Best open-access journals for Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

1. 1
   Plant Diversity

   3.6 cites/paper · Q1 · Elsevier BV

   Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
2. 2
   Royal Society Open Science

   3.2 cites/paper · Q1 · Royal Society

   Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
3. 3
   Applications in Plant Sciences

   2.5 cites/paper · Q1 · Botanical Society of America

   Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
4. 4
   Ecologica Montenegrina

   1.8 cites/paper · Q1 · Centre for Biodiversity of Montenegro

   Open AccessScopusPubMed
5. 5
   Current Zoology

   1.7 cites/paper · Q1 · University of Oxford

   Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
6. 6
   European Journal of Taxonomy

   1.1 cites/paper · Q1 · Consortium of European Natural History Museums

   Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of Science
7. 7
   ZooKeys

   1.0 cites/paper · Q1 · Pensoft Publishers

   Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
8. 8
   Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift

   0.8 cites/paper · Q1 · Pensoft Publishers

   Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
9. 9
   Psyche A Journal of Entomology

   1.4 cites/paper · Q2 · Cambridge Entomological Club

   Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
10. 10
    PhytoKeys

    1.1 cites/paper · Q2 · Pensoft Publishers

    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
11. 11
    Biodiversity Data Journal

    1.1 cites/paper · Q2 · Pensoft Publishers

    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
12. 12
    Cahiers Agricultures

    1.0 cites/paper · Q2 · Université des Réseaux d'Expression Française

    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of Science
13. 13
    Acarologia

    0.9 cites/paper · Q2 · EDP Sciences

    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
14. 14
    European Journal of Entomology

    0.9 cites/paper · Q2 · Institute of Entomology

    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
15. 15
    Revue suisse de zoologie

    0.5 cites/paper · Q2 · Natural History Museum of Geneva

    Open AccessScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
16. 16
    Sociobiology

    0.9 cites/paper · Q3 · State University of Feira de Santana

    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of Science
17. 17
    Acta Botanica Brasilica

    0.8 cites/paper · Q3 · Sociedade Botânica do Brasil

    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of Science
18. 18
    Botanical Sciences

    0.8 cites/paper · Q3 · Sociedad Botánica de México, A. C.

    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of Science
19. 19
    Revue d’élevage et de médecine vétérinaire des pays tropicaux

    0.7 cites/paper · Q3 · French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development

    Open AccessDOAJScopusPubMed
20. 20
    Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity

    0.6 cites/paper · Q3 · Elsevier BV

    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
21. 21
    Revista Brasileira de Entomologia

    0.6 cites/paper · Q3 · Entomological Society of Brazil

    Open AccessScopusWeb of Science
22. 22
    Acta Botanica Mexicana

    0.6 cites/paper · Q3 · Instituto de Ecología, UNAM

    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of Science
23. 23
    Rodriguésia

    0.5 cites/paper · Q3 · Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden Research Institute

    Open AccessDOAJScopus
24. 24
    Check List

    0.4 cites/paper · Q3 · Pensoft Publishers

    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
25. 25
    Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia

    0.3 cites/paper · Q3 · University of São Paulo

    Open AccessDOAJScopus
26. 26
    Edinburgh Journal of Botany

    0.3 cites/paper · Q3 · Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

    Open AccessScopus
27. 27
    Revista Peruana de Biología

    0.2 cites/paper · Q3 · National University of San Marcos

    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of Science
28. 28
    BOIS & FORETS DES TROPIQUES

    0.1 cites/paper · Q3 · Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement

    Open AccessScopusWeb of Science
29. 29
    Bothalia

    1.4 cites/paper · Q4 · AOSIS

    Open AccessDOAJScopus
30. 30
    Acta Biológica Colombiana

    1.0 cites/paper · Q4 · National University of Colombia

    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of Science
31. 31
    Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture

    0.5 cites/paper · Q4 · Korean Society of Environmental Agriculture

    Open AccessScopus
32. 32
    Bulletin de l Académie vétérinaire de France

    0.0 cites/paper · Q4 · Veterinary Academy of France

    Open AccessScopusPubMed
33. 33
    Nelumbo

    1.3 cites/paper · no Scimago quartile

    Open Access
34. 34
    Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer

    1.2 cites/paper · no Scimago quartile

    Open Access
35. 35
    Journal of Palaeosciences

    0.4 cites/paper · no Scimago quartile

    Open Access
36. 36
    European Scientific Journal ESJ

    0.4 cites/paper · no Scimago quartile · European Scientific Institute

    Open AccessPubMed
37. 37
    ACTA ZOOLÓGICA MEXICANA (N S )

    0.3 cites/paper · no Scimago quartile

    Open Access
38. 38
    Journal of Applied Biosciences

    0.2 cites/paper · no Scimago quartile · ELEWA BIOSCIENCES, F.a.C.T.LTD

    Open Access
39. 39
    Proceedings of the Karelian Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences

    0.1 cites/paper · no Scimago quartile · Karelian Research Centre of RAS

    Open AccessDOAJ
40. 40
    Basic and Applied Ecology

    3.0 cites/paper · Q1 · Elsevier BV

    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed

“Cites/paper” is the OpenAlex 2-year citation rate — a transparent signal, not a licensed Impact Factor. Many regional and open-access journals are strong but aren’t covered by Scimago, so they show “no Scimago quartile”; that’s a coverage gap, not a quality judgement.