Scientia Horticulturae

Scientia Horticulturae is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 2 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Plant Physiology and Cultivation Studies, Postharvest Quality and Shelf Life Management and Horticultural and Viticultural Research, together about 34.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Plant Science and Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)

Expanding the scope of Scientia HorticulturaeSubmissions to Scientia Horticulturae must clearly fall within the scope of horticultural science. This is a critical aspect for the initial evaluation of whether a manuscript is accepted or rejected.1. In this context, descriptions of plant species, topics, and experimental designs that are OUT OF SCOPE are provided below. Note, many excellent manuscripts may need to be directed elsewhere if they fall outside these parameters.1.1. Regarding PLANT SPECIES: Manuscript submissions focusing on cereal, agronomic, forestry, medicinal, industrial, and oleaginous crops (e.g., olive studies linked to oil production) are out of scope. Some row crops that yield a product that may be used fresh (e.g., tropical vegetables, citrus, bananas, and other fruits) will be considered. Dried or highly processed crops as well as manuscripts that describe the processing of a plant product (e.g., rubber, tobacco, and quinine) will not be considered.1.2. Regarding TOPICS: a) Phytopathological studies that focus on a pathogen(s) or plant physiology without a clear horticulture orientation or economic impact on horticultural crop production are out of scope. b) Plant molecular and phylogenetic studies without a clear horticultural orientation, as well as basic molecular studies with no direct application to horticulture traits are also out of scope. c) Food technology studies focused on processed products, rather than fresh products, are out of scope; however, postharvest studies are within the journal’s scope. d) Crop management studies must be linked to horticultural traits. e) Papers on the technical aspects of horticulture (such as engineering, imaging and data processing, crop processing, storage and transport) will only be considered if they relate directly to the living product with a clear horticulture focus.1.3. Regarding EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: several seasons are required for many phenology studies. Analysis using local ecotypes without pedigree descriptions, and lacking international references are of limited interest. However, single-season studies based on robust data and considering multiple traits with significant results may be considered as short communications. Experimental designs and statistical analyses for all submitted manuscripts must be rigorous, including the necessary replications in any phenotypic or molecular study. Simple comparisons (such as yield and morphological traits) between genotypes without encompassing any physiological aspects are out of scope.Our journal is one of the leading global sources of information for horticulture researchers. The knowledge we publish must be accurate, significant, novel, advance the state-of-the-art, and be of interest to our international readership. The growth of the journal must continue in a sustainable way. The quality of the journal will be enhanced by increasing its Impact Factor, thereby making it an attractive publishing venue for top-tier research groups.2. In this context, we can clarify ADDITIONAL SCOPES of the journal.2.1. Regarding ACCEPTED SPECIES: A wide variety of horticultural crops with significant economic value may be considered. For example, Scientia Horticulturae is one of the few Q1 journals that accepts papers on edible fungi (mushrooms), and we are open to expanding the acceptance of papers on these species. Potentially, medicinal crops should also be included if they have a direct fresh use, except for rare regional medicinal crops, although this becomes complex when considering phytochemicals and related aspects. Exploitation of wild germplasm resources also has good prospects in horticulture, and manuscripts will be considered if they have a clear horticultural focus.2.2. Regarding NEW TOPICS: Submissions that focus on omics, biochemistry, micropropagation, breeding, plant physiology, and phytopathology will be considered if they contain information that relates to important horticulture traits. Additionally, new us

From the journal's Aims & Scope

Research area (LetPub): Horticulture

Editor-in-chief George ManganarisPublisher website

Editorial board by country: 14 in mainland China (about 26%); most named Mainland China 14, United States 8, Spain 8, Italy 4, Greece 4 (54 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website · 2026-10-01

CAS Journal Ranking

Database indexing

SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub

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.

Impact

Impact factor

4.59LetPub · 2026-09-13

Impact factor (publisher)

4.6Publisher website · 2026-10-01

CiteScore 2026-06

9.1LetPub · 2026-09-13

CiteScore (publisher)

9.1Publisher website · 2026-10-01

SJR 2026-06

0.92LetPub · 2026-09-13

SNIP 2026-06

1.2LetPub · 2026-09-13

h-index

92LetPub · 2026-09-13

h-index

192OpenAlex · 2026-10-01

i10-index

11,286OpenAlex · 2026-10-01

2-year mean citedness

4.99OpenAlex · 2026-10-01

Self-citation rate

2.2%LetPub · 2026-09-13

Share of gold OA articles

39.62%LetPub · 2026-09-13

Volume

Articles per year

589LetPub · 2026-09-13

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.

Figures by source

Average review time (community reports)

about 7.5 monthsLetPub · 2026-09-13

Average acceptance (community reports)

50%LetPub · 2026-09-13

Submission to first decision

4 daysPublisher website · 2026-10-01

First decision after review

45 daysPublisher website · 2026-10-01

Submission to acceptance

106 daysPublisher website · 2026-10-01

Acceptance to publication

8 daysPublisher website · 2026-10-01

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.

The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.

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.

Publisher

Elsevier

Country or region

NETHERLANDS

Language

English

Frequency

Monthly

Founded

1973

ISSN

0304-4238

Electronic ISSN

1879-1018

Official links

• Journal homepage ↗LetPub
• Submission system ↗Publisher website
• Special issues ↗Publisher website