Journal profile · Evolutionary Biology
Systematic Biology
ISSN 1063-5157 · eISSN 1076-836X · Oxford University Press · UNITED STATES · Bimonthly · Founded 1992
Systematic Biology: CAS Zone 1 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 6.08; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,166; median 327 days to acceptance (44 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: hard; 91 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Systematic Biology is published by Oxford University Press and is in Zone 1 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Genetic diversity and population structure, Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies and Evolution and Paleontology Studies, together about 48.3% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Systematic Biology is the bimonthly journal of the Society of Systematic Biologists. Papers for the journal are original contributions to the theory, principles, and methods of systematics as well as phylogeny, evolution, morphology, biogeography, paleontology, genetics, and the classification of all living things. A Points of View section offers a forum for discussion, while book reviews and announcements of general interest are also featured.
Source: LetPub
Research area (LetPub): Evolutionary Biology
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Genetic diversity and population structureBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology18.4%
- Genomics and Phylogenetic StudiesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology15%
- Evolution and Paleontology StudiesEarth and Planetary Sciences14.9%
- Plant and animal studiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.2%
- Species Distribution and Climate ChangeEnvironmental Science4.5%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.2%
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics StudiesEnvironmental Science3.3%
- Amphibian and Reptile BiologyEnvironmental Science3.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Evolutionary Biology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Evolutionary Biology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Evolutionary Biology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
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
- Impact factor
- 6.08LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 14LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 3.34LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.58LetPub ·
- h-index
- 166LetPub ·
- h-index
- 285OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,994OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 6.26OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 11.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 50.42%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 85LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 5,039 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 75 | 48 | 97 |
| 2025 | 91 | 67 | 406 |
| 2024 | 76 | 56 | 1,012 |
| 2023 | 76 | 60 | 1,660 |
| 2022 | 82 | 59 | 2,469 |
| 2021 | 101 | 75 | 4,240 |
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 PubMed · to
327 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 211 days – 457 days
- Acceptance to online
- —
- Submission to online
- —
- Sample
- 44 articles with submission and acceptance dates (218 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)
- 6–12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- HardLetPub ·
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 2,166 | — | — |
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.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1992
- ISSN
- 1063-5157
- Electronic ISSN
- 1076-836X
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Systematic Biology
What CAS zone is Systematic Biology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Systematic Biology is in Zone 1 of Biology, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Evolutionary Biology; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Systematic Biology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 6.08; CiteScore 14, h-index 285.
How long does peer review take at Systematic Biology?
Based on the dates recorded on 44 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 327 days (interquartile range 211–457 days); authors report an average review time of 6–12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Hard”. 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.
Which databases index Systematic Biology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Systematic Biology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Systematic Biology open access, and what is the APC?
Systematic Biology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,166.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .