Journal profile · Environmental Science-Ecology
Plant Direct
ISSN 2475-4455 · Wiley-Blackwell · ENGLAND
Plant Direct: CAS Zone 3 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.73; fully open access; APC about USD 3,120; median 130 days to acceptance (82 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 44% (journal website); 119 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Plant Direct is published by Wiley-Blackwell 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 Plant Molecular Biology Research, Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms and Plant Stress Responses and Tolerance, together about 34.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Plant Science and Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The scope of Plant Direct covers plant science broadly, including genetics, biochemistry, development, cell biology, biotic stress, abiotic stress, genomics, phenomics, bioinformatics, physiology, ecophysiology, molecular biology, and evolution. The research must address mechanisms and processes relevant to the level of biological organization being considered, from molecular to organismal. While Plant Direct considers research on crops equally to other plants, comparisons of agronomic performance across lines, cultivars, or agronomic treatments are not within the scope of the journal. We welcome pre-submission inquiries on the suitability of a specific manuscript sent to PlantDirect@wiley.com
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Environmental Science-Ecology
Editor-in-chief Richard HaslamPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 7%); most named United States 11, Taiwan, China 3, Mainland China 2, United Kingdom 2, India 2 (28 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Plant Molecular Biology ResearchAgricultural and Biological Sciences17%
- Photosynthetic Processes and MechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology9.8%
- Plant Stress Responses and ToleranceAgricultural and Biological Sciences8%
- Plant nutrient uptake and metabolismAgricultural and Biological Sciences7.3%
- Plant Reproductive BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.8%
- Plant Gene Expression AnalysisBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.1%
- Plant tissue culture and regenerationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology3.7%
- Plant responses to water stressAgricultural and Biological Sciences3.6%
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 | Plant Sciences | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePubMedCASCurrent ContentsPublisher 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
- 2.73LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 2.8Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.8LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 4.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 4.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.85LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.74LetPub ·
- h-index
- 50OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 402OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.55OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 91LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 91Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 241,958Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 914 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 67 | 67 | 29 |
| 2025 | 119 | 119 | 207 |
| 2024 | 100 | 100 | 493 |
| 2023 | 96 | 96 | 868 |
| 2022 | 116 | 116 | 1,508 |
| 2021 | 86 | 86 | 1,249 |
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
130 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 96 days – 195 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 27 days (82 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 177 days
- Sample
- 82 articles with submission and acceptance dates (190 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 14 weeksLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 44%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 44%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 31 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 31 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 151 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 26 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 14 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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 accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | USD 3,120 / GBP 2,070 / EUR 2,810 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 2,840 / EUR 2,550 / GBP 1,880 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 2,420 / GBP 1,610 / EUR 2,180 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | No APC | — | — |
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Other fees
- No other fees
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
- ≤ 500 words
- Reference style
- AMA
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
Article types accepted5
- corrigendumCorrigendum: All requests for corrections should first be submitted to the editorial office at plantdirect@wiley.com.Length not stated
- editorialEditorial: These manuscripts serve as opinion pieces and are invitation only. Bespoke editorials that are not requested by the Editor-in-Chief will not be consi…Length not stated
- original research articlesOriginal Research Articles: Includes primary research articles, negative reports with justifications, replication studies, and other studies that contribute to …Length not stated
- registered reportSubmitting a Registered Report? Detailed guidelines can be found here.Length not stated
- white papersWhite Papers: Consortium white papers and workshop reports on topics relevant to plant biology can be published as “white papers” in Plant Direct.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, Peer review, Plagiarism, Preprints
- AI use Artificial Intelligence Generated Content
Please find Wiley’s policy on Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC) here.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Author Contributions and Acknowledgments
ORCID required for all authors Model summary
Contribution to a manuscript must be substantive to justify authorship. An author is responsible for major aspects of the research presented. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all authors have made bona fide, substantive contributions to the research and have seen and approved the manuscript in final form prior to submission. We recommend the guidelines of the International…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Conflict of Interest Statement
Each article must include a Conflict of Interest statement (to appear after Acknowledgements). You will be asked to provide a Conflict of Interest statement during the submission process. Please ensure you liaise with all co-authors to confirm agreement with the final statement. The journal requires that all authors disclose any potential sources of conflict of interest. Any interest or relationsh…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Publication Ethics
COPE member Model summary
This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Wiley’s Publication Ethics Guidelines can be found at https://authorservices.wiley.com/ethics-guidelines/index.html
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Single blind peer review for Original Research Articles Model summary
Members of the editorial board will evaluate all manuscripts upon submission to determine whether they are appropriate for evaluation by external expert reviewers. Those papers selected for external peer review will undergo single blind peer review.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism
CrossCheck similarity screening Model summary
All submitted manuscripts will be screened by our CrossCheck similarity software.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprint policy
Preprint sharing endorsed; discount for preprinted submissions Model summary
Plant Direct enthusiastically endorses the use of preprint servers. To show our enthusiasm, all manuscripts published using a preprint service before submission to the journal will be eligible for a discount. Please note that proof of prior upload to a preprint server (such as a valid link to the preprint server paper) must be provided during submission in order to qualify for the discount. At thi…
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
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2475-4455
- Society / sponsor
- American Society of Plant Biologists and the Society for Experimental Biology
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 10, Issue 9 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Plant Direct
What CAS zone is Plant Direct in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Plant Direct is in Zone 3 of Biology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Plant Sciences. 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 Plant Direct?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.73; CiteScore 4.8, h-index 50.
How long does peer review take at Plant Direct?
Based on the dates recorded on 82 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 130 days (interquartile range 96–195 days); authors report an average review time of about 14 weeks; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 44% (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 Plant Direct?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 500 words; Reference style: AMA; 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 Plant Direct based?
Of the 28 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 7%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (11), Taiwan, China (3) and Mainland China (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Plant Direct?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Plant Direct is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, PubMed, CAS and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Plant Direct open access, and what is the APC?
Plant Direct is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 3,120.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex, DOAJ; 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: .