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JEB is the Journal of Experimental Biology, a peer-reviewed journal of comparative animal physiology and biomechanics published by The Company of Biologists. This page explains what the journal covers, how its access rule works, how its name appears in indexes and citations, and how to search and browse its site. Facts below were read on the journal’s own pages and the NLM Catalog on 2026-11-08.
What JEB (Journal of Experimental Biology) is
The journal’s About page describes its scope as comparative physiology and biomechanics: the form and function of living organisms, from the molecular level to the whole animal, in an evolutionary and environmental context. Its home page calls it “the leading journal in comparative animal physiology and biomechanics”, which is the journal’s own description, not an independent ranking.
The same title appears under several forms, which matters when you cite or search for it:
- Full title: Journal of Experimental Biology (NLM Catalog lists it as “The Journal of experimental biology”).
- Acronym: JEB. The acronym is also used for unrelated things, so searching “JEB” alone can return other results.
- NLM abbreviation: J Exp Biol, the form used in PubMed-style citations.
- ISSNs: print 0022-0949, online 1477-9145 (see ISSN).
Who publishes it and what it covers
JEB is published by The Company of Biologists, a not-for-profit publisher. The NLM Catalog gives a start year of 1930. According to the About page, the journal publishes:
- primary research articles, which undergo single-blind peer review;
- commissioned review-based articles;
- themed special issues, including an annual issue arising from the journal’s own symposium.
The home page showed Volume 229, Issue 20 (October 2026) as the current issue on 2026-11-08. The site’s author menu lists Submit a manuscript, Aims and scope, Presubmission enquiries, Article types, Manuscript preparation, Editorial process, Open Access, Outstanding paper prize and Biology Open transfer.
How JEB is indexed
The About page lists these indexing services: BIOBASE, CAB Abstracts, Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, Current Contents, EMBASE, Web of Science, MEDLINE and Scopus. Separately, the NLM Catalog shows the journal as currently indexed for MEDLINE, with PubMed coverage from volume 42, issue 3 (June 1965). The first list is the journal’s claim; the second is the indexer’s own record, so cite the NLM Catalog when you need to state MEDLINE status. For background see the MEDLINE database entry.
Is JEB open access? The access rule
The About page states three things about access:
- Authors may choose Open Access for a subsidised fee (the journal’s Open Access page sets out the details).
- Papers not published as Open Access are free to read 12 months after publication, and authors may deposit the final version in a repository at that point. This delayed-access pattern is a form of embargo.
- Content from 2004 and earlier is subscriber-only.
Check the Open Access page before you plan a deposit, because funder requirements and fees are set there and can change.
How to search and browse the JEB site
These steps use the interface terms on journals.biologists.com/jeb as read on 2026-11-08.
- Open the journal home page at journals.biologists.com/jeb.
- In the search bar, use the scope filter to choose All content, All journals or Journal of Experimental Biology; choose the last to stay inside the journal.
- For multi-field queries, open Advanced Search.
- To read the newest print issue, use Articles, then Latest complete issue.
- To find older material, use Issue archive or browse by year.
- To filter by kind of paper, use Archive by article type; for themed collections use Special issues or Subject collections.
- To see papers accepted but not yet in an issue, open Accepted manuscripts.
- To follow new content, use Sign up for alerts. The Register, Sign in links sit at the top level of the site.
Strengths and limits
- Clear scope: comparative physiology and biomechanics, stated by the journal. Check Aims and scope before submitting work outside that area.
- Long record in the databases: the NLM Catalog shows a 1930 start and MEDLINE indexing; PubMed coverage begins in 1965, so earlier volumes will not appear in PubMed.
- Delayed access, not immediate: unless an author pays for Open Access, readers outside a subscription wait 12 months.
- Single-blind review: reviewers know the authors’ identities; the About page states this for primary research.
- Metrics are not covered here: look up citation metrics in the databases that publish them, with their own dates.
Related Company of Biologists journals
The JEB home page lists these sister journals from the same publisher. The table records only what the page states.
| Journal | Relationship stated on the JEB site |
|---|---|
| Development | Listed as a Company of Biologists journal |
| Journal of Cell Science | Listed as a Company of Biologists journal |
| Disease Models & Mechanisms | Listed as a Company of Biologists journal |
| Biology Open | Listed as a Company of Biologists journal; the author menu includes a “Biology Open transfer” page |
FAQ
What does JEB stand for?
In this context JEB stands for Journal of Experimental Biology. The acronym is also used for other things, so include the full title or the ISSN 0022-0949 when searching.
Who publishes the Journal of Experimental Biology?
The Company of Biologists, a not-for-profit publisher, according to the journal’s About page.
Is JEB open access?
Authors may choose Open Access for a subsidised fee. Other papers become free to read 12 months after publication, and content from 2004 and earlier is subscriber-only (About page, read 2026-11-08).
Where is JEB indexed?
The journal lists BIOBASE, CAB Abstracts, Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, Current Contents, EMBASE, Web of Science, MEDLINE and Scopus. The NLM Catalog confirms current MEDLINE indexing.
How do I cite or search for it in PubMed?
The NLM abbreviation is J Exp Biol. Searching by ISSN 0022-0949 or 1477-9145 avoids confusion with other uses of “JEB”.
Where do I submit a manuscript?
Use Submit a manuscript under the For authors menu, and read Aims and scope, Article types and Manuscript preparation first.
Sources
- The Company of Biologists, Journal of Experimental Biology, About: journals.biologists.com/jeb/pages/about (read 2026-11-08).
- The Company of Biologists, Journal of Experimental Biology, home page: journals.biologists.com/jeb (read 2026-11-08).
- National Library of Medicine, NLM Catalog record for ISSN 0022-0949: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog (read 2026-11-08).
