Journal profile · CELL BIOLOGY
Journal of Molecular Cell Biology
ISSN 1674-2788 · eISSN 1759-4685 · Oxford University Press · PEOPLES R CHINA · Monthly · Founded 2009
Journal of Molecular Cell Biology: CAS Zone 2 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 5.76; fully open access; APC about USD 2,730; median 160 days to acceptance (65 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 25%; 61 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Molecular Cell Biology is published by Oxford University Press and is in Zone 2 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are RNA modifications and cancer, Epigenetics and DNA Methylation and RNA Research and Splicing, together about 23.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Molecular Cell Biology ( JMCB ) is a full open access, peer-reviewed online journal interested in inter-disciplinary studies at the cross-sections between molecular and cell biology as well as other disciplines of life sciences. The broad scope of JMCB reflects the merging of these life science disciplines such as stem cell research, signaling, genetics, epigenetics, genomics, development, immunology, cancer biology, molecular pathogenesis, neuroscience, and systems biology. The journal will publish primary research papers with findings of extraordinary significance and broad scientific interest. Review articles, letters and commentary on timely issues are also welcome. JMCB features an outstanding Editorial Board, which will serve as scientific advisors to the journal and provide strategic guidance for the development of the journal. By selecting only the best papers for publication, JMCB will provide a first rate publishing forum for scientists all over the world. JMCB flipped to full open access in January 2019, and all issues published before 2019 were made freely available online. From the first issue of 2019, JMCB publishes all content under full OA model. Abstracting and Indexing Services EBSCO Japan Science and Technology Agency PubMed SCI Scopus Journal metrics Citation metrics Clarivate 2025 Impact Factor 6.0 2025 5 Year Impact Factor 6.2 Cell Biology (Rank by Impact Factor) 59/207 Scopus 2025 CiteScore 7.3 Genetics (Rank by CiteScore) 81/357 Molecular Biology (Rank by CiteScore) 131/414 Cell Biology (Rank by CiteScore) 103/289 About metrics Disclaimer Statements of fact and opinion in the articles in Journal of Molecular Cell Biology are those of the respective authors and contributors and not of the Journal, Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, or Oxford University Press, unless otherwise expressly indicated. Neither Oxford University Press, Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, nor the Journal make any representation, express or implied, in respect of the accuracy of the material in the Journal and cannot accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions that may be made. Readers should make their own evaluation as to the appropriateness or otherwise of the information included.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): CELL BIOLOGY
Editor-in-chief Jinsong LiPublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- RNA modifications and cancerBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology9%
- Epigenetics and DNA MethylationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.5%
- RNA Research and SplicingBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.9%
- Cancer-related Molecular PathwaysMedicine6.4%
- Ubiquitin and proteasome pathwaysBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.1%
- Microtubule and mitosis dynamicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.6%
- Pluripotent Stem Cells ResearchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5%
- Genomics and Chromatin DynamicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | 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 |
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 | Cell Biology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
PubMedPublisher website
Other: EBSCO
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
- 5.76LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 7.3Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 6.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.3LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 7.3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.44LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.89LetPub ·
- h-index
- 52LetPub ·
- h-index
- 101OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 765OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.44OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 1.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 57LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,201 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 40 | 40 | 9 |
| 2025 | 61 | 61 | 133 |
| 2024 | 60 | 60 | 412 |
| 2023 | 82 | 82 | 862 |
| 2022 | 79 | 79 | 1,760 |
| 2021 | 83 | 83 | 1,866 |
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
160 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 107 days – 214 days
- Acceptance to online
- —
- Submission to online
- —
- Sample
- 65 articles with submission and acceptance dates (144 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 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 25%LetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 8 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous 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 | USD 2,730 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC | |
| OpenAlex | USD 2,900 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 2,730 | Yes | — |
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Page charges
- USD 3,625
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 prepare7 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 200 words
- Keywords
- ≤ 7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 8,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted12, with length limits
- articlesArticles Articles are original papers whose conclusions represent a substantial advance in understanding of an important problem and have immediate, far-reachin…Length not stated
- editorialJMCB publishes three main types of manuscripts that are subjected to online peer review: Articles Reviews Letters to the Editor Some other types of manuscripts,…Length not stated
- letters to the editorJMCB publishes three main types of manuscripts that are subjected to online peer review: Articles Reviews Letters to the Editor Some other types of manuscripts,…references ≤ 10
- meeting reportsSome other types of manuscripts, e.g. Research Highlights, Perspectives, Retrospect, and Meeting Reports, are usually commissioned, but reports and suggestions …Length not stated
- original articleJMCB publishes three main types of manuscripts that are subjected to online peer review: Articles Reviews Letters to the Editor Some other types of manuscripts,…Length not stated
- original paperJMCB publishes three main types of manuscripts that are subjected to online peer review: Articles Reviews Letters to the Editor Some other types of manuscripts,…Length not stated
- perspectiveJMCB publishes three main types of manuscripts that are subjected to online peer review: Articles Reviews Letters to the Editor Some other types of manuscripts,…main text ≤ 200 words · abstract ≤ 200 words · figures and tables ≤ 3 · references ≤ 30
- perspectivesSome other types of manuscripts, e.g. Research Highlights, Perspectives, Retrospect, and Meeting Reports, are usually commissioned, but reports and suggestions …Length not stated
- research highlightsSome other types of manuscripts, e.g. Research Highlights, Perspectives, Retrospect, and Meeting Reports, are usually commissioned, but reports and suggestions …Length not stated
- retrospectSome other types of manuscripts, e.g. Research Highlights, Perspectives, Retrospect, and Meeting Reports, are usually commissioned, but reports and suggestions …Length not stated
- reviewJMCB publishes three main types of manuscripts that are subjected to online peer review: Articles Reviews Letters to the Editor Some other types of manuscripts,…main text ≤ 200 words · abstract ≤ 200 words · references ≤ 150
- reviewsReviews Reviews should be recognized as scholarly by specialists in the field being covered, but should also be written with a view to informing readers who are…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteConflicts of interest, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Plagiarism, Preprints
- Conflicts of interest
Conflict of interest disclosure Model summary
JMCB policy encourages that each author reveals any financial conflict of interest, direct or indirect, that might influence the results or opinions stated in their manuscript.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Availability of Data and Materials
Material deposition in public repository Model summary
Where ethically feasible, JMCB strongly encourages authors to make all data and software code on which the conclusions of the paper rely available to readers. We suggest that data be presented in the main manuscript or additional supporting files, or deposited in a public repository whenever possible. For information on general repositories for all data types, and a list of recommended repositorie…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
When submitting a manuscript, it is considered with the understanding that the work has not been published previously and the paper is not under consideration by another journal or book. It is a condition of publication for JMCB that the authors grant an exclusive licence to our editorial office.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access
JMCB is a fully open access journal, and all articles are published in the journal under an open access licence immediately upon publication. You will need to pay an open access charge to publish under an open access licence. Journal (required) Please select Academic MedicineActa CytologicaActa HaematologicaAdaptationAesthetic Surgery JournalAesthetic Surgery Journal Open ForumAfrican AffairsAge A…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review
Single-blind peer review will be handled by our editorial team composed of in-house scientific editors and Associate Editors for different research fields. The Associate Editor (Editor-in-Chief) handling the manuscript is responsible for the ultimate decision. Manuscripts that are in principle inappropriate for JMCB due to lack of sufficient novelty or general interest will be returned to the auth…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism Plagiarism
Manuscripts submitted may be screened with iThenticate anti-plagiarism software in an attempt to detect and prevent plagiarism. Any manuscript may be screened, especially if there is reason to suppose part or all of the text has been previously published. Prior to final acceptance any manuscript that has not already been screened may be put through iThenticate. Please see more information about iT…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprint Policy
Authors retain the right to make an Author’s Original Version (preprint) available through various channels, and this does not prevent submission to the journal. For further information see our Online Licensing, Copyright and Permissions policies. If accepted, the authors are required to update the status of any preprint, including your published paper’s DOI, as described on our Author Self-Archiv…
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
- Oxford University Press
- Country or region
- PEOPLES R CHINA
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 2009
- ISSN
- 1674-2788
- Electronic ISSN
- 1759-4685
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Molecular Cell Biology
What CAS zone is Journal of Molecular Cell Biology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Molecular Cell Biology is in Zone 2 of Biology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Cell Biology. 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 Molecular Cell Biology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 5.76; CiteScore 7.3, h-index 101.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Molecular Cell Biology?
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 160 days (interquartile range 107–214 days); authors report an average review time of about 2 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 25%”. 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 Molecular Cell Biology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 200 words; Keywords: ≤ 7; Manuscript length: ≤ 8,000 words; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Graphical abstract: Optional; 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.
Which databases index Journal of Molecular Cell Biology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Molecular Cell Biology is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists PubMed; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Molecular Cell Biology open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Molecular Cell Biology is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 2,730.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, DOAJ, 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: .