Journal profile · Immunology and Microbiology-Immunology and Microbiology (miscellaneous)
FEMS Microbes
ISSN 2633-6685 · Oxford University Press · United Kingdom
FEMS Microbes: CAS Zone 3 · Biology (2026 Xinrui edition); impact factor 3.5 (journal website); fully open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 147 days to acceptance (73 articles, last 24 months); 20 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
FEMS Microbes is published by Oxford University Press and is classed under Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology, Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensing and Antimicrobial Resistance in Staphylococcus, together about 23.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
FEMS Microbes is a new open access journal we are introducing to help meet the latest needs of researchers as authors and readers. FEMS Microbes is our new community journal for sharing research findings. In particular, it will be a venue for early career scientists to read, publish, and contribute – we intend to recognize the crucial, and often unnoticed, contribution to peer review by Early Career Scientists. FEMS Microbes welcomes both direct submissions and manuscripts transferred from other FEMS journals, including both full-length research articles and short reports of broad significance in the field of microbiology and related disciplines. Find out more about our editors' vision in the journal's first editorial, Announcing FEMS Microbes: open science toward a sustainable world. For further information, please see the FAQs and Why Submit? Scope of the journal FEMS Microbes is a gold open access journal covering all aspects of microbiology and the microbial world around us. The journal aims to publish basic and applied research within diverse areas of industrial, environmental, clinical and veterinary microbiology, as well as current methodological advancements that are of general interest to a wide audience. FEMS Microbes actively encourages studies that add to the scientific record by clarifying, confirming, or challenging existing knowledge. We look for submissions with: Rigorous methods Reproducible experimental data Robust statistics Timely data that is relevant to the field And are particularly interested in: Additional data that strengthens a larger dataset Confirmatory data in an understudied field Contradictory results that provide a new perspective or challenge the status quo Papers that present a new insight using a publicly available dataset Within this broad scope, the journal particularly welcomes papers that tell a strong story about how the data moves the field forward. The journal publishes manuscripts into five broad subject sections: Microbes & Metabolism Embracing the numerous levels of microbial metabolism, from enzymes, pathways and metabolic networks to physiology and metabolomes. Microbes & Multicellular Life Including all topics related to biofilms and microbial communities, microbiomes, and microbe-microbe interactions. Microbes & Disease Encompasses a broad range of epidemiological, biological, cellular and molecular aspects of host-microbe interactions, zoonosis, emerging pathogens and host responses. Microbes & Environment
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Immunology and Microbiology-Immunology and Microbiology (miscellaneous)
Editor-in-chief Breck DuerkopPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 5%); most named United States 8, United Kingdom 2, Australia 2, Switzerland 2, Sweden 2 (20 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Microbial Community Ecology and PhysiologyEnvironmental Science10.4%
- Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensingBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7%
- Antimicrobial Resistance in StaphylococcusMedicine6.2%
- Antibiotic Resistance in BacteriaBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.8%
- Bacterial Genetics and BiotechnologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.4%
- SARS-CoV-2 detection and testingMedicine5.4%
- Genomics and Phylogenetic StudiesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5%
- Gut microbiota and healthBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5%
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)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)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
PMCPublisher website
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) 2025
- 3.5Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 61Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 6.6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.8LetPub ·
- h-index
- 20OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 59OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.39OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 21LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 190 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 49 | 49 | 18 |
| 2025 | 20 | 20 | 58 |
| 2024 | 36 | 36 | 280 |
| 2023 | 25 | 25 | 617 |
| 2022 | 31 | 31 | 445 |
| 2021 | 21 | 21 | 382 |
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
147 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 93 days – 205 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 8 days (73 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 158 days
- Sample
- 73 articles with submission and acceptance dates (73 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 15 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 15 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Open 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 | GBP 1,700 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC | |
| OpenAlex | GBP 1,700 | — | — | |
| LetPub | GBP 1,700 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Page charges
- USD 3,625
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
- ≤ 250 words
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted1
- editorialAuthors should observe high standards with respect to publication ethics as set out by the Commission on Publication Ethics (COPE). Cases of ethical misconduct …Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- Authorship Authorship
The Journal requires the corresponding author to indicate the contributions of each author using the contributor roles taxonomy (CRediT) at initial submission. Co-authors will be required to confirm their contributor roles as part of the authorship confirmation process. Any other individuals who made less substantive contributions to the experiment or the writing of the manuscript should be listed…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Conflict of Interest
All authors should declare any perceived or actual Conflict of Interest at submission. The Journal will follow FEMS Conflict of Interest Policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access Charges
FEMS Microbes is a fully open access journal, and all articles are published in the journal under an open access licence immediately upon publication. You will need to pay an open access charge to publish under an open access licence. Details of the open access licences and open access charges. Journal (required) Please select Academic MedicineActa CytologicaActa HaematologicaAdaptationAesthetic S…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Transparent Peer Review
FEMS Microbes adopts a policy of increasing transparency of peer review by encouraging authors to publish reviewer reports alongside their final published article. All reviewer comments and authors’ answers will be published, with the exception of reviewer’s confidential comments to the Editor. This option will be made available to all authors submitting directly to FEMS Microbes and will also be …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Originality and Preprint Policy
By submitting your manuscript to the journal it is understood that this it is an original manuscript and is unpublished work that is not under consideration elsewhere. Manuscripts may be based on a PhD thesis as long as the thesis is referenced appropriately; we request that authors also declare this in the cover letter. Manuscripts submitted to FEMS Microbes may be screened with iThenticate anti-…
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
- Oxford University Press
- Country or region
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2633-6685
- 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 ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about FEMS Microbes
What CAS zone is FEMS Microbes in?
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 FEMS Microbes?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 3.5 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 6.6, h-index 20.
How long does peer review take at FEMS Microbes?
Based on the dates recorded on 73 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 147 days (interquartile range 93–205 days); authors report an average review time of about 15 weeks. 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 FEMS Microbes?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; 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 FEMS Microbes based?
Of the 20 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 5%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (8), United Kingdom (2) and Australia (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index FEMS Microbes?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, FEMS Microbes is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists PMC; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is FEMS Microbes open access, and what is the APC?
FEMS Microbes is a fully open-access journal. APC charged, amount not published.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website, 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 2026-08-28). Last updated: .