About the journal

Established in 1926, Plant Physiology® is a premier international journal devoted to all aspects of the plant biology, from the structural and molecular to systems and ecophysiology. Plant Physiology® is one of the oldest and most well-respected journals in the field and is the most highly cited journal in the plant sciences.  Plant Physiology® is a publication of the American Society of Plant Biologists.
Journal Impact Factor: 7.6 (5-yr); 6.6 (2-yr)

• Plant Physiology is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes 12 issues per year.

• Some papers in Plant Physiology may have associated charges. Please refer to the Publishing Charges and Open Access section in our author guidelines.

• Plant Physiology will publish the pre-proofed, pre-copyedited accepted manuscript online in advance of final publication. This will be replaced by a corrected proof in advance of final publication in an issue.

• Please read these instructions carefully and follow them closely. The Editors may return manuscripts that do not follow these instructions.

Scope of the Journal

Plant Physiology is an international journal that publishes on the broadest aspects of plant biology. The journal welcomes original submissions that offer new and fundamental insights into the origins, development, and function of plants from the molecular to the whole organism and its interactions within the biotic and abiotic environment. Plant Physiology encourages submissions that span a range of technologies, including those of structural, molecular, and cellular biology, biochemistry, biophysics, bioenergetics, genetics, physiology, and field-based approaches as well as those making use of the tools of synthetic biology, modeling, bioinformatics, and all types of “omics”. Manuscripts submitted to Plant Physiology must not be under simultaneous consideration or have been published elsewhere, either in part or in whole. Prior publication on preprint servers, as a poster abstract or an oral presentation or as thesis for a degree is not considered previous publication of the research.

Follow this link for a comprehensive list of topic and research areas covered by the journal’s scope.

Assistant Features Editor Program

Plant Physiology creates a place for early career researchers to advance their career and help disseminate exciting discoveries published in the journal through the Assistant Features Editor (AFE) Program.

The AFE program presents a wonderful experience for postdocs and advanced graduate students, the majority of whom have secured tenure-track positions or permanent positions in industry upon completing the program.

AFEs publish News and Views in the journal’s issues communicating to readers some of the most exciting Plant Physiology papers, receive professional advice on scientific writing from our seasoned editors, and are able to find opportunities to network with our regular editors. AFEs are invited to attend editorial board meetings, and for the in-person meeting your travel expenses are covered by the journal.

Plant Physiology and The Plant Cell will be alternating years during which they will recruit AFE’s, with 2024 being the time for Plant Physiology recruiting AFEs to start in 2025 and 2026. Applications will be open through October 15, 2024.

To stay aware of when applications are open for either journal be sure to keep an eye on announcements from the ASPB Blog.