Journal profile · Microscopy
Journal of Microscopy
ISSN 0022-2720 · eISSN 1365-2818 · Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd · ENGLAND · Monthly · Founded 1969
Journal of Microscopy: CAS Zone 4 · Engineering (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.87; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,760; median 117 days to acceptance (87 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 136 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Microscopy is published by Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd and is in Zone 4 of Engineering in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Electron and X-Ray Spectroscopy Techniques, Advanced Electron Microscopy Techniques and Applications and Advanced Fluorescence Microscopy Techniques, together about 37.8% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Microscopy is the oldest journal dedicated to the science of microscopy and the only peer-reviewed publication of the Royal Microscopical Society. It publishes papers that report on the very latest developments in microscopy such as advances in microscopy techniques or novel areas of application. We will also consider research papers in which the application of state-of-the-art microscopy is a key aspect of the research findings. The scope covers research in the physical and biological sciences and covers imaging methods using light, electrons, X-rays and other radiations as well as atomic force and near field techniques. Interdisciplinary research is welcome. Papers pertaining to microscopy are also welcomed on optical theory, spectroscopy, novel specimen preparation and manipulation methods and image recording, processing and analysis including dynamic analysis of living specimens. Publication types include full papers, hot topic fast tracked communications and review articles. Authors considering submitting a review article should contact the editorial office first.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Microscopy
Editorial board by country: 3 in mainland China (about 4%); most named United Kingdom 35, United States 8, Germany 8, Mainland China 3, France 3 (70 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Electron and X-Ray Spectroscopy TechniquesMaterials Science15.3%
- Advanced Electron Microscopy Techniques and ApplicationsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology12.4%
- Advanced Fluorescence Microscopy TechniquesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology10.2%
- Force Microscopy Techniques and ApplicationsPhysics and Astronomy6.3%
- Cell Image Analysis TechniquesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.8%
- Near-Field Optical MicroscopyEngineering5%
- Integrated Circuits and Semiconductor Failure AnalysisEngineering4.3%
- Advanced X-ray Imaging TechniquesPhysics and Astronomy3.9%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Engineering Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Microscopy | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Engineering Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Microscopy | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Engineering Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Engineering | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Microscopy | 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
EI CompendexMEDLINEPubMedEmbaseCASCAB AbstractsMathSciNetCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest, AGRICOLA
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
- 1.87LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.9Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 3.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 3.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.44LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.67LetPub ·
- h-index
- 100LetPub ·
- h-index
- 170OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 4,326OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.08OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 10.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 56.74%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 105LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 112Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 387,881Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 8,664 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 125 | 84 | 23 |
| 2025 | 136 | 91 | 237 |
| 2024 | 132 | 97 | 559 |
| 2023 | 105 | 75 | 634 |
| 2022 | 98 | 46 | 642 |
| 2021 | 101 | 43 | 717 |
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
117 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 65 days – 164 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 12 days (90 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 131 days
- Sample
- 87 articles with submission and acceptance dates (258 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)
- 4–8 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 26%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 26%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 115 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 13 daysPublisher 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 4,760 / EUR 3,950 / GBP 3,140 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Keywords
- ≤ 6
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Graphical abstract
- Required
Article types accepted9, with length limits
- letter to the editorLetter to the Editor Letters to the Editor are brief reports responding to a published paper or topic in the Journal which would not be suitable to be submitted…Length not stated
- long reviewsLong Reviews Provide a longer, self-contained explanation of the topic/technique.Length not stated
- methods and protocolsMethods and Protocols A concise description of a specific technical development, method or protocol.Length not stated
- original articleOriginal articles are full length, original research papers. Manuscripts will be considered only on the understanding that they have not been published and are …Length not stated
- original articlesOriginal Articles Original articles are full length, original research papers.Length not stated
- rapid publicationRapid publication papers MUST be topical, concise (shorter than original research articles), and of high interest/impact to the microscopy community.Length not stated
- review articlesReview Articles A review article should be a review of previously published literature on a particular topic.Length not stated
- short reviewMust be topical. Provide a short, self-contained explanation of the topic/technique. If relevant, outline the advantages and disadvantages of the technique. Be …main text ≤ 3,000 words
- short reviewsShort Reviews Must be topical. Provide a short, self-contained explanation of the topic/technique.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Preprints
- Authorship
Author material archive: submitted material disposed of 2 months after publication unless requested otherwise. Model summary
Please note that unless specifically requested, all hardcopy or electronic material submitted will be disposed of 2 months after publication.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Sharing and Data Availability
Data sharing: journal expects data sharing; select a data availability statement per Wiley's Data Sharing policy. Model summary
This journal expects data sharing. Review Wiley’s Data Sharing policy where you will be able to see and select the data availability statement that is right for your submission.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright For authors signing the copyright transfer agreement
If the open access option is not selected the corresponding author will be presented with the copyright transfer agreement (CTA) to sign. The terms and conditions of the CTA can be previewed in the samples associated with the Copyright FAQs below: CTA Terms and Conditions
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access For authors choosing open access
If the open access option is selected the corresponding author will have a choice of the following Creative Commons License Open Access Agreements (OAA):
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprint Policy
Preprint policy: preprints may be submitted and posted at any time; update pre-publication versions with a link to the final published article. Model summary
The Journal of Microscopy will consider for review articles previously available as preprints. Authors may also post the submitted version of a manuscript to a preprint server at any time. Authors are requested to update any pre-publication versions with a link to the final published article.
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-Blackwell Publishing Ltd
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1969
- ISSN
- 0022-2720
- Electronic ISSN
- 1365-2818
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 303, Issue 3 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Microscopy
What CAS zone is Journal of Microscopy in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Microscopy is in Zone 4 of Engineering, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Microscopy. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Engineering. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Microscopy?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.87; CiteScore 3.7, h-index 170.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Microscopy?
Based on the dates recorded on 87 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 117 days (interquartile range 65–164 days); authors report an average review time of 4–8 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 26% (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 Microscopy?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Keywords: ≤ 6; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; Graphical abstract: 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 Microscopy based?
Of the 70 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 3 (about 4%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (35), United States (8) and Germany (8). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Microscopy?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Microscopy is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists EI Compendex, MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase, CAS, CAB Abstracts, MathSciNet and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Microscopy open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Microscopy is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,760.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .