Journal profile · Microbiology
FEMS Microbiology Ecology
ISSN 0168-6496 · eISSN 1574-6941 · Oxford University Press · NETHERLANDS · Monthly
FEMS Microbiology Ecology: CAS Zone 3 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 4.02; fully open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 153 days to acceptance (94 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 132 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
FEMS Microbiology Ecology is published by Oxford University Press 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, Wastewater Treatment and Nitrogen Removal and Methane Hydrates and Related Phenomena, together about 35.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology and Plant Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
As of January 2024, FEMS Microbiology Ecology is a fully open access journal. This means that all previously published content is free to read from this date. It also means that all submissions which get accepted for publication will be published open access and will therefore be subject to an Article Processing Charge (APC). See the Copyright and license including Open Access section of our Author Guidelines for more information. At FEMS we are working hard to make publishing in our journals as financially accessible as possible. We want the barrier to entry to publishing in our journals to be around the quality and soundness of the science, rather than a financial barrier. This is why we are keeping one broad-scope journal free-to-publish; our APCs are set lower than many other quality journals in our field; and we have put in place generous discount and waiver policies; visit our Open Access FAQs page for more information. FEMS Microbiology Ecology publishes high quality papers that make a significant contribution to the field. It covers microorganisms in soil, aquatic, and atmospheric habitats - including extreme environments - and includes natural, artificial and managed systems. Scope of the journal FEMS Microbiology Ecology aims to publish high-quality papers that are original and provide a significant contribution to the understanding of microbial ecology. The journal contains Research Articles and MiniReviews on fundamental aspects of the ecology of microorganisms in natural soil, aquatic and atmospheric habitats, including extreme environments, and in artificial or managed environments. Research papers on pure cultures and in the areas of plant pathology and medical, food or veterinary microbiology will be published where they provide valuable generic information on microbial ecology. Papers can deal with culturable and non-culturable forms of any type of microorganism: bacteria, archaea, filamentous fungi, yeasts, protozoa, cyanobacteria, algae or viruses. In addition, the journal publishes Perspectives, Current Opinion and Controversy Articles, Commentaries and Letters to the Editor on topical issues in microbial ecology. Abstracting & Indexing services Abstracts in Anthropology (Baywood Publishing) Abstracts on Hygiene & Communicable Diseases (CABI) Academic Search (EBSCO Publishing) Academic Search Premier (EBSCO Publishing) AgBiotech News & Information (CABI) AgBiotechNet (CABI) AGRICOLA Database (National Agricultural Library) Agricultural
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Microbiology
Editor-in-chief Max M. HäggblomPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 7 in mainland China (about 10%); most named United States 18, Germany 9, Mainland China 7, Netherlands 5, United Kingdom 4 (72 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Microbial Community Ecology and PhysiologyEnvironmental Science24.3%
- Wastewater Treatment and Nitrogen RemovalEnvironmental Science5.6%
- Methane Hydrates and Related PhenomenaEnvironmental Science5.5%
- Genomics and Phylogenetic StudiesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.5%
- Marine and coastal ecosystemsEarth and Planetary Sciences5.1%
- Gut microbiota and healthBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.8%
- Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant InteractionsAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.7%
- Legume Nitrogen Fixing SymbiosisAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.1%
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 | Microbiology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
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)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Microbiology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINEPubMedEmbaseCASCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Index Medicus, EBSCO, ProQuest, AGRICOLA
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
- 4.02LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.8Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 64Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 6.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.03LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.95LetPub ·
- h-index
- 135LetPub ·
- h-index
- 228OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 5,234OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.81OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 75.23%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 118LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 7,367 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 108 | 108 | 48 |
| 2025 | 132 | 132 | 615 |
| 2024 | 168 | 168 | 1,708 |
| 2023 | 166 | 120 | 1,942 |
| 2022 | 155 | 82 | 2,531 |
| 2021 | 168 | 79 | 3,327 |
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
153 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 108 days – 205 days
- Acceptance to online
- —
- Submission to online
- —
- Sample
- 94 articles with submission and acceptance dates (285 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 3 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 10 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 | GBP 2,500 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC | |
| OpenAlex | GBP 2,500 | — | — | |
| 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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access
- Open access FEMS and Open Access: Embracing an Open Future
As of January 2024, FEMS has flipped four of its journals to fully open access (OA), making five out of its six journals OA. FEMS Microbiology Letters remains a subscription journal and free to publish in. We are excited to be making high quality science freely available to anyone to read anywhere in the world and further supporting the advancement of our discipline. View our FAQs page
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
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- ISSN
- 0168-6496
- Electronic ISSN
- 1574-6941
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 102, Issue 9 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗DOAJ
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗DOAJ
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about FEMS Microbiology Ecology
What CAS zone is FEMS Microbiology Ecology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, FEMS Microbiology Ecology is in Zone 3 of Biology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category 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 FEMS Microbiology Ecology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.02; CiteScore 6.5, h-index 228.
How long does peer review take at FEMS Microbiology Ecology?
Based on the dates recorded on 94 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 153 days (interquartile range 108–205 days); authors report an average review time of about 3 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.
Where are the editorial board members of FEMS Microbiology Ecology based?
Of the 72 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 7 (about 10%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (18), Germany (9) and Mainland China (7). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index FEMS Microbiology Ecology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, FEMS Microbiology Ecology is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase, CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is FEMS Microbiology Ecology open access, and what is the APC?
FEMS Microbiology Ecology 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .