Journal profile · Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
International Microbiology
ISSN 1139-6709 · eISSN 1618-1905 · Springer International Publishing · SPAIN · Quarterly · Founded 2001
International Microbiology: CAS Zone 4 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.86; fully open access; APC about USD 3,290; median 80 days to acceptance (103 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 131 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
International Microbiology is published by Springer International Publishing and is in Zone 4 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, Probiotics and Fermented Foods and Plant-Microbe Interactions and Immunity, together about 21.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
International Microbiology aims to advance and disseminate research in the fields of basic and applied microbiology among scientists around the world. A broad interpretation of the term ‘microbiology’ is a distinguishing feature of International Microbiology, and as such it includes eukaryotic microorganisms (protists, yeast, molds). In addition to peer-reviewed, original research and invited review articles, the journal publishes articles on pioneering microbiologists and topics related to the history and sociology of this key discipline, as well as comments on new findings in microbiology.Hypothesis driven research articles are encouraged. Descriptive articles without much novelty or merely descriptive articles will not be considered for publication. International Microbiology encourages submissions in the following areas: Description of new microorganisms (viruses, bacteria, archaea, protists, yeasts, molds) Microbial genetics, physiology, and ecology Microbial pathogenesis Microbial applications (environmental, soil, industrial, food and medical microbiology, biodeterioration, bioremediation, biotechnology) Comments and research articles on outstanding microbiologists and new findings in microbiology International Microbiology is the official journal of the Spanish Society for Microbiology.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Editor-in-chief Juan MiguelPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 2%); most named Spain 29, United Kingdom 3, Chile 3, United States 2, Mainland China 1 (43 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Microbial Community Ecology and PhysiologyEnvironmental Science8.2%
- Probiotics and Fermented FoodsAgricultural and Biological Sciences6.9%
- Plant-Microbe Interactions and ImmunityAgricultural and Biological Sciences6.8%
- Antibiotic Resistance in BacteriaBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.6%
- Gut microbiota and healthBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.2%
- Genomics and Phylogenetic StudiesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.3%
- Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensingBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.3%
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactionsEnvironmental Science4.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | 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 | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Microbiology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Microbiology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINECASCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, 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
- 2.86LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.9Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.4LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.59LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.69LetPub ·
- h-index
- 59LetPub ·
- h-index
- 56OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 352OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.77OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 3.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 14.25%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 128LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 270,300Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,259 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 135 | 123 | 44 |
| 2025 | 131 | 16 | 214 |
| 2024 | 158 | 30 | 916 |
| 2023 | 155 | 41 | 1,398 |
| 2022 | 88 | 28 | 1,043 |
| 2021 | 74 | 20 | 1,202 |
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
80 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 59 days – 110 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 14 days (103 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 101 days
- Sample
- 103 articles with submission and acceptance dates (298 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 first decision
- 16 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
Fully open accessLetPub
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,290 / EUR 2,690 / GBP 2,390 | — | — |
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)
Open calls for papers1, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, 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 Policy
Authorship should incorporate and should be restricted to those who have contributed substantially to the work in one or more of the following categories: • Conceived of or designed study • Performed research • Analyzed data • Contributed new methods or models • Wrote the paper Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Competing Interests
Authors are requested to disclose interests that are directly or indirectly related to the work submitted for publication. Interests within the last 3 years of beginning the work (conducting the research and preparing the work for submission) should be reported. Interests outside the 3-year time frame must be disclosed if they could reasonably be perceived as influencing the submitted work. Disclo…
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
Journal is a COPE member and follows COPE guidelines for misconduct. Model summary
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 ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in International Microbiology, 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 International Publishing
- Country or region
- SPAIN
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 2001
- ISSN
- 1139-6709
- Electronic ISSN
- 1618-1905
- Society / sponsor
- Spanish Society for Microbiology
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 29, Issue 6 (August 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about International Microbiology
What CAS zone is International Microbiology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, International Microbiology is in Zone 4 of Biology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology / 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 International Microbiology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.86; CiteScore 4.4, h-index 56.
How long does peer review take at International Microbiology?
Based on the dates recorded on 103 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 80 days (interquartile range 59–110 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.
What are the manuscript requirements of International Microbiology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: Optional. 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 International Microbiology based?
Of the 43 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 2%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Spain (29), United Kingdom (3) and Chile (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index International Microbiology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, International Microbiology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is International Microbiology open access, and what is the APC?
International Microbiology is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 3,290.
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: .