Journal profile · Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Critical Reviews in Biotechnology
ISSN 0738-8551 · eISSN 1549-7801 · Informa Healthcare · UNITED STATES · Quarterly · Founded 1983
Critical Reviews in Biotechnology: CAS Zone 2 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 8.63; hybrid open access; median 229 days to acceptance (94 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: moderate; 48 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Critical Reviews in Biotechnology is published by Informa Healthcare and is in Zone 2 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, Biofuel production and bioconversion and Enzyme Catalysis and Immobilization, together about 36.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Aims and scopeJournal metrics Editorial board Biotechnological techniques, from fermentation to genetic manipulation, have become increasingly relevant to the food and beverage, fuel production, chemical and pharmaceutical, and waste management industries. Consequently, academic as well as industrial institutions need to keep abreast of the concepts, data, and methodologies evolved by continuing research. This journal provides a forum of critical evaluation of recent and current publications and, periodically, for state-of-the-art reports from various geographic areas around the world. Contributing authors are recognized experts in their fields, and each article is reviewed by an objective expert to ensure accuracy and objectivity of the presentation. Peer Review Policy All manuscript submissions are subject to initial appraisal by the Editors, and, if found suitable for further consideration, are peer reviewed by independent, expert referees. All peer review is single anonymized and submission is online via ScholarOne. Read full aims and scope
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Microbial Metabolic Engineering and BioproductionBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology14.3%
- Biofuel production and bioconversionEngineering11.7%
- Enzyme Catalysis and ImmobilizationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology10.4%
- Enzyme Production and CharacterizationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.2%
- Algal biology and biofuel productionEnergy5.6%
- Plant tissue culture and regenerationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology3.9%
- CRISPR and Genetic EngineeringBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology3.9%
- Viral Infectious Diseases and Gene Expression in InsectsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology3.6%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: yes
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Engineering Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: yes
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
- 8.63LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 20.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.78LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.1LetPub ·
- h-index
- 79LetPub ·
- h-index
- 168OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,197OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 10.47OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 1.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 8.74%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 50LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,406 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 50 | 9 | 36 |
| 2025 | 48 | 11 | 395 |
| 2024 | 71 | 15 | 1,338 |
| 2023 | 62 | 9 | 1,895 |
| 2022 | 73 | 11 | 2,978 |
| 2021 | 128 | 29 | 8,079 |
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
229 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 145 days – 365 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 61 days (94 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 301 days
- Sample
- 94 articles with submission and acceptance dates (114 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 acceptance (community reports)
- ModerateLetPub ·
- 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.
No source has fee information yet; check the journal's website.
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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access
- Open access Open access
Overview Open journals Open Select Dove Medical Press F1000Research
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
- Informa Healthcare
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1983
- ISSN
- 0738-8551
- Electronic ISSN
- 1549-7801
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 46, Issue 6 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Critical Reviews in Biotechnology
What CAS zone is Critical Reviews in Biotechnology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Critical Reviews in Biotechnology is in Zone 2 of Biology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Critical Reviews in Biotechnology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 8.63; CiteScore 20.6, h-index 168.
How long does peer review take at Critical Reviews in Biotechnology?
Based on the dates recorded on 94 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 229 days (interquartile range 145–365 days); the community-reported acceptance is “Moderate”. 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 Critical Reviews in Biotechnology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Critical Reviews in Biotechnology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Critical Reviews in Biotechnology open access, and what is the APC?
Critical Reviews in Biotechnology is a hybrid journal. Fee information is not available yet; check the journal's website.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .