Journal profile · Ecology
Polar Biology
ISSN 0722-4060 · eISSN 1432-2056 · Springer Berlin Heidelberg · GERMANY · Bimonthly · Founded 1982
Polar Biology: CAS Zone 4 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.36; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,090; median 166 days to acceptance (97 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 102 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Polar Biology is published by Springer Berlin Heidelberg and is in Zone 4 of Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Marine Biology and Ecology Research, Polar Research and Ecology and Marine animal studies overview, together about 27.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Ecology and Oceanography. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Polar Biology is a focal point for biologists working in polar regions. It is also of interest to scientists working in biology, ecology and physiology in general, as well as in oceanography and climatology related to polar life.Polar Biology publishes Research papers, Reviews, Brief Reports, Correspondence and Comments that present results of studies on plants, animals, and micro-organisms of ocean, land and freshwater habitats in polar and subpolar regions of both hemispheres from a wide range of topics: Taxonomy/ Biogeography Life History Spatio-temporal Patterns in Abundance and Diversity Ecological Interactions Trophic Ecology Ecophysiology/ Biochemistry of Adaptation Biogeochemical Pathways and Cycles Ecological Models Human Impact/ Climate Change/ Conservation
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Ecology
Editor-in-chief Dieter PiepenburgPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 8%); most named Germany 5, Spain 3, Mainland China 2, United States 2, Japan 2 (24 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Marine Biology and Ecology ResearchEarth and Planetary Sciences10.3%
- Polar Research and EcologyEnvironmental Science8.8%
- Marine animal studies overviewEnvironmental Science8.7%
- Marine and fisheries researchEnvironmental Science8.6%
- Marine and coastal ecosystemsEarth and Planetary Sciences6.9%
- Marine and coastal plant biologyEarth and Planetary Sciences5.8%
- Isotope Analysis in EcologyEnvironmental Science5.6%
- Avian ecology and behaviorEnvironmental Science5.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biodiversity Conservation | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 4 |
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 | Biodiversity Conservation | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biodiversity Conservation | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Ecology | 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
Current 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
- 1.36LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.4Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.6LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.71LetPub ·
- h-index
- 70LetPub ·
- h-index
- 122OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 4,021OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.45OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 41.51%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 104LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 603,600Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 5,597 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 113 | 59 | 20 |
| 2025 | 102 | 59 | 150 |
| 2024 | 124 | 70 | 320 |
| 2023 | 106 | 47 | 564 |
| 2022 | 127 | 59 | 1,029 |
| 2021 | 203 | 104 | 1,707 |
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
166 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 115 days – 260 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 20 days (97 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 192 days
- Sample
- 97 articles with submission and acceptance dates (250 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)
- 3–8 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 21 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 3,090 / EUR 2,490 / GBP 2,190 | — | — |
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)
Open calls for papers2, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare10 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 1,500 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
- Not considered
- preliminary work; E-mail contributions
Article types accepted12, with length limits
- brief reportResearch report on original research in all fields of polar biology and conform to the accepted standards of scientific quality. They must present scientific re…Length not stated
- commentComment are short papers related to articles recently published in Polar Biology (i.e., the latter should not be older than one year).Length not stated
- correspondenceResearch report on original research in all fields of polar biology and conform to the accepted standards of scientific quality. They must present scientific re…Length not stated
- editorialManuscripts submitted to "Polar Biology" should make a major contribution to biological science in polar regions. The final decision on manuscript acceptance re…main text ≤ 850 words · figures and tables ≤ 3 · references ≤ 55
- letterResearch report on original research in all fields of polar biology and conform to the accepted standards of scientific quality. They must present scientific re…Length not stated
- opinionResearch report on original research in all fields of polar biology and conform to the accepted standards of scientific quality. They must present scientific re…Length not stated
- original researchResearch report on original research in all fields of polar biology and conform to the accepted standards of scientific quality. They must present scientific re…Length not stated
- perspectiveResearch report on original research in all fields of polar biology and conform to the accepted standards of scientific quality. They must present scientific re…Length not stated
- research paperResearch report on original research in all fields of polar biology and conform to the accepted standards of scientific quality. They must present scientific re…Length not stated
- research reportResearch report on original research in all fields of polar biology and conform to the accepted standards of scientific quality. They must present scientific re…Length not stated
- reviewResearch report on original research in all fields of polar biology and conform to the accepted standards of scientific quality. They must present scientific re…Length not stated
- reviewsReviews are particularly welcome. They should recapitulate research areas of wide importance, provide an up-to-date account of the current status of active rese…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- 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 Author Contribution Statement
Authors must provide a short description of the contributions made by each listed author (please use initials). This statement will be published in a separate section in front of the Acknowledgments. For example: AM and DB conceived and designed research. AM and BB conducted experiments. GR contributed new reagents or analytical tools. AM and GR analyzed data. AM wrote the manuscript. All authors …
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
Data transparency 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
COPE member 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
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Polar Biology, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Clinical Trial Registration
The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of a clinical trial is "any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes". The WHO defines health interventions as “A health intervention is an act performed for, with or on behalf of a person or population whose purpose is to ass…
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
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1982
- ISSN
- 0722-4060
- Electronic ISSN
- 1432-2056
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Polar Biology
What CAS zone is Polar Biology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Polar Biology is in Zone 4 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Biodiversity Conservation / 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 Polar Biology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.36; CiteScore 3, h-index 122.
How long does peer review take at Polar Biology?
Based on the dates recorded on 97 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 166 days (interquartile range 115–260 days); authors report an average review time of 3–8 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “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.
What are the manuscript requirements of Polar Biology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 1,500 words; Reference style: Author–date; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: Optional; Graphical abstract: Optional; Cover letter: 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 Polar Biology based?
Of the 24 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 8%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Germany (5), Spain (3) and Mainland China (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Polar Biology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Polar Biology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Polar Biology open access, and what is the APC?
Polar Biology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,090.
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: .