Ecology Letters is a forum for the very rapid publication of the most novel research in ecology. Manuscripts relating to the ecology of all taxa, in any biome and geographic area will be considered, and priority will be given to those papers exploring or testing clearly stated hypotheses. The journal publishes concise papers that merit urgent publication by virtue of their originality, general interest and their contribution to new developments in ecology. We discourage purely descriptive papers and those merely confirming or extending results of previous work.

Seven types of article are published in Ecology Letters:

Letter: exciting findings in fast-moving areas;
Perspective, Synthesis and Method: are commissioned by one of two processes: (1) Direct invitations from the Perspective, or Synthesis or Method Editors, with consultation with the Editorial Board and Editor-in-Chief or (2) Unsolicited proposals, which will be evaluated by the Perspective or Synthesis or Method Editors, in consultation with the Editorial Board and Editor-in-Chief, prior to a full submission;
Method: reports on new instrumentation, experimental procedures and statistical models that are expected to catalyse significant breakthroughs across ecology's sub‐disciplines;
Perspectives: novel essays for a general audience;
Synthesis: syntheses of important subjects meriting urgent coverage;
Technical Note: represent important advances focusing on papers published in Ecology Letters. Technical Note papers can be on any aspect of the science from experimental design, through statistical analysis, to concerns about data authenticity;
Viewpoint: topical editorials linked to an online curated platform to enable scientists and others to engage transparently in dialogue around issues raised in the editorials.