Journal of Great Lakes Research

Journal of Great Lakes Research
Title	Journal of Great Lakes Research
Abbreviation	J. Great Lakes Res.
Discipline	Limnology; Freshwater Ecology
Language	English
Publisher	International Association for Great Lakes Research; Elsevier
History	1974–present
Frequency	Bimonthly

Journal of Great Lakes Research is a peer-reviewed scientific journal focusing on the ecology, management, and conservation of the Laurentian Great Lakes and other large lake systems. The journal publishes original research, reviews, and synthesis papers that inform environmental policy, resource management, and interdisciplinary scholarship relevant to freshwater ecosystems. Its audience includes researchers affiliated with institutions such as the University of Michigan, McMaster University, University of Toronto, University at Buffalo, and agencies like the United States Geological Survey and Environment and Climate Change Canada.

Overview

The journal serves as a nexus for contributions from scholars connected to Great Lakes Fishery Commission, International Joint Commission, NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, Environment Canada, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, United States Environmental Protection Agency, and international partners including Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Academy of Finland, Natural Resources Canada, National Science Foundation, European Commission, and World Meteorological Organization. Authors often collaborate across universities like Purdue University, Cornell University, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Iowa State University, Ohio State University, Michigan State University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of Minnesota, Indiana University, University of Windsor, and Western University.

History and Development

Founded in the 1970s amid heightened attention to the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement and environmental events such as the Cuyahoga River fire and the Lake Erie algal blooms of 2011, the journal emerged alongside organizations like the Great Lakes Fishery Commission and research centers at Limnological Research Center (University of Minnesota), Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research (University of Windsor), and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Early contributors included researchers affiliated with W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Chicago Field Museum, and the Royal Ontario Museum. Over decades the journal documented issues tied to events and treaties such as the North American Free Trade Agreement era resource pressures, the Binational Great Lakes Basin Compact discussions, invasive species crises exemplified by the Sea lamprey, zebra mussel, quagga mussel, and Asian carp invasions, and responses following policy initiatives like the Clean Water Act and the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Scope and Content

Articles address topics including fisheries and species management linked to International Union for Conservation of Nature, trophic dynamics studied in contexts like Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, and global analogues such as Lake Baikal, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi, Lake Titicaca, and Caspian Sea. The journal covers biogeochemistry associated with events like the Dead Zone (Gulf of Mexico), nutrient cycling relevant to Phosphorus Control Strategies, hydrodynamics investigated with models from NOAA National Weather Service, paleolimnology using cores compared to findings from Vostok Station, invasive species ecology drawing on case studies involving Eradication of sea lamprey in the Great Lakes and management frameworks like Convention on Biological Diversity. Interdisciplinary submissions link to institutions such as Smithsonian Institution, Royal Society, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and funders including Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, and USDA.

Abstracting and Indexing

The journal is indexed in major services and bibliographic databases associated with organizations like Clarivate Analytics (Web of Science), Scopus (Elsevier), PubMed Central, GeoRef (American Geosciences Institute), AGRICOLA (National Agricultural Library), BIOSIS Previews, CAB Abstracts, EBSCOhost, ProQuest, and regional indexes used by institutions such as University of Toronto Libraries, Library and Archives Canada, Library of Congress, The British Library, and National Diet Library (Japan). Citation metrics are tracked by platforms including Google Scholar, CrossRef, ORCID, ResearchGate, Dimensions (Digital Science), and Altmetric aggregators.

Editorial Structure and Publication Practices

The editorial board typically comprises researchers from universities and agencies such as University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, Huron University College, Queen's University, University of Western Ontario, Dalhousie University, McGill University, Yale University, Harvard University, Stanford University, Princeton University, Columbia University, University of California, Davis, University of Maryland, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, CSIRO, and Max Planck Institute for Limnology (Hydrobiology). Peer review follows standards upheld by organizations like Committee on Publication Ethics and publishing procedures aligned with Elsevier editorial policies and submission platforms integrating Editorial Manager or Elsevier's EVISE. Special issues often coincide with conferences such as International Association for Great Lakes Research conference, American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting, Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, European Geosciences Union General Assembly, and workshops hosted by Great Lakes Observing System.

Impact and Reception

The journal influences management decisions by informing stakeholders including Great Lakes Commission, Alliance for the Great Lakes, Council of Great Lakes Governors, Great Lakes Protection Fund, The Nature Conservancy, World Wildlife Fund, Environmental Defense Fund, and regional NGOs. Its articles are cited in policy analyses by bodies such as the International Joint Commission and environmental assessments for projects like St. Lawrence Seaway development and dredging disputes adjudicated in forums including North American Commission on Environmental Cooperation. The journal's contributions intersect with scholarship in venues like Nature, Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Limnology and Oceanography, Freshwater Biology, Hydrobiologia, Ecological Applications, and Journal of Environmental Management, shaping discourse on issues exemplified by the 2014 Toledo water crisis, recurring Harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie, and invasive species management strategies.

Category:Academic journals