Journal profile · Ecology
ISME Journal
ISSN 1751-7362 · eISSN 1751-7370 · Springer Nature · UNITED STATES · Monthly · Founded 2007
ISME Journal: CAS Zone 1 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 10.21; fully open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 142 days to acceptance (104 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 20%; 298 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
ISME Journal is published by Springer Nature and is in Zone 1 of Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). 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 42.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The ISME Journal covers the diverse and integrated areas of microbial ecology. We encourage contributions that represent major advances for the study of microbial ecosystems, communities, and interactions of microorganisms in the environment. Articles in The ISME Journal describe pioneering discoveries of wide appeal that enhance our understanding of functional and mechanistic relationships among microorganisms, their communities, and their habitats. The broad scope of The ISME Journal encompasses the full breadth of microbial ecology research, exploring topics that include (but are not limited to): Climate change microbiology Microbial contributions to biogeochemical cycles Community assembly Engineered and synthetic microbial communities Host-microbiome interactions Microbiomes of engineered environments Modeling and ecological theory Novel microorganisms and metabolic functions Spatial and temporal dynamics The ISME Journal welcomes a range of content types including original research, reviews, brief communications, and perspective articles of the highest significance for the microbial ecology research community.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Ecology
Editor-in-chief Trinity HamiltonPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 16 in mainland China (about 16%); most named United States 32, Mainland China 16, Germany 10, United Kingdom 7, France 6 (103 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Microbial Community Ecology and PhysiologyEnvironmental Science25.9%
- Genomics and Phylogenetic StudiesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology9.2%
- Gut microbiota and healthBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7%
- Protist diversity and phylogenyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.8%
- Methane Hydrates and Related PhenomenaEnvironmental Science5.1%
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactionsEnvironmental Science5%
- Marine and coastal ecosystemsEarth and Planetary Sciences5%
- Wastewater Treatment and Nitrogen RemovalEnvironmental Science3.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Microbiology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Microbiology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Microbiology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINECurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, OCLC
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
- 10.21LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 17.9Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 13.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 17.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 17.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 3.42LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.27LetPub ·
- h-index
- 140LetPub ·
- h-index
- 313OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 3,828OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 10.65OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 2.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 93.32%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 295LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 1,785,585Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 4,547 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 248 | 248 | 221 |
| 2025 | 298 | 298 | 2,461 |
| 2024 | 300 | 300 | 6,326 |
| 2023 | 201 | 201 | 7,744 |
| 2022 | 177 | 176 | 9,042 |
| 2021 | 319 | 318 | 25,617 |
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
142 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 86 days – 181 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 2 days (45 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 135 days
- Sample
- 104 articles with submission and acceptance dates (562 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 2.6 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 20%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to final decision 2025
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 6 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Unspecified 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 3,675 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | EUR 3,675 | — | — |
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 Move to fully Open Access
Read the FAQs to learn more about The ISME Journal's move to fully open access in 2024.
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 Nature
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 2007
- ISSN
- 1751-7362
- Electronic ISSN
- 1751-7370
- Society / sponsor
- International Society of Microbial Ecology
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 20, Issue 1 (January 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- 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 ISME Journal
What CAS zone is ISME Journal in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, ISME Journal is in Zone 1 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Ecology / Microbiology; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Environmental Science & Ecology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of ISME Journal?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 10.21; CiteScore 17.9, h-index 313.
How long does peer review take at ISME Journal?
Based on the dates recorded on 104 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 142 days (interquartile range 86–181 days); authors report an average review time of about 2.6 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 20%”. 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 ISME Journal based?
Of the 103 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 16 (about 16%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (32), Mainland China (16) and Germany (10). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index ISME Journal?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, ISME Journal is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is ISME Journal open access, and what is the APC?
ISME Journal 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .