Journal profile · Biology
ACS Synthetic Biology
ISSN 2161-5063 · American Chemical Society · UNITED STATES · Monthly · Founded 2012
ACS Synthetic Biology: CAS Zone 2 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 4.52; transformative journal; APC about USD 4,500; median 105 days to acceptance (33 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 465 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
ACS Synthetic Biology is published by American Chemical Society and is in Zone 2 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are CRISPR and Genetic Engineering, Microbial Metabolic Engineering and Bioproduction and RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms, together about 36.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
ACS Synthetic Biology is a monthly peer-reviewed journal dedicated to research across all areas of synthetic biology. The journal is particularly interested in studies on the design and synthesis of new biological or biohybrid systems; computational methods in the design of biological or biohybrid systems; and the application of synthetic biology in various areas.
Source: LetPub
Editor-in-chief Huimin ZhaoPublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- CRISPR and Genetic EngineeringBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology13.4%
- Microbial Metabolic Engineering and BioproductionBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology12.6%
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology10.6%
- Bacterial Genetics and BiotechnologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology8.1%
- Gene Regulatory Network AnalysisBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.4%
- Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniquesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.4%
- Viral Infectious Diseases and Gene Expression in InsectsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.4%
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactionsEnvironmental Science3.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Biochemical Research Methods | Zone 1 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Biochemical Research Methods | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Biochemical Research Methods | Zone 1 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
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
- 4.52LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 4.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 7.6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.42LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.97LetPub ·
- h-index
- 49LetPub ·
- h-index
- 134OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,596OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.13OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 8.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 30.22%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 433LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 4,437 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 351 | 114 | 190 |
| 2025 | 465 | 185 | 2,056 |
| 2024 | 400 | 179 | 3,986 |
| 2023 | 374 | 185 | 5,293 |
| 2022 | 424 | 197 | 8,658 |
| 2021 | 373 | 152 | 9,944 |
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 PubMed · to
105 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 87 days – 140 days
- Acceptance to online
- —
- Submission to online
- —
- Sample
- 33 articles with submission and acceptance dates (827 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
- Average review time (community reports)
- 6–12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
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
Transformative journalLetPub
A subscription journal moving to full open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 4,500 | — | — |
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)
Article types accepted3
- articleArticle Structure-Guided Terminal Modifications Enhance the Efficiency of PET DegradationLength not stated
- communicationCommunication Transient Expression of an IL-1Ra−Fc Fusion Cytokine in Tobacco Species for Improved Anti-inflammatory Therapeutic PotentialLength not stated
- reviewCurrent Issue Review Harnessing Machine Learning for Enzyme Enantioselectivity: Toward Intelligent Biocatalysis EngineeringLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websitePreprints
- Preprints
ASAP (as soon as publishable) articles are edited and published online ahead of issue. Model summary
ASAP (as soon as publishable) articles are edited and published online ahead of issue.
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
- American Chemical Society
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 2012
- ISSN
- 2161-5063
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 15, Issue 9 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about ACS Synthetic Biology
What CAS zone is ACS Synthetic Biology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, ACS Synthetic Biology is in Zone 2 of Biology, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Biochemical Research Methods. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of ACS Synthetic Biology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.52; CiteScore 7.6, h-index 134.
How long does peer review take at ACS Synthetic Biology?
Based on the dates recorded on 33 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 105 days (interquartile range 87–140 days); authors report an average review time of 6–12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”. 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.
Which databases index ACS Synthetic Biology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, ACS Synthetic Biology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is ACS Synthetic Biology open access, and what is the APC?
ACS Synthetic Biology is a transformative journal. APC about USD 4,500.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .