Journal profile · Microbiology
Current Microbiology
ISSN 0343-8651 · eISSN 1432-0991 · Springer US · UNITED STATES · Monthly · Founded 1978
Current Microbiology: CAS Zone 4 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.75; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,990; median 182 days to acceptance (117 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 50%; 653 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Current Microbiology is published by Springer US 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 Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies, Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology and Probiotics and Fermented Foods, together about 24.1% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Aims and scope Current Microbiology serves as a pivotal platform for scientists to share their discoveries, exchange ideas, and contribute to the progress of microbiological knowledge. The journal prioritizes articles of broad interest, with significant novelty in any of the fields of Microbiology. Current Microbiology publishes significant and original contributions in various domains of basic microbiology research, encompassing original research articles, short communications, reviews, and letters to the editor. The sections include: Infectious Disease Antimicrobial Resistance Host-Microbe Interactions Environmental Diversity Food Microbiology Microbial Biotechnology Microbial Physiology & Metabolism Systematics Genomic Microbiology and Microbial Evolution Eukaryotic Microorganisms Viruses Editorial Policies: Manuscripts submitted to Current Microbiology must adhere to rigorous scientific standards, ensuring originality, clarity, and ethical conduct. The journal advocates for open science, encouraging data and resource sharing to foster collaboration and transparency in microbiological research. Topical review articles are welcomed, provided authors demonstrate sufficient expertise in the field. Authors are advised to discuss the content with the Editors before submission, outlining how the manuscript differs from recent review articles in the field. In its origins, Current Microbiology was a reference journal for microbial taxonomists. Recently the journal has expanded its scope and is considering technically sound science in any sub-discipline of Microbiology. However, it keeps strict for microbe identification. Microbial isolates must be accurately identified and characterized using molecular methods. A mandatory 16S rRNA gene sequence comparison (more than 1000 nt) is required between prokaryotic isolates and validly named type strains of species. The journal does not consider for publication: Studies demonstrating enzyme activities of not-purified enzyme mixtures. Studies on using herbal extracts when components are not identified or a reference is not used. Systematic reviews and meta-analysis. Case reports and clinical trial studies. Routine clinical studies from single sites that do not allow to draw epidemiological conclusions. Genome sequences without a minimum of analysis, and rigorous phylogeny for proper identification. The identification of resistant strains in the clinical setting without justifying a minimum of novelty (i.e. a new resista
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Microbiology
Editor-in-chief Juan MondottePublisher website
Editorial board by country: 5 in mainland China (about 13%); most named United States 10, Mainland China 5, India 4, Spain 3, Argentina 3 (39 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Genomics and Phylogenetic StudiesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology10.1%
- Microbial Community Ecology and PhysiologyEnvironmental Science7.9%
- Probiotics and Fermented FoodsAgricultural and Biological Sciences6.2%
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactionsEnvironmental Science5.6%
- Plant-Microbe Interactions and ImmunityAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.5%
- Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensingBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.8%
- Bacterial Genetics and BiotechnologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.8%
- Enzyme Production and CharacterizationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.7%
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 | 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 | Microbiology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | 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
MEDLINEEmbaseCASCAB 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
- 2.75LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.8Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.63LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.74LetPub ·
- h-index
- 79LetPub ·
- h-index
- 143OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 5,337OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.74OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 3.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 10.91%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 664LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 1,100,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 10,023 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 463 | 88 | 187 |
| 2025 | 653 | 75 | 1,646 |
| 2024 | 463 | 71 | 2,489 |
| 2023 | 401 | 75 | 3,922 |
| 2022 | 420 | 72 | 5,372 |
| 2021 | 409 | 70 | 6,592 |
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
182 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 140 days – 231 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 16 days (117 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 196 days
- Sample
- 117 articles with submission and acceptance dates (1,257 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 1.5 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 50%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 12 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous 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 3,990 / EUR 2,990 / GBP 2,590 | — | — |
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 prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted6, with length limits
- brief reportSubmissions should provide a high-quality original research presented in a short format. Brief Reports should be of broad interest to the Microbiology community…main text ≤ 250 words · abstract ≤ 250 words · references ≤ 30
- editorialRequirements for Article Types Microorganism Identification (applies to all article types); New Microbial isolates For any attempt to affiliate an isolate to a …Length not stated
- letter to the editorLetter to the EditorLength not stated
- letters to the editorion, in some way worthy of comment. All Letters to the Editor must address a scientific issue in an objective fashion, should have fewer than 1,000 words (main …main text ≤ 1,000 words · references ≤ 6
- research articlehttps://doi.org/10.1099/ijsem.0.000778 Research Articles The text should be clear and concise and should not exceed 6,000 words (excluding references). The maxi…main text ≤ 6,000 words
- review articleon a particular topic. The length of a Review Article will depend on the topic covered but should not exceed 8,000 words (excluding references) or 5,000 words i…main text ≤ 8,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- 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 principles
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
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 statements
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
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 Current Microbiology, 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. This journal also publishes special/guest-edited issues. The peer review process for these articles is the same as the peer review process of the journal in general. Additionally, if a guest editor authors an article in their issue/collection, they will not handle the peer review process. Back to top
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 US
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1978
- ISSN
- 0343-8651
- Electronic ISSN
- 1432-0991
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Current Microbiology
What CAS zone is Current Microbiology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Current Microbiology is in Zone 4 of Biology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category 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 Current Microbiology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.75; CiteScore 4.6, h-index 143.
How long does peer review take at Current Microbiology?
Based on the dates recorded on 117 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 182 days (interquartile range 140–231 days); authors report an average review time of about 1.5 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 50%”. 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 Current Microbiology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; Suggested reviewers: 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 Current Microbiology based?
Of the 39 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 5 (about 13%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (10), Mainland China (5) and India (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Current Microbiology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Current Microbiology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, Embase, CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Current Microbiology open access, and what is the APC?
Current Microbiology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,990.
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: .