Journal profile · Ecology
Plant Species Biology
ISSN 0913-557X · eISSN 1442-1984 · Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd · JAPAN · Tri-annual · Founded 1986
Plant Species Biology: CAS Zone 4 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.22; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,750; median 211 days to acceptance (64 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 68 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Plant Species Biology is published by Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd 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 Plant and animal studies, Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies and Plant Parasitism and Resistance, together about 51.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics and Plant Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Plant Species Biology aims to facilitate the communication and exchange of knowledge and ideas regarding the evolutionary and ecological aspects of plant species, encompassing life histories, reproduction, interactions with other organisms, adaptive mechanisms, population structure and dynamics, speciation, and diversification. Manuscripts will be considered for publication only if they contribute to fundamental and broad scientific understanding. Descriptive manuscripts lacking a clear hypothesis are not suitable for this journal. Submission of manuscripts reporting incremental advances or having geographically-limited interest is discouraged, unless the findings have broader implications that can be generalized.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Ecology
Editor-in-chief Masashi OharaPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 3%); most named Japan 21, United States 4, Canada 2, Brazil 2, Mainland China 1 (33 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Plant and animal studiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences25.1%
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics StudiesEnvironmental Science15.1%
- Plant Parasitism and ResistanceAgricultural and Biological Sciences11.5%
- Plant Diversity and EvolutionAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.5%
- Genetic diversity and population structureBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5%
- Botany, Ecology, and Taxonomy StudiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.6%
- Plant Reproductive BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4%
- Plant and Fungal Species DescriptionsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology3.7%
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 | Plant Sciences | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 4 |
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 |
| Minor | Ecology | 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 | Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | 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
CAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, 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
- 1.22LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.2Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 2.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 2.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.44LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.81LetPub ·
- h-index
- 32LetPub ·
- h-index
- 50OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 557OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.82OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 16.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 47.86%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 45LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 47Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 61,047Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,370 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 38 | 32 | 1 |
| 2025 | 68 | 46 | 45 |
| 2024 | 63 | 34 | 92 |
| 2023 | 48 | 26 | 128 |
| 2022 | 42 | 5 | 141 |
| 2021 | 55 | 13 | 280 |
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
211 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 146 days – 285 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 35 days (65 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 249 days
- Sample
- 64 articles with submission and acceptance dates (112 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)
- 42%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 42%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 7 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 7 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 194 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 37 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 2,750 / EUR 2,300 / GBP 1,850 | — | — |
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 prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 7,000 words
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Required
- Cover letter
- Optional
Article types accepted6
- invited articleInvited Article Word limit. No word limit Abstract. 250 words maximum Description. Articles by invited authors authorized by editorial committee, including the …Length not stated
- invited reviewInvited Review Word limit. No word limit Abstract. 250 words maximum Description. Articles reviewing recent advances in topical areas of plant species biology s…Length not stated
- life history monographs of japanese plant speciesLife history monographs of Japanese plant species Description. Articles reporting the life history monographs of Japanese plant species.Length not stated
- notes and insightsNotes and Insights Word limit. Up to 4000 words excluding references Abstract. Less than 150 words Description. Reporting new significant ecological findings th…Length not stated
- original articlesOriginal Articles Word limit. Up to 7000 words excluding references Abstract. 250 words maximum Description. New results of empirical and/or theoretical investi…Length not stated
- review articlesReview Articles Word limit. No word limit Abstract. 250 words maximum Description. Articles that provide an up-to-date overview of recent advances in key areas …Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websitePublication ethics, Open access, Peer review
- Publication ethics 5. EDITORIAL POLICIES AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Editorial Review and AcceptanceThe acceptance criteria for all papers are the quality and originality of the research and its significance to journal readership. Except where otherwise stated, manuscripts are single-blind peer reviewed. Papers will only be sent to review if the Editor-in-Chief determines that the paper meets the appropriate quality and relevance requirements.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access 6. AUTHOR LICENSING AND OPEN ACCESS FEES
Open access with APC and Creative Commons license Model summary
This journal has joined Wiley's Open Access portfolio as of January 1, 2026.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Peer review: single-blind Model summary
Except where otherwise stated, manuscripts are single-blind peer reviewed.
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 Publishing Ltd
- Country or region
- JAPAN
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Tri-annual
- Founded
- 1986
- ISSN
- 0913-557X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1442-1984
- Society / sponsor
- Ecological Society of Japan
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Plant Species Biology
What CAS zone is Plant Species Biology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Plant Species Biology is in Zone 4 of Biology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Plant Sciences / Ecology. 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 Species Biology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.22; CiteScore 2.5, h-index 50.
How long does peer review take at Plant Species Biology?
Based on the dates recorded on 64 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 211 days (interquartile range 146–285 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 42% (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 Species Biology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Manuscript length: ≤ 7,000 words; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Graphical abstract: Required; Cover letter: 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 Plant Species Biology based?
Of the 33 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 3%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Japan (21), United States (4) and Canada (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Plant Species Biology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Plant Species Biology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Plant Species Biology open access, and what is the APC?
Plant Species Biology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,750.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .