Journal profile · Multiple
ISME Communications
ISSN 2730-6151 · Oxford University Press · United Kingdom
ISME Communications: CAS Zone 2 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); fully open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 141 days to acceptance (119 articles, last 24 months); 246 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus; the journal's website says it has moved to a new publisher.
The journal's website says it has moved to a new publisher: ISME Communications transferred to Oxford University Press on 1st January 2024. Source ↗Publisher website ·
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
ISME Communications is published by Oxford University Press and is in Zone 2 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, Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies and Gut microbiota and health, together about 41.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Ecology and Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
ISME Communications: Official Journal of the International Society for Microbial Ecology. Publications encompass the full breadth of microbial ecology, emphasizing research quality and diversity. Fully open access.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Microbial Community Ecology and PhysiologyEnvironmental Science26.6%
- Genomics and Phylogenetic StudiesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology8.2%
- Gut microbiota and healthBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.1%
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactionsEnvironmental Science6%
- Marine and coastal ecosystemsEarth and Planetary Sciences5.3%
- Protist diversity and phylogenyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.2%
- Methane Hydrates and Related PhenomenaEnvironmental Science3.5%
- Wastewater Treatment and Nitrogen RemovalEnvironmental Science3.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Microbiology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Microbiology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview 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
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
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.08LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.33LetPub ·
- h-index
- 54OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 406OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.7OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 1.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 251LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,060 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 286 | 286 | 101 |
| 2025 | 246 | 246 | 925 |
| 2024 | 187 | 187 | 2,354 |
| 2023 | 135 | 135 | 3,550 |
| 2022 | 122 | 122 | 4,001 |
| 2021 | 84 | 84 | 3,655 |
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
141 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 92 days – 208 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 4 days (119 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 153 days
- Sample
- 119 articles with submission and acceptance dates (559 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 18 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 18 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 | EUR 2,200 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | EUR 2,310 | — | — | |
| LetPub | EUR 2,200 | Yes | — |
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Country or region
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2730-6151
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- 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 ISME Communications
What CAS zone is ISME Communications in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, ISME Communications is in Zone 2 of Biology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Ecology / Microbiology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
How long does peer review take at ISME Communications?
Based on the dates recorded on 119 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 141 days (interquartile range 92–208 days); authors report an average review time of about 18 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.
Which databases index ISME Communications?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, ISME Communications is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is ISME Communications open access, and what is the APC?
ISME Communications is a fully open-access journal. APC charged, amount not published.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, DOAJ, 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: .