Journal profile · Entomology
Sociobiology
ISSN 0361-6525 · eISSN 2447-8067 · California State University, Chico · UNITED STATES · Bimonthly · Founded 1975
Sociobiology: CAS Zone 4 · Agricultural & Forestry Sciences (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.83; diamond open access (no APC); no APC; review about 14 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); community-reported acceptance: easy; 57 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Sociobiology is published by California State University, Chico and is in Zone 4 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior, Plant and animal studies and Insect and Pesticide Research, together about 73.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics and Insect Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
SOCIOBIOLOGY publishes high-quality articles that significantly contribute to the knowledge of Entomology, emphasizing social insects. Articles previously submitted to other journals are not accepted. SOCIOBIOLOGY publishes original research papers and invited review articles on all aspects of the biology, evolution, and systematics of social and pre-social insects (Ants, Termites, Bees, and Wasps). The journal is expanding its scope to include articles on other arthropods that exhibit sociality. Papers may cover a range of subjects, such as ecology, ethology, morphology, population genetics, physiology, toxicology, reproduction, sociobiology, caste differentiation, economic impact, and pest management. Short notes are also published, but we are more interested in manuscripts that address biology, ecology, sociality, behavior, and genetics, with at least an essential experimental/sampling component and quantitative/statistical analysis. We will not accept simplistic notes describing new records of species occurrence. Articles and short notes that are only descriptive or anecdotal and of local interest will not be accepted.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Entomology
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 4%); most named Brazil 36, United States 7, Mainland China 2, France 2, United Kingdom 1 (57 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and BehaviorBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology30.8%
- Plant and animal studiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences26.7%
- Insect and Pesticide ResearchAgricultural and Biological Sciences16.2%
- Animal and Plant Science EducationPsychology4.4%
- Plant Parasitism and ResistanceAgricultural and Biological Sciences3%
- Animal Behavior and ReproductionAgricultural and Biological Sciences2.8%
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics StudiesEnvironmental Science2.3%
- Insect Utilization and EffectsAgricultural and Biological Sciences1.9%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Entomology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Entomology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Agricultural & Forestry Sciences Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Agricultural & Forestry Sciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Entomology | Zone 4 |
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 ScienceCAB AbstractsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar
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
- 0.83LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.3LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.3LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.63LetPub ·
- h-index
- 36LetPub ·
- h-index
- 43OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 565OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.18OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 22.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 98.69%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 56LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2,012Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,787 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 38 | 38 | 4 |
| 2025 | 57 | 57 | 50 |
| 2024 | 55 | 55 | 123 |
| 2023 | 42 | 42 | 75 |
| 2022 | 42 | 42 | 180 |
| 2021 | 57 | 57 | 326 |
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
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
14 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports about 3 months
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 3 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 38%Publisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 14 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication
- 115 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 26 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double 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 | |
| LetPub | No APC | No | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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)
Article types accepted3
- research articles1 - Research Articles These submissions are expected to present the outcomes of fully developed research, encompassing a research question, a scientific hypothe…Length not stated
- scientific notes2 - Scientific Notes These submissions are expected to present preliminary or less developed results on a subject that has not yet been thoroughly explored, but…Length not stated
- systematic reviews3 - Systematic Reviews Systematic review submissions are received upon invitation by the Associate Editors.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Plagiarism
- AI use USE OF AI (ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE) GUIDELINES
Sociobiology recognizes the trend of utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) as an auxiliary tool in the intellectual process. However, it is crucial to draw a line between the limits of an auxiliary use and a generative use resembling the authorship of a manuscript text, even in a minimal part. From an ethical perspective, AI tools are not accountable for scientific accuracy or mistakes in their g…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright Notice
Sociobiology is an open-access journal which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles in this journal without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This follows the BOAI definition of open access. Authors who publis…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access Policy
Free publication for authors; open access to readers. Model summary
Sociobiology is financially supported by a public state university that receives endowments from the State treasurer. The costs of editing the journal are covered by public money. Furthermore, editors are spending part of their work hours funded by public money on journal management. Therefore, if the financial support comes from public funds, both the authors and the readers should benefit. The e…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review Process and Publication Deadline
Peer review; submission accepted only if it meets criteria of good scientific quality. Model summary
The Associate Editors receive the manuscripts, which are then checked for plagiarism. They then conduct an initial evaluation of the relevance of the scientific contribution. This initial evaluation can take up to seven days. Then, initially approved manuscripts are forwarded to Section Editors and assigned to two ad hoc referees for a double-blind peer review. Reviewers must conclude their evalua…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism PLAGIARISM ISSUES
Sociobiology follows the principles of ethics in all stages of the editorial process. Every submitted manuscript will be screened for plagiarism using anti-plagiarism software. Any submission showing more than 10% plagiarism in the check report will be rejected.
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
- California State University, Chico
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1975
- ISSN
- 0361-6525
- Electronic ISSN
- 2447-8067
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 73, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Sociobiology
What CAS zone is Sociobiology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Sociobiology is in Zone 4 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Entomology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Agricultural & Forestry Sciences. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Sociobiology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0.83; CiteScore 1.3, h-index 43.
How long does peer review take at Sociobiology?
The publisher reports about 14 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of about 3 months; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 38% (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.
Where are the editorial board members of Sociobiology based?
Of the 57 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 4%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Brazil (36), United States (7) and Mainland China (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Sociobiology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Sociobiology is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science and CAB Abstracts; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Sociobiology open access, and what is the APC?
Sociobiology 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, 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: .