Journal profile · MICROBIOLOGY
mBio
ISSN 2150-7511 · American Society for Microbiology · UNITED STATES · Founded 2010
mBio: CAS Zone 2 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 5.33; fully open access; APC about USD 3,900; median 44 days to acceptance (106 articles, last 24 months); 826 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
mBio is published by American Society for Microbiology and is in Zone 2 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology, Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensing and Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria, together about 24.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
mBio® is a broad-scope, open access journal edited by active research scientists, dedicated to publishing the best research across all areas of microbiology and allied fields. We welcome high-impact studies spanning molecular biology, genetics, evolution, infectious disease, virology, and environmental microbiology, with a strong emphasis on bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi, and host-microbe interactions. The journal also invites work in clinical microbiology and translational science, including studies that advance diagnostics, therapeutics, epidemiology, and public health. Submissions addressing microbiome science, One Health, and emerging infectious threats are also encouraged.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): MICROBIOLOGY
Editor-in-chief Marvin Whiteley ExplorePublisher website
Editorial board by country: 11 in mainland China (about 5%); most named United States 138, Mainland China 11, Germany 10, United Kingdom 5, France 4 (204 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Bacterial Genetics and BiotechnologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology11.4%
- Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensingBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.7%
- Antibiotic Resistance in BacteriaBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6%
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactionsEnvironmental Science5.9%
- Antifungal resistance and susceptibilityMedicine5.2%
- Vibrio bacteria research studiesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.9%
- Gut microbiota and healthBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.6%
- Fungal Infections and StudiesMedicine4.3%
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 | Microbiology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Microbiology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Microbiology | Zone 2 |
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
- 5.33LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 8.4LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.34LetPub ·
- h-index
- 87LetPub ·
- h-index
- 234OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 6,411OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 6.12OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 3.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 778LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 3Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 6,563,302Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 9,171 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 509 | 509 | 302 |
| 2025 | 826 | 826 | 3,483 |
| 2024 | 794 | 794 | 9,251 |
| 2023 | 772 | 772 | 12,843 |
| 2022 | 817 | 817 | 20,761 |
| 2021 | 867 | 867 | 29,916 |
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
44 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 20 days – 91 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 28 days (106 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 69 days
- Sample
- 106 articles with submission and acceptance dates (1,628 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)
- 3–8 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 12 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 3,900 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | USD 3,900 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 3,900 | Yes | — |
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 accepted5, with length limits
- commentaryion headings and/or paragraph lead-ins. Commentaries Commentaries are short articles (with a maximum of 1,000 words) that discuss issues of particular significa…main text ≤ 1,000 words · abstract ≤ 150 words
- editorialSubmitting Transferring Accepted Papers Editorial Policies Publishing Ethics Research Articles Research Articles are limited to 5,000 words (exclusive of refere…main text ≤ 5,000 words · abstract ≤ 150 words
- letters to the editorLetters to the Editor are intended for comments on articles published in the journal and must cite published references to support the writer’s argument. Letter…main text ≤ 500 words
- opinionquestions about submitting your files. Opinions/Hypotheses Opinions/Hypotheses are short articles (with a maximum of 2,500 words and no more than 25 references)…main text ≤ 2,500 words · abstract ≤ 150 words · references ≤ 25
- perspectiveion headings and/or paragraph lead-ins. Perspectives Perspectives are invited, brief reviews (limited to 2,000 words) that offer a succinct overview of a specif…main text ≤ 2,000 words · abstract ≤ 150 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websitePeer review
- Peer review
Prompt decision with option to transfer to another ASM journal if not appropriate for mBio. Model summary
If a manuscript is not appropriate for mBio, authors will receive a prompt decision that may include the option to transfer to another ASM journal.
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
- Founded
- 2010
- ISSN
- 2150-7511
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 17 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- 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 mBio
What CAS zone is mBio in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, mBio is in Zone 2 of Biology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Microbiology; it is a Top journal. 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 mBio?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 5.33; CiteScore 8.4, h-index 234.
How long does peer review take at mBio?
Based on the dates recorded on 106 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 44 days (interquartile range 20–91 days); authors report an average review time of 3–8 weeks. 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 mBio based?
Of the 204 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 11 (about 5%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (138), Mainland China (11) and Germany (10). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index mBio?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, mBio is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is mBio open access, and what is the APC?
mBio is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 3,900.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .