About the Journal

Focus and Scope

Oecologia Australis (OA) is an international peer-reviewed and Open Access Journal. OA promotes ongoing international research and information exchange through publication of latest research reports/ breakthroughs in Ecology and related areas.

Oecologia Australis is published by Associação Brasileira para Ecologia e Conservação (ABECO). Our aim is to publish reviews, case studies and opinions in Ecology and related areas. The target public of our journal is researchers and undergraduate and graduate students in Ecology and related areas.

Oecologia Australis is indexed at Scopus, SCImago, Periódicos Capes, OJS/IBICT, Scientific Commons, Google Scholar, Biological Abstracts, BIOSIS Previews and Zoological Records.

All accepted manuscripts are charged for publication. The amount is for publication costs only. For ABECO members, the value is R$290.00 and for non-members, R$390.00. If you would like to become a ABECO member, see https://abeco.org.br/ 

Papers may be submitted in Portuguese, Spanish or English. We publish four issues per year (March, June, September and December), one of which are thematic issues composed by invited authors and edited by invited editors. The remaining issues are composed of spontaneous submissions.

The journal welcomes the submission of manuscripts that meet the general criteria of significance and scientific excellence. Topics of interest include:

 1-      Organismal ecology (ecophysiology, animal behavior, natural history, evolutionary biology of organisms)

2-      Population ecology

3-      Community and metacommunity ecology

4-      Macroecology

5-      Biogeography

6-      Ecosystem ecology

7-      Limnology

8-      Oceanography

9-      Conservation biology

10-     Landscape ecology

11-     Species Management

12-     Environmental education

13-     Environmental management

14-     Species list and geographic distribution expansion records

 

Peer Review Process

We adopted the double-blind Peer Review system, where authors and reviewers do not know the identity of each other. Each manuscript is reviewed by at least two reviewers. In case of conflicting opinions, the responsible editor decides if the manuscript goes over another reviewer or emits a final position on the manuscript.

When a manuscript is submitted to the journal, it goes through a first evaluation by the Assistant Editor. This first evaluation will check the general quality of the text, the adequability to the scope and the cover letter.

After this firs evaluation, the manuscript goes to the Associated Editor for the review process. The Associated Editor send its decision to the Editor-in-chief that is responsable for the final decision.

When accepted, the manuscript is published Ahead of Print and later in one of the four annual volumes of Oecologia Australis. Technical Editors evaluate the adequancy of the manuscript to the journal format and can contact authors before publication in Ahead of Print.  Author will receive and check the final proof just before the volume publication.

 

Ethics Statements

Studies involving animals, humans, plants, or fieldwork must confirm that appropriate ethical approvals, licences, and permits were obtained prior to the start of the research, including the name of the approving authority and relevant reference and licence numbers. When using museum or herbarium specimens, authors must provide specimen numbers and the names of the institutions where the specimens are held. Those statements must be included in the Material and Methods section of the manuscript. The editorial board reserves the right to request supporting documentation and may decline manuscripts that do not meet the required ethical standards.

 

Animal Research

All research involving animals must prioritize conservation and animal welfare. Studies involving animal manipulation, whether in the field or laboratory, must adhere to relevant legislation and guidelines and receive appropriate ethical approval. Authors should provide a statement detailing how the research complied with ethical standards, including the name of the approving institution and all relevant approval and license numbers.

 

Plant Research

Experimental plant research must follow institutional, national, and/or international guidelines. Similarly, field research must adhere to pertinent regulations and acquire necessary licenses and permissions prior to initiation.

 

Human Research

For research involving human data or subjects, adherence to the principles delineated in the Declaration of Helsinki (https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration-of-helsinki/) is imperative. Prior to commencing the research, researchers must obtain appropriate ethical approval. Authors should provide a statement identifying the committee responsible for approving the study along with any relevant reference number.

 

Conflicts of interest

All authors, reviewers, and editors are required to disclose any actual or potential conflicts of interest that could influence the objectivity, integrity, or transparency of the research, its evaluation, or its publication. Conflicts of interest may be financial or non-financial, personal or professional, and may include, but are not limited to: current or recent employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications, research funding, recent collaborations or co-authorships (e.g., in the past 3 years), shared grants, or close personal relationships. Authors must declare all relevant interests or relationships at the time of submission in the Acknowledgements. If no conflicts exist, this must be clearly stated. All sources of financial support must also be disclosed, including the role of any funders in the study’s design, data collection, analysis, writing, or decision to publish. Reviewers and editors must recuse themselves from handling any manuscript where a conflict of interest may impair their impartiality. The editorial office reserves the right to request additional information or documentation and may decline manuscripts or reassign editors and reviewers if a conflict of interest is judged to compromise the fairness of the peer-review process.

 

Correction and Retraction Policies

Authors are responsible for the accuracy and integrity of the content they submit. If an author identifies a significant error or omission in their published work, they must promptly notify the editorial office and fully cooperate in issuing a correction or retraction, if deemed necessary. The editorial team, in consultation with subject-matter experts, will evaluate the nature and severity of the issue to determine the most appropriate course of action. Minor errors that do not compromise the overall integrity or interpretation of the research may be addressed through a Corrigendum, prepared by the authors and approved by all co-authors. If an error is introduced during the editorial or production process, the journal will issue an Erratum. In cases involving concerns about the validity, reliability, or ethical conduct of the research, the journal may publish an Expression of Concern while an investigation is ongoing. If a published article is found to contain serious flaws or ethical violations, it may be formally retracted. Articles accepted but not yet published in final form (Ahead of Print) may be withdrawn in cases of error, duplication, or other justified reasons. Retraction may also apply to published articles or Articles Ahead of Print when errors fundamentally affect the study's findings and are too extensive to be corrected through a Corrigendum, or when violations of publication ethics are identified, such as multiple submission, false claims of authorship, plagiarism, or data fabrication. All corrections, expressions of concern, withdrawals, and retractions will be clearly linked to the original article and made freely accessible to readers.

 

Authorship and Plagiarism Policies

Authorship should reflect substantial contributions to the conception, design, execution, analysis, and/or interpretation of the research. All authors must have participated in drafting or critically revising the manuscript, approved the final version for publication, and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work. Individuals who contributed meaningfully but do not meet all authorship criteria—such as in technical support, language editing, or funding acquisition—should be acknowledged in the appropriate section. Honorary, guest, or ghost authorship is strictly prohibited and considered a form of academic misconduct.

The corresponding author holds responsibility for ensuring that all listed co-authors meet the authorship criteria, that no eligible contributor is omitted, and that all authors have reviewed and approved the manuscript and agreed to its submission.

Requests for changes in authorship (additions, removals, or rearrangements) after submission will only be considered under exceptional circumstances. Such requests must be made in writing, include a clear justification, and be approved by all co-authors.

All authors and co-authors are required to submit a valid ORCID iD at submission.

 

Plagiarism, including the unattributed use of another’s work, duplicate submission, or data fabrication, is a serious breach of publication ethics and will result in rejection, retraction, or other corrective actions.

 

Use of Artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies

Authors must disclose any use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies in the preparation of their manuscript. These tools may only be used to improve language and readability, and always under human oversight. The use of AI in image or figure creation is prohibited, except when essential to the research methodology, in which case full methodological details must be provided. Use in cover art may be allowed with prior editorial approval, proof of rights clearance, and proper attribution. Their use must be explicitly declared in the manuscript and will appear in the published article. AI must not be used to generate original scientific content, interpret data, or draw conclusions. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of all submitted content. The editorial board may request records of AI use and reserves the right to reject or retract work that violates this policy.

 

Periodicity

Quarterly (March, June, September, December).

 

Open Access

This journal provides immediate open access to its content, following the principle that making scientific knowledge freely available to the public provides greater global democratization of knowledge.

 

Publisher

Brazilian Association for Ecological Sciences and Conservation (ABECO)

Adress: Carlos Chagas Filho Avenue, 791, Cidade Universitária, Ilha do Fundão, CEP 21941-904, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.

Contact: contato@abeco.org.br 

 

Partnership

Graduate Program in Ecology of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (PPGE-UFRJ)

Adress: Carlos Chagas Filho Avenue, 373, Post-Graduation of the Institute of Biology Building, between Blocks B and C of the Center of Health Sciences, Cidade Universitária, Ilha do Fundão, CEP 21941-971, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.

Contact: ppgecologiaufrj@gmail.com

 

Journal History

Oecologia Australis was created in 1995 under the name Oecologia Brasiliensis, the main objective was to increase the dissemination of the results produced by research carried out in the Graduate Program in Ecology of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (PPGE-UFRJ) . Nine issues were published until 2001, when the publication of the journal was interrupted. In 2006, the journal became a quarterly journal with a new editorial board, along the new objective of publishing summaries, reviews and special issues on various topics in Ecology and related areas. In 2010 the journal was renamed Oecologia Australis. This change occurred due to the growth of Oecologia Brasiliensis and its consolidation as an important journal for the Brazilian scientific community, that demanded for a publication vehicle that included researchers from other Latin American countries and other continents. In 2020, a new stage began, through the partnership with the Brazilian Association for Ecological Sciences and Conservation (ABECO). With this new association, we expect to reach an even larger audience and foster further ecological discussions in the southern hemisphere. Oecologia Australis offers full instant open access to the entire public, assuming that scientific knowledge must be disseminated without any restriction.