Journal profile · BIOCHEMICAL RESEARCH METHODS-OPTICS
Biomedical Optics Express
ISSN 2156-7085 · The Optical Society · UNITED STATES · Founded 2010
Biomedical Optics Express: CAS Zone 3 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.14; fully open access; APC about USD 1,965; median 64 days to acceptance (95 articles, last 24 months); 382 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Biomedical Optics Express is published by The Optical Society and is in Zone 3 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Optical Coherence Tomography Applications, Photoacoustic and Ultrasonic Imaging and Optical Imaging and Spectroscopy Techniques, together about 43.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Biomedical Engineering. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The journal's scope encompasses fundamental research, technology development, biomedical studies and clinical applications. BOEx focuses on the leading edge topics in the field, including: Tissue optics and spectroscopy Novel microscopies Optical coherence tomography Diffuse and fluorescence tomography Photoacoustic and multimodal imaging Molecular imaging and therapies Nanophotonic biosensing Optical biophysics/photobiology Microfluidic optical devices Vision research.
Source: LetPub
Research area (LetPub): BIOCHEMICAL RESEARCH METHODS-OPTICS
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Optical Coherence Tomography ApplicationsEngineering15.8%
- Photoacoustic and Ultrasonic ImagingEngineering15.5%
- Optical Imaging and Spectroscopy TechniquesMedicine11.9%
- Advanced Fluorescence Microscopy TechniquesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology10.7%
- Spectroscopy Techniques in Biomedical and Chemical ResearchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.4%
- Digital Holography and MicroscopyPhysics and Astronomy3.6%
- Retinal Imaging and AnalysisMedicine3.6%
- Glaucoma and retinal disordersMedicine3.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biochemical Research Methods | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Optics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biochemical Research Methods | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Optics | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Biochemical Research Methods | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Optics | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
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
- 3.14LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.3LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.83LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.27LetPub ·
- h-index
- 67LetPub ·
- h-index
- 135OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 4,364OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.51OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 12.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 99.52%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 353LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 6,676 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 300 | 300 | 140 |
| 2025 | 382 | 382 | 984 |
| 2024 | 452 | 452 | 2,854 |
| 2023 | 451 | 451 | 4,954 |
| 2022 | 447 | 447 | 6,560 |
| 2021 | 534 | 534 | 9,696 |
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
64 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 52 days – 81 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 14 days (95 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 83 days
- Sample
- 95 articles with submission and acceptance dates (804 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)
- 3–6 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 10 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 | USD 1,965 | Yes | CC BY, Publisher's own license | |
| OpenAlex | USD 1,913 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 1,965 | Yes | — |
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- The Optical Society
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Founded
- 2010
- ISSN
- 2156-7085
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Biomedical Optics Express
What CAS zone is Biomedical Optics Express in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Biomedical Optics Express is in Zone 3 of Medicine, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Biochemical Research Methods / Optics / Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Biomedical Optics Express?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.14; CiteScore 6.3, h-index 135.
How long does peer review take at Biomedical Optics Express?
Based on the dates recorded on 95 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 64 days (interquartile range 52–81 days); authors report an average review time of 3–6 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.
Which databases index Biomedical Optics Express?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Biomedical Optics Express is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Biomedical Optics Express open access, and what is the APC?
Biomedical Optics Express is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 1,965.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, 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: .