Journal profile · Marine & Freshwater Biology
Phycological Research
ISSN 1322-0829 · eISSN 1440-1835 · John Wiley and Sons Inc. · JAPAN · Quarterly · Founded 1995
Phycological Research: CAS Zone 4 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.44; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,800; median 139 days to acceptance (66 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 51 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Phycological Research is published by John Wiley and Sons Inc. and is in Zone 4 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Marine and coastal plant biology, Marine and coastal ecosystems and Marine Biology and Ecology Research, together about 42.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Oceanography. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Phycological Research is published by the Japanese Society of Phycology and complements the Japanese Journal of Phycology. The Journal publishes international, basic or applied, peer-reviewed research dealing with all aspects of phycology including ecology, taxonomy and phylogeny, evolution, genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry, cell biology, morphology, physiology, new techniques to facilitate the international exchange of results. All articles are peer-reviewed by at least two researchers expert in the field of the submitted paper. Phycological Research has been credited by the International Association for Plant Taxonomy for the purpose of registration of new non-vascular plant names (including fossils). For further information see http://bgbm3.bgbm.fu-berlin.de/iapt/registration/journals/htm.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Marine & Freshwater Biology
Editor-in-chief Chikako NagasatoPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 3%); most named Japan 24, Germany 2, Mainland China 1, Taiwan, China 1, South Korea 1 (35 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Marine and coastal plant biologyEarth and Planetary Sciences19.9%
- Marine and coastal ecosystemsEarth and Planetary Sciences12.1%
- Marine Biology and Ecology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences10.7%
- Algal biology and biofuel productionEnergy8.8%
- Microbial Community Ecology and PhysiologyEnvironmental Science6.6%
- Protist diversity and phylogenyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.3%
- Diatoms and Algae ResearchMaterials Science4.9%
- Aquatic Ecosystems and Phytoplankton DynamicsEnvironmental Science4.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 4 |
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 | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
CASCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest, AGRICOLA
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
- 1.44LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 2.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.36LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.64LetPub ·
- h-index
- 38LetPub ·
- h-index
- 59OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 742OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.2OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 20%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 13.58%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 36LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 36Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 48,917Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,630 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 34 | 17 | 6 |
| 2025 | 51 | 26 | 66 |
| 2024 | 37 | 17 | 74 |
| 2023 | 35 | 22 | 87 |
| 2022 | 36 | 14 | 156 |
| 2021 | 32 | 13 | 184 |
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
139 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 84 days – 200 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 15 days (73 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 150 days
- Sample
- 66 articles with submission and acceptance dates (84 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)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 35%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 7 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 148 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 17 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single-anonymous peer review, at least 2 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
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 3,800 / EUR 3,170 / GBP 2,560 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | JPY 10,000 / JPY 5,000 | — | — |
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 prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 300 words
- Keywords
- 3–10
- Reference style
- Harvard
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
Article types accepted5
- book reviewsContributions may take the form of Review Articles, Original Research Articles, Research Notes, and Book Reviews.Length not stated
- editorialThe acceptance criteria for all papers are the quality and originality of the research and its significance to our readership. Except where otherwise stated, ma…Length not stated
- original research articlesContributions may take the form of Review Articles, Original Research Articles, Research Notes, and Book Reviews.Length not stated
- research notesContributions may take the form of Review Articles, Original Research Articles, Research Notes, and Book Reviews.Length not stated
- review articlesContributions may take the form of Review Articles, Original Research Articles, Research Notes, and Book Reviews.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websitePublication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Plagiarism
- Publication ethics
COPE member Model summary
The journal is a member of, and subscribes to the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright COPYRIGHT, LICENSING and OPEN ACCESS
Accepted papers will be passed to Wiley’s production team for publication. The author identified as the formal corresponding author for the paper will receive an email prompting them to login into Wiley’s Author Services, where via the Wiley Author Licensing Service (WALS) they will be asked to complete an electronic license agreement on behalf of all authors on the paper.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access COPYRIGHT, LICENSING and OPEN ACCESS
Accepted papers will be passed to Wiley’s production team for publication. The author identified as the formal corresponding author for the paper will receive an email prompting them to login into Wiley’s Author Services, where via the Wiley Author Licensing Service (WALS) they will be asked to complete an electronic license agreement on behalf of all authors on the paper.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism
Plagiarism screening Model summary
The journal employs a plagiarism detection system. By submitting your manuscript to this journal you accept that your manuscript may be screened for plagiarism against previously published works.
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
- John Wiley and Sons Inc.
- Country or region
- JAPAN
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1995
- ISSN
- 1322-0829
- Electronic ISSN
- 1440-1835
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Phycological Research
What CAS zone is Phycological Research in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Phycological Research is in Zone 4 of Biology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Marine & Freshwater Biology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Phycological Research?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.44; CiteScore 2.5, h-index 59.
How long does peer review take at Phycological Research?
Based on the dates recorded on 66 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 139 days (interquartile range 84–200 days); authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 35% (2025). 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 Phycological Research?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 300 words; Keywords: 3–10; Reference style: Harvard; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not 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 Phycological Research based?
Of the 35 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 3%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Japan (24), Germany (2) and Mainland China (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Phycological Research?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Phycological Research is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Phycological Research open access, and what is the APC?
Phycological Research is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,800.
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: .