Journal profile · Virology
Journal of Virology
ISSN 0022-538X · eISSN 1098-5514 · American Society for Microbiology · UNITED STATES · Semimonthly · Founded 1967
Journal of Virology: CAS Zone 2 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 4.04; diamond open access (no APC); no APC; median 60 days to acceptance (114 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 25%; 746 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Virology is published by American Society for Microbiology and is in Zone 2 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Virus-based gene therapy research, HIV Research and Treatment and Herpesvirus Infections and Treatments, together about 28.1% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Virology® (JVI) welcomes manuscripts that provide new insights into the biology of viral infection from entry to egress, host-virus interactions, pathogenesis and host response, immunity, evolution, vaccines and antivirals, and transmission with clear biological and/or translational relevance. Investigators in all areas of basic, applied, and translational virology are invited to submit manuscripts on topics important for virologists and the society in general, including the following areas: Cutting-edge technologies Computational analysis of viruses and viral components Viral structure and assembly Genome replication and regulation of viral gene expression Genetic diversity and evolution Virus-cell, virus-microbe, and virus-host interactions Cellular responses to viral infection Immune responses and viral modulation of immune responses Vaccines, antivirals, and viral vectors/oncolytics In addition to novelty and rigor, JVI prioritizes studies that offer substantial conceptual or thematic depth, and seeks submissions that provide (i) mechanistic or functional insight, (ii) clear relevance to infection, replication, evolution, treatment, diagnosis, or disease, and (iii) findings that offer broadly applicable frameworks or transformative new hypotheses for the field.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Virology
Editor-in-chief Felicia GoodrumPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 14%); most named Germany 2, Mainland China 1, Canada 1, Netherlands 1, Belgium 1 (7 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Virus-based gene therapy researchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology10.5%
- HIV Research and TreatmentImmunology and Microbiology9.5%
- Herpesvirus Infections and TreatmentsMedicine8.1%
- Animal Virus Infections StudiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.4%
- Cytomegalovirus and herpesvirus researchMedicine5.3%
- Viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiologyMedicine5.1%
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactionsEnvironmental Science4.7%
- Viral Infections and Immunology ResearchMedicine4.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Virology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Virology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Virology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
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
- 4.04LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.8LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.3LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.02LetPub ·
- h-index
- 271LetPub ·
- h-index
- 424OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 45,393OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.62OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 59.51%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 708LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 3Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 9,776,895Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 52,121 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 491 | 491 | 218 |
| 2025 | 746 | 746 | 2,975 |
| 2024 | 649 | 649 | 5,517 |
| 2023 | 565 | 565 | 7,179 |
| 2022 | 625 | 624 | 10,256 |
| 2021 | 747 | 738 | 17,346 |
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
60 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 26 days – 91 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 27 days (114 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 85 days
- Sample
- 114 articles with submission and acceptance dates (1,444 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)
- 25%LetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 10 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Editorial review, Single anonymous peer review, Unspecified 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
Diamond open access (no APC)DOAJ
Every article is open access and authors pay no article processing charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | No APC | Yes | CC BY |
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Other fees
- Charged; see the journal's website for the amount
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)
Article types accepted1
- reviewFor a review of some common errors associated with statistical analyses and reports, plus guidelines on how to avoid them, see the articles by Olsen (Infect Imm…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteConflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- Conflicts of interest Editors Conflict of Interest Policy
Editors are experienced researchers who conduct an initial assessment of manuscripts and oversee the peer review process, guiding submissions through evaluation to support high-quality publication. Anna Cliffe (2027) University of Virginia School of MedicineResearch Interests: herpesviruses, herpes simplex virus, latency, epigenetics, neurovirology, intrinsic immunity, innate immune sensing Rebecc…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright After Acceptance — Fees, Corrections, and Copyright
Publication Fees We charge fees to publish supplemental material across most ASM journals. Modifications and Corrections to Supplemental Material ASM does not edit supplemental material. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of their supplemental material. All post-publication changes follow the correction and erratum process. Copyright and Supplemental Material Authors retain copyright of supp…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access ASM Achieves S2O Open Access Target for 2026
All six primary research journals remain open access—unlocking more opportunities for authors and expanding access for readers, fueling collaboration and innovation across the microbial sciences. Read the Press Release
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review and Publishing of Supplemental Material
Reviewing Supplemental Material Supplemental material will be peer reviewed with the manuscript. Editors decide whether supplemental material will be published with the accepted manuscript.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Wang Y, Rozen D. 2016. Colonization and transmission of the gut microbiota of the burying beetle, Nicrophorus vespilloides, through development. bioRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/091702.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Reporting Guidelines
ASM Journals endorses the NIH Principles and Guidelines for Reporting Preclinical Research. Authors should provide a comprehensive description of their research design, methodology and analysis. Study-type-specific reporting guidelines can be found via the EQUATOR Network library or the FAIRsharing registry. Key reporting guidelines are listed below: Randomized Clinical Trials: CONSORT guidelines …
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
- American Society for Microbiology
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Semimonthly
- Founded
- 1967
- ISSN
- 0022-538X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1098-5514
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 100 (August 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗DOAJ
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗DOAJ
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Virology
What CAS zone is Journal of Virology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Virology is in Zone 2 of Medicine, and in Zone 2 of the minor category 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 Virology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.04; CiteScore 6.8, h-index 424.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Virology?
Based on the dates recorded on 114 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 60 days (interquartile range 26–91 days); authors report an average review time of about 1 month; 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Journal of Virology based?
Of the 7 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 14%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Germany (2), Mainland China (1) and Canada (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Virology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Virology is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Journal of Virology open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Virology is a diamond open-access journal (no APC). It charges no article processing charge.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex, DOAJ; 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: .