Journal rankings · indicator year 2023
Choose a field to open its ranking, or a journal to find its row in its subfield’s list.
Subfield ranking · 2023
Ecology journal rankings 2023
296 ranked journals · Subfield in Environmental Science
Ecology has 296 ranked journals in 2023. The median journal has an OJR of 0.64, below the world average of 1.00, up 0.02 on 2022; Q1 starts at OJR 0.95. The top three are Global Food Security, Nature Food, and ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.
Ranks and citation indicators: 2023. 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 2020–2022, the window the 2023 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)
296 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 2022. This is OpenJournalRank’s own count, not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. | Citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) published in 2020–2022, the window the 2023 OJR is computed on. A journal needs at least 30 to be ranked. | Share of the journal’s 2020–2022 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 2014 to 2023. | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1Global Food SecurityElsevier BV · Netherlands | 5.14Q1 | 13.93 2.53 up from 2022 | 299 | 84% | $5,240 | ||
2Nature FoodNature Portfolio · United Kingdom | 4.99Q1 | 12.99 0.42 up from 2022 | 624 | 42% | $12,690 | ||
| 4.33Q1 | 12.87 0.97 down from 2022 | 762 | 45% | $3,310 | |||
4Global Change BiologyWiley · United Kingdom | 3.94Q1 | 11.97 0.18 down from 2022 | 1,523 | 76% | $4,550 | ||
5The ISME JournalOASpringer Nature · United Kingdom | 3.59Q1 | 11.98 0.27 up from 2022 | 746 | 100% | $4,153 | ||
6Conservation LettersOAWiley · United States | 3.11Q1 | 7.69 1.31 down from 2022 | 212 | 100% | $3,550 | ||
7Methods in Ecology and EvolutionOAWiley · United States | 2.92Q1 | 7.56 0.45 up from 2022 | 649 | 100% | $3,500 | ||
8Journal of Remote SensingOAAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science · China | 2.89Q1 | 9.93 2.40 down from 2022 | 46 | 100% | — | ||
9Environmental MicrobiomeOABioMed Central · United Kingdom | 2.55Q1 | 7.16 1.50 down from 2022 | 102 | 100% | $2,590 | ||
10Molecular Ecology ResourcesWiley · United Kingdom | 2.37Q1 | 6.20 1.23 down from 2022 | 581 | 77% | $5,250 | ||
11Journal of Applied EcologyWiley · United Kingdom | 2.36Q1 | 5.45 0.86 down from 2022 | 732 | 85% | $3,610 | ||
12GIScience & Remote SensingOATaylor & Francis · United States | 2.31Q1 | 7.26 0.25 down from 2022 | 234 | 100% | $2,390 | ||
13Environmental DNAOAWiley · United States | 2.25Q1 | 6.37 0.37 down from 2022 | 269 | 100% | $2,880 | ||
14Frontiers in Ecology and the EnvironmentWiley · United States | 2.24Q1 | 5.43 0.12 down from 2022 | 390 | 81% | $3,970 | ||
15Biological ConservationElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 2.17Q1 | 5.63 1.10 down from 2022 | 1,131 | 66% | $3,830 | ||
16Conservation BiologyWiley · United States | 2.16Q1 | 5.30 1.14 down from 2022 | 562 | 88% | $3,400 | ||
17Ecological InformaticsOAElsevier BV · Netherlands | 2.07Q1 | 7.04 1.00 up from 2022 | 769 | 43% | $2,770 | ||
18Ecological ApplicationsWiley · United States | 1.92Q1 | 4.80 0.48 down from 2022 | 664 | 76% | $3,970 | ||
19Mammal ReviewWiley · United Kingdom | 1.91Q1 | 4.76 1.09 down from 2022 | 115 | 74% | $4,100 | ||
20ISME CommunicationsOASpringer Nature · United Kingdom | 1.86Q1 | 5.73 0.70 up from 2022 | 200 | 100% | $2,611 | ||
21EcologyWiley · United States | 1.83Q1 | 4.24 0.29 down from 2022 | 928 | 71% | $3,970 | ||
22Remote Sensing in Ecology and ConservationOAWiley · United Kingdom | 1.81Q1 | 4.86 1.01 down from 2022 | 158 | 100% | $3,590 | ||
23Metabarcoding and MetagenomicsOAPensoft Publishers · Bulgaria | 1.73Q1 | 4.91 1.15 up from 2022 | 56 | 100% | $701 | ||
24NeoBiotaOAPensoft Publishers · Bulgaria | 1.72Q1 | 4.53 1.22 down from 2022 | 235 | 100% | $970 | ||
25Movement EcologyOABioMed Central · United Kingdom | 1.71Q1 | 4.20 0.36 down from 2022 | 162 | 100% | $2,790 | ||
26Water Biology and SecurityOAElsevier BV · China | 1.70Q1 | 4.93 6.07 down from 2022 | 55 | 100% | $0 listed | ||
27Journal of Animal EcologyWiley · United Kingdom | 1.67Q1 | 4.06 0.66 down from 2022 | 650 | 84% | $3,610 | ||
28Global Ecology and ConservationOAElsevier BV · Netherlands | 1.64Q1 | 4.17 0.31 down from 2022 | 1,454 | 100% | $2,980 | ||
29Journal of Agricultural and Environmental EthicsSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 1.62Q1 | 3.30 1.01 up from 2022 | 78 | 77% | $3,090 | ||
30Food EthicsSpringer Science+Business Media · Switzerland | 1.55Q1 | 4.39 1.73 up from 2022 | 48 | 74% | $2,490 | ||
31BMC EcologyOABioMed Central · United Kingdom | 1.52Q1 | —no 2022 value | 67 | — | $2,290 | ||
32FACETSOACanadian Science Publishing · Canada | 1.48Q1 | 4.33 0.13 up from 2022 | 231 | 100% | $984 | ||
33BiogeochemistrySpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 1.45Q1 | 4.62 0.30 down from 2022 | 343 | 53% | $3,390 | ||
34Earth Surface DynamicsOACopernicus Publications · Germany | 1.43Q1 | 3.68 1.10 down from 2022 | 202 | 100% | $1,682 | ||
35Biodiversity and ConservationSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 1.42Q1 | 3.42 0.26 down from 2022 | 589 | 63% | $3,990 | ||
36Environmental MicrobiologyWiley · United Kingdom | 1.40Q1 | 4.39 0.75 down from 2022 | 1,343 | 72% | $4,640 | ||
37Ecological EngineeringElsevier BV · Netherlands | 1.38Q1 | 4.56 0.34 up from 2022 | 832 | 31% | $3,910 | ||
38Restoration EcologyWiley · United States | 1.37Q1 | 3.26 0.47 down from 2022 | 703 | 73% | $3,300 | ||
39EcosystemsSpringer Science+Business Media · United States | 1.32Q1 | 4.01 0.28 up from 2022 | 362 | 39% | $4,790 | ||
40Conservation Science and PracticeOASociety for Conservation Biology · United States | 1.31Q1 | 3.40 0.58 down from 2022 | 672 | 100% | $2,240 | ||
41Royal Society Open ScienceOARoyal Society · United Kingdom | 1.29Q1 | 3.55 0.79 down from 2022 | 1,889 | 100% | $1,471 | ||
42Animal ConservationWiley · United Kingdom | 1.29Q1 | 3.02 0.51 down from 2022 | 259 | 78% | $4,430 | ||
43International Journal of Sediment ResearchOAElsevier BV · Netherlands | 1.28Q1 | 3.21 0.77 down from 2022 | 225 | 44% | $1,400 | ||
44Frontiers in Ecology and EvolutionOAFrontiers Media · Switzerland | 1.28Q1 | 3.05 0.38 down from 2022 | 2,655 | 100% | $3,077 | ||
45Biological InvasionsSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 1.28Q1 | 3.30 0.19 up from 2022 | 775 | 51% | $3,690 | ||
46Ecological Solutions and EvidenceOAWiley · United States | 1.27Q1 | 3.18 1.13 down from 2022 | 174 | 100% | $2,330 | ||
47Biological reviews/Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical SocietyWiley · United Kingdom | 1.26Q1 | 13.41 1.37 up from 2022 | 331 | 80% | $5,390 | ||
48FEMS Microbiology EcologyOAOxford University Press · Netherlands | 1.26Q1 | 3.15 1.58 down from 2022 | 568 | 72% | $3,297 | ||
49Microbial EcologySpringer Science+Business Media · United States | 1.25Q1 | 3.66 0.12 down from 2022 | 667 | 45% | $4,590 | ||
50Freshwater BiologyWiley · United Kingdom | 1.25Q1 | 3.38 0.17 up from 2022 | 467 | 74% | $4,940 |
Subfields of Environmental Science, with Ecology highlighted.
- Ecology296
- Global and Planetary Change236
- Water Science and Technology104
- Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis97
- Pollution67
- Nature and Landscape Conservation56
- Environmental Engineering49
- Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law49
- Waste Management and Disposal21
- Ecological Modeling9
- Environmental Chemistry8
Journals
Citations made in 2023. Corpus-wide, 88.9% of core-journal articles and reviews published that year have at least one matched reference; the share varies by journal and field.
53 additional Ecology journals with metrics are unranked under this release’s eligibility rules: a journal needs at least 30 citable documents in 2020–2022, 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: 2023. Publication window: 2020–2022. How these summaries are calculated
- Ranked journals
- 296
- Window papers (baseline)
- 131,302 +20.6% from indicator year 2020
- Median OJR
- 0.642 -9.8% from indicator year 2020
- Rising journals (2025)
- 18
Window papers are the baseline paper population: citable papers (articles, reviews and conference papers) from 2020–2022 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.