American Physiological Society). All animal experiments reported in this journal must have been conducted in conformity with these principles. Editors are instructed to refuse
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Ecology
Editorial board by country: 9 in mainland China (about 7%); most named United States 53, Germany 15, Mainland China 9, Australia 8, France 5 (135 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics StudiesEnvironmental Science15.4%
- Plant and animal studiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences14.9%
- Animal Behavior and ReproductionAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.7%
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon DynamicsEnvironmental Science5.4%
- Wildlife Ecology and ConservationEnvironmental Science5.1%
- Animal Ecology and Behavior StudiesEnvironmental Science4.7%
- Plant Parasitism and ResistanceAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.6%
- Fish Ecology and Management StudiesEnvironmental Science3.9%
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 | Ecology | 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 | Ecology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Ecology | 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
MEDLINECAB 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
- 2.5LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.5Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.91LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.08LetPub ·
- h-index
- 176LetPub ·
- h-index
- 322OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 13,034OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.34OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 41.75%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 194LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2,024Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 1,500,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 14,727 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 125 | 84 | 31 |
| 2025 | 199 | 110 | 364 |
| 2024 | 159 | 74 | 737 |
| 2023 | 188 | 89 | 1,623 |
| 2022 | 217 | 90 | 2,490 |
| 2021 | 281 | 116 | 4,735 |
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
221 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 154 days – 295 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 16 days (101 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 240 days
- Sample
- 101 articles with submission and acceptance dates (354 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 4.3 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 28 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher 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 3,790 / EUR 2,890 / GBP 2,490 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | No APC | — | — |
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.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Plagiarism
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Scientific authorship
Manuscripts must be original and not under consideration elsewhere. Model summary
Authorship means holding responsibility for a written piece of text or artwork. In science, it implies personal involvement in the design, conduct and reporting of new research. An author must have participated in the research, understand the data and the text, and be able to present the contents to others. Principles of authorship are sometimes neglected, leading to questionable assignment of aut…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
All original research must include a data availability statement explaining how to access supporting data. Model summary
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
Journal follows COPE guidelines on publication ethics and misconduct. Model summary
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
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
Open Choice articles retain author copyright under Creative Commons licenses. Model summary
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Oecologia, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Authors may suggest or request exclusion of reviewers. Model summary
Authors are welcome to suggest suitable reviewers and/or request the exclusion of certain individuals when they submit their manuscripts.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism
Journal may use software to screen for plagiarism. Model summary
the journal may use software to screen for plagiarism
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
- GERMANY
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Semimonthly
- Founded
- 1968
- ISSN
- 0029-8549
- Electronic ISSN
- 1432-1939
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Oecologia
What CAS zone is Oecologia in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Oecologia is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Ecology. 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 Oecologia?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.5; CiteScore 4.6, h-index 322.
How long does peer review take at Oecologia?
Based on the dates recorded on 101 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 221 days (interquartile range 154–295 days); authors report an average review time of about 4.3 months; 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Oecologia based?
Of the 135 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 9 (about 7%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (53), Germany (15) and Mainland China (9). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Oecologia?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Oecologia is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Oecologia open access, and what is the APC?
Oecologia is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,790.
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: .