Journal profile · Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Extremophiles
ISSN 1431-0651 · eISSN 1433-4909 · Springer Japan · JAPAN · Bimonthly · Founded 1997
Extremophiles: CAS Zone 3 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.15; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,590; median 130 days to acceptance (74 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 37 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Extremophiles is published by Springer Japan and is in Zone 3 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology, Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies and Enzyme Production and Characterization, together about 36.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Ecology and Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Extremophiles features original research articles, reviews, and method papers on the biology, molecular biology, structure, function, and applications of microbial life at high or low temperature, pressure, acidity, alkalinity, salinity, or desiccation; or in the presence of organic solvents, heavy metals, normally toxic substances, or radiation. Fields covered: molecular biology biodiversity genetics genomics metagenomics proteomics bioinformatics survival strategies macromolecular structure biotechnology / fermentation technology ultrastructure biotransformation metabolism enzymology biomembranes bioenergetics biophysics physiology cell biology symbiosis ecology bioremediation methodologies evolution isolation phylogeny taxonomy astrobiology Founding Editor Koki Horikoshi, PhD, Japan, 1932 - 2016
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Editor-in-chief Marco MoracciPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 2%); most named United States 8, Italy 7, Japan 4, Germany 4, United Kingdom 3 (44 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Microbial Community Ecology and PhysiologyEnvironmental Science17.4%
- Genomics and Phylogenetic StudiesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology12.1%
- Enzyme Production and CharacterizationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.3%
- Enzyme Structure and FunctionMaterials Science6.9%
- Methane Hydrates and Related PhenomenaEnvironmental Science5.5%
- Bacterial Genetics and BiotechnologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.4%
- Polar Research and EcologyEnvironmental Science4%
- Enzyme Catalysis and ImmobilizationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology3.9%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biochemistry & Molecular 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 | Biochemistry & Molecular 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 | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Microbiology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINECASCurrent 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
- 2.15LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.2Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.5LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.58LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.69LetPub ·
- h-index
- 76LetPub ·
- h-index
- 116OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,534OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.93OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 18.7%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 36LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 287,400Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,128 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 27 | 6 | 7 |
| 2025 | 37 | 8 | 67 |
| 2024 | 52 | 14 | 266 |
| 2023 | 49 | 10 | 256 |
| 2022 | 68 | 15 | 538 |
| 2021 | 45 | 15 | 701 |
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
130 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 95 days – 177 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 21 days (74 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 153 days
- Sample
- 74 articles with submission and acceptance dates (79 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 2 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 10 daysPublisher website ·
- 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 2,590 / EUR 3,990 | — | — |
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 prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 200 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted4
- correspondenceExtremophiles publishes articles in different categories: Research Review Methodology Correspondence Back to topLength not stated
- methodologyExtremophiles publishes articles in different categories: Research Review Methodology CorrespondenceLength not stated
- researchExtremophiles publishes articles in different categories: Research Review Methodology CorrespondenceLength not stated
- reviewExtremophiles publishes articles in different categories: Research Review Methodology Correspondence Back to topLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- 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 ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
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 Extremophiles, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Clinical Trial Registration
The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of a clinical trial is "any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes". The WHO defines health interventions as “A health intervention is an act performed for, with or on behalf of a person or population whose purpose is to ass…
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 Japan
- Country or region
- JAPAN
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1997
- ISSN
- 1431-0651
- Electronic ISSN
- 1433-4909
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Extremophiles
What CAS zone is Extremophiles in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Extremophiles is in Zone 3 of Biology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Biochemistry & Molecular Biology / 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 Extremophiles?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.15; CiteScore 4.5, h-index 116.
How long does peer review take at Extremophiles?
Based on the dates recorded on 74 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 130 days (interquartile range 95–177 days); authors report an average review time of about 2 months; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly easy”. 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 Extremophiles?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 200 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: Optional; 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 Extremophiles 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 (8), Italy (7) and Japan (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Extremophiles?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Extremophiles is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, CAS and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Extremophiles open access, and what is the APC?
Extremophiles is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,590.
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: .