Journal decision profile

American Naturalist

Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

American Naturalist's 2026 Journal Metrics Score is 2.6, ranking Q1 in Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics and 1 other subfield. Two-year citation average from OpenAlex data, updated August 2026.

University of Chicago PressUnited StatespISSN 0003-0147eISSN 1537-5323
Checking system sharing availability.Visit homepage

Bookmark this page — track observed submission-to-acceptance timing, FWCI and field-normalized citation data for this journal in one view.

Journal Metrics Score
i
Journal Metrics ScoreThe raw score is citations received in the latest complete year by works from the two previous years, divided by the number of those works. It is calculated from OpenAlex open data (CC0) and is not a percentage grade.
2026
2.6

Journal Metrics Score 2026 · 2021–2024 window citedness 2.67.

Submission-to-acceptance
i
Submission-to-acceptanceCalendar days between the received and accepted dates reported in recent PubMed records. This interval includes editorial handling and author revisions, so it is not time to first decision or pure peer-review time.
PUBMED

Not available — there are not enough recent PubMed records with both received and accepted dates.

Indicative APC
i
Indicative APCThis journal-level estimate comes from the OpenAlex source record. It is not a verified quote and may exclude taxes, waivers, society discounts, or article-type charges. Check the journal's official website before deciding.
OPENALEX · VERIFY
Not available

No journal-level APC is available in the current OpenAlex snapshot. Cost is excluded from scoring.

Free preview · no sign-in

Does your manuscript fit American Naturalist?

Paste your title to see which of this journal's published topics it overlaps with. Your title stays in your browser for this preview and is not sent anywhere.

Want ranked journals with fit reasons, risks and a submission strategy instead? See a sample AI report.

At a glance

Journal decision profile

Each spoke is a 0–100 percentile within a comparable journal cohort—not a percentage grade or a single black-box rating.

Relative profile

Metrics ScoreThe raw 2026 Journal Metrics Score is the recent two-year citation average shown above. The radar converts it to a 0–100 cohort percentile: farther out means a higher score than more comparable journals. It is not a percentage grade.iSource outputThe raw rank compares lifetime output inside the journal’s leading-topic source set. The radar then compares that rank position across Decision Profile journals in the same primary OpenAlex field; when that field has too few profiles, it uses the broader profile set. Farther out means relatively more output, not better research quality.iTop 10% shareThe share of recent papers in the global top 10% for citations after comparing papers of the same type, publication year, and subfield. The radar converts that share to a 0–100 cohort percentile; it does not predict how a new paper will perform.iMedian FWCICitation performance of the middle recent paper after field, year, and work type are considered. A raw FWCI of 1.0 is the expected citation level for comparable papers; the radar shows its 0–100 cohort percentile.iOutput volumeAverage works published per year in the recent analysis window, converted to a 0–100 cohort percentile. Farther out means the journal publishes more papers; it does not mean those papers are better.i
Cost is intentionally excluded. Missing APC data is never converted to a zero-dollar fee or a fabricated cost score.

Raw values behind the shape

Always visible
Metrics Score
i
Metrics ScoreThe 2026 raw Journal Metrics Score shown above. The bar is its 0–100 percentile within the radar's comparable journal cohort; it is not a percentage score.
2.62026 · OPENALEX
Source output rank
i
Source output rankThis lifetime journal-wide output rank compares works published by the OpenAlex source with sources associated with the journal’s leading topic. More output does not mean higher quality.
#17 / 1,936LIFETIME OUTPUT
Highly cited papers
i
Highly cited papersShare of recent works in the global top 10% for citations after comparing papers of the same type, publication year, and subfield.
14.7%FIELD-NORMALIZED TOP 10%
Field-normalized impact
i
Field-normalized impactCitation performance of the middle recent paper after field, year, and work type are considered. A raw FWCI of 1.0 is the expected level for comparable work.
1.22MEDIAN FWCI
Submission-to-acceptance
i
Submission-to-acceptanceReceived-to-accepted calendar days from qualified PubMed records. It includes editorial handling and author revisions; it is not time to first decision or pure peer-review time.
—NOT AVAILABLE
Recent output
i
Recent outputAverage works published per year across the complete analysis window. This is a volume measure, not a quality score.
154 / yr2021–2024 AVG
Field-normalized top 10% share14.7%

90 of 613 works · same type, year & subfield

Field-normalized top 1% share1%

6 works · same type, year & subfield

Median FWCI1.22×

Above field-year expectation

Source output rank#17

of 1,936 topic-associated OpenAlex sources by lifetime output

What does Median FWCI mean?

FWCI compares papers with the same publication year, type, and field. 1.0 is the world average; above 1.0 is above expectation. This journal's median is 1.22, so its typical recent paper runs about 22% above its field benchmark.

What does Top 10% Share mean?

14.7% of recent papers rank in the global top 10% after field normalization. This is easier to compare across specialties than raw citation totals.

Publishing pattern

Publication volume and article mix

Volume is separated from citation accumulation so newer papers are not presented as weaker simply because they are newer.

Works published by year

OpenAlex source records · 2016–2025

1742016
1922017
1652018
2202019
1572020
1702021
1832022
1352023
1282024
1382025

Recent work-type mix

613 OpenAlex works · 2021–2024

Article96.9%
Erratum1.6%
Editorial0.5%
Other0.3%
Retraction0.3%
Review0.3%
OpenAlex article is broader than “original research.” PubMed Publication Types can add case-report and clinical-study detail.
Fit signals

Topics and medical subject coverage

OpenAlex topics show research communities; MeSH keeps the medical taxonomy recognizable.

Major MeSH signals

PubMed-indexed works

Select a MeSH signal to see how much American Naturalist publishes on it, from PubMed counts for the last five complete years.

Leading OpenAlex topics

2021–2024 works
Animal Behavior and Reproduction145
Evolution and Genetic Dynamics81
Mathematical and Theoretical Epidemiology and Ecology Models37
Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies36
Plant and animal studies20
Evolution and Paleontology Studies19
Physiological and biochemical adaptations18
Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior15
Parasite Biology and Host Interactions13
Genetic diversity and population structure12
Methodology: OpenAlex snapshot 2026-10-16. FWCI, percentile badges, topics, and type mix use 613 works published 2021–2024. Radar normalization is versioned in the cached profile, and no cost score is assigned without reliable APC data.

Subject Category Quartiles

Quartiles computed within each OpenAlex subfield
CategoryQuartile
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and SystematicsQ1
Nature and Landscape ConservationQ1
GeneticsQ2
Q1
Subfield Quartile
B2
CAS Block

Ranking and source check

#1,456
of 3,785 Biology & Basic Science field journals
#1,247
among Q1 Biology & Basic Science journals

Confirm the exact title and ISSNs against the publisher homepage before a high-stakes submission decision.

Journal Details

OpenAlex Works
24,989
H-Index
422
Fully Open Access
No
Recent OA Works
3,402
Subject Areas
Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and SystematicsNature and Landscape ConservationGenetics

Source: the current OpenAlex source record. OpenAlex works can include multiple work types. Fully Open Access is a source-level flag. Recent OA Works is summed from OpenAlex's counts_by_year series (up to the latest ten years); it is not a lifetime OA percentage. Any APC shown here is an indicative OpenAlex value—verify current charges on the journal's official website.

Common questions about American Naturalist

What is American Naturalist's Journal Metrics Score in 2026?

American Naturalist's 2026 Journal Metrics Score is 2.6, from the August 2026 data release. The score is a two-year citation average computed from OpenAlex (CC0) data: citations received in the most recent complete year to works published in the two prior years, divided by the number of those works.

What quartile is American Naturalist in?

American Naturalist's best quartile is Q1. By OpenAlex subfield: Q1 in Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics; Q1 in Nature and Landscape Conservation; Q2 in Genetics. Quartiles rank journals by Journal Metrics Score within each subfield.

Is the Journal Metrics Score the same as other journal citation metrics?

No. Journal Metrics computes the score independently from OpenAlex open data. Other providers use different citation databases, document types, and counting rules, so their published figures for American Naturalist will not match this score exactly. Compare journals using one source at a time.

Which journals are alternatives to American Naturalist?

Comparable journals include Journal of Evolutionary Biology, Evolution Letters, Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, and Evolution. Compare their scores, acceptance times, and costs in the recommended alternatives on this page before choosing where to submit.

Back to Search