Journal profile · Physiology
Journal of Cellular Physiology
ISSN 0021-9541 · eISSN 1097-4652 · Wiley-Liss Inc. · UNITED STATES · Monthly · Founded 1966
Journal of Cellular Physiology: CAS Zone 3 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 4.01; hybrid open access; APC about USD 5,230; median 161 days to acceptance (65 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly hard; 161 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus; flagged on an early-warning list or for an indexing change: check before submitting.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Cellular Physiology is published by Wiley-Liss Inc. 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, Cell Adhesion Molecules Research and Cancer-related molecular mechanisms research, together about 20.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology and Cancer Research. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Cellular Physiology publishes high-quality original research articles and reviews in areas of eukaryotic cell biology and physiology, focusing on those articles that adopt a molecular mechanistic approach to investigate cell structure and function. There is appreciation for the application of cellular, biochemical, molecular and in vivo genetic approaches, as well as the power of genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics, and systems biology. Research articles must have a clear hypothesis and present novel and significant findings as well as perspectives on topics of cellular science, including molecular biology, biochemistry, pathobiochemistry, and molecular medicine. Merely descriptive manuscripts that do not go beyond correlations are not the focus of the Journal. Examples include associations of sequencing and omics data, RNA data (mRNA, non-coding RNA, microRNA), in silico analysis, and mere tests of compounds (including natural extracts) in cellular and animal models without mechanistic insights. Studies that are primarily bioinformatic in nature or focus on identifying novel biomarkers are considered outside of the scope of the Journal.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Physiology
Editor-in-chief Robert HeathPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 6%); most named United States 18, Mainland China 2, United Kingdom 2, Germany 2, Canada 2 (32 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- MicroRNA in disease regulationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7%
- Cell Adhesion Molecules ResearchMedicine7%
- Cancer-related molecular mechanisms researchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.7%
- Ion channel regulation and functionBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.7%
- Pancreatic function and diabetesMedicine4.5%
- Bone Metabolism and DiseasesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.4%
- RNA modifications and cancerBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.3%
- Circular RNAs in diseasesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.3%
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 | Cell Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Physiology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Physiology | 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 | Physiology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
Early warning / risk: CAS Early Warning Journal List: listed in the 2020 edition (medium risk); not listed in the other 5 editions.LetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceMEDLINEPubMedEmbaseCASCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest
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
- 4.01LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 9.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 9.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.25LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.03LetPub ·
- h-index
- 158LetPub ·
- h-index
- 271OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 14,564OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.81OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 27.12%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 104LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 107Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 1,238,312Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 19,855 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 116 | 65 | 37 |
| 2025 | 161 | 98 | 307 |
| 2024 | 342 | 204 | 2,016 |
| 2023 | 246 | 136 | 2,835 |
| 2022 | 281 | 70 | 3,836 |
| 2021 | 439 | 146 | 10,130 |
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
161 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 127 days – 198 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 13 days (65 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 169 days
- Sample
- 65 articles with submission and acceptance dates (330 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)
- Fairly hardLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 7%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 167 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 14 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single 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
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 5,230 / EUR 4,360 / GBP 3,490 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | No APC | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Other fees
- Charged; see the journal's website for the amount
- Page charges
- No page charges
- Submission fee
- No submission fee
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 prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Required, 3
- Graphical abstract
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted7
- editorialArticle Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Other Requirements Research Articles Reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make …Length not stated
- letter to the editorArticle Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Other Requirements Research Articles Reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make …Length not stated
- letter to the editor (or editorial)Authors should contact Robert Heath, Editor-in-Chief (rheath@wiley.com) before submission. Up to 1000 words NoLength not stated
- research articleArticle Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Other Requirements Research Articles Reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make …Length not stated
- research articlesReports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make a significant contribution to knowledge. Should not exceed 5000 words (including references, a…Length not stated
- reviewArticle Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Other Requirements Research Articles Reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make …Length not stated
- reviewsDiscussing the state of the art of a particular and relevant topic; authors should contact Robert Heath, Editor-in-Chief (rheath@wiley.com) before the manuscrip…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- Authorship Authorship
All listed authors should have contributed to the manuscript substantially and have agreed to the final submitted version. Review editorial standards and scroll down for a description of authorship criteria. On initial submission, the submitting author will be prompted to provide the email address and country for all contributing authors.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Conflict of Interest
The Journal of Cellular Physiology requires that all authors disclose any potential sources of conflict of interest. Any interest or relationship, financial or otherwise that might be perceived as influencing an author's objectivity is considered a potential source of conflict of interest. These must be disclosed when directly relevant or directly related to the work that the authors describe in t…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability NEW *** DATA SHARING IS MANDATORY *** NEW
Mandatory data sharing in OA repository Model summary
See details below. Briefly, this journal mandates that all data not contained within the paper is shared in an OA repository. A data availability statement implying that data are available "upon reasonable request" is not compliant with the journal policy and the manuscript will be rejected immediately.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Reproduction of Copyright Material
If excerpts from copyrighted works owned by third parties are included, credit must be shown in the contribution. It is your responsibility to also obtain written permission for reproduction from the copyright owners. For more information visit Wiley’s Copyright Terms & Conditions FAQ.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access
This journal is a subscription journal that offers OnlineOpen, an open access option. You’ll have the option to choose to make your article open access after acceptance, which will be subject to an APC. You can read more about APCs and whether you may be eligible for waivers or discounts, through your institution, funder, or a country waiver. Please click here for more information on Wiley’s compl…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review 2. Submission and Peer Review
Single-blind peer review model Model summary
Authors should kindly note that submission of a paper will be held to imply that it is unpublished work which is not being considered for publication elsewhere. If accepted, it is expected that the paper will not be published in another journal or book in either the same or another format or language. Once the submission materials have been prepared in accordance with the Author Guidelines, manusc…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints
Preprint policy allows prior preprint posting Model summary
This journal accepts articles previously published on preprint servers like arXiv, bioRxiv, or PeerJ PrePrints, or on the authors’ own website.
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
- Wiley-Liss Inc.
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1966
- ISSN
- 0021-9541
- Electronic ISSN
- 1097-4652
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Cellular Physiology
What CAS zone is Journal of Cellular Physiology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Cellular Physiology is in Zone 3 of Biology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Cell Biology / Physiology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Cellular Physiology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.01; CiteScore 9.4, h-index 271.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Cellular Physiology?
Based on the dates recorded on 65 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 161 days (interquartile range 127–198 days); authors report an average review time of about 1 month; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly hard”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 7% (2025). 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 Journal of Cellular Physiology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Required, 3; Graphical abstract: Required; 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Journal of Cellular Physiology based?
Of the 32 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 6%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (18), Mainland China (2) and United Kingdom (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Cellular Physiology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Cellular Physiology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase, CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Cellular Physiology open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Cellular Physiology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 5,230.
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: .