Journal rankings · indicator year 2015
Choose a field to open its ranking, or a journal to find its row in its subfield’s list.
Domain ranking · 2015
Life Sciences journal rankings 2015
2,838 ranked journals · Domain
Life Sciences has 2,838 ranked journals in 2015. The median journal has an OJR of 0.83, below the world average of 1.00, down 0.04 on 2014; Q1 starts at OJR 1.37. The top three are The Journal of Peasant Studies, Cell, and Nature Genetics.
Ranks and citation indicators: 2015. Journal access status and listed APC: source snapshot September 23, 2026.
Journals whose main subfield sits in this category and that published at least 30 citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) in 2012–2014, the window the 2015 score is computed on.
The OpenJournalRank Indicator (OJR) is a free, publicly available metric of a journal’s field-normalized citation impact, computed from open OpenAlex citation data. It compares citations to a journal’s papers from the previous three years with the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so 1.00 is the world average and values can be compared across fields. It is computed with the NCI3 method.
The middle OJR among ranked journals in this category: half score higher, half lower. 1.00 is the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type.
The dot is this category, the solid tick is the median of all ranked journals and the dashed line is the world average.
Share of ranked journals in this category that are fully open access, so every paper is free to read. Hybrid journals, which sell subscriptions and open single papers for a fee, are not counted.
Median list price of the article processing charge, in US dollars, among ranked journals in this category that list a price above zero. Journals with a listed APC of $0 and journals with no known price are left out of this median. The At a glance table below gives a second median that includes the $0 prices.
Fields in Life Sciences (5)
Up to All journals2,838 ranked journals
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Rank is the position by OJR within the list on screen; 1 is the highest. | OJR is field-normalized 3-year citation impact: 1.00 is the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so values compare across fields. The badge is the journal’s quartile in this list. | Citations per paper over a two-year window, counted from OpenAlex. It is not field-normalized, so compare it only between journals of the same field. ▲ or ▼ is the change from 2014. This is OpenJournalRank’s own count, not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. | Citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) published in 2012–2014, the window the 2015 OJR is computed on. A journal needs at least 30 to be ranked. | Share of the journal’s 2012–2014 papers that are free to read in any open-access form. The green OA tag next to a title marks a fully open-access journal. | List price of the article processing charge in US dollars. “$0 listed” means the listed price is zero; a dash means no price is listed. | The line is the journal’s OJR from 2006 to 2015. | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1The Journal of Peasant StudiesTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 11.38Q1 | 5.11 1.08 down from 2014 | 208 | 25% | — | ||
2CellCell Press · United States | 9.74Q1 | 24.44 2.80 down from 2014 | 1,866 | 99% | $11,400 | ||
3Nature GeneticsNature Portfolio · United States | 9.50Q1 | 23.56 0.51 up from 2014 | 961 | 64% | $12,690 | ||
4Pharmacological ReviewsAmerican Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics · United States | 8.46Q1 | 21.03 0.80 down from 2014 | 99 | 51% | $4,500 | ||
5Ecology LettersWiley · United Kingdom | 8.44Q1 | 12.89 0.30 up from 2014 | 513 | 41% | $5,300 | ||
6NeurosignalsOAKarger Publishers · Switzerland | 8.42Q1 | 1.78 9.27 down from 2014 | 43 | 100% | $1,617 | ||
7NatureNature Portfolio · United Kingdom | 7.34Q1 | 12.67 0.94 down from 2014 | 9,768 | 36% | $12,690 | ||
8ImmunityCell Press · United States | 6.68Q1 | 20.32 1.20 up from 2014 | 712 | 98% | $10,400 | ||
9FEMS Microbiology ReviewsOAOxford University Press · Netherlands | 6.60Q1 | 14.13 1.39 up from 2014 | 117 | 90% | $3,297 | ||
10Molecular Biology and EvolutionOAOxford University Press · United States | 6.05Q1 | 14.04 3.18 up from 2014 | 923 | 88% | $3,418 | ||
11Nature CommunicationsOANature Portfolio · United Kingdom | 6.00Q1 | 13.55 0.32 down from 2014 | 5,111 | 100% | $6,990 | ||
12Nature NeuroscienceNature Portfolio · United States | 5.97Q1 | 16.03 0.76 down from 2014 | 853 | 72% | $12,690 | ||
13Systematic BiologyOxford University Press · United States | 5.97Q1 | 6.61 5.97 down from 2014 | 312 | 51% | $2,166 | ||
14Current Directions in Psychological ScienceSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 5.87Q1 | 8.94 0.25 down from 2014 | 217 | 42% | $3,900 | ||
15Nature BiotechnologyNature Portfolio · United States | 5.84Q1 | 14.73 2.39 up from 2014 | 1,121 | 32% | $12,690 | ||
16Cell MetabolismCell Press · United States | 5.83Q1 | 15.45 0.94 down from 2014 | 648 | 100% | $10,400 | ||
17Cell stem cellElsevier BV · United States | 5.70Q1 | 15.38 0.08 down from 2014 | 627 | 100% | $10,400 | ||
18Nature MethodsNature Portfolio · United States | 5.63Q1 | 11.21 2.71 down from 2014 | 1,307 | 33% | $12,690 | ||
19Progress in NeurobiologyElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 5.63Q1 | 16.77 4.01 up from 2014 | 179 | 48% | $5,190 | ||
20Studies in MycologyElsevier BV · Netherlands | 5.53Q1 | 11.97 0.83 up from 2014 | 50 | 95% | $1,430 | ||
21ScienceAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science · United States | 5.50Q1 | 9.10 0.12 up from 2014 | 11,688 | 19% | — | ||
22GigaScienceOAUniversity of Oxford · United Kingdom | 5.43Q1 | 8.72 6.19 down from 2014 | 69 | 100% | $2,638 | ||
23Progress in Lipid ResearchElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 5.42Q1 | 13.36 1.62 up from 2014 | 83 | 36% | $5,530 | ||
24MicrobiomeOABioMed Central · United Kingdom | 5.27Q1 | 12.01 1.59 up from 2014 | 74 | 100% | $4,990 | ||
25Journal of Clinical InvestigationOAAmerican Society for Clinical Investigation · United States | 5.19Q1 | 12.77 0.74 down from 2014 | 1,605 | 100% | $5,200 | ||
26Nature ProtocolsNature Portfolio · United States | 5.18Q1 | 11.72 0.39 down from 2014 | 566 | 52% | — | ||
27Biotechnology AdvancesElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 5.17Q1 | 11.68 1.46 up from 2014 | 355 | 27% | $5,460 | ||
28Nature Cell BiologyNature Portfolio · United Kingdom | 5.13Q1 | 15.19 1.00 up from 2014 | 601 | 68% | $12,690 | ||
29Psychological ScienceSAGE Publishing · United States | 5.01Q1 | 8.22 0.88 up from 2014 | 822 | 46% | $3,900 | ||
30NeuronCell Press · United States | 5.00Q1 | 13.26 1.32 down from 2014 | 1,502 | 100% | $10,400 | ||
31Molecular Aspects of MedicineElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 4.95Q1 | 13.58 1.72 up from 2014 | 129 | 42% | $5,220 | ||
32Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food SafetyWiley · United States | 4.89Q1 | 7.85 1.18 up from 2014 | 134 | 18% | $5,000 | ||
33Psychological ReviewAmerican Psychological Association · United States | 4.84Q1 | 9.53 0.48 up from 2014 | 106 | 49% | — | ||
34Trends in Food Science & TechnologyElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 4.77Q1 | 7.19 1.14 up from 2014 | 228 | 18% | $5,440 | ||
35The Journal of Experimental MedicineRockefeller University Press · United States | 4.76Q1 | 11.92 2.14 down from 2014 | 681 | 83% | — | ||
36Cell Host & MicrobeCell Press · United States | 4.70Q1 | 10.79 0.39 down from 2014 | 517 | 99% | $10,400 | ||
37The Plant CellOxford University Press · United States | 4.64Q1 | 8.73 0.91 down from 2014 | 1,124 | 99% | $4,934 | ||
38Human HeredityOAKarger Publishers · Switzerland | 4.64Q1 | 13.72 5.98 up from 2014 | 142 | 46% | — | ||
39Journal of BotanyHindawi Publishing Corporation · United Kingdom | 4.62Q1 | 0.67 6.47 down from 2014 | 64 | 100% | — | ||
40Pharmacology & TherapeuticsElsevier BV · United States | 4.60Q1 | 12.45 1.06 up from 2014 | 326 | 38% | $5,660 | ||
41Journal of Rural StudiesElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 4.59Q1 | 3.31 0.61 down from 2014 | 248 | 30% | $4,090 | ||
42Molecular CellElsevier BV · United States | 4.55Q1 | 13.69 0.17 up from 2014 | 1,121 | 100% | $10,400 | ||
43Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesNational Academy of Sciences · United States | 4.50Q1 | 10.34 0.40 down from 2014 | 12,728 | 100% | — | ||
44The Plant GenomeOACrop Science Society of America · United States | 4.39Q1 | 6.42 0.83 up from 2014 | 87 | 100% | $3,140 | ||
45Nature ImmunologyNature Portfolio · United States | 4.37Q1 | 11.93 0.48 down from 2014 | 768 | 42% | $12,690 | ||
46Drug Resistance UpdatesElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 4.36Q1 | 9.24 2.40 down from 2014 | 48 | 30% | $5,410 | ||
47Critical Reviews in Plant SciencesTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 4.34Q1 | 5.98 1.65 down from 2014 | 78 | 33% | — | ||
48The American Journal of Human GeneticsElsevier BV · United States | 4.24Q1 | 10.84 0.54 down from 2014 | 735 | 96% | $5,150 | ||
49Genome biologyOABioMed Central · United Kingdom | 4.21Q1 | 11.14 1.12 up from 2014 | 822 | 100% | $5,490 | ||
50Journal of Extracellular VesiclesOATaylor & Francis · United States | 4.19Q1 | 14.76 5.86 up from 2014 | 89 | 100% | $4,410 |
Citations made in 2015. Corpus-wide, 78.1% of core-journal articles and reviews published that year have at least one matched reference; the share varies by journal and field.
931 additional Life Sciences journals with metrics are unranked under this release’s eligibility rules: a journal needs at least 30 citable documents in 2012–2014, at least 80% of them with a subfield, and a positive world-average expectation. Ranks are within the whole category; filters hide rows without re-ranking. OJR excludes self-citations.
At a glance
Indicator year: 2015. Publication window: 2012–2014. How these summaries are calculated
- Ranked journals
- 2,838
- Window papers (baseline)
- 1,608,280 +10.8% from indicator year 2012
- Median OJR
- 0.83 -8.7% from indicator year 2012
- Rising journals (2025)
- 273
Window papers are the baseline paper population: citable papers (articles, reviews and conference papers) from 2012–2014 in all journals of the world-average baseline, including non-core journals, counted by each paper’s own subfield. They are not the papers of the ranked journals alone.
| Measure | Year series | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranked journals | 1,416 | 1,528 | 1,615 | 1,712 | 1,731 | 1,801 | 1,865 | 1,956 | 2,004 | 2,096 | 2,222 | 2,355 | 2,484 | 2,599 | 2,705 | 2,838 | 2,923 | 2,983 | 3,027 | 3,037 | 3,015 | 3,000 | 3,030 | 3,032 | 3,014 | 3,016 | |
| Window papers (baseline) | 681,698 | 747,894 | 789,157 | 838,563 | 854,790 | 911,302 | 969,983 | 1,041,301 | 1,106,285 | 1,194,995 | 1,291,816 | 1,389,175 | 1,451,151 | 1,495,499 | 1,547,978 | 1,608,280 | 1,646,156 | 1,651,790 | 1,653,566 | 1,677,661 | 1,731,463 | 1,821,734 | 1,907,316 | 1,955,191 | 1,960,779 | 2,008,547 | |
| Median OJR | 0.59 | 0.62 | 0.63 | 0.69 | 0.71 | 0.74 | 0.778 | 0.810 | 0.813 | 0.869 | 0.8675 | 0.90 | 0.91 | 0.873 | 0.8678 | 0.83 | 0.8177 | 0.8180 | 0.80925 | 0.806 | 0.814 | 0.80931 | 0.80 | 0.784 | 0.77 | 0.79 |
| Measure | Category statistic | Eligible population |
|---|---|---|
| Journal self-citation share | Median: 2.5% | 2,489 journals |
| Retracted papers per 1,000 | Pooled rate: 3.276 per 1,000 | 2,252 journals |
| Output growth | Median: -7.1% | 2,737 journals |
| Open access share | Median: 99.1% | 3,016 journals |
| Listed APC (USD) | Median including $0 listed prices: $3,258 | 1,900 ranked journals with a known listed price, including $0 listed prices |
| International collaboration share | Median: 25.1% | 2,917 journals |
| Review share | Median: 0.3% | 3,016 journals |
| Articles-only OJR | Median: 0.79 | 2,965 journals |
| Uncited share | Median: 26.6% | 3,016 journals |
| Citation concentration | Median: 42.9% | 3,011 journals |
How to read these rankings
- OJR, the OpenJournalRank Indicator
- A field-normalized 3-year citation impact, computed from OpenAlex with the NCI3 method. It divides the citations a journal’s papers received by the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so 1.00 is the world average and 2.00 means twice as many citations as expected. Because it is normalized, it can be compared across fields. Read the methodology
- Quartiles
- Q1 to Q4 split the ranked journals of the list you are viewing into four equal groups by OJR. A journal’s quartile depends on the list: the same journal can be Q1 in its subfield and Q2 among all journals.
- Impact factor (2-year)
- Citations per paper over a two-year window, counted from OpenAlex. It is easy to compare with familiar impact factors but is not field-normalized, so compare it only within a field. It is not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. Why it differs from the Journal Impact Factor
- Rank ranges
- Each rank in the latest year carries a likely range from 1,000 resamples of the journal’s papers. Where two journals’ ranges overlap, the data cannot tell them apart, so treat neighbouring ranks as ties.