Journals in Plant science
Journals in Plant science
- ISSN: 0367-2530
Flora
Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of PlantsFLORA, the scientific botanical journal with the longest uninterrupted publication sequence (since 1818), considers manuscripts in a range of areas of botany which appeal to a broad international scientific readership. The journal publishes original contributions and review articles on plant structure (morphology and anatomy), plant developmental biology (ontogeny), phytogeography (including phylogeography), plant population genetics, plant functional ecology (including ecophysiology), plant population ecology, biotic interactions between plants and other organisms, plant community ecology, and ecosystem ecology. Suggestions for Special Issues are welcome, as are compilations of manuscripts (both original and review articles) for Special Features on a specific topic. Manuscripts on the following subjects are highly welcome, especially when they integrate between areas or research approaches: comparative and evolutionary aspects of morphology, anatomy and development, ecophysiology of plant species related to their distribution, mechanisms of ecological interactions in plant communities (e.g. plant-plant interactions, plant-soil feedback, and plant-animal interactions), reproductive ecology including plant-pollinator interactions, genetic and spatial structure of plant populations, and functional diversity in plant communities. Manuscripts focused on floristics or vegetation studies will only be considered if they go beyond a purely descriptive approach and have relevance for interpreting plant structure, distribution or ecology. Manuscripts whose content is restricted to taxonomy, phylogeny, nomenclature, or geobotany of local interest, or applied agricultural, horticultural, pharmacological or silvicultural aspects, or experimental studies dealing exclusively with investigations at the cellular or subcellular level will not be considered for publication.Article typesResearch article: Reporting original results of a theoretical, explorative or experimental botanical research. Typically, 6000-8000 words in length, but longer articles are also being considered, when the content justifies the extent. See formatting guidelines for the structure of the article in the manuscript preparation guidelines below.Review article: The review articles providing an up-to-date overview of a research area and/or scientific problem fitting into the scope of the journal. Review article should go further than the simple summary of published literature and should provide an in-depth analysis of the selected topic and should indicate research gaps or further directions of research. Should be drafted up to 8000 words, but longer manuscripts also being considered when the content justifies the extent. Potential authors are invited to submit an outline, abstract and list of authors first before the full submission of the manuscript.Opinion article: short pieces with a word count to 3000 words of the main text, presenting new ideas and insights, commentaries, opinion responses or new analyses to a published paper of the journal. Opinion article submissions will be assessed first by the editors and in case the topic is of broad interest of the journals potential readership will undergo regular review process for the journal. Commentaries are possible to papers published in the last 12 months in the journal and considered when they provide constructive and well-founded critiques or provide useful arguments for further development of a formerly published research idea. Opinion articles can convey new research ideas or hypotheses for discussion, and it is not necessary to support the idea with own-data-driven analyses. Opinion articles can be single-authored or multi-authored but no more than five authors. Potential authors are invited to submit an outline, abstract and list of authors first before the full submission of the manuscript.Editorial article (for editors, editorial board members and guest editors only)Humboldt Review article (by invitation only): The “Humboldt Review” article type was named after the German scientist Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), who was the first describer of the phenomenon of climatic zonation of plant communities and the describer of the first plant functional types among other numerous discoveries. The “Humboldt Review” article type has been established in 2025 to honour eminent researchers in any field covered by the journal’s scope. In each year, 1-2 researchers will be selected by the chief editor(s) based on the nominations of the section editors of the journal for being invited to provide an opinion-review or synthesis paper on their field of research. The guidelines for drafting a Humboldt Review are the same as for a review paper with the exception that the review candidate should also provide a bio sketch up to 250 words and a photograph of her- or himself, which is published together with the accepted manuscript. The Humboldt Reviews are also peer-reviewed publications assessed by invited researchers for scientific rigour and quality.Submission of Papers with Graduate or Undergraduate Students as Lead Authors FLORA has initiated a section in its journal dedicated to highlighting exceptional, original research publications that are part of PhD, graduate, or undergraduate student theses and carry the name of the student, preferably as the lead author.Papers in this category will be published under the heading "Highlighted Student Research" and will be marked accordingly in the table of content of the volume in which it is published.The papers must be recommended for this honor by FLORA Handling Editors, following the normal peer review process and additionally taking the following criteria into account:the student contribution to the work is substantialinnovativ... research question or methodologyhigh quality of study / experimental design and dataabove-average quality of data analysis, presentation and discussionwell written textStudents who wish their papers to be considered for the honor have to explain in the cover letter the main reasons why the paper represents an outstanding contribution to the field, referring to the criteria above, and should indicate such a wish by marking the appropriate box as a FLORA Highlighted Student Research paper during the online submission process. The supervisor should confirm in the cover letter that research was generated during a BSc, MSc, or PhD degree.
- ISSN: 0176-1617
Journal of Plant Physiology
Mechanisms of Plant Function: from Molecular to Ecosystem ScalesThe Journal of Plant Physiology is a broad-spectrum journal that welcomes high-quality submissions in all major areas of plant physiology, including plant biochemistry, functional biotechnology, computational and synthetic plant biology, growth and development (including reproduction), photosynthesis and respiration, transport and translocation, plant-microbe interactions, biotic and abiotic stress. Studies are welcome at all levels of integration ranging from molecules and cells to organisms and their environments and are expected to use state-of-the-art methodologies. Pure gene expression studies are not within the focus of our journal. To be considered for publication, papers must significantly contribute to the mechanistic understanding of physiological processes, and not be merely descriptive, or confirmatory of previous results. We encourage the submission of papers that explore the physiology of non-model as well as accepted model species and those that bridge basic and applied research. For instance, studies on agricultural plants that show new physiological mechanisms to improve agricultural efficiency are welcome. Studies performed under uncontrolled situations (e.g. field conditions) not providing mechanistic insight will not be considered for publication.The Journal of Plant Physiology publishes several types of articles: Original Research Articles, Humboldt Reviews, Early-Career Researcher Reviews, Invited Reviews, Perspectives, Opinion Articles and Short Communications and Spotlights. Reviews, Perspectives and Opinion Articles will be solicited by the Editors; unsolicited reviews are also welcome but only from authors with a strong track record in the field of the review. Original research papers comprise the majority of published contributions.Humbol... Reviews are expected take a broad approach, one that spans multiple areas of biological inquiry, and one that distinguishes itself from that taken in most regular review works by a deeper philosophical line of thought and a more global reach. Humboldt Reviews are also expected to be thoroughly respectful of the historical developments in a given field (i.e. not limit themselves to covering the literature of only the previous one to two decades) and speak to both its fundamental and applied aspects. They are named after Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), one of the most influential German natural philosophers of the 18th and 19th centuries. Our editors-in-chief take great inspiration from Alexander von Humboldt's profound and wide-ranging contributions. The Journal of Plant Physiology was founded in 1909 but it traces back to 1818 and to the geographic region Alexander von Humboldt was most active in. The Journal of Plant Physiology has consistently published landmark papers in plant physiology, and is one of the world's oldest international journals in the botanical sciences. For these reasons, we consider Alexander von Humboldt a particularly appropriate scholar after whom to name our prestigious review series.Early-Career Researcher Reviews: This new category is specifically aimed at early-career scientists starting their independent research careers. Suitable candidates will be nominated by senior scholars. Nomination letters should include a brief curriculum vitae and a justification for the selection. Nominees will be evaluated by the Editors-in-Chief and officially invited to submit articles. ECR Reviews should not exceed 8,000 words and contain no more than 150 references plus figures and tables.Early Career Researchers are within their first eight years of academic or other research-related employment, following completion of postgraduate research training.Founded in 1909, with roots tracing back to 1818, the Journal of Plant Physiology has consistently published landmark papers in plant physiology, and is one of the world's oldest international journals in the botanical sciences.An official journal of the Federation of European Societies of Plant Biology (FESPB)Authors are encouraged to carefully study the Aims & Scope of the journal to examine suitability of submissions. We discourage directly contacting editors about suitability of manuscripts, except in cases of proposals for Review, Opinion, or Perspectives articles, which are by invitation only. In the latter cases, well-developed proposals must be submitted for consideration.Benefi... to authors We provide many author benefits, such as free PDFs, a liberal copyright policy, special discounts on Elsevier publications and much more. Please click here for more information on our author services.
- ISSN: 0305-1978
Biochemical Systematics and Ecology
Biochemical Systematics and Ecology is devoted to the publication of original papers and reviews, both submitted and invited, in two subject areas: I) the application of biochemistry to problems relating to systematic biology of organisms (biochemical systematics); II) the role of biochemistry in interactions between organisms or between an organism and its environment (biochemical ecology).In the Biochemical Systematics subject area, comparative studies of the distribution of (secondary) metabolites within a wider taxon (e.g. genus or family) are welcome. Comparative studies, encompassing multiple accessions of each of the taxa within their distribution are particularly encouraged. Welcome are also studies combining classical chemosystematic studies (such as comparative HPLC-MS or GC-MS investigations) with (macro-) molecular phylogenetic studies. Studies that involve the comparative use of compounds to help differentiate among species such as adulterants or substitutes that illustrate the applied use of chemosystematics are welcome. In contrast, studies solely employing macromolecular phylogenetic techniques (gene sequences, RAPD studies etc.) will be considered out of scope. Discouraged are manuscripts that report known or new compounds from a single source taxon without addressing a systematic hypothesis. Also considered out of scope are studies using outdated and hard to reproduce macromolecular techniques such as RAPDs in combination with standard chemosystematic techniques such as GC-FID and GC-MS.In the Biochemical Ecology subject area, studies addressing the role compounds play in the ecology of the organisms producing them are invited. Moreover, manuscripts that address hypothesis associated with the influence of factors such as altitude, geography, and seasonal variation on the expression of primary and secondary metabolites are encouraged.Research papers should generally represent a complete investigation and not preliminary data. Preliminary reports will only be considered where findings are of sufficient interest to justify rapid publication. New Source Reports will only be considered in cases where a significant chemosystematic or ecological finding is reported. New Source Reports have to be written in a standard format (Example).
- ISSN: 0168-9452
Plant Science
An international journal of experimental plant biologyThis journal has no page charges, publication is free of charge.Plant Science will publish in the minimum of time, research manuscripts as well as commissioned reviews, method papers (technical papers) and commentaries recommended by its referees in all areas of experimental plant biology with emphasis in the broad areas of genomics, proteomics, biochemistry (including enzymology), physiology, cell biology, development, genetics, functional plant breeding, systems biology and the interaction of plants with the environment. Although manuscripts containing large data are welcomed, they must contain functional validation.Manuscrip... for full consideration should be written concisely and essentially as a final report. The main criterion for publication is that the manuscript must contain original and significant insights that lead to a better understanding of fundamental plant biology. Papers centering on plant cell culture should be of interest to a wide audience and methods employed result in a substantial improvement over existing established techniques and approaches. Methods papers are welcome only when the technique(s) described is novel or provides a major advancement of established protocols.Plant Science is not a publication vehicle for preliminary observations, for studies that are merely confirmatory of results accomplished in other plant systems, or that are addressed only to a specialized readership. Submitted manuscripts describing studies of preliminary nature, that are merely confirmatory in scope or of limited scope and interest to the general readership of the journal will be returned without formal review. As a general policy, the journal will no longer consider manuscripts just describing the cloning, sequencing and expression patterns of gene sequences that have been identified and characterized in other plant species, expression of a protein without proper characterization of the recombinant product and native form, the isolation, purification and characterization of enzymes extensively analyzed in other plants, description of molecular markers and plant genetic diversity without any relevant biological information, cell culture and/or transformation of plant species (or closely related species) already established in the literature and basic transcriptomic approaches with no further relevant functional characterization of genes of interest.
- ISSN: 2667-2901
Cells & Development
Cell and Developmental Biology and their Quantitative approaches The Official Journal of The International Society of Developmental BiologistsCells & Development is an international journal covering the areas of cell biology and developmental biology. In addition to publishing work at the interphase of these two disciplines, we also publish work that is purely cell biology as well as classical developmental biology.C&D is the official journal of The International Society of Developmental Biologists (ISDB) which supports the world-wide community of developmental biologists.Cells & Development will consider papers in any area of cell biology or developmental biology, in any model system like animals and plants, using a variety of approaches, such as cellular, biomechanical, molecular, quantitative, computational and theoretical biology.Areas of particular interest include:Cell and tissue morphogenesisCell adhesion and migrationCell shape and polarityBiomechanics... modelling of cell and developmental biologyQuantitative biologyStem cell biologyCell differentiationCell proliferation and cell deathEvo-DevoMembran... trafficMetabolic regulationOrgan and organoid developmentRegenerat... at the interface of physics and biology often include theoretical work which is summarised in a short form in a Supplementary Text or Supplementary Theory. Authors may want to further describe, extend and give higher visibility to the theoretical work that they have published in this way. We are therefore pleased to announce that Cells & Development will now consider submissions of extended and more detailed versions of Supplementary Theory material published in other biological or generalist journals. To be considered, these articles must introduce significant additional material and discussion of previously published results. They must explicitly refer to the article where the Supplementary Theory text was originally published. Reproduction of the previously published figures or text materials should be minimal and appropriately referenced, in accordance with copyright requirements of the other journal.With this initiative, Cells & Development is aiming at promoting quantitative approaches to biology by giving the opportunity to theorists to better explain and highlight their contribution to multidisciplinary studies.Cells & Development does not publish descriptive studies of gene expression patterns and molecular screens; for submission of such studies see Gene Expression Patterns .
- ISSN: 0925-4773
Cells & Development
Cell and Developmental Biology and their Quantitative approaches The Official Journal of The International Society of Developmental BiologistsCells & Development is an international journal covering the areas of cell biology and developmental biology. In addition to publishing work at the interphase of these two disciplines, we also publish work that is purely cell biology as well as classical developmental biology.C&D is the official journal of The International Society of Developmental Biologists (ISDB) which supports the world-wide community of developmental biologists.Cells & Development will consider papers in any area of cell biology or developmental biology, in any model system like animals and plants, using a variety of approaches, such as cellular, biomechanical, molecular, quantitative, computational and theoretical biology.Areas of particular interest include:Cell and tissue morphogenesisCell adhesion and migrationCell shape and polarityBiomechanics... modelling of cell and developmental biologyQuantitative biologyStem cell biologyCell differentiationCell proliferation and cell deathEvo-DevoMembran... trafficMetabolic regulationOrgan and organoid developmentRegenerat... at the interface of physics and biology often include theoretical work which is summarised in a short form in a Supplementary Text or Supplementary Theory. Authors may want to further describe, extend and give higher visibility to the theoretical work that they have published in this way. We are therefore pleased to announce that Cells & Development will now consider submissions of extended and more detailed versions of Supplementary Theory material published in other biological or generalist journals. To be considered, these articles must introduce significant additional material and discussion of previously published results. They must explicitly refer to the article where the Supplementary Theory text was originally published. Reproduction of the previously published figures or text materials should be minimal and appropriately referenced, in accordance with copyright requirements of the other journal.With this initiative, Cells & Development is aiming at promoting quantitative approaches to biology by giving the opportunity to theorists to better explain and highlight their contribution to multidisciplinary studies.Cells & Development does not publish descriptive studies of gene expression patterns and molecular screens; for submission of such studies see Gene Expression Patterns .- ISSN: 0367-326X
Fitoterapia
The Journal for the Study of Medicinal PlantsA Q1-ranked journal in the category of 'Agricultural and Biological Sciences' (Scopus).Fitoterapia is a Journal dedicated to medicinal plants and fungi and to the bioactive natural products produced by these organisms. It publishes original contributions in seven major areas:1. Chemical characterization of active ingredients of medicinal plants and fungi, including their endophytes 2. New analytical approaches for dereplication and standardization of biologically active extracts and metabolites from plant resources 3. Identification of bioactivity in plant and fungal extracts and in their constituents 4. Identification of biological targets and mechanism of activity of plant and fungal extracts 5. Production and genomic characterization of medicinal plants biomass 6. Biosynthesis of bioactive natural products of plant, fungi and endophytic origin 7. Critical reviews of the composition, history, clinical and legal status of medicinal plants, and accounts on topical issues.Contributions reporting the following are NOT normally considered for publication: 1. Activity data on crude extracts that have not been characterized by analysis of their major constituents (HPLC fingerprint, LC/MS or NMR). Data on the extract composition simply taken from the literature are not acceptable. Characterization of only a few constituents is generally considered too partial. 2. Studies on the bioactivity of pure compounds purchased or obtained by Authors without any study or relationship with the producing organism. 3. Unexceptional and predictable bioactivity (e.g. antioxidant properties of phenolics or antibacterial activity of essential oils). 4. Uncritical ethnopharmacological investigations, where a list of plants and their use are simply recorded. 5. Genomic, transcriptomic and pharmacological studies without convincing wet lab experiments, or with little correlation to bioactive natural compounds.In addition, the following immediate rejection criteria apply: RULE 1: The manuscript does not fall into any of the areas of interest of the Journal. RULE 2: The manuscript is too preliminary, reporting e.g. activity data without comparison to a reference, or without a positive control. RULE 3: The botanical source is not clearly identified, authenticated, and documented (voucher). RULE 4: Characterization of new compounds without spectral supporting material. RULE 5: Bioactivity is not relevant to in vivo situations. RULE 6: Reviews on topics already covered in the recent literature.
- ISSN: 0254-6299
South African Journal of Botany
An International Interdisciplinary Journal for Plant Sciences Official Journal of the South African Association of BotanistsThe South African Journal of Botany publishes original papers that deal with the classification, biodiversity, morphology, physiology, molecular biology, ecology, biotechnology, ethnobotany and other botanically related aspects of species that are of importance to southern Africa. Manuscripts dealing with significant new findings on other species of the world and general botanical principles will also be considered and are encouraged.Benefits to authors We also provide many author benefits, such as free PDFs, a liberal copyright policy, special discounts on Elsevier publications and much more. Please click here for more information on our author services.Please see our Guide for Authors for information on article submission. If you require any further information or help, please visit our Support Center
- ISSN: 0304-3770
Aquatic Botany
An International Scientific Journal dealing with Applied and Fundamental Research on Macroscopic Submerged, Floating and Emergent Plants in Marine and Freshwater EcosystemsAquatic Botany offers a platform for papers relevant to a broad international readership on fundamental and applied aspects of marine and freshwater macroscopic plants in a context of ecology or environmental biology. This includes molecular, biochemical and physiological aspects of macroscopic aquatic plants as well as the classification, structure, function, dynamics and ecological interactions in plant-dominated aquatic communities and ecosystems. It is an outlet for papers dealing with research on the consequences of disturbance and stressors (e.g. environmental fluctuations and climate change, pollution, grazing and pathogens), use and management of aquatic plants (plant production and decomposition, commercial harvest, plant control) and the conservation of aquatic plant communities (breeding, transplantation and restoration). Specialized publications on certain rare taxa or papers on aquatic macroscopic plants from under-represented regions in the world can also find their place, subject to editor evaluation. Studies on fungi or microalgae will remain outside the scope of Aquatic Botany.Interesting for further reading:Editorial: What is a plant? and what is aquatic botany?Elisabeth M. Gross, Thomas Wernberg, Jorge Terrados http://dx.doi.org/10... Aquatic botany since 1975: Have our views changed?Jan E. Vermaat, Elisabeth M. Gross http://dx.doi.org/10...
- ISSN: 1125-7865
Dendrochronologia
An Interdisciplinary Journal of Tree-Ring ScienceDendrochronol... is a peer-reviewed international scholarly journal that presents high-quality research related to growth rings of woody plants, i.e., trees and shrubs, and the application of tree-ring studies.The areas covered by the journal include, but are not limited to:ArchaeologyClimat... ChangeHydrologyOrigi... research articles, reviews, communications, technical notes and personal notes are considered for publication.Benefits to authors We provide many author benefits, such as free PDFs, a liberal copyright policy, special discounts on Elsevier publications and much more. Please click here for more information on our author services.