Journal profile · Agricultural and Biological Sciences-Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous)
Frontiers in Microbiomes
ISSN 2813-4338 · Frontiers Media S.A. · Switzerland
Frontiers in Microbiomes: impact factor 3 (journal website); fully open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 85 days to acceptance (101 articles, last 24 months); 69 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Frontiers in Microbiomes is published by Frontiers Media S.A.. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Gut microbiota and health, Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens research and Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology, together about 49% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Frontiers in Microbiomes is a multidisciplinary journal that focuses on the study of microbiomes and their influence on the world around us. Led by Field Chief Editor Prof Angela Kent (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA), this DOAJ indexed journal welcomes submissions that bridge the gap between microbiology and fields such as ecology, genomics, environmental science, and health. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: environmental microbiomes host microbiome human health and disease nutrition, metabolism and the microbiome omics approaches pregnancy and early development. In particular, the journal welcomes submissions which support and advance the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably SDG 3: ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages. The journal's scope emphasizes question- or hypothesis-driven research that advances our understanding of how microbiomes generate positive or negative outcomes for their hosts (model and non-model organisms) and environments, both natural and managed systems. Investigations of microbiomes across temporal and/or spatial scales are encouraged. Manuscripts characterizing single microbial isolates, and observational microbiome surveys are outside of the scope of this journal. Frontiers in Microbiomes is committed to advancing developments in the field by allowing unrestricted access to articles, and communicating scientific knowledge to researchers and the public alike, to enable the scientific breakthroughs of the future.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Agricultural and Biological Sciences-Agricultural and Biological Sciences (miscellaneous)
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 6%); most named United States 5, Netherlands 4, Spain 3, Mainland China 1, Italy 1 (17 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Gut microbiota and healthBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology33.7%
- Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens researchMedicine8.7%
- Microbial Community Ecology and PhysiologyEnvironmental Science6.7%
- Probiotics and Fermented FoodsAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.5%
- Diet and metabolism studiesMedicine3.7%
- Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant InteractionsAgricultural and Biological Sciences3.5%
- Plant-Microbe Interactions and ImmunityAgricultural and Biological Sciences3.2%
- Ruminant Nutrition and Digestive PhysiologyAgricultural and Biological Sciences3%
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)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
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 SciencePMCPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, CLOCKSS, Crossref
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)
- 3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 3.2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.8LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.54LetPub ·
- h-index
- 16OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 39OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.71OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 62LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 270 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 62 | 62 | 50 |
| 2025 | 69 | 69 | 244 |
| 2024 | 68 | 68 | 444 |
| 2023 | 59 | 59 | 586 |
| 2022 | 12 | 12 | 96 |
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
85 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 54 days – 125 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 23 days (101 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 111 days
- Sample
- 101 articles with submission and acceptance dates (141 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
- 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 | CHF 1,950 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | CHF 1,950 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 2,125 | Yes | — |
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
- Keywords
- 5–8
- Reference style
- Harvard
- Templates
- LaTeX and Word
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Use of AI to create written or visual content
Authors should not list a generative AI technology as a co-author or author of any submitted manuscript. Generative AI technologies cannot be held accountable for all aspects of a manuscript and consequently do not meet the criteria required for authorship. If the author of a submitted manuscript has used written or visual content produced by or edited using a generative AI technology, this use mu…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Safeguards against financial conflicts of interest
Only leading researchers acting as Associate Editors, who are not part of Frontiers' staff, can make acceptance decisions based on reviews performed by external experts acting as Community Reviewers or Reviewers. None have a financial incentive to accept articles, i.e. they are not paid for their role as Associate Editor or community Reviewer, and any award scheme is not linked to acceptances of m…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Open access and copyright
CC-BY license for figures, tables, and images Model summary
All Frontiers' articles from July 2012 onwards are published with open access under the Creative Commons CC-BY license (the current version is CC-BY, version 4.0). This means that the author(s) retains copyright, but the content is free to download, distribute, and adapt for commercial or non-commercial purposes, given appropriate attribution to the original article. Upon submission, the author(s)…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access and copyright
Open access under CC-BY version 4.0 Model summary
All Frontiers' articles from July 2012 onwards are published with open access under the Creative Commons CC-BY license (the current version is CC-BY, version 4.0). This means that the author(s) retains copyright, but the content is free to download, distribute, and adapt for commercial or non-commercial purposes, given appropriate attribution to the original article. Upon submission, the author(s)…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Our rigorous, transparent peer review process combines expert review and constructive dialogue to strengthen your manuscript.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints
CrossMark policy Model summary
CrossMark is a multi-publisher initiative to provide a standard way for readers to locate the current version of a piece of content
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
- Frontiers Media S.A.
- Country or region
- Switzerland
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2813-4338
- 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 ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Frontiers in Microbiomes
What is the impact factor of Frontiers in Microbiomes?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 3; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 3.2, h-index 16.
How long does peer review take at Frontiers in Microbiomes?
Based on the dates recorded on 101 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 85 days (interquartile range 54–125 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 Frontiers in Microbiomes?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Keywords: 5–8; Reference style: Harvard; Templates: LaTeX and Word. 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 Frontiers in Microbiomes based?
Of the 17 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 6%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (5), Netherlands (4) and Spain (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Frontiers in Microbiomes?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Frontiers in Microbiomes is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science and PMC; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Frontiers in Microbiomes open access, and what is the APC?
Frontiers in Microbiomes 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: .