Aims and scope
Journal of Experimental Biology (JEB) is the leading journal in comparative animal physiology and biomechanics. The journal covers a broad range of integrative, comparative, ecological and evolutionary physiology and biomechanics research in animals. We publish papers about animals at all levels of biological organisation, from the molecular to the integrated whole animal. There is a strong emphasis on elucidating mechanism and understanding physiological processes, including responses to stressors and adaptation to diverse environments. The single most important criterion for publication in JEB is significant advancement of scientific knowledge.
Our research article types include Research Articles, Short Communications, Methods & Techniques and Theory & Modelling. These articles should address informative hypotheses or questions within a conceptual framework that offers insight into integrative mechanisms and processes with broad relevance across organisms. All research article types should present a dataset that is sufficient to draw robust conclusions. In addition, we publish Commentaries and Reviews in the areas of animal physiology and biomechanics, and Perspectives on topics of broad interest to experimental biologists.
Example areas of interest include mechanisms and processes that are broadly relevant to animals and relate to the following topics:
- ecophysiology, conservation physiology and responses to environmental change
- phenotypic plasticity and physiological flexibility
- biomechanics and neural control of animal movement
- muscle physiology and muscle–tendon biomechanics
- physiological mechanisms underlying animal behaviour
- sensory physiology
- neuroethology
- metabolic physiology and bioenergetics
- thermal biology
- cardiovascular and respiratory physiology
- osmoregulation and acid–base balance
- ecoimmunology
- endocrinology
- laboratory and field studies addressing physiological processes and biomechanical mechanisms
- computational simulation and robotics papers that advance understanding of animal function
- novel methods, techniques and analyses in comparative physiology and biomechanics.
We welcome submission of outstanding research in these areas. We encourage authors to send a presubmission enquiry to [email protected] for feedback on the potential suitability of an article.
All papers must be accessible to scientists with a general biological background, given that our authors and readers reflect a broad interdisciplinary group of scientists who study comparative biomechanics and molecular, cellular and organismal physiology in an evolutionary and environmental context.
We do not typically publish research with a biomedical, clinical or plant physiology focus. We do not publish lethal-dose toxicology studies, but on occasion publish ecotoxicology studies that focus on physiological mechanisms relevant to comparative physiology. Studies that focus on a single species, including humans, must provide new insight into mechanisms and processes and make a clear case for the relevance of the findings in a broader comparative or evolutionary context, beyond the implications for any one species. Additionally, articles that describe patterns, including patterns at the cellular or molecular levels, without elucidating integrative mechanisms, are rarely considered for publication in JEB.
Updated 29 April 2025
