Journal profile · Agricultural and Biological Sciences-Animal Science and Zoology
Raptor Journal
ISSN 2644-5247 · Sciendo · Poland
Raptor Journal: diamond open access (no APC); no APC; review about 12 weeks (community reports); 9 articles in 2025; indexed in Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Raptor Journal is published by Sciendo. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Avian ecology and behavior, Wildlife Ecology and Conservation and Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies, together about 76.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Ecology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
About JournalThe Raptor Journal (formerly known as Slovak Raptor Journal) has been published by the non-governmental organization Raptors Protection of Slovakia since 2007. It is an open-access journal indexed in the Scopus database from 2019. The journal has no article publication charge and publishes blind peer-reviewed articles on all aspects of the biology, ecology, and ethology of raptors and owls, e.g., original studies, reviews, short notes, and other papers related to the main journal scope (e.g., project reports, bibliographies, etc.). Single articles are published Ahead of Print (known also as ‘early bird’ or ‘online first’) as soon as they are accepted and prepared for publication. The printed Raptor Journal is usually published once a year, except for special issues. The rejection rate during the last four years (2023-2025) was 40%.Why publish in Raptor JournalOur journal is based on a long-standing research tradition on raptors and owls in the former Czechoslovakia. It is one of the three journals in the world devoted exclusively to raptors and owls. The editorial board is composed of distinguished experts. The evaluation process is relatively short, 106 days on average (for 2023 and 2025) to the final decision. Publication in the Raptor Journal does not require payment of an article processing fee.Journal for science, research and conservation on birds of prey and owls. Raptor Journal (formerly known as Slovak Raptor Journal) is issued generally annually and publishes original papers, reviews, short notes and other articles focusing on birds of prey and owls. All articles are published in English.Why readThe readers can find information about all aspects of the life of raptors and owls – habitat requirements and selection, foraging ecology and diet preferences, breeding biology and nest success, postbreeding movements and migration, threats and protection, population statuses and trends etc.Why submitThe journal has no article publication charges.No regional limitation – journal published papers from Europe, Asia and both Americas in last years.Fair and fast peer review.All accepted manuscripts are published as “online first” before completing the issue.All published articles are visible and accessible in full version.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Agricultural and Biological Sciences-Animal Science and Zoology
Editor-in-chief Marek KOUBAPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Slovakia 11, Czechia 3, Hungary 3, Germany 2, Italy 1 (25 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Avian ecology and behaviorEnvironmental Science33.1%
- Wildlife Ecology and ConservationEnvironmental Science26%
- Animal Ecology and Behavior StudiesEnvironmental Science17.6%
- Species Distribution and Climate ChangeEnvironmental Science6.5%
- Animal Behavior and ReproductionAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.2%
- Bird parasitology and diseasesImmunology and Microbiology2.5%
- Wildlife-Road Interactions and ConservationEnvironmental Science2.3%
- Census and Population EstimationMathematics1.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CiteScore quartiles (Scopus, June 2026 release)
| Subject | Quartile | Rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nature and Landscape Conservation | Q4 | 196/231 | 15th |
| Animal Science and Zoology | Q4 | 464/520 | 10th |
Scopus ranks journals by CiteScore within each subject: the 75th percentile and above is Q1, then a quartile every 25 points. A different system from the CAS zones.LetPub
Database indexing
ScopusDOAJLetPub
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
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 0.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 0.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.26LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.74LetPub ·
- h-index
- 15OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 34OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.77OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 182 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 8 | 8 | 75 |
| 2025 | 9 | 9 | 125 |
| 2024 | 9 | 9 | 60 |
| 2023 | 7 | 7 | 89 |
| 2022 | 6 | 6 | 106 |
| 2021 | 5 | 5 | 101 |
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 12 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
Diamond open access (no APC)DOAJ
Every article is open access and authors pay no article processing charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | No APC | No | CC BY-NC-ND | |
| LetPub | No APC | No | — |
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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteLicense & copyright
- License & copyright Copyright 2026 © Paradigm. All rights reserved.
Currency:EUR €USD $GBP £ Terms of servicePrivacy policyEthical policiesAccessibility
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
- Sciendo
- Country or region
- Poland
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2644-5247
- Print ISSN
- 1337-3463
- Official links
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Raptor Journal
How long does peer review take at Raptor Journal?
Authors report an average review time of about 12 weeks. 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Raptor Journal based?
Of the 25 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Slovakia (11), Czechia (3) and Hungary (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Raptor Journal?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Raptor Journal is indexed in Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Raptor Journal open access, and what is the APC?
Raptor Journal is a diamond open-access journal (no APC). It charges no article processing charge.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website, 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: .