Journal profile · Multidisciplinary-Multidisciplinary
Exploration
ISSN 2766-8509 · eISSN 2766-2098 · Wiley · Australia
Exploration: CAS Zone 1 · Multidisciplinary (2026 Xinrui edition); impact factor 30.4 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 3,500; median 208 days to acceptance (70 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 11% (journal website); 125 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Exploration is an international, cross-disciplinary and high-quality open-access journal, aiming to promote the development of interdisciplinary sciences and technologies by publishing state-of-the-art research articles, communications, reviews, perspectives and commentaries. Exploration focuses on crossing the boundaries of conventional research disciplines, disseminating impactful research to the general public, and inspiring global multidisciplinary collaborations. Exploration envisions to provide insights for future science and technology, to catalyze novel integrations of cross-disciplinary studies, as well as to explore new insights and methods to overcome the obstacles for a sustainable future for society. Exploration welcomes the comprehensive articles on cutting-edge studies utilizing the perspectives and tools from all research fields. Topics of particular interest include, but are not limited to the following: biology and biotechnology medicine and biomedical engineering chemistry material sciences physics and quantum technology nanoscience and technology optics, photonics, electronics and robotics energy science and technology engineering mathematics and computer sciences emerging interdisciplinary research Indexing Information Applied Science & Technology Source (EBSCO Publishing) Applied Science & Technology Ultimate (EBSCO Publishing) CAS: Chemical Abstracts Service (ACS) Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) Emerging Sources Citation Index (Clarivate Analytics) PubMed (NLM) SCOPUS (Elsevier) Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics) Exploration deposits all articles in PMC (PubMed Central)
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multidisciplinary-Multidisciplinary
Editor-in-chief Xing-Jie LiangPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 67 in mainland China (about 41%); most named Mainland China 67, Australia 36, United States 27, South Korea 6, Hong Kong, China 4 (164 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Nanoplatforms for cancer theranosticsEngineering17.4%
- Advanced Nanomaterials in CatalysisMaterials Science7.4%
- Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniquesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.7%
- Nanoparticle-Based Drug DeliveryMaterials Science6.1%
- RNA Interference and Gene DeliveryBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.9%
- Advanced Photocatalysis TechniquesEnergy4.6%
- Electrocatalysts for Energy ConversionEnergy4.1%
- Advanced Sensor and Energy Harvesting MaterialsEngineering3.6%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Multidisciplinary Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Multidisciplinary | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Multidisciplinary Sciences | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePMCCASPublisher website
Other: EBSCO
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 (publisher)
- 30.4Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 30.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 32.8LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 32.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 32.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 4.73LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 3.28LetPub ·
- h-index
- 84OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 299OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 14.59OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 91LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 91Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 406,486Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 616 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 116 | 116 | 171 |
| 2025 | 125 | 125 | 1,685 |
| 2024 | 96 | 96 | 3,062 |
| 2023 | 139 | 139 | 6,959 |
| 2022 | 92 | 92 | 5,174 |
| 2021 | 48 | 48 | 3,560 |
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
208 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 170 days – 290 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 134 days (70 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 361 days
- Sample
- 70 articles with submission and acceptance dates (242 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 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 11%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 11%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 25 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 25 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 238 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 161 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 12 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 | USD 3,500 / GBP 2,910 / EUR 3,360 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | USD 3,500 / EUR 3,360 / GBP 2,910 | — | — | |
| LetPub | EUR 4,050 / GBP 3,550 / USD 4,500 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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 prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
Article types accepted7
- commentary(6) Commentary [only by invitation from the Editors] Description: Commentary Articles provide an expert’s perspective or critique on a specific topic, study, or…Length not stated
- editorialThe acceptance criteria for all papers are the quality and originality of the research and its significance to our readership. Except where otherwise stated, ma…Length not stated
- interview(9) Interview [only by invitation from the Editors] Description: Interview articles present a Q&A-style discussion with leading researchers, clinicians, or expe…Length not stated
- news(8) News [written and commissioned by the Editors] Description: News articles provide timely, accurate, and accessible coverage of important developments in sci…Length not stated
- research article(1) Research Article Description: The reports of original studies within the journal scope of Exploration.Length not stated
- review(2) Review Description: Reviews are comprehensive analyses of a specific topic. They can be submitted either by invitation from the Editors or by the authors th…Length not stated
- short communication(3) Short Communication Description: Reports on new findings that will substantially and immediately affect the field of interdisciplinary sciences. Short Commu…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- Authorship Authorship
The list of authors should accurately illustrate who contributed to the work and how. All those listed as authors should qualify for authorship according to the following criteria:
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Conflict of Interest Statement
You will be asked to provide a conflict of interest statement during the submission process. See the section ‘Conflict of Interest’ in the Editorial Policies and Ethical Considerations section for details on what to include in this section. Please ensure you liaise with all co-authors to confirm agreement with the final statement.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Sharing and Data Availability
Encourages data sharing in public repositories; data availability statement may be published Model summary
Exploration encourages authors to share the data and other artefacts supporting the results in the paper by archiving them in an appropriate public repository. Authors may provide a data availability statement, including a link to the repository they have used, so that this statement can be published in their paper. Shared data should be cited. All accepted manuscripts may choose to publish a data…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Publication Ethics
The journal requires that you include in the manuscript details IRB approvals, ethical treatment of human and animal research participants, and gathering of informed consent, as appropriate. You will be expected to declare all conflicts of interest, or none, on submission. Please review Wiley’s policies surrounding human studies, animal studies, clinical trial registration, biosecurity, and resear…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright
CC BY license; author retains copyright Model summary
Accepted papers will be published under CC BY - Creative Commons Attribution License. With the Creative Commons license, the author retains copyright and the public is allowed to reuse the content.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Understanding Open Access
As an open access journal, all articles in Exploration are freely available to read, download and share immediately on publication.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Editorial Peer-Review and Acceptance
Double anonymized peer review (except where otherwise stated) Model summary
The acceptance criteria for all papers are the quality and originality of the research and its significance to our readership. Except where otherwise stated, manuscripts are double anonymized peer review. Papers will only be sent to review if the Editor-in-Chief determines that the paper meets the appropriate quality and relevance requirements.
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
- Wiley
- Country or region
- Australia
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2766-8509
- Electronic ISSN
- 2766-2098
- Society / sponsor
- Henan University and Chinese Association of Nanobiology
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 6, Issue 4 (August 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- 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 ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Exploration
What CAS zone is Exploration in?
In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Multidisciplinary. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Exploration?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 30.4 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 32.8, h-index 84.
How long does peer review take at Exploration?
Based on the dates recorded on 70 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 208 days (interquartile range 170–290 days); authors report an average review time of about 12 weeks; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 11% (2025). 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 Exploration?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation. 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 Exploration based?
Of the 164 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 67 (about 41%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (67), Australia (36) and United States (27). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Exploration?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Exploration is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, PMC and CAS; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Exploration open access, and what is the APC?
Exploration is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 3,500.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex, DOAJ; 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: .