Journal profile · BIOTECHNOLOGY & APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY
3 Biotech
ISSN 2190-5738 · Springer International Publishing · GERMANY · Founded 2011
3 Biotech: CAS Zone 4 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.13; fully open access; APC about USD 4,090; median 142 days to acceptance (118 articles, last 24 months); 460 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
3 Biotech is published by Springer International Publishing and is in Zone 4 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Biofuel production and bioconversion, Enzyme Production and Characterization and Plant-Microbe Interactions and Immunity, together about 24.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology and Plant Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
3 Biotech publishes the results of the latest research related to the study and application of biotechnology to:- Medicine and Biomedical Sciences- Agriculture- The EnvironmentThe focus on these three technology sectors recognizes that complete Biotechnology applications often require a combination of techniques. 3 Biotech not only presents the latest developments in biotechnology but also addresses the problems and benefits of integrating a variety of techniques for a particular application. 3 Biotech appeals to scientists and engineers in both academia and industry focusing on the safe and efficient application of Biotechnology to Medicine, Agriculture and the Environment.Articles from a huge variety of biotechnology applications are welcome including:- Cancer and stem cell research- Genetic engineering and cloning- Bioremediation and biodegradation- Bioinformatics and system biology- Biomarkers and biosensors- Biodiversity and biodiscovery- Biorobotics and biotoxins- Analytical biotechnology and the human genome3 Biotech accepts original and review articles as well as short research reports, protocols and methods, notes to the editor, letters to the editor and book reviews for publication. Up to date topical review articles will also be considered. All the manuscripts are peer-reviewed for scientific quality and acceptance.3 Biotech has recently received its first Impact Factor and is now covered by a range of A&I services, including:- Science Citation Index Expanded- Journal Citation Reports/Science Edition- Biological Abstracts- BIOSIS Previews3 Biotech publishes under the Continuous Article Publishing (CAP) in which accepted papers are published online with volume and article numbers shortly after receipt of authors proofs. CAP aims to speed up the process from acceptance of articles to final publication without the need for articles to be placed in a waiting line. This will ensure that all articles in 3 Biotech are immediately available for researchers in relevant indexing and abstracting databases.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): BIOTECHNOLOGY & APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY
Editor-in-chief Jingwen ZhouPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 14%); most named Mainland China 1, United States 1, Japan 1, Spain 1, Canada 1 (7 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Biofuel production and bioconversionEngineering9.3%
- Enzyme Production and CharacterizationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.5%
- Plant-Microbe Interactions and ImmunityAgricultural and Biological Sciences7.2%
- Microbial Metabolic Engineering and BioproductionBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.5%
- Plant tissue culture and regenerationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.2%
- Enzyme Catalysis and ImmobilizationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.6%
- Nanoparticles: synthesis and applicationsMaterials Science4.6%
- Plant Virus Research StudiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceEmbaseCAB AbstractsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, AGRICOLA, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS, Semantic Scholar
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 3.13LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.1Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.7LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.66LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.84LetPub ·
- h-index
- 12LetPub ·
- h-index
- 116OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,653OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.18OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 3.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 6.22%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 459LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 1,600,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 5,024 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 408 | 407 | 198 |
| 2025 | 460 | 434 | 1,337 |
| 2024 | 321 | 321 | 2,245 |
| 2023 | 419 | 417 | 4,417 |
| 2022 | 348 | 345 | 5,368 |
| 2021 | 552 | 543 | 10,253 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
142 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 97 days – 206 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 20 days (118 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 164 days
- Sample
- 118 articles with submission and acceptance dates (970 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Submission to first decision
- 30 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Fully open accessLetPub
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 4,090 / EUR 3,090 / GBP 2,690 | — | — |
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship principles
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Articles in Springer Nature open access journals do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in 3 Biotech, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Springer International Publishing
- Country or region
- GERMANY
- Language
- English
- Founded
- 2011
- ISSN
- 2190-5738
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about 3 Biotech
What CAS zone is 3 Biotech in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, 3 Biotech is in Zone 4 of Biology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of 3 Biotech?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.13; CiteScore 5.7, h-index 116.
How long does peer review take at 3 Biotech?
Based on the dates recorded on 118 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 142 days (interquartile range 97–206 days). Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of 3 Biotech?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: Optional. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of 3 Biotech based?
Of the 7 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 14%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (1), United States (1) and Japan (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index 3 Biotech?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, 3 Biotech is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, Embase and CAB Abstracts; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is 3 Biotech open access, and what is the APC?
3 Biotech is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 4,090.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .