Journal profile · Microbiology
Current Opinion in Microbiology
ISSN 1369-5274 · eISSN 1879-0364 · Elsevier Ltd · ENGLAND · Bimonthly · Founded 1998
Current Opinion in Microbiology: CAS Zone 2 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 7.88; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,800; median 79 days to acceptance (100 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly hard; 75 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Current Opinion in Microbiology is published by Elsevier Ltd 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 Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology, Bacteriophages and microbial interactions and Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies, together about 27.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Current Opinion in Microbiology (COMICR) publishes authoritative, comprehensive, and systematic reviews. COMICR helps specialists keep up to date with the expanding volume of information published in the field of microbiology. Expert authors annotate the most interesting papers from the expanding volume of information published today, saving valuable time and giving the reader insight on areas of importance.Current Opinion in Microbiology is divided into themed sections, covering the following topics: Host-microbe interactions: bacteriaHost-microbe interactions: virusesHost-microbe interactions: fungiHost-microbe interactions: parasitesCell regulationEnvironmental microbiologyMicrobiotaAntimicrobialsMicrobial Systems and Synthetic BiologyThere is also a section that changes every year to reflect hot topics in the field. Expertise: Expert authors, who are leaders in their field, are invited to write short review articles in which they present recent developments in their subject and provide short annotations to the papers that they think are most relevant Comprehensiveness: There are 27 high-impact Current Opinion review journals in a range of subjects from food science to green and sustainable chemistry Impact: In addition to a vast readership, Current Opinion titles enjoy high citations, Impact Factors, and CiteScores. Discoverability: Articles get high visibility and maximum exposure on an industry-leading platform that reaches a vast global audience.Selection of topics to be reviewed Section Editors, who are major authorities in the field, are appointed by the Editors of the journal. They divide their section into a number of topics, ensuring that the field is comprehensively covered and that all issues of current importance are emphasised. Section Editors commission reviews from authorities on each topic that they have selected.Reviews Authors write short review articles in which they present recent developments in their subject, emphasising the aspects that, in their opinion, are most important. In addition, they provide short annotations to the papers that they consider to be most interesting from all those published in their topic over the previous year.Review articles in Current Opinion in Microbiology are by invitation only.Editorial Overview Section Editors write a short overview at the beginning of the section to introduce the reviews and to draw the reader's attention to any particularly interesting developments.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Microbiology
Editor-in-chief Mark ButtnerPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 2%); most named United States 14, Germany 8, United Kingdom 6, France 3, Canada 2 (44 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Bacterial Genetics and BiotechnologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology11.8%
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactionsEnvironmental Science8.9%
- Genomics and Phylogenetic StudiesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.7%
- Microbial Community Ecology and PhysiologyEnvironmental Science6%
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.8%
- Gut microbiota and healthBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.5%
- Antibiotic Resistance in BacteriaBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.6%
- Antifungal resistance and susceptibilityMedicine4.1%
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 | 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 | Microbiology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | 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
- 7.88LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 14.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 14.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.8LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.68LetPub ·
- h-index
- 159LetPub ·
- h-index
- 250OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,579OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 7.4OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 1.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 57.36%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 62LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,502 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 96 | 76 | 84 |
| 2025 | 75 | 61 | 360 |
| 2024 | 115 | 91 | 1,672 |
| 2023 | 118 | 82 | 3,643 |
| 2022 | 98 | 67 | 3,478 |
| 2021 | 145 | 99 | 4,948 |
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 PubMed · to
79 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 53 days – 101 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 22 days (100 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 100 days
- Sample
- 100 articles with submission and acceptance dates (177 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)
- 6–12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly hardLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 10 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 42 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 75 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 22 daysPublisher website ·
- 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.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,800 / EUR 3,550 / GBP 3,040 / JPY 471,310 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 4,160 | — | — |
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)
Article types accepted2, with length limits
- opinionKey requirements for authors to take into account when preparing a Current Opinion paper:2000 word limit (excluding abstract, references and figure captions) ex…main text ≤ 2,000 words
- reviewKey requirements for authors to take into account when preparing a Current Opinion paper:2000 word limit (excluding abstract, references and figure captions) ex…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Single anonymized review process. Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of one reviewer for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Rea…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication.
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
- Elsevier Ltd
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1998
- ISSN
- 1369-5274
- Electronic ISSN
- 1879-0364
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Current Opinion in Microbiology
What CAS zone is Current Opinion in Microbiology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Current Opinion in Microbiology is in Zone 2 of Biology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category 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 Current Opinion in Microbiology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 7.88; CiteScore 14.9, h-index 250.
How long does peer review take at Current Opinion in Microbiology?
Based on the dates recorded on 100 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 79 days (interquartile range 53–101 days); authors report an average review time of 6–12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly hard”. 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 Current Opinion in Microbiology based?
Of the 44 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 2%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (14), Germany (8) and United Kingdom (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Current Opinion in Microbiology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Current Opinion in Microbiology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Current Opinion in Microbiology open access, and what is the APC?
Current Opinion in Microbiology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,800.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; 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: .