《淡水生態學雜志》自1981年出版以來，是一本面向國際研究人員和專業人士的淡水系統水生生態學領域的開放獲取的同行評議期刊。它的覆蓋范圍反映了生態學科和主題的廣泛多樣性，包括但不限于生理、人口、社區和生態系統生態學，以及各種淡水系統的生物地球化學和生態水文學，包括死水系統、湖泊系統、低水系統和濕地系統。提高我們對人為影響和淡水系統變化的認識的研究也是適當的。該雜志出版高質量的手稿，主要描述操作實驗，實地研究和廣泛適用的案例研究。還可發表創新性和廣泛適用的方法和統計論文。手稿的形式可以是原始研究，重要的簡要說明，給編輯的信件，或者偶爾邀請的評論文章。僅僅描述一個群落或一個分類群的手稿是不合適的。同樣，缺乏生態環境的實驗室毒性試驗通常不被接受。

The Journal of Freshwater Ecology, published since 1981, is an open access peer-reviewed journal for the field of aquatic ecology of freshwater systems that is aimed at an international audience of researchers and professionals. Its coverage reflects the wide diversity of ecological subdisciplines and topics, including but not limited to physiological, population, community, and ecosystem ecology as well as biogeochemistry and ecohydrology of all types of freshwater systems including lentic, lotic, hyporheic and wetland systems. Studies that improve our understanding of anthropogenic impacts and changes to freshwater systems are also appropriate.The Journal publishes high-quality manuscripts that primarily describe manipulative experiments, field studies, and case studies with broad applicability. Innovative and widely applicable methodological and statistical papers also may be published. Manuscripts may take the form of original research, brief notes of significance, letters to the editor, or occasional invited review articles. Manuscripts that merely describe a community assemblage or a taxonomic group are not appropriate. Similarly laboratory-based toxicity trials that lack an ecological context are typically not accepted.