Journal profile · Virology
Journal of General Virology
ISSN 0022-1317 · eISSN 1465-2099 · Microbiology Society · United Kingdom · Continuous publication · Founded 1967
Journal of General Virology: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.67; hybrid open access; review about 3 months (community reports); community-reported acceptance: about 43.75%; 137 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE 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: The Society's journals are now published by the Microbiology Society; for current journals and services, please refer to its websites. Source ↗Publisher website ·
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of General Virology is published by Microbiology Society and is in Zone 4 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Plant Virus Research Studies, Virus-based gene therapy research and Herpesvirus Infections and Treatments, together about 25.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Epidemiology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Journal of General Virology welcomes high-quality research and review articles that significantly advance the field of virology. We welcome submissions spanning human, animal, and plant virology, as well as the viruses of microorganisms, including bacteriophages. The journal covers a broad range of topics, including virus replication, pathogenesis, virus-host interactions, host immune responses, viral epidemiology, and the use of viruses as agents of control. We particularly encourage submissions focused on antiviral agents and vaccines. Studies on clinical aspects of virus infections, viral taxonomy and phylogenetics are welcomed, provided that they offer new insights into virus biology. Computational modelling submissions will be considered if accompanied by supporting laboratory or clinically based research validation. Back to top
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Virology
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Plant Virus Research StudiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences9%
- Virus-based gene therapy researchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology8.9%
- Herpesvirus Infections and TreatmentsMedicine7.4%
- Animal Virus Infections StudiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences7%
- Viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiologyMedicine6.5%
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactionsEnvironmental Science4.8%
- Viral Infections and Immunology ResearchMedicine4.8%
- Viral Infections and VectorsMedicine4.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Virology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Virology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Virology | 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
MEDLINEEmbaseCASCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, Biological Abstracts, BIOSIS Previews, Current Awareness in Biological Sciences, Current Opinion series, SciSearch
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
- 3.67LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.8LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.17LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.35LetPub ·
- h-index
- 152LetPub ·
- h-index
- 252OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 13,944OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.34OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 77.41%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 130LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 17,559 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 129 | 129 | 31 |
| 2025 | 137 | 131 | 380 |
| 2024 | 122 | 88 | 885 |
| 2023 | 117 | 94 | 1,685 |
| 2022 | 113 | 65 | 2,360 |
| 2021 | 161 | 94 | 3,593 |
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 3 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 43.75%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.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteLicense & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- License & copyright
Published research is the copyright of its respective authors and the Society. Model summary
Published research is the copyright of its respective authors and the Society.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access
Content is free to read; for current Open Access policies and licensing, refer to the Microbiology Society's journal websites. Model summary
The preserved content is presented so the published research record and its inbound links stay accessible.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
The archive does not accept new submissions or manage peer review; submissions go through the Microbiology Society's current journal websites. Model summary
This is an archival rebuild; it does not accept new submissions or manage peer review.
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
- Microbiology Society
- Country or region
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Continuous publication
- Founded
- 1967
- ISSN
- 0022-1317
- Electronic ISSN
- 1465-2099
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of General Virology
What CAS zone is Journal of General Virology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of General Virology is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology / Virology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of General Virology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.67; CiteScore 6.8, h-index 252.
How long does peer review take at Journal of General Virology?
Authors report an average review time of about 3 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 43.75%”. 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 General Virology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of General Virology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, Embase, CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of General Virology open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of General Virology 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .