Journal profile · Ecology
Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics
ISSN 1433-8319 · eISSN 1618-0437 · Urban und Fischer Verlag Jena · GERMANY · Semiannual · Founded 1998
Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics: CAS Zone 2 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.46; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,570; review about 194 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); community-reported acceptance: moderate; 48 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics is published by Urban und Fischer Verlag Jena and is in Zone 2 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 Plant Parasitism and Resistance, together about 50.7% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics (PPEES) publishes outstanding and thought-provoking articles of general interest to an international readership in the fields of plant ecology, evolution and systematics. Of particular interest are in-depth articles that provide a broad understanding of key topics in the field. There are four issues per year.To maintain high scientific standards, manuscripts are submitted to two or more reviewers for evaluation of their scientific soundness and significance. Authors will be generally notified of acceptance, rejection, or need for revision of their manuscripts within three months.Biological flora series (monographs of model species) PPEES is particularly interested in contributions to the knowledge of species that are flagship species for conservation, invasive species of particular concern, or species that are frequently used as models in ecological research. Prospective authors should contact the editorial office of PPEES before starting to write a contribution and enquire whether their planned manuscript would be of interest to PPEES.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Ecology
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 3%); most named Germany 11, Switzerland 7, Austria 4, United States 2, United Kingdom 2 (38 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics StudiesEnvironmental Science23.1%
- Plant and animal studiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences20%
- Plant Parasitism and ResistanceAgricultural and Biological Sciences7.7%
- Plant Diversity and EvolutionAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.8%
- Species Distribution and Climate ChangeEnvironmental Science4.8%
- Botany and Plant Ecology StudiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences3.3%
- Genetic diversity and population structureBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology3.2%
- Plant Water Relations and Carbon DynamicsEnvironmental Science3.1%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 2 |
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 | Plant Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 3 |
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
- 2.46LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 2.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 5.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.92LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.43LetPub ·
- h-index
- 69LetPub ·
- h-index
- 105OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 591OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.61OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 33.02%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 41LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 849 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 24 | 14 | 6 |
| 2025 | 48 | 16 | 91 |
| 2024 | 42 | 26 | 200 |
| 2023 | 31 | 9 | 208 |
| 2022 | 32 | 18 | 501 |
| 2021 | 35 | 9 | 654 |
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
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
194 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports over 24 weeks
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Average review time (community reports)
- over 24 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- ModerateLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 9 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 92 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 194 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 4 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single 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 3,570 / EUR 3,340 / GBP 2,860 / JPY 442,790 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,290 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 10,000 words
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Article types accepted10, with length limits
- meta-analysesMeta-analysesLength not stated
- meta-analysisThe following types of article will be considered:Original research articles (including longer contributions), Methodological papers, Reviews, Meta-analyses, Op…Length not stated
- methodological papersMethodological papersLength not stated
- opinionThe following types of article will be considered:Original research articles (including longer contributions), Methodological papers, Reviews, Meta-analyses, Op…main text ≤ 10,000 words
- opinion papersOpinion papersLength not stated
- original research articleThe following types of article will be considered:Original research articles (including longer contributions), Methodological papers, Reviews, Meta-analyses, Op…Length not stated
- original research articlesOriginal research articles (including longer contributions)Length not stated
- perspectiveThe following types of article will be considered:Original research articles (including longer contributions), Methodological papers, Reviews, Meta-analyses, Op…Length not stated
- reviewThe following types of article will be considered:Original research articles (including longer contributions), Methodological papers, Reviews, Meta-analyses, Op…Length not stated
- reviewsReviewsLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Publishing ethics policy Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Single anonymized review process Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing allowed Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
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
- Urban und Fischer Verlag Jena
- Country or region
- GERMANY
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Semiannual
- Founded
- 1998
- ISSN
- 1433-8319
- Electronic ISSN
- 1618-0437
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics
What CAS zone is Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics is in Zone 2 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Ecology / Plant Sciences. 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 Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.46; CiteScore 5.1, h-index 105.
How long does peer review take at Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics?
The publisher reports about 194 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of over 24 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Moderate”. 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 Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Manuscript length: ≤ 10,000 words; Graphical abstract: Optional. 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 Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics based?
Of the 38 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 3%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Germany (11), Switzerland (7) and Austria (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics open access, and what is the APC?
Perspectives in Plant Ecology Evolution and Systematics is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,570.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, 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: .