Journal profile · BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION-ECOLOGY
Urban Ecosystems
ISSN 1083-8155 · eISSN 1573-1642 · Springer US · UNITED STATES · 6 issues per year · Founded 1997
Urban Ecosystems: CAS Zone 3 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.15; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,990; median 121 days to acceptance (73 articles, last 24 months); 211 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Urban Ecosystems is published by Springer US and is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Land Use and Ecosystem Services, Urban Green Space and Health and Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies, together about 40.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Ecology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Urban Ecosystems is an international journal devoted to scientific investigations of urban environments and the relationships between socioeconomic and ecological structures and processes in urban environments. The scope of the journal is broad, including interactions between urban ecosystems and associated suburban and rural environments. Contributions may span a range of specific subject areas as they may apply to urban environments: biodiversity, biogeochemistry, conservation biology, wildlife and fisheries management, ecosystem ecology, ecosystem services, environmental chemistry, hydrology, landscape architecture, meteorology and climate, policy, population biology, social and human ecology, soil science, and urban planning. In addition, the journal publishes short contributions (including reflective essays, case studies and teaching activities) for the topical collection Ecology with Cities about collaborating and communicating with people to research, manage, develop policy and plans for, and learn about urban social-ecological systems; see a full description and example articles on the collection’s webpage, and details for submission on the Submission Guidelines page.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION-ECOLOGY
Editor-in-chief Chi YungPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 7 in mainland China (about 16%); most named United States 14, Mainland China 7, Germany 6, Mexico 3, Australia 2 (45 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Land Use and Ecosystem ServicesEnvironmental Science16%
- Urban Green Space and HealthEnvironmental Science15.3%
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics StudiesEnvironmental Science9.3%
- Wildlife Ecology and ConservationEnvironmental Science7.5%
- Plant and animal studiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences6.7%
- Wildlife-Road Interactions and ConservationEnvironmental Science6.6%
- Urban Heat Island MitigationEnvironmental Science4.9%
- Urban Agriculture and SustainabilityAgricultural and Biological Sciences3.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biodiversity Conservation | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 3 |
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 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biodiversity Conservation | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
CAB AbstractsCurrent 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
- 3.15LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.2Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.2LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.87LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.14LetPub ·
- h-index
- 44LetPub ·
- h-index
- 116OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,303OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.62OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 9.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 40.93%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 220LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2,025Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 787,200Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,326 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 263 | 139 | 88 |
| 2025 | 211 | 96 | 539 |
| 2024 | 173 | 91 | 1,069 |
| 2023 | 168 | 75 | 1,619 |
| 2022 | 127 | 56 | 1,930 |
| 2021 | 118 | 38 | 1,792 |
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
121 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 86 days – 165 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 11 days (109 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 136 days
- Sample
- 73 articles with submission and acceptance dates (514 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
- Submission to first decision
- 7 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 3,990 / EUR 3,090 / GBP 2,690 | — | — |
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 papers1, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 10,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted5
- case studySubmissions may be original research articles not previously published in, nor under consideration by, the peer−reviewed literature; discussion papers that deve…Length not stated
- letters to the editorSubmissions may be original research articles not previously published in, nor under consideration by, the peer−reviewed literature; discussion papers that deve…Length not stated
- original research articleSubmissions may be original research articles not previously published in, nor under consideration by, the peer−reviewed literature; discussion papers that deve…Length not stated
- reviewFull−length manuscripts The review process is serial. If the Editor−in−Chief determines that the subject matter of the paper falls within the scope of the Journ…Length not stated
- review articleSubmissions may be original research articles not previously published in, nor under consideration by, the peer−reviewed literature; discussion papers that deve…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- 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 Authorship principles
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
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
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
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 Urban Ecosystems, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Review process
Full−length manuscripts The review process is serial. If the Editor−in−Chief determines that the subject matter of the paper falls within the scope of the Journal, the paper will be sent to an editorial board member for review, who solicits at least two external peer reviews for the paper. The editorial board member then forwards these reviews, along with a recommendation concerning the publicatio…
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 US
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- 6 issues per year
- Founded
- 1997
- ISSN
- 1083-8155
- Electronic ISSN
- 1573-1642
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Urban Ecosystems
What CAS zone is Urban Ecosystems in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Urban Ecosystems is in Zone 3 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 3 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 Urban Ecosystems?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.15; CiteScore 5.2, h-index 116.
How long does peer review take at Urban Ecosystems?
Based on the dates recorded on 73 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 121 days (interquartile range 86–165 days). 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 Urban Ecosystems?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 10,000 words; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: Optional. 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 Urban Ecosystems based?
Of the 45 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 7 (about 16%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (14), Mainland China (7) and Germany (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Urban Ecosystems?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Urban Ecosystems is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Urban Ecosystems open access, and what is the APC?
Urban Ecosystems is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,990.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .