Journal profile · Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
EMBO JOURNAL
ISSN 0261-4189 · eISSN 1460-2075 · Wiley-Blackwell · UNITED STATES · Semimonthly · Founded 1982
EMBO JOURNAL: CAS Zone 1 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 8.36; fully open access; APC about USD 7,990; median 196 days to acceptance (109 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 5%; 332 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
EMBO JOURNAL is published by Wiley-Blackwell 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 RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms, RNA Research and Splicing and RNA modifications and cancer, together about 25.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The EMBO Journal publishes research papers of broad general interest, exceptional conceptual advance and functional insight. Studies range from molecular cell biology, to developmental biology and physiology, to ecology - selected without preference for specific experimental approaches or model systems. Submissions with authoritative referee reports from Review Commons or other journals are welcome and will be considered, where possible, without additional review. The journal publishes full-length Articles, Methods and Resources. These are complemented by authoritative Perspectives and Reviews, as well as Comments, Opinions and News & Views. Areas covered include, but are not limited to: Ageing Autophagy Biophysics Cancer Cell adhesion, Polarity and Cytoskeleton Cell cycle Cell death Chromatin, Epigenetics and Genomics Developmental biology DNA replication, repair and recombination Ecology Evolution Immunology and Host-pathogen interaction Membranes and transport Metabolism Microbiology Virology Molecular biology of disease Neuroscience Plant biology Post-translational modifications and proteolysis RNA biology Signal transduction Stem cells Structural biology Systems biology and multiomics Chemical and computational biology Transcription and Translation Protein biosynthesis and quality control Vascular biology
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Editor-in-chief Facundo D. BatistaPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 12 in mainland China (about 7%); most named United States 44, Germany 27, United Kingdom 19, Mainland China 12, France 9 (171 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology10.5%
- RNA Research and SplicingBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.7%
- RNA modifications and cancerBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.3%
- Genomics and Chromatin DynamicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.8%
- DNA Repair MechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.5%
- Bacterial Genetics and BiotechnologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.5%
- Cellular transport and secretionBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.7%
- Ubiquitin and proteasome pathwaysBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.6%
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 | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Biochemistry & Molecular 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 | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Cell 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
MEDLINEEmbaseCASCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, 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
- 8.36LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 13.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 4.41LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.83LetPub ·
- h-index
- 368LetPub ·
- h-index
- 569OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 19,175OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 8.37OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 1.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 86.41%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 289LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2,023Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 5,600,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 22,104 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 252 | 252 | 297 |
| 2025 | 332 | 332 | 2,270 |
| 2024 | 325 | 325 | 5,044 |
| 2023 | 301 | 301 | 9,844 |
| 2022 | 283 | 283 | 11,037 |
| 2021 | 313 | 308 | 20,854 |
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
196 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 148 days – 249 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 27 days (109 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 220 days
- Sample
- 109 articles with submission and acceptance dates (269 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)
- 5%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 4 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single-anonymous peer reviewPublisher website · model-extracted
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 accessOpenAlex
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 7,990 / EUR 6,790 / GBP 5,790 | — | — |
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Submission fee
- No submission fee
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 prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Required
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
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
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Semimonthly
- Founded
- 1982
- ISSN
- 0261-4189
- Electronic ISSN
- 1460-2075
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 45, Issue 17 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about EMBO JOURNAL
What CAS zone is EMBO JOURNAL in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, EMBO JOURNAL is in Zone 1 of Biology, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Biochemistry & Molecular Biology / 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 EMBO JOURNAL?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 8.36; CiteScore 13.6, h-index 569.
How long does peer review take at EMBO JOURNAL?
Based on the dates recorded on 109 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 196 days (interquartile range 148–249 days); authors report an average review time of about 1.5 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 5%”. 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 EMBO JOURNAL?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Required; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: Required; Cover letter: Required. 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 EMBO JOURNAL based?
Of the 171 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 12 (about 7%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (44), Germany (27) and United Kingdom (19). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index EMBO JOURNAL?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, EMBO JOURNAL is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, Embase, CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is EMBO JOURNAL open access, and what is the APC?
EMBO JOURNAL is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 7,990.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .