Trends in Ecology and Evolution Submission Guide

Source: Clarivate JCR 2024, Cell Press editorial disclosures (accessed April 2026).

Source: TREE author guidelines.

Use this page when deciding:

• whether the proposed Review has a synthesis argument
• whether the author team has ecology or evolution authority
• whether topic timing is right

• a clear synthesis argument
• author authority with primary-research evidence
• topic-timing case
• ecology and evolution contribution
• a 1-2 page outline

• Comprehensive-survey framing without synthesis argument.
• Topic recently covered in TREE.
• Author standing in adjacent rather than central ecology or evolution.
• Ecology and evolution relevance is peripheral.

TREE is among the highest-impact ecology and evolution Review journals.

Trends-style standard: the journal differentiates from Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics (Annual format) and Nature Ecology and Evolution (broader synthesis) by demanding Trends-style forward-looking synthesis.

Authority expectation: editors weigh sustained primary-research records.

Long planning horizon: invitations often planned 12-18 months ahead.

The strongest TREE inquiry letters establish:

• the synthesis argument
• the author authority
• the topic-timing case
• the ecology and evolution relevance

• the synthesis argument is clear
• the author team has primary-research record
• the topic-timing case is strong
• ecology and evolution relevance is direct

• Is Trends in Ecology and Evolution a good journal?

Before contacting, run your proposal through a TREE presubmission readiness check.

In our pre-submission review work with Review proposals targeting TREE, three patterns generate the most consistent inquiry declines.

In our experience, roughly 35% of TREE declines trace to comprehensive-survey framing. In our experience, roughly 25% involve topic-timing collision. In our experience, roughly 20% arise from author-authority gaps.

• Comprehensive-survey framing without synthesis argument. TREE editors look for organizing argument. We observe inquiries framed as "comprehensive review of [topic]" routinely declined.

• Topic-timing collision with recent TREE coverage. TREE editors check the journal's recent issues. We see inquiries on topics covered within 3-5 years routinely declined.

• Author standing in adjacent fields. TREE editors weigh authority heavily. We find inquiries without ecology or evolution primary-research credentials routinely declined. A TREE presubmission readiness check can identify whether the inquiry case is strong.

Clarivate JCR 2024 bibliometric data places TREE among top ecology and evolution Review journals.

In pre-inquiry diagnostic work for top Trends-style ecology journals, we consistently see four signals that distinguish strong proposals from weak ones. First, the proposed topic must align with TREE editors' priority directions. Second, the author CV should show primary-research papers in the exact subfield. Third, the proposal should differentiate from Reviews published in TREE in the prior 5 years. Fourth, the proposal should be framed around a synthesis argument.

The single most consistent feedback class we deliver is the synthesis-versus-survey distinction. A comprehensive survey catalogs recent papers. A synthesis offers an organizing framework, a contrarian argument, or a methodological consolidation. We coach proposers to articulate their organizing argument in one sentence before contacting.

Beyond the rubric checks, three pre-inquiry diagnostic patterns recur most often. First, contact letters that begin with topic-context paragraphs rather than the synthesis argument lose force. Second, contacts where the author authority section uses generic language are flagged. Third, contacts that lack engagement with TREE's recent issues are at risk.

The strongest proposals we coach distinguish themselves on three operational behaviors. First, they confine the inquiry letter to one page. Second, they include a one-sentence elevator pitch. Third, they identify the specific recent TREE articles that this proposal builds on.

Editorial triage at TREE operates on limited time per inquiry. Editors typically scan the synthesis argument, author authority, and topic-timing case before deciding whether to invite a full proposal. We coach researchers to design the inquiry letter for fast assessment.

Beyond methodology and contribution, TREE weights author-team authority within the ecology or evolution subfield. Strong submissions reference TREE's recent papers explicitly. We coach researchers to identify 3-5 recent TREE papers building on.

Beyond methodology and contribution, journals at this tier increasingly reward submissions that explicitly position the work within a specific subfield conversation rather than treating the literature as undifferentiated.

Beyond the rubric checks, three pre-submission diagnostic patterns recur most often. First, manuscripts where the abstract leads with context rather than the central synthesis lose force. Second, manuscripts where methodology lacks subfield positioning are flagged. Third, manuscripts that lack engagement with the journal's recent issues are at risk.