trends-in-ecology-and-evolution
Trends in Ecology & Evolution (trends-in-ecology-and-evolution)
Journal positioning
Trends in Ecology & Evolution is a Cell Press review journal and one of the most influential synthesis venues spanning the whole of ecology and evolutionary biology. Its defining character is that it publishes no primary research: every article is a review, opinion, or forum piece that synthesizes a body of work, frames an emerging question, or argues for a conceptual shift. Most content is invited or commissioned, and pre-submission inquiries are the normal route in. The journal rewards forward-looking, agenda-setting writing — pieces that tell a broad readership where a field is going, identify the next set of questions, and make the conceptual stakes vivid — rather than incremental literature summaries. Readership is the entire ecology and evolution community, from molecular evolutionists to global-change ecologists, so accessibility across subfields is essential. This skill is a fit / venue-selection / re-framing tool. It does not replace the journal's current official submission guidelines. Before submitting, re-check the live author instructions on the TREE Cell Press site.
When to trigger
- The author has an idea for an invited or commissioned review, opinion, or forum piece on a forward-looking question in ecology or evolution and names TREE as the target.
- A synthesis or perspective reframes how a broad audience should think about a problem, and the author is choosing between TREE and Nature Ecology & Evolution, BioScience, or a society review journal.
- The author has a strong conceptual argument or research agenda but no new primary data, and needs a venue that publishes opinion rather than original research.
- The author needs TREE's commissioning expectations, format conventions, and desk-reject criteria before drafting a pre-submission inquiry.