Journal profile · Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Amino Acids
ISSN 0939-4451 · eISSN 1438-2199 · Springer Vienna · AUSTRIA · Bimonthly · Founded 1991
Amino Acids: CAS Zone 3 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.25; fully open access; APC about USD 3,690; median 121 days to acceptance (97 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: 50%; 57 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Amino Acids is published by Springer Vienna and is in Zone 3 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Amino Acid Enzymes and Metabolism, Polyamine Metabolism and Applications and Chemical Synthesis and Analysis, together about 26.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Amino Acids is an international, fully Open Access, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to publishing high-quality research related to the chemistry, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, and toxicology of amino acids and related compounds. The journal aims to cover a broad range of topics related to amino acids, including their biosynthesis, catabolism, metabolism, transport, signaling, and functions in the body. The journal welcomes original research articles, reviews, rapid communications, and mini-reviews on all aspects of amino acids and their derivatives. The main focus of the journal is to publish research studies that enhance our understanding of the biological and physiological roles of amino acids in the human body as well as plants and microbes.The scope includes, but is not limited to: Chemical and structural properties of amino acids and proteins Protein synthesis, folding, and degradation Protein-protein interactions Enzymology and metabolism of amino acids Peptide and protein engineering Neurotransmission and signaling by amino acids and related compounds Therapeutic applications of amino acids in neurology, immunology, cancer, metabolic disorders and cardiovascular diseases Biotechnological applications of amino acids in plants Applied microbiology Role and function of amino acids and peptides in nutrition, health, and disease Amino acids in drug discovery and development Applications of amino acids and peptides as biomaterials and biocatalysts The journal also aims to provide a platform for researchers to publish their findings on the therapeutic applications of amino acids and their derivatives in the treatment of various diseases, such as metabolic and neurological disorders, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. In addition, the journal features articles on the nutritional and dietary aspects of amino acids, such as their dietary intake, supplementation, and metabolism, and how these factors influence human health and disease.Overall, Amino Acids is an essential forum for researchers, academics, and clinicians interested in the chemistry, biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, and toxicology of amino acids and related compounds.Founding EditorGert Lubec, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Editor-in-chief Ellen I. ClossPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 6 in mainland China (about 8%); most named United States 16, France 12, Mainland China 6, India 5, Germany 5 (77 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Amino Acid Enzymes and MetabolismBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology10.7%
- Polyamine Metabolism and ApplicationsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.7%
- Chemical Synthesis and AnalysisBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.7%
- Biochemical effects in animalsMedicine6.7%
- Aldose Reductase and TaurineBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.5%
- Muscle metabolism and nutritionBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.5%
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchNeuroscience6.1%
- Metabolism and Genetic DisordersBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINEEmbaseCASCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, AGRICOLA, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
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
- 3.25LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.2Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.5LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.82LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.88LetPub ·
- h-index
- 105LetPub ·
- h-index
- 168OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 3,466OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.66OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 60.87%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 54LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 943,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 5,273 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 66 | 66 | 26 |
| 2025 | 57 | 57 | 255 |
| 2024 | 74 | 74 | 637 |
| 2023 | 132 | 37 | 1,141 |
| 2022 | 116 | 40 | 1,547 |
| 2021 | 202 | 84 | 4,055 |
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
121 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 68 days – 154 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 21 days (97 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 142 days
- Sample
- 97 articles with submission and acceptance dates (140 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)
- about 2.3 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 50%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 11 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 24 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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 accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | EUR 2,890 / USD 3,690 / GBP 2,490 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 3,590 / EUR 2,790 / GBP 2,390 | — | — |
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)
Open calls for papers3, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 2,500 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted9, with length limits
- brief reportResearch papers should not exceed 10 printed pages including tables and figures. One printed page consists of about 3000-3500 characters including blanks. Persp…main text ≤ 1,500 words
- correspondenceResearch papers should not exceed 10 printed pages including tables and figures. One printed page consists of about 3000-3500 characters including blanks. Persp…Length not stated
- editorialSingle-blind peer review This journal follows a single-blind reviewing procedure. This journal also publishes special/guest-edited issues. The peer review proce…Length not stated
- mini reviewResearch papers should not exceed 10 printed pages including tables and figures. One printed page consists of about 3000-3500 characters including blanks. Persp…Length not stated
- perspectiveResearch papers should not exceed 10 printed pages including tables and figures. One printed page consists of about 3000-3500 characters including blanks. Persp…Length not stated
- protocolResearch papers should not exceed 10 printed pages including tables and figures. One printed page consists of about 3000-3500 characters including blanks. Persp…Length not stated
- research paperResearch papers should not exceed 10 printed pages including tables and figures. One printed page consists of about 3000-3500 characters including blanks. Persp…Length not stated
- reviewResearch papers should not exceed 10 printed pages including tables and figures. One printed page consists of about 3000-3500 characters including blanks. Persp…Length not stated
- review articleResearch papers should not exceed 10 printed pages including tables and figures. One printed page consists of about 3000-3500 characters including blanks. Persp…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- 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 Policy
Authorship should incorporate and should be restricted to those who have contributed substantially to the work in one or more of the following categories: • Conceived of or designed study • Performed research • Analyzed data • Contributed new methods or models • Wrote the paper Corresponding authors are strongly encouraged by the editorial board of the journal to include their ORCID when submittin…
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 Amino Acids, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Single-blind peer review
This journal follows a single-blind reviewing procedure. This journal also publishes special/guest-edited issues. The peer review process for these articles is the same as the peer review process of the journal in general. Additionally, if a guest editor authors an article in their issue/collection, they will not handle the peer review process. All submitted manuscripts are assigned by the authors…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Clinical Trial Registration
The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of a clinical trial is "any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes". The WHO defines health interventions as “A health intervention is an act performed for, with or on behalf of a person or population whose purpose is to ass…
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 Vienna
- Country or region
- AUSTRIA
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1991
- ISSN
- 0939-4451
- Electronic ISSN
- 1438-2199
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗DOAJ
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗DOAJ
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Amino Acids
What CAS zone is Amino Acids in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Amino Acids is in Zone 3 of Biology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. 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 Amino Acids?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.25; CiteScore 7.5, h-index 168.
How long does peer review take at Amino Acids?
Based on the dates recorded on 97 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 121 days (interquartile range 68–154 days); authors report an average review time of about 2.3 months; the community-reported acceptance is “50%”. 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 Amino Acids?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 2,500 words; 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 Amino Acids based?
Of the 77 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 6 (about 8%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (16), France (12) and Mainland China (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Amino Acids?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Amino Acids is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, Embase, CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Amino Acids open access, and what is the APC?
Amino Acids is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 3,690.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, DOAJ, 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 2026-08-24). Last updated: .