Journal of Molecular Evolution covers experimental, computational, and theoretical work aimed at deciphering features of molecular evolution and the processes bearing on these features, from the initial formation of macromolecular systems through their evolution at the molecular level, the co-evolution of their functions in cellular and organismal systems, and their influence on organismal adaptation, speciation, and ecology. Topics addressed include the evolution of informational macromolecules and their relation to more complex levels of biological organization, including populations and taxa, as well as the molecular basis for the evolution of ecological interactions of species and the use of molecular data to infer fundamental processes in evolutionary ecology. This coverage accommodates such subfields as new genome sequences, comparative structural and functional genomics, population genetics, the molecular evolution of development, the evolution of gene regulation and gene interaction networks, and in vitro evolution of DNA and RNA, molecular evolutionary ecology, and the development of methods and theory that enable molecular evolutionary inference, including but not limited to, phylogenetic methods.

《Journal Of Molecular Evolution》是一本由SPRINGER出版商出版的专业生物期刊，该刊创刊于1971年，刊期Monthly，该刊已被国际权威数据库SCI、SCIE收录。在中科院最新升级版分区表中，该刊分区信息为大类学科：生物学 4区，小类学科：生化与分子生物学 4区；进化生物学 4区；遗传学 4区；在JCR（Journal Citation Reports）分区等级为Q2。该刊发文范围涵盖生化与分子生物学等领域，旨在及时、准确、全面地报道国内外生化与分子生物学工作者在该领域取得的最新研究成果、工作进展及学术动态、技术革新等，促进学术交流，鼓励学术创新。2021年影响因子为3.973，平均审稿速度约3.0个月。