Journal profile · Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Biotechnology Letters
ISSN 0141-5492 · eISSN 1573-6776 · Springer Netherlands · NETHERLANDS · Semimonthly · Founded 1979
Biotechnology Letters: CAS Zone 4 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.52; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,890; median 136 days to acceptance (106 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: 42%; 130 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Biotechnology Letters is published by Springer Netherlands 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 Microbial Metabolic Engineering and Bioproduction, Enzyme Catalysis and Immobilization and Biofuel production and bioconversion, together about 38.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Biotechnology Letters is the world’s leading primary journal dedicated to the broad spectrum of biotechnology, publishing papers relating to applications of microbial, plant or animal cells and biocatalysts derived from them. We encourage submissions focusing broadly on molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, and data analytics with a biotechnological application. We also welcome contributions covering biotechnological aspects of regenerative medicine, cell and gene therapy, biomaterials, and therapeutic biotechnology. Also within scope are aspects related to the application of digital bioprocessing tools and methods, including process analytical technologies, artificial intelligence and machine learning. We are also eager to publish papers describing biotechnological process development, including bioreactor design and scale-up. Contributions from industrial and academic laboratories are equally welcome. Criteria for the acceptance of papers relate to our aim of publishing useful and informative results that will be of value to other workers in related fields. The emphasis is very much on novelty and immediacy in order to justify rapid publication of authors’ results. All manuscripts should be short and concise without redundancies. The number of printed pages for both Original Research Papers and Review articles including figures, tables and references should not exceed 6 printed pages (one printed page accounts to approximately 4750 characters, plain text including spaces; figures and tables should be counted extra as half a page each). The submission should have line-numbers and a brief Introduction (usually no more than 300-350 words). The number of references should not exceed 40 references in total.The Brief Report article type denotes a concise report of research including the presentation of research that extends previously published research, the reporting of additional data and confirmatory results, and small-scale studies. The Brief Report article type should begin with a short abstract of up to 100 words. In total a Brief Report should be no longer than 1000 words in length and should contain no more than three to four figures and about 20 references. IMPORTANT FOR AUTHORS: REVIEW ARTICLE SUBMISSION GUIDELINES Authors wishing to submit unsolicited review articles to Biotechnology Letters should first submit a proposal (2 pages maximum) to the appropriate Editor-in-Chief (Paula Meleady, PhD, for biot
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Editor-in-chief Christopher J. BrighamPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 7 in mainland China (about 9%); most named United States 23, United Kingdom 9, Mainland China 7, Germany 5, Japan 4 (78 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Microbial Metabolic Engineering and BioproductionBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology14%
- Enzyme Catalysis and ImmobilizationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology12.9%
- Biofuel production and bioconversionEngineering12%
- Enzyme Production and CharacterizationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology9.7%
- Microbial Metabolites in Food BiotechnologyNursing5%
- Viral Infectious Diseases and Gene Expression in InsectsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology3.9%
- Plant tissue culture and regenerationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology3.3%
- Algal biology and biofuel productionEnergy3.1%
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 | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | 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 | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
EI CompendexMEDLINEINSPECCASCAB 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
- 2.52LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.5Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.5LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.59LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.69LetPub ·
- h-index
- 92LetPub ·
- h-index
- 151OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 7,209OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.24OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 12.08%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 127LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 676,100Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 11,376 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 107 | 15 | 21 |
| 2025 | 130 | 19 | 276 |
| 2024 | 99 | 16 | 455 |
| 2023 | 115 | 30 | 857 |
| 2022 | 126 | 23 | 1,318 |
| 2021 | 158 | 35 | 2,260 |
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
136 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 99 days – 202 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 14 days (106 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 154 days
- Sample
- 106 articles with submission and acceptance dates (252 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)
- 42%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 18 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 3,890 / EUR 2,890 / GBP 2,490 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | No APC | — | — |
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 prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Optional
Article types accepted7, with length limits
- brief reportBrief Report The Brief Report article type denotes a concise report of research including the presentation of research that extends previously published researc…main text ≤ 1,000 words · abstract ≤ 100 words · references ≤ 20
- editorialBrief Report The Brief Report article type denotes a concise report of research including the presentation of research that extends previously published researc…Length not stated
- letterBrief Report The Brief Report article type denotes a concise report of research including the presentation of research that extends previously published researc…Length not stated
- opinionBrief Report The Brief Report article type denotes a concise report of research including the presentation of research that extends previously published researc…Length not stated
- original articleBrief Report The Brief Report article type denotes a concise report of research including the presentation of research that extends previously published researc…Length not stated
- reviewBrief Report The Brief Report article type denotes a concise report of research including the presentation of research that extends previously published researc…Length not stated
- review articleBrief Report The Brief Report article type denotes a concise report of research including the presentation of research that extends previously published researc…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, Plagiarism, 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 Back to top
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
This journal encourages authors to provide an optional statement of data availability in their article. Data Availability Statements should include information on where data supporting the results reported in the article can be found, including, where applicable, hyperlinks to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Data availability statements can also indicate whether …
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 Biotechnology Letters, 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. Biotechnology Letters is a rapid-publication journal that is dedicated to biotechnology as a whole – that is to topics relating to actual or potential applications of biological reactions affected by microbial, plant or animal cells and biocatalysts derived from them. All relevant aspects of molecular biology, genetics and cell biochemistry,…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism Plagiarism prevention with CrossCheck
Springer is a participant of CrossCheck, a multi-publisher plagiarism detection initiative to screen published and submitted content for originality. CrossCheck consists of two products: a database of scholarly publications (CrossCheck) and a web-based tool (iThenticate) to check an authored work against that database. This journal uses the plagiarism tool to detect instances of overlapping and si…
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 Netherlands
- Country or region
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Semimonthly
- Founded
- 1979
- ISSN
- 0141-5492
- Electronic ISSN
- 1573-6776
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Biotechnology Letters
What CAS zone is Biotechnology Letters in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Biotechnology Letters is in Zone 4 of Biology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology. 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 Biotechnology Letters?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.52; CiteScore 4.5, h-index 151.
How long does peer review take at Biotechnology Letters?
Based on the dates recorded on 106 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 136 days (interquartile range 99–202 days); authors report an average review time of about 1 month; the community-reported acceptance is “42%”. 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 Biotechnology Letters?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Cover letter: 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 Biotechnology Letters based?
Of the 78 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 7 (about 9%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (23), United Kingdom (9) and Mainland China (7). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Biotechnology Letters?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Biotechnology Letters is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists EI Compendex, MEDLINE, INSPEC, CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Biotechnology Letters open access, and what is the APC?
Biotechnology Letters is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,890.
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: .