World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Journal of Applied Ecology
H-index 54

Journal of Applied Ecology

Ranking & Metrics

Discipline name Position Best Scientists Publications D-Index
Ecology and Evolution 18 1079 898 53
Environmental Sciences 182 81 84 26

Additional Metrics

Number of Best Scientists*: 1304
Documents by Best Scientists*: 975
Top 100 Ranked Scientists*: 38
SCIMAGO H-index: 216
SCIMAGO SJR: 1.898
Impact Factor: 4.8

Overview

Top Research Topics at Journal of Applied Ecology?

The journal is organized to address concerns in the fields of Ecology, Agronomy, Botany, Horticulture and Ecosystem. Ecology studies presented include Habitat, Biodiversity, Species richness, Vegetation and Abundance (ecology). The in-depth study on Species richness also explores topics in the intersecting field of Species diversity.

The studies in Agronomy featured incorporate elements of Soil water, Nutrient and Nitrogen. Most of the Horticulture studies addressed also intersect with Photosynthesis.

  • Ecology (32.61%)
  • Agronomy (22.53%)
  • Botany (12.01%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

  • The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and Patch Dynamics. (3612 citations)
  • Assessing the accuracy of species distribution models: prevalence, kappa and the true skill statistic (TSS) (2385 citations)
  • Statistical ecology: a primer on methods & computing (2204 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at Journal of Applied Ecology:

The journal publications focus largely on the fields of Ecology, Habitat, Agronomy, Biodiversity and Species richness. The most cited papers explore research in Agronomy and the adjacent study of Botany. While work presented in the published articles provide substantial information on Biodiversity, it also covers topics in Agroforestry and Environmental resource management.

What topics the last edition of the journal is best known for?

  • Ecology
  • Botany
  • Genus

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

The journal generally zeroes in on subjects such as Ecology, Agronomy, Biodiversity, Ecosystem and Climate change. Habitat and Species richness are some of the study areas of Ecology discussed. Topics in Agronomy explored in it were investigated in conjunction with research in Soil water and Water content.

It features Biodiversity research that overlaps with concepts in Agroforestry. The research on Climate change featured in Journal of Applied Ecology combines topics in other fields like Physical geography and Precipitation. Precipitation research discussed connects with the study of Dendrochronology.

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

  • Effects of microplastics and drought on soil ecosystem functions and multifunctionality (12 citations)
  • How international journals can support ecology from the Global South (12 citations)
  • Pollinator Monitoring More than Pays for Itself (10 citations)

Papers citation over time

A key indicator for each journal is its effectiveness in reaching other researchers with the papers published at that venue.

The chart below presents the interquartile range (first quartile 25%, median 50% and third quartile 75%) of the number of citations of articles over time.

The top authors publishing in Journal of Applied Ecology (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Xingyuan He (56 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition,
  • Yuanman Hu (52 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition,
  • Weixing Cao (47 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Dexin Guan (43 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition,
  • Shijie Han (38 papers) absent at the last edition.

The overall trend for top authors publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top authors.

Only papers with recognized affiliations are considered

The top affiliations publishing in Journal of Applied Ecology (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Chinese Academy of Sciences (2103 papers) published 100 papers at the last edition, 15 more than at the previous edition,
  • Northeast Forestry University (316 papers) published 9 papers at the last edition, 8 less than at the previous edition,
  • Shandong Agricultural University (313 papers) published 7 papers at the last edition, 9 less than at the previous edition,
  • Northwest A&F University (301 papers) published 15 papers at the last edition, 9 less than at the previous edition,
  • Nanjing Agricultural University (276 papers) published 4 papers at the last edition, 4 less than at the previous edition.

The overall trend for top affiliations publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top affiliations.

Publication chance based on affiliation

The publication chance index shows the ratio of articles published by the best research institutions in the journal edition to all articles published within that journal. The best research institutions were selected based on the largest number of articles published during all editions of the journal.

The chart below presents the percentage ratio of articles from top institutions (based on their ranking of total papers).Top affiliations were grouped by their rank into the following tiers: top 1-10, top 11-20, top 21-50, and top 51+. Only articles with a recognized affiliation are considered.

During the most recent 2021 edition, 7.33% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 23.10% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 9.15% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 17.98% of all publications and 49.77% were from other institutions.

Returning Authors Index

A very common phenomenon observed among researchers publishing scientific articles is the intentional selection of journals they have already attended in the past. In particular, it is worth analyzing the case when the authors participate in the same journal from year to year.

The Returning Authors Index presented below illustrates the ratio of authors who participated in both a given as well as the previous edition of the journal in relation to all participants in a given year.

Returning Institution Index

The graph below shows the Returning Institution Index, illustrating the ratio of institutions that participated in both a given and the previous edition of the conference in relation to all affiliations present in a given year.

The experience to innovation index

Our experience to innovation index was created to show a cross-section of the experience level of authors publishing in a journal. The index includes the authors publishing at the last edition of a journal, grouped by total number of publications throughout their academic career (P) and the total number of citations of these publications ever received (C).

The group intervals were selected empirically to best show the diversity of the authors' experiences, their labels were selected as a convenience, not as judgment. The authors were divided into the following groups:

  • Novice - P < 5 or C < 25 (the number of publications less than 5 or the number of citations less than 25),
  • Competent - P < 10 or C < 100 (the number of publications less than 10 or the number of citations less than 100),
  • Experienced - P < 25 or C < 625 (the number of publications less than 25 or the number of citations less than 625),
  • Master - P < 50 or C < 2500 (the number of publications less than 50 or the number of citations less than 2500),
  • Star - P ≥ 50 and C ≥ 2500 (both the number of publications greater than 50 and the number of citations greater than 2500).

The chart below illustrates experience levels of first authors in cases of publications with multiple authors.

Top Publications

  • Controlling invasive plant species in ecological restoration: A global review

    Emanuela W. A. Weidlich;Flávia G. Flórido;Taísi B. Sorrini;Pedro H. S. Brancalion

    (2020)
    352 Citations
  • Guidance for successful tree planting initiatives

    Pedro H. S. Brancalion;Karen D. Holl

    (2020)
    301 Citations
  • Thresholds of freshwater biodiversity in response to riparian vegetation loss in the Neotropical region

    Renato B. Dala-Corte;Adriano S. Melo;Tadeu Siqueira;Luis M. Bini

    (2020)
    214 Citations
  • Effects of microplastics and drought on soil ecosystem functions and multifunctionality

    Yudi M. Lozano;Carlos A. Aguilar-Trigueros;Gabriela Onandia;Stefanie Maaß

    (2021)
    204 Citations
  • Time to integrate global climate change and biodiversity science-policy agendas

    Nathalie Pettorelli;Nicholas A. J. Graham;Nathalie Seddon;Mercedes Maria da Cunha Bustamante

    (2021)
    195 Citations
  • Trade-off between vegetation type, soil erosion control and surface water in global semi-arid regions: A meta-analysis

    Gao‐Lin Wu;Gao‐Lin Wu;Gao‐Lin Wu;Yi‐Fan Liu;Zeng Cui;Zeng Cui;Yu Liu;Yu Liu

    (2020)
    162 Citations
  • Crop diversity benefits carabid and pollinator communities in landscapes with semi‐natural habitats

    Guillermo Aguilera;Tomas Roslin;Kirsten Miller;Kirsten Miller;Giovanni Tamburini;Giovanni Tamburini

    (2020)
    139 Citations

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

For students interested in Plant Science and Agronomy, exploring related online degrees can broaden career opportunities. Programs such as a nutritionist degree offer valuable insights into how plant-based foods impact human health, which is essential for careers in food science and sustainable agriculture.

Additionally, those looking for a more specialized route can consider an online dietician program. This path equips students with the expertise to guide dietary choices, incorporating knowledge about crop production and nutrient cycles.

For those eager to advance quickly, the best online nutrition degree options offer accelerated coursework and flexible schedules designed to fit busy lives while maintaining academic rigor.

Moreover, some students may wish to complement their agricultural studies with healthcare credentials. Exploring the cheapest online accelerated bsn programs for non-nurses can provide a pathway into nursing, connecting plant science with holistic health and community well-being.

Best Scientists Contributing to This Journal

Recently Published Articles