The Journal of Freshwater Ecology, published since 1981, is an open access peer-reviewed journal for the field of aquatic ecology of freshwater systems that is aimed at an international audience of researchers and professionals. Its coverage reflects the wide diversity of ecological subdisciplines and topics, including but not limited to physiological, population, community, and ecosystem ecology as well as biogeochemistry and ecohydrology of all types of freshwater systems including lentic, lotic, hyporheic and wetland systems. Studies that improve our understanding of anthropogenic impacts and changes to freshwater systems are also appropriate.
The Journal publishes high-quality manuscripts that primarily describe manipulative experiments, field studies, and case studies with broad applicability. Innovative and widely applicable methodological and statistical papers also may be published. Manuscripts may take the form of original research, brief notes of significance, letters to the editor, or occasional invited review articles. Manuscripts that merely describe a community assemblage or a taxonomic group are not appropriate. Similarly laboratory-based toxicity trials that lack an ecological context are typically not accepted.