Journal profile · Biology
Biosystems
ISSN 0303-2647 · eISSN 1872-8324 · Elsevier Ireland Ltd · IRELAND · Monthly · Founded 1974
Biosystems: CAS Zone 4 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.1; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,870; median 82 days to acceptance (115 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 219 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Biosystems is published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd and is in Zone 4 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Gene Regulatory Network Analysis, Origins and Evolution of Life and Neural dynamics and brain function, together about 23.7% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
BioSystems encourages theoretical, computational, and experimental articles that link biology, evolutionary concepts, and the information sciences. The journal is dedicated to publishing research on self-organizing information systems—with the goal of obtaining a better understanding of the origins of biochemical, genetic, epigenetic, physiological, cognitive, linguistic, sociocultural, and biological organization and evolution.The scope of the journal encompasses the fundamental nature of biological information and (self)-organization. This includes quantum phenomena in information transfer, natural computing, biological coding systems, biological complexity, theoretical biology, artificial life, computational modeling of complex biological systems, evolutionary models of computation, application of biological principles to the design of novel computing systems, and the use of biomolecular materials to synthesize artificial systems that capture essential principles of natural biological information processing.The journal does not publish purely medical, computational, or ecological research, unless it is clearly linked to the basic and conceptual aspects of biological organization.The editors encourage articles that deal, in particular, with the following topics:Biological computationMolecular recognitionPhysical foundations of biologyQuantum phenomena in biological systemsCellular controlNeuromolecular computingBiological coding systemsMolecular computing processesSelf-organizing and self-replicating systemsOrigin of the genetic codeOrigins and evolution of genomesStochastic evolutionary algorithmsOrigins and evolution of mind and languageEcological evolutionary developmental biologyReticulate evolution (symbiosis, symbiogenesis, lateral gene transfer)Simulation of genetic and ecological systemsApplications (neural nets, machine learning, robotics)History and philosophy of scienceIn addition, the editors encourage the following types of papers for submission: Papers that extract novel biological insights from multidimensional data, using AI-driven language modelsBiological hypothesis papers producing new insights based on a body of pre-existing empirical researchPerspectives papers intended to stimulate scientific discussions and provide guidelines for future directions
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Biology
Editor-in-chief Abir IgamberdievPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 8, Japan 7, Canada 6, United Kingdom 4, Germany 4 (49 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Gene Regulatory Network AnalysisBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology8.7%
- Origins and Evolution of LifePhysics and Astronomy7.7%
- Neural dynamics and brain functionNeuroscience7.3%
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.3%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5.8%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering5.8%
- Evolution and Genetic DynamicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.6%
- Educational Robotics and EngineeringComputer Science5.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Mathematical & Computational 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 | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Mathematical & Computational Biology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Mathematical & Computational Biology | Zone 4 |
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
- 2.1LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 2.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 3.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.43LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.75LetPub ·
- h-index
- 67LetPub ·
- h-index
- 117OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,306OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.3OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 33.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 24.47%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 192LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 5,444 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 212 | 65 | 90 |
| 2025 | 219 | 74 | 520 |
| 2024 | 177 | 75 | 791 |
| 2023 | 184 | 65 | 1,432 |
| 2022 | 133 | 43 | 1,102 |
| 2021 | 156 | 44 | 1,728 |
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
82 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 56 days – 120 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 4 days (115 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 87 days
- Sample
- 115 articles with submission and acceptance dates (461 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 3 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 1 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 39 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 83 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single 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 2,870 / EUR 2,620 / GBP 2,300 / JPY 338,600 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,010 | — | — |
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)
Open calls for papers2, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Highlights
- Optional
- Not considered
- purely medical, computational, or ecological research
Article types accepted11
- book reviewFull-length articles are original scientific papers describing research in any of the above areas, irrespective of length. They are standard contributions to Bi…Length not stated
- full paperFull-length articles are original scientific papers describing research in any of the above areas, irrespective of length. They are standard contributions to Bi…Length not stated
- hypothesisFull-length articles are original scientific papers describing research in any of the above areas, irrespective of length. They are standard contributions to Bi…Length not stated
- original articleFull-length articles are original scientific papers describing research in any of the above areas, irrespective of length. They are standard contributions to Bi…Length not stated
- regular paperFull-length articles are original scientific papers describing research in any of the above areas, irrespective of length. They are standard contributions to Bi…Length not stated
- research articleFull-length articles are original scientific papers describing research in any of the above areas, irrespective of length. They are standard contributions to Bi…Length not stated
- review articleFull-length articles are original scientific papers describing research in any of the above areas, irrespective of length. They are standard contributions to Bi…Length not stated
- short communicationFull-length articles are original scientific papers describing research in any of the above areas, irrespective of length. They are standard contributions to Bi…Length not stated
- short reviewFull-length articles are original scientific papers describing research in any of the above areas, irrespective of length. They are standard contributions to Bi…Length not stated
- surveyFull-length articles are original scientific papers describing research in any of the above areas, irrespective of length. They are standard contributions to Bi…Length not stated
- tutorialFull-length articles are original scientific papers describing research in any of the above areas, irrespective of length. They are standard contributions to Bi…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, 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 ·- 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
This journal follows a single 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
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 Ireland Ltd
- Country or region
- IRELAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1974
- ISSN
- 0303-2647
- Electronic ISSN
- 1872-8324
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Biosystems
What CAS zone is Biosystems in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Biosystems is in Zone 4 of Biology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Biology / Mathematical & Computational 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 Biosystems?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.1; CiteScore 3.7, h-index 117.
How long does peer review take at Biosystems?
Based on the dates recorded on 115 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 82 days (interquartile range 56–120 days); authors report an average review time of about 3 months; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly 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.
What are the manuscript requirements of Biosystems?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: Author–date; Highlights: 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 Biosystems based?
Of the 49 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (8), Japan (7) and Canada (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Biosystems?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Biosystems is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Biosystems open access, and what is the APC?
Biosystems is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,870.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; 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: .