Journal profile · Zoology
Zoology
ISSN 0944-2006 · eISSN 1873-2720 · Elsevier GmbH · GERMANY · Quarterly · Founded 1994
Zoology: CAS Zone 3 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.34; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,101; median 222 days to acceptance (52 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 36 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Zoology is published by Elsevier GmbH and is in Zone 3 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Amphibian and Reptile Biology, Animal Behavior and Reproduction and Ichthyology and Marine Biology, together about 27.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics and Nature and Landscape Conservation. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Zoology is a journal devoted to experimental and comparative animal science. It presents a common forum for all scientists who take an explicitly organism oriented and integrative approach to the study of animal form, function, development and evolution. The journal invites papers that take a comparative or experimental approach to behavior and neurobiology, functional morphology, evolution and development, ecological physiology, and cell biology. Due to the increasing realization that animals exist only within a partnership with symbionts, Zoology encourages submissions of papers focused on the analysis of holobionts or metaorganisms as associations of the macroscopic host in synergistic interdependence with numerous microbial and eukaryotic species.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Zoology
Editor-in-chief Christa BeckmannPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 5%); most named United States 11, Germany 6, Australia 5, Mainland China 2, Taiwan, China 2 (38 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Amphibian and Reptile BiologyEnvironmental Science10.9%
- Animal Behavior and ReproductionAgricultural and Biological Sciences10.4%
- Ichthyology and Marine BiologyEnvironmental Science6%
- Bat Biology and Ecology StudiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.1%
- Fish Ecology and Management StudiesEnvironmental Science4.8%
- Physiological and biochemical adaptationsEnvironmental Science4.8%
- Fish biology, ecology, and behaviorEnvironmental Science4.5%
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and BehaviorBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Zoology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Zoology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Zoology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview 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
- 1.34LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.8LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 2.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.4LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.8LetPub ·
- h-index
- 44LetPub ·
- h-index
- 72OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 758OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.47OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 18.56%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 29LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,239 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 18 | 8 | 2 |
| 2025 | 36 | 8 | 40 |
| 2024 | 46 | 18 | 105 |
| 2023 | 36 | 15 | 125 |
| 2022 | 38 | 10 | 220 |
| 2021 | 63 | 22 | 577 |
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
222 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 140 days – 338 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 2 days (53 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 225 days
- Sample
- 52 articles with submission and acceptance dates (57 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)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 80 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 189 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- 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.
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 | EUR 3,320 / GBP 3,110 / JPY 2,660 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,600 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Authors must follow Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy. Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
Open access options available; referred to open access information page. Model summary
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Single anonymized review process; submissions initially assessed by editors; suitable submissions sent to a minimum of two reviewers; editors make the accept/reject decision. Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing allowed and does not count as prior publication; free preprint posting service on SSRN offered during submission. Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
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
- Elsevier GmbH
- Country or region
- GERMANY
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1994
- ISSN
- 0944-2006
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-2720
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Zoology
What CAS zone is Zoology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Zoology is in Zone 3 of Biology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Zoology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Zoology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.34; CiteScore 2.8, h-index 72.
How long does peer review take at Zoology?
Based on the dates recorded on 52 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 222 days (interquartile range 140–338 days); authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”. 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 Zoology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: Author–date; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: 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 Zoology based?
Of the 38 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 5%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (11), Germany (6) and Australia (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Zoology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Zoology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Zoology open access, and what is the APC?
Zoology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,101.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, 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: .