Journal profile · MICROBIOLOGY
Biofilm
ISSN 2590-2075 · Elsevier · Netherlands
Biofilm: CAS Zone 2 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 6.7 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 3,200; median 97 days to acceptance (102 articles, last 24 months); 92 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Biofilm is published by Elsevier 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 Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensing, Oral microbiology and periodontitis research and Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology, together about 45.7% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Biofilm is a multidisciplinary, gold open access journal focused on hypothesis- or discovery-driven studies on microbial biofilms (i.e. multicellular communities, including surface-attached biofilms and suspended aggregates). The journal will cover biofilms in all (micro)environments, including clinical and industrial settings and the natural environment. We accept articles that describe the basic biology of single or mixed-species biofilms (irrespective of the organism), manuscripts dealing with applied/translational aspects of biofilms, as well as manuscripts describing innovative biofilm methods. Biofilm aims to bring together different disciplines to significantly advance the knowledge of microbial communities, and encourages exploring the interfaces between these disciplines.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): MICROBIOLOGY
Editorial board by country: 5 in mainland China (about 11%); most named United States 14, Denmark 8, Mainland China 5, Netherlands 3, United Kingdom 2 (47 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensingBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology33.4%
- Oral microbiology and periodontitis researchDentistry6.5%
- Microbial Community Ecology and PhysiologyEnvironmental Science5.8%
- Antimicrobial Peptides and ActivitiesImmunology and Microbiology4.8%
- Antibiotic Resistance in BacteriaBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology3.7%
- Antimicrobial agents and applicationsChemistry3.5%
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactionsEnvironmental Science3.4%
- Antifungal resistance and susceptibilityMedicine3.3%
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 | Microbiology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Microbiology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
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 (publisher)
- 6.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 8.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 8.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.33LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.42LetPub ·
- h-index
- 40OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 187OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 7.63OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 88LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 394 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 57 | 57 | 21 |
| 2025 | 92 | 92 | 489 |
| 2024 | 76 | 76 | 1,206 |
| 2023 | 71 | 71 | 1,418 |
| 2022 | 35 | 35 | 896 |
| 2021 | 24 | 24 | 948 |
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
97 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 71 days – 144 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 1 days (102 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 99 days
- Sample
- 102 articles with submission and acceptance dates (193 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 10 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 44 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 104 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 16 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double 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 | USD 3,200 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 3,140 / EUR 2,940 / GBP 2,510 / JPY 389,450 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 2,410 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,790 | — | — |
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 prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Highlights
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Publishing ethics policy Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Double anonymized peer review Model summary
This journal follows a double anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Free preprint posting service on SSRN Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
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
- Elsevier
- Country or region
- Netherlands
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2590-2075
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- 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 Biofilm
What CAS zone is Biofilm in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Biofilm is in Zone 2 of Biology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Microbiology. 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 Biofilm?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 6.7; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 8.5, h-index 40.
How long does peer review take at Biofilm?
Based on the dates recorded on 102 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 97 days (interquartile range 71–144 days); authors report an average review time of about 10 weeks. 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 Biofilm?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: Author–date; Highlights: Optional; Cover letter: Required. 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 Biofilm based?
Of the 47 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 5 (about 11%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (14), Denmark (8) and Mainland China (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Biofilm?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Biofilm is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Biofilm open access, and what is the APC?
Biofilm is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 3,200.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex, DOAJ; 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: .