Journal rankings · indicator year 2017
Choose a field to open its ranking, or a journal to find its row in its subfield’s list.
Subfield ranking · 2017
Ecology journal rankings 2017
274 ranked journals · Subfield in Environmental Science
Ecology has 274 ranked journals in 2017. The median journal has an OJR of 0.81, below the world average of 1.00, up 0.02 on 2016; Q1 starts at OJR 1.35. The top three are Global Food Security, ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, and Global Change Biology.
Ranks and citation indicators: 2017. 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 2014–2016, the window the 2017 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.
Subfields of Environmental Science (11)
274 ranked journals
Filters
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 2016. This is OpenJournalRank’s own count, not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. | Citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) published in 2014–2016, the window the 2017 OJR is computed on. A journal needs at least 30 to be ranked. | Share of the journal’s 2014–2016 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 2008 to 2017. | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1Global Food SecurityElsevier BV · Netherlands | 5.34Q1 | 4.68 0.67 down from 2016 | 96 | 62% | $5,240 | ||
| 5.30Q1 | 7.33 1.05 down from 2016 | 522 | 35% | $3,310 | |||
3Global Change BiologyWiley · United Kingdom | 5.09Q1 | 8.43 0.63 down from 2016 | 1,094 | 44% | $4,550 | ||
4The ISME JournalOASpringer Nature · United Kingdom | 5.08Q1 | 10.17 0.21 up from 2016 | 705 | 100% | $4,153 | ||
5Frontiers in Ecology and the EnvironmentWiley · United States | 4.19Q1 | 5.66 0.97 down from 2016 | 320 | 57% | $3,970 | ||
6Methods in Ecology and EvolutionOAWiley · United States | 4.03Q1 | 6.56 0.22 up from 2016 | 509 | 63% | $3,500 | ||
7Journal of Applied EcologyWiley · United Kingdom | 3.67Q1 | 5.88 0.35 down from 2016 | 635 | 57% | $3,610 | ||
8Conservation LettersOAWiley · United States | 3.65Q1 | 5.59 0.25 up from 2016 | 242 | 100% | $3,550 | ||
9Conservation BiologyWiley · United States | 3.21Q1 | 4.76 0.53 down from 2016 | 631 | 49% | $3,400 | ||
10Movement EcologyOABioMed Central · United Kingdom | 3.00Q1 | 5.03 0.62 up from 2016 | 93 | 100% | $2,790 | ||
11Molecular Ecology ResourcesWiley · United Kingdom | 2.94Q1 | 6.15 1.08 down from 2016 | 419 | 39% | $5,250 | ||
12EcologyWiley · United States | 2.91Q1 | 3.81 0.73 down from 2016 | 1,142 | 38% | $3,970 | ||
13Biological ConservationElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 2.89Q1 | 4.66 0.36 down from 2016 | 1,174 | 44% | $3,830 | ||
14Journal of Animal EcologyWiley · United Kingdom | 2.87Q1 | 4.69 0.29 up from 2016 | 426 | 66% | $3,610 | ||
15Mammal ReviewWiley · United Kingdom | 2.75Q1 | 5.04 1.68 up from 2016 | 65 | 16% | $4,100 | ||
16BiogeochemistrySpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 2.56Q1 | 4.02 0.15 down from 2016 | 330 | 44% | $3,390 | ||
17Ecological ApplicationsWiley · United States | 2.52Q1 | 3.91 0.15 down from 2016 | 636 | 33% | $3,970 | ||
18Remote Sensing in Ecology and ConservationOAWiley · United Kingdom | 2.52Q1 | 5.50 0.72 down from 2016 | 31 | 100% | $3,590 | ||
19EcosystemsSpringer Science+Business Media · United States | 2.43Q1 | 3.76 1.38 down from 2016 | 365 | 39% | $4,790 | ||
20Environmental MicrobiologyWiley · United Kingdom | 2.40Q1 | 4.97 0.11 down from 2016 | 1,027 | 42% | $4,640 | ||
21FEMS Microbiology EcologyOAOxford University Press · Netherlands | 2.36Q1 | 4.24 0.20 down from 2016 | 626 | 81% | $3,297 | ||
22Earth Surface DynamicsOACopernicus Publications · Germany | 2.25Q1 | 3.92 0.21 up from 2016 | 124 | 100% | $1,682 | ||
23Freshwater BiologyWiley · United Kingdom | 2.21Q1 | 3.83 0.09 up from 2016 | 548 | 34% | $4,940 | ||
24EcosphereOAWiley · United States | 2.19Q1 | 3.68 0.07 up from 2016 | 871 | 100% | $2,430 | ||
25Earth Surface Processes and LandformsWiley · United Kingdom | 2.18Q1 | 3.36 0.67 down from 2016 | 529 | 32% | $5,330 | ||
26OecologiaSpringer Science+Business Media · Germany | 2.09Q1 | 3.36 0.13 down from 2016 | 925 | 28% | $3,790 | ||
27Royal Society Open ScienceOARoyal Society · United Kingdom | 2.03Q1 | 3.35 0.15 up from 2016 | 725 | 100% | $1,471 | ||
28Microbial EcologySpringer Science+Business Media · United States | 2.00Q1 | 3.58 0.14 down from 2016 | 557 | 31% | $4,590 | ||
29Biodiversity and ConservationSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 2.00Q1 | 3.24 0.21 up from 2016 | 646 | 31% | $3,990 | ||
30Ecological EngineeringElsevier BV · Netherlands | 1.93Q1 | 3.44 0.18 up from 2016 | 1,729 | 26% | $3,910 | ||
31Conservation PhysiologyOAOxford University Press · United Kingdom | 1.91Q1 | 3.17 0.67 down from 2016 | 216 | 100% | $2,734 | ||
32International Journal for Parasitology Parasites and WildlifeOAElsevier BV · Australia | 1.90Q1 | 3.45 0.16 down from 2016 | 127 | 100% | $1,930 | ||
33Aquatic SciencesSpringer Science+Business Media · Switzerland | 1.89Q1 | 2.60 0.39 down from 2016 | 180 | 23% | $4,190 | ||
34BMC EcologyOABioMed Central · United Kingdom | 1.88Q1 | 3.18 0.50 down from 2016 | 105 | 100% | $2,290 | ||
35Aquatic Conservation Marine and Freshwater EcosystemsWiley · United Kingdom | 1.84Q1 | 3.02 0.10 up from 2016 | 276 | 29% | $4,730 | ||
36Biological InvasionsSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 1.83Q1 | 3.17 0.08 up from 2016 | 712 | 35% | $3,690 | ||
37Coral ReefsSpringer Science+Business Media · Germany | 1.82Q1 | 3.45 0.14 up from 2016 | 394 | 38% | $4,190 | ||
38Ecology and EvolutionOAWiley · United Kingdom | 1.81Q1 | 2.90 0.29 down from 2016 | 1,658 | 100% | $2,570 | ||
39Frontiers in Ecology and EvolutionOAFrontiers Media · Switzerland | 1.81Q1 | 3.10 0.04 up from 2016 | 386 | 100% | $3,077 | ||
40Global Ecology and ConservationOAElsevier BV · Netherlands | 1.76Q1 | 2.78 0.23 up from 2016 | 278 | 100% | $2,980 | ||
41Aquatic InvasionsOARegional Euro-Asian Biological Invasions Centre (REABIC) · Finland | 1.75Q1 | 2.15 0.99 down from 2016 | 131 | 100% | $1,024 | ||
42NeoBiotaOAPensoft Publishers · Bulgaria | 1.72Q1 | 3.78 1.72 up from 2016 | 59 | 100% | $970 | ||
43GIScience & Remote SensingOATaylor & Francis · United States | 1.67Q1 | 3.91 0.78 up from 2016 | 133 | 97% | $2,390 | ||
44Restoration EcologyWiley · United States | 1.63Q1 | 3.01 0.70 up from 2016 | 385 | 19% | $3,300 | ||
45Food WebsElsevier BV · Netherlands | 1.60Q1 | 3.33 0.93 up from 2016 | 40 | 44% | $2,950 | ||
46Animal BiotelemetryOABioMed Central · United Kingdom | 1.60Q1 | 2.74 0.45 up from 2016 | 95 | 100% | $2,390 | ||
47Freshwater ScienceUniversity of Chicago Press · United States | 1.59Q1 | 2.67 0.02 down from 2016 | 368 | 25% | — | ||
48Journal of Zoological Systematics & Evolutionary ResearchOAWiley · Germany | 1.59Q1 | 3.03 0.26 down from 2016 | 90 | 68% | $2,350 | ||
49Marine BiologySpringer Science+Business Media · Germany | 1.57Q1 | 2.93 0.31 up from 2016 | 665 | 27% | $3,790 | ||
50Animal ConservationWiley · United Kingdom | 1.55Q1 | 2.50 0.15 down from 2016 | 233 | 51% | $4,430 |
Subfields of Environmental Science, with Ecology highlighted.
- Ecology274
- Global and Planetary Change195
- Water Science and Technology101
- Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis81
- Nature and Landscape Conservation59
- Pollution58
- Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law47
- Environmental Engineering44
- Waste Management and Disposal20
- Environmental Chemistry10
- Ecological Modeling5
Journals
Citations made in 2017. Corpus-wide, 77.7% of core-journal articles and reviews published that year have at least one matched reference; the share varies by journal and field.
70 additional Ecology journals with metrics are unranked under this release’s eligibility rules: a journal needs at least 30 citable documents in 2014–2016, 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: 2017. Publication window: 2014–2016. How these summaries are calculated
- Ranked journals
- 274
- Window papers (baseline)
- 101,371 +7.8% from indicator year 2014
- Median OJR
- 0.810 +0.6% from indicator year 2014
- Rising journals (2025)
- 18
Window papers are the baseline paper population: citable papers (articles, reviews and conference papers) from 2014–2016 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 | 147 | 164 | 175 | 182 | 188 | 194 | 193 | 205 | 221 | 232 | 235 | 248 | 249 | 258 | 261 | 273 | 276 | 274 | 274 | 269 | 276 | 279 | 295 | 296 | 288 | 285 | |
| Window papers (baseline) | 34,254 | 41,682 | 44,762 | 49,088 | 47,455 | 50,630 | 54,383 | 60,221 | 66,252 | 72,124 | 77,093 | 82,207 | 86,067 | 90,052 | 94,017 | 98,126 | 99,678 | 101,371 | 102,738 | 106,059 | 108,848 | 114,234 | 123,053 | 131,302 | 140,427 | 146,313 | |
| Median OJR | 0.59 | 0.6292 | 0.638 | 0.6289 | 0.61 | 0.643 | 0.73 | 0.736 | 0.75 | 0.737 | 0.76 | 0.809 | 0.811 | 0.84 | 0.805 | 0.80 | 0.79 | 0.810 | 0.77 | 0.72 | 0.71 | 0.68 | 0.62 | 0.642 | 0.65 | 0.67 |
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.