Journal profile · Cell Biology
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
ISSN 0021-9525 · eISSN 1540-8140 · Rockefeller University Press · UNITED STATES · Biweekly · Founded 1962
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY: CAS Zone 1 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 6.07; hybrid open access; median 225 days to acceptance (84 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 50%; 284 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY is published by Rockefeller University Press and is in Zone 1 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Microtubule and mitosis dynamics, Cellular transport and secretion and Cellular Mechanics and Interactions, together about 29.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology and Cell Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Journal of Cell Biology (JCB) publishes advances in any area of basic cell biology as well as applied cellular advances in fields such as immunology, neurobiology, metabolism, microbiology, developmental biology, and plant biology. Est. 1955
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Cell Biology
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Microtubule and mitosis dynamicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology11.6%
- Cellular transport and secretionBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology10.8%
- Cellular Mechanics and InteractionsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.4%
- Cell Adhesion Molecules ResearchMedicine6%
- RNA Research and SplicingBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.9%
- Lipid Membrane Structure and BehaviorBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.7%
- Genomics and Chromatin DynamicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology3.8%
- Mitochondrial Function and PathologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology3.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
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
- Impact factor
- 6.07LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 9.7LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 3.27LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.43LetPub ·
- h-index
- 353LetPub ·
- h-index
- 603OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 23,224OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 6.65OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 3.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 43.06%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 214LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 28,863 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 167 | 85 | 130 |
| 2025 | 284 | 231 | 1,207 |
| 2024 | 270 | 269 | 3,455 |
| 2023 | 275 | 275 | 5,281 |
| 2022 | 246 | 246 | 7,545 |
| 2021 | 301 | 299 | 12,177 |
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
225 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 141 days – 292 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 32 days (84 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 254 days
- Sample
- 84 articles with submission and acceptance dates (572 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 monthLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 50%LetPub ·
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
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
No source has fee information yet; check the journal's website.
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
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
- Rockefeller University Press
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Biweekly
- Founded
- 1962
- ISSN
- 0021-9525
- Electronic ISSN
- 1540-8140
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 225, Issue 9 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
What CAS zone is JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY is in Zone 1 of Biology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Cell Biology; it is a Top journal. 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.
What is the impact factor of JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 6.07; CiteScore 9.7, h-index 603.
How long does peer review take at JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY?
Based on the dates recorded on 84 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 225 days (interquartile range 141–292 days); authors report an average review time of about 1 month; the community-reported acceptance is “about 50%”. 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 JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY open access, and what is the APC?
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY is a hybrid journal. Fee information is not available yet; check the journal's website.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .