《動物生態學雜志》出版了最好的動物生態學研究，開發、測試和推進廣泛的生態學原理。該雜志的一個主要目標是發表文章，詳細介紹新穎和重要的工作，將挑戰動物生態學家的思維方式。我們鼓勵那些通過發展生態學理論或方法論而在該領域取得重大進展的論文，這些理論或方法論所產生的生態學見解超出了所使用的研究體系。當集中于單一物種的研究對推進一般理論或理解做出重大貢獻時，將考慮發表這些研究。發表在《動物生態學雜志》上的一篇理論論文，應該建立或實質上擴展我們對一個在動物生態學領域具有普遍重要性的問題的理論理解。最好的理論論文將與如何在新的理論發展中加強實證分析密切相關。我們為廣大的國際讀者提供關于動物生態學各方面的重要問題和/或當前感興趣的論文。

Journal of Animal Ecology publishes the best animal ecology research that develops, tests and advances broad ecological principles.A primary aim of the journal is to publish articles detailing novel and important work that will challenge the way animal ecologists think. We encourage papers that make significant advances to the field through the development of ecological theory or methodology which generate ecological insights that extend beyond the study system utilised. Studies focussed on a single species are considered for publication when they make a significant contribution to advancing general theory or understanding. A theoretical paper in Journal of Animal Ecology should establish, or substantially extend, our theoretical understanding of an issue of general importance for the field of animal ecology. The best theory papers will have a close relationship to considerations of how empirical analysis can be tensioned against the new theoretical developments. We bring papers that address questions of general importance and/or current interest in all aspects of animal ecology to a broad international audience.