Journal profile · Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
ISSN 1422-0067 · MDPI (Basel, Switzerland) · UNITED STATES · Semi-monthly · Founded 2000
International Journal of Molecular Sciences: CAS Zone 3 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 5.58; JCR Q1 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 3,499; median 38 days to acceptance (194 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: 80%; 12,347 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
International Journal of Molecular Sciences is published by MDPI (Basel, Switzerland) 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 MicroRNA in disease regulation, Plant Molecular Biology Research and Cancer-related molecular mechanisms research, together about 18.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
In the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, molecules are the object of study; among those studies, we find: Fundamental theoretical problems of broad interest in biology, chemistry and medicine; Breakthrough experimental technical progress of broad interest in biology, chemistry and medicine; Application of the theories and novel technologies to specific experimental studies and calculations. More details can be found at https://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijms/sections
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- MicroRNA in disease regulationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.1%
- Plant Molecular Biology ResearchAgricultural and Biological Sciences6.2%
- Cancer-related molecular mechanisms researchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.2%
- Plant Stress Responses and ToleranceAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.1%
- RNA modifications and cancerBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.1%
- Epigenetics and DNA MethylationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.5%
- Extracellular vesicles in diseaseBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.3%
- Photosynthetic Processes and MechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.2%
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 3 |
| Minor | Chemistry, Multidisciplinary | Zone 3 |
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 | Chemistry, Multidisciplinary | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Chemistry, Multidisciplinary | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q1 · Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
- CiteScore Q1 · Inorganic Chemistry
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceMEDLINEPMCPubMedEmbaseCASPublisher 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
- 5.58LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 5.6Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 6.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 10LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 10Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.32LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.3LetPub ·
- h-index
- 114LetPub ·
- h-index
- 428OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 67,062OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 6.84OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 99.96%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 12,254LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 114,889 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 8,197 | 8,197 | 5,650 |
| 2025 | 12,347 | 12,347 | 64,653 |
| 2024 | 13,510 | 13,510 | 162,476 |
| 2023 | 17,479 | 17,479 | 316,250 |
| 2022 | 16,504 | 16,504 | 404,646 |
| 2021 | 13,790 | 13,790 | 485,095 |
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
38 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 30 days – 53 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 3 days (194 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 42 days
- Sample
- 194 articles with submission and acceptance dates (23,664 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 1.9 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 80%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 17.5 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 2.9 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Anonymous peer reviewLetPub
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 accessOpenAlex
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | CHF 2,900 | — | — | |
| LetPub | CHF 2,900 | 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 prepare7 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 200 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Templates
- LaTeX and Word
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Required, 3
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted21
- articleArticle: These are original research manuscripts. The work should report scientifically sound experiments and provide a substantial amount of new information. T…Length not stated
- book reviewAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- brief communicationAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- brief reportAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- case reportAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- commentaryAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- conference reportAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- editorialAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- hypothesisAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- letterAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- opinionAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- perspectiveAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- protocolAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- registered reportAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- reviewAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- scoping reviewA Scoping Review type can be submitted as a Review. The structure is similar to that of a review. Scoping reviews should strictly follow the PRISMA extension fo…Length not stated
- systematic reviewAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- systematic reviews and meta-analysesSystematic reviews and meta-analyses should use the same structure as research articles and should ensure they conform to the PRISMA guidelines.Length not stated
- technical noteAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- tutorialAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- viewpointAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- Authorship Authorship
MDPI follows the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) guidelines which state that, in order to qualify for authorship of a manuscript, the following criteria should be observed: Make substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; Draft the work or review it critically for important intel…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Conflicts of Interest
According to The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, “Authors should avoid entering into agreements with study sponsors, both for-profit and non-profit, that interfere with authors’ access to all of the study’s data or that interfere with their ability to analyze and interpret the data and to prepare and publish manuscripts independently when and where they choose.” All authors mus…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
MDPI acknowledges that researchers, institutions, journals, and data repositories have a shared responsibility to ensure long-term data preservation, and MDPI encourages authors to select data repositories with this goal in mind. Model summary
Data availability statements are required for all articles published with MDPI. During the peer review and editorial decision process, authors can be asked to share existing datasets or raw data that have been analyzed in the manuscript, and whether they will be made available to other researchers following publication. Authors will also be asked for the details of any existing datasets that have …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Publication Ethics Statement
IJMS is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). We fully adhere to its Code of Conduct and to its Best Practice Guidelines. The editors of this journal enforce a rigorous peer review process together with strict ethical policies and standards to ensure to add high quality scientific works to the field of scholarly publication. Unfortunately, cases of plagiarism, data falsification,…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright / Open Access
Articles published in IJMS will be Open-Access articles distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The copyright is retained by the author(s). MDPI will insert the following note at the end of the published text: © 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and condi…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publication fees
If you transfer your manuscript to another open access (OA) journal, you will be charged an Article Processing Charge (APC) if your article is accepted for publication. The APC for each journal can be found on the individual journal’s website. For more information about APCs, please see here.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Editorial Process and Peer Review
All submissions are thoroughly peer-reviewed by experts within the field and undergo a structured editorial workflow designed to ensure quality, transparency, and scientific integrity. The full editorial procedure is available on the Editorial Process page and is also provided below. Pre-check Pre-check consists of a technical pre-check performed by the Editorial Office and an editorial pre-check …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints and Conference Papers
IJMS accepts submissions that have previously been made available as preprints provided that they have not undergone peer review. A preprint is a draft version of a paper made available online before submission to a journal. MDPI operates Preprints, a preprint server to which submitted papers can be uploaded directly after completing journal submission. Note that Preprints operates independently o…
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
- MDPI (Basel, Switzerland)
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Semi-monthly
- Founded
- 2000
- ISSN
- 1422-0067
- Print ISSN
- 1661-6596
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 27 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about International Journal of Molecular Sciences
What CAS zone is International Journal of Molecular Sciences in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, International Journal of Molecular Sciences is in Zone 3 of Biology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Biochemistry & Molecular Biology / Chemistry, Multidisciplinary. 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 International Journal of Molecular Sciences?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 5.58; CiteScore 10, h-index 428.
How long does peer review take at International Journal of Molecular Sciences?
Based on the dates recorded on 194 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 38 days (interquartile range 30–53 days); authors report an average review time of about 1.9 months; the community-reported acceptance is “80%”. 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 JCR quartile is International Journal of Molecular Sciences in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q1; by category, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Q1. JCR quartiles are Clarivate's to confirm and a different system from the CAS zones; in the CAS ranking the journal is in Zone 3 of Biology.
What are the manuscript requirements of International Journal of Molecular Sciences?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 200 words; Reference style: Author–date; Templates: LaTeX and Word; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Required, 3; Graphical abstract: 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.
Which databases index International Journal of Molecular Sciences?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, International Journal of Molecular Sciences is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, MEDLINE, PMC, PubMed, Embase and CAS; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is International Journal of Molecular Sciences open access, and what is the APC?
International Journal of Molecular Sciences is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 3,499.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; 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: .