Journal profile · Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Letters in Applied Microbiology
ISSN 0266-8254 · eISSN 1472-765X · Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd · ENGLAND · Monthly · Founded 1985
Letters in Applied Microbiology: CAS Zone 4 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.95; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,240; median 94 days to acceptance (91 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 95%; 142 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Letters in Applied Microbiology is published by Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd and is in Zone 4 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Probiotics and Fermented Foods, Listeria monocytogenes in Food Safety and Salmonella and Campylobacter epidemiology, together about 26.2% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
LAM is society-owned, now with a not-for-profit publisher -all profits from the journal go to supporting the community and furthering science The surplus from LAM pays for a wide variety of grants available to the AMI community – LAM authors can join the AMI community for free New focus on inclusivity – Editors will not judge the potential impact of papers. All papers that demonstrate strong methods, sound data and analysis and good ethical practices will be considered
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Editor-in-chief Marcela HernándezPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 10, United Kingdom 9, Brazil 3, Canada 2, South Africa 2 (40 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Probiotics and Fermented FoodsAgricultural and Biological Sciences10.5%
- Listeria monocytogenes in Food SafetyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology8.3%
- Salmonella and Campylobacter epidemiologyAgricultural and Biological Sciences7.5%
- Vibrio bacteria research studiesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.7%
- Aquaculture disease management and microbiotaImmunology and Microbiology4.7%
- Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensingBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.4%
- Escherichia coli research studiesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.3%
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactionsEnvironmental Science4.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Microbiology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Microbiology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Microbiology | 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
MEDLINEPubMedEmbaseCASCAB AbstractsCurrent 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
- 1.95LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 5.1Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 5.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.5LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.62LetPub ·
- h-index
- 98LetPub ·
- h-index
- 162OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 4,869OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.45OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 14.32%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 142LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 7,589 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 86 | 19 | 24 |
| 2025 | 142 | 38 | 341 |
| 2024 | 140 | 42 | 536 |
| 2023 | 150 | 37 | 1,006 |
| 2022 | 284 | 48 | 2,517 |
| 2021 | 211 | 44 | 2,670 |
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
94 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 73 days – 143 days
- Acceptance to online
- —
- Submission to online
- —
- Sample
- 91 articles with submission and acceptance dates (271 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 4.5 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 95%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 25 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 | GBP 2,457 | — | — |
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 websiteOpen access
- Open access Open access in LAM
Both pay-to-publish (Gold) and self-archive (Green) open access publishing options are available Authors from institutions with a transitional deal (also known as read and publish agreements) can publish in the journals at no cost Applied Microbiology International members receive a 20% discount on article processing charges (APCs)
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
- 1985
- ISSN
- 0266-8254
- Electronic ISSN
- 1472-765X
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 79, Issue 9 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Letters in Applied Microbiology
What CAS zone is Letters in Applied Microbiology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Letters in Applied Microbiology is in Zone 4 of Biology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology / Microbiology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Letters in Applied Microbiology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.95; CiteScore 5.1, h-index 162.
How long does peer review take at Letters in Applied Microbiology?
Based on the dates recorded on 91 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 94 days (interquartile range 73–143 days); authors report an average review time of about 4.5 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 95%”. 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 Letters in Applied Microbiology based?
Of the 40 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (10), United Kingdom (9) and Brazil (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Letters in Applied Microbiology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Letters in Applied Microbiology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase, CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Letters in Applied Microbiology open access, and what is the APC?
Letters in Applied Microbiology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,240.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .