Journal profile · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology-Molecular Biology
Cell Discovery
ISSN 2056-5968 · Springer Nature · United Kingdom · Founded 2015
Cell Discovery: CAS Zone 1 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 16.92; fully open access; APC about USD 3,690; median 174 days to acceptance (85 articles, last 24 months); 107 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Cell Discovery is published by Springer Nature and is in Zone 1 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 Research, RNA modifications and cancer and CRISPR and Genetic Engineering, together about 25.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Publishes results of high significance and broad interest in molecular and cell biology. Sister journal to Cell Research. Affiliated to Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology-Molecular Biology
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 ResearchMedicine9.6%
- RNA modifications and cancerBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology8.2%
- CRISPR and Genetic EngineeringBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.8%
- Epigenetics and DNA MethylationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.2%
- RNA Research and SplicingBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.1%
- COVID-19 Clinical Research StudiesMedicine5.4%
- Single-cell and spatial transcriptomicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.5%
- Genomics and Chromatin DynamicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
PMCPublisher website
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
- 16.92LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 16.9Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 16.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 20.4LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 4.88LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.42LetPub ·
- h-index
- 15LetPub ·
- h-index
- 101OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 812OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 13.89OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 75LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 3,060,593Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,076 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 68 | 68 | 140 |
| 2025 | 107 | 107 | 1,011 |
| 2024 | 126 | 126 | 3,030 |
| 2023 | 125 | 125 | 4,200 |
| 2022 | 141 | 141 | 5,913 |
| 2021 | 124 | 124 | 6,851 |
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
174 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 120 days – 216 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 49 days (85 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 222 days
- Sample
- 85 articles with submission and acceptance dates (202 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 20 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 20 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 | EUR 3,090 / USD 3,690 / GBP 2,690 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | USD 3,590 / EUR 2,890 / GBP 2,590 | — | — | |
| LetPub | EUR 2,790 / USD 3,390 / GBP 2,490 | Yes | — |
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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websitePublication ethics
- Publication ethics
COPE member Model summary
This journal is a member of and subscribes to the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics.
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 Nature
- Country or region
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Founded
- 2015
- ISSN
- 2056-5968
- Society / sponsor
- Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- 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 ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Cell Discovery
What CAS zone is Cell Discovery in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Cell Discovery is in Zone 1 of Biology, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Cell Biology; it is a Top journal. 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 Cell Discovery?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 16.92; CiteScore 20.4, h-index 101.
How long does peer review take at Cell Discovery?
Based on the dates recorded on 85 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 174 days (interquartile range 120–216 days); authors report an average review time of about 20 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 Cell Discovery?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Cell Discovery is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists PMC; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Cell Discovery open access, and what is the APC?
Cell Discovery is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 3,690.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, DOAJ, 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: .