Evolution (journal)

Evolution (journal)
source
Title	Evolution
Discipline	Evolutionary biology
Publisher	Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Society for the Study of Evolution
Country	United States
Frequency	Monthly
History	1947–present
Openaccess	Hybrid

Evolution (journal) is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published monthly by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Society for the Study of Evolution. The journal focuses on the evolutionary processes that generate and maintain biological diversity and has served as a primary venue for theoretical, empirical, and methodological advances since the mid-20th century. Contributions span genetics, ecology, systematics, and paleontology, engaging researchers associated with institutions such as Columbia University, Harvard University, University of Chicago, University of California, Berkeley, and the Smithsonian Institution.

History

Established in 1947 by the Society for the Study of Evolution, the journal emerged in the wake of discussions at meetings linked to American Association for the Advancement of Science, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, and the postwar expansion of research at National Academy of Sciences. Early volumes featured contributions from figures associated with University of Oxford, Cambridge University, California Institute of Technology, and University of Michigan, reflecting transatlantic dialogues involving researchers connected to Modern synthesis (20th century), Dobzhansky–Muller model, and experimental programs influenced by laboratories at Rockefeller University and Johns Hopkins University. Over ensuing decades, editorial leadership rotated among scholars affiliated with Duke University, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Stanford University, and University of California, Davis, shaping priorities through conferences such as meetings at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and symposia sponsored by National Science Foundation. The journal adapted to computational and genomic revolutions driven by resources at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Broad Institute, and European Molecular Biology Laboratory, publishing foundational work tied to methods developed at Princeton University and University of Cambridge.

Scope and Editorial Policy

Evolution publishes original research across microevolutionary and macroevolutionary perspectives, integrating approaches from laboratories and departments associated with Yale University, University of Chicago, University of California, San Diego, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The editorial policy emphasizes rigorous hypothesis testing, reproducible methods, and data accessibility, aligning with guidelines promoted by organizations such as Committee on Publication Ethics, Wellcome Trust, and National Institutes of Health. Manuscripts often combine field programs at sites like Galápagos Islands, Gulf of California, and Great Barrier Reef with theoretical frameworks developed at centers like Santa Fe Institute and statistical advances from groups at Carnegie Mellon University and University of Toronto. The peer review process is managed by an editorial board composed of researchers from institutions including University of British Columbia, Monash University, and ETH Zurich, with policies on conflicts of interest and ethical treatment of subjects informed by standards from International Union for Conservation of Nature and discipline-specific committees.

Publication and Access

The journal is issued monthly and distributed through channels used by academic libraries at Library of Congress, university consortia such as Big Ten Academic Alliance, and commercial platforms employed by publishers like Wiley-Blackwell and partners in scholarly communication including CrossRef and ORCID. It operates a hybrid open-access model permitting authors affiliated with funders such as Howard Hughes Medical Institute, European Research Council, and Wellcome Trust to make articles immediately open. The production workflows incorporate editorial management systems favored by institutions like Elsevier and indexing partnerships with services run by Clarivate Analytics, while preservation strategies align with initiatives at Portico and CLOCKSS.

Abstracting and Indexing

Articles are abstracted and indexed in major services used by researchers at Princeton University, Columbia University, and University of Oxford, including databases maintained by Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed. The journal’s metadata are incorporated into bibliometric resources such as those from Clarivate Analytics and Google Scholar and are discoverable through catalogues operated by HathiTrust and aggregation platforms used by the European Molecular Biology Organization. Library discovery systems at New York Public Library and national repositories in countries like Canada and Germany typically subscribe to the journal.

Impact and Reception

Throughout its history, the journal has been influential in debates linked to evolutionary theory and applied studies conducted in labs affiliated with University of California, Los Angeles, University of Edinburgh, and University of Helsinki. Its articles have informed policy discussions involving biodiversity programs at United Nations Environment Programme and conservation planning by World Wildlife Fund, and have been cited in work originating from agencies such as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and United States Geological Survey. Citation metrics reported in resources maintained by Clarivate Analytics and analyses by groups at Leiden University place the journal among leading outlets in evolutionary biology, with reception shaped by landmark papers that stimulated follow-up research at institutions including Max Planck Society and Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.

Notable Articles and Special Issues

The journal has published seminal contributions associated with topics developed by researchers at University of Chicago, Stanford University, Harvard Medical School, and University of California, Santa Cruz, including work on molecular evolution, adaptive radiations, and quantitative genetics. Special issues have gathered research from symposia held at venues like Kew Gardens, Royal Society, and American Museum of Natural History, often featuring syntheses linked to large collaborative projects funded by agencies such as National Science Foundation and European Commission. Notable articles have catalyzed lines of inquiry pursued by groups at Broad Institute, Sanger Institute, and Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.

Category:Academic journals Category:Evolutionary biology journals Category:Publications established in 1947