Journal profile · Medicine-Medicine (miscellaneous)
Communications Biology
ISSN 2399-3642 · Springer Nature · ENGLAND · Founded 2018
Communications Biology: CAS Zone 1 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 6.09; fully open access; APC about USD 4,390; median 240 days to acceptance (185 articles, last 24 months); 1,996 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Communications Biology 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 Neural dynamics and brain function, Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics and Functional Brain Connectivity Studies, together about 20.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Publishes open access research in all areas of the biological sciences. Committed to rapid dissemination of important research results. Editorial collaboration between in-house editors and editorial board members.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Medicine-Medicine (miscellaneous)
Editorial board by country: 55 in mainland China (about 13%); most named United States 99, Mainland China 55, United Kingdom 43, Germany 24, Australia 22 (427 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Neural dynamics and brain functionNeuroscience8%
- Single-cell and spatial transcriptomicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.2%
- Functional Brain Connectivity StudiesNeuroscience6%
- RNA modifications and cancerBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.9%
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.1%
- Epigenetics and DNA MethylationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5%
- CRISPR and Genetic EngineeringBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.9%
- RNA Research and SplicingBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.9%
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 | 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 | 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 | Biology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINECASCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, 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
- 6.09LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 8.2LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.99LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.43LetPub ·
- h-index
- 148OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 5,725OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 6.43OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 1.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 99.98%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 1,920LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 10,975 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1,584 | 1,584 | 1,026 |
| 2025 | 1,996 | 1,996 | 10,755 |
| 2024 | 1,726 | 1,726 | 22,347 |
| 2023 | 1,306 | 1,306 | 27,044 |
| 2022 | 1,421 | 1,421 | 37,866 |
| 2021 | 1,427 | 1,427 | 55,115 |
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
240 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 173 days – 321 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 15 days (185 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 259 days
- Sample
- 185 articles with submission and acceptance dates (4,034 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 13 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 13 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 3,650 / USD 4,390 / GBP 3,250 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 4,190 / EUR 3,490 / GBP 3,090 | — | — | |
| LetPub | GBP 2,890 / USD 3,890 / EUR 3,290 | 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
- Springer Nature
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Founded
- 2018
- ISSN
- 2399-3642
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- 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 Communications Biology
What CAS zone is Communications Biology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Communications Biology is in Zone 1 of Biology, and in Zone 1 of the minor category 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 Communications Biology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 6.09; CiteScore 8.2, h-index 148.
How long does peer review take at Communications Biology?
Based on the dates recorded on 185 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 240 days (interquartile range 173–321 days); authors report an average review time of about 13 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Communications Biology based?
Of the 427 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 55 (about 13%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (99), Mainland China (55) and United Kingdom (43). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Communications Biology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Communications Biology is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Communications Biology open access, and what is the APC?
Communications Biology is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 4,390.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .