Journal profile · Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
APOPTOSIS
ISSN 1360-8185 · eISSN 1573-675X · Springer US · UNITED STATES · Monthly · Founded 1996
APOPTOSIS: CAS Zone 2 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 8.93; hybrid open access; APC about USD 5,090; median 92 days to acceptance (86 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: moderate; 139 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
APOPTOSIS is published by Springer US 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 Cell death mechanisms and regulation, Autophagy in Disease and Therapy and Cancer-related Molecular Pathways, together about 39.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Apoptosis is an international peer-reviewed journal, published monthly. The Journal is devoted to the rapid publication of innovative basic and clinically-oriented investigations into programmed cell death. It aims to stimulate both research on the basis of mechanisms of apoptosis and on its role in various human disease processes including: cancer, autoimmune disease, viral infection, AIDS, cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disorders, osteoporosis and ageing. The Editor-In-Chief recognises the need to encourage the development of clinical therapies against apoptosis-related diseases. Original Articles, Reviews, Short Communications, Letters to the Editor and Book Reviews will be considered for publication in Apoptosis.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Editor-in-chief Arjan W. GriffioenPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 3 in mainland China (about 6%); most named United States 15, Netherlands 6, Mainland China 3, Germany 3, France 3 (54 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Cell death mechanisms and regulationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology24.8%
- Autophagy in Disease and TherapyMedicine8.2%
- Cancer-related Molecular PathwaysMedicine6.3%
- Mitochondrial Function and PathologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.9%
- RNA Interference and Gene DeliveryBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.8%
- Phagocytosis and Immune RegulationImmunology and Microbiology4.4%
- Ferroptosis and cancer prognosisMedicine4.3%
- Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and DiseaseBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.1%
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 | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINEEmbaseCASCurrent 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
- 8.93LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 9Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 9.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 12.4LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.24LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.62LetPub ·
- h-index
- 102LetPub ·
- h-index
- 150OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,551OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 6.37OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 22.25%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 132LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 875,100Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,394 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 236 | 41 | 275 |
| 2025 | 139 | 35 | 1,025 |
| 2024 | 135 | 40 | 1,951 |
| 2023 | 121 | 32 | 3,052 |
| 2022 | 100 | 23 | 3,635 |
| 2021 | 54 | 23 | 2,343 |
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
92 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 53 days – 138 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 20 days (112 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 121 days
- Sample
- 86 articles with submission and acceptance dates (412 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 1 monthLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- ModerateLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 7 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
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 5,090 / EUR 3,990 / GBP 3,190 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
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 prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
Article types accepted7, with length limits
- book reviewOriginal Articles, Reviews, Short Communications, Letters to the Editor and Book Reviews will be considered for publication. Reviews Solicited and non-solicited…Length not stated
- letter to the editorOriginal Articles, Reviews, Short Communications, Letters to the Editor and Book Reviews will be considered for publication.Length not stated
- letters to the editorOriginal Articles, Reviews, Short Communications, Letters to the Editor and Book Reviews will be considered for publication. Reviews Solicited and non-solicited…main text ≤ 1,000 words
- original articleOriginal Articles, Reviews, Short Communications, Letters to the Editor and Book Reviews will be considered for publication. Reviews Solicited and non-solicited…Length not stated
- regular articleOriginal Articles, Reviews, Short Communications, Letters to the Editor and Book Reviews will be considered for publication. Reviews Solicited and non-solicited…Length not stated
- reviewOriginal Articles, Reviews, Short Communications, Letters to the Editor and Book Reviews will be considered for publication. Reviews Solicited and non-solicited…Length not stated
- short communicationOriginal Articles, Reviews, Short Communications, Letters to the Editor and Book Reviews will be considered for publication. Reviews Solicited and non-solicited…main text ≤ 4,000 words
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 principles
Key messages mandatory for original articles Model summary
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
Competing interests disclosure required Model summary
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
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. 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 Apoptosis, 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 Model summary
The journals follows a single blind reviewing procedure.
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 US
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1996
- ISSN
- 1360-8185
- Electronic ISSN
- 1573-675X
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about APOPTOSIS
What CAS zone is APOPTOSIS in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, APOPTOSIS is in Zone 2 of Biology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Biochemistry & Molecular Biology / Cell Biology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of APOPTOSIS?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 8.93; CiteScore 12.4, h-index 150.
How long does peer review take at APOPTOSIS?
Based on the dates recorded on 86 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 92 days (interquartile range 53–138 days); authors report an average review time of about 1 month; the community-reported acceptance is “Moderate”. 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 APOPTOSIS?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation. 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 APOPTOSIS based?
Of the 54 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 3 (about 6%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (15), Netherlands (6) and Mainland China (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index APOPTOSIS?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, APOPTOSIS is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, Embase, CAS and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is APOPTOSIS open access, and what is the APC?
APOPTOSIS is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 5,090.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .