Journal profile · Medicine-Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
Metabolic Engineering Communications
ISSN 2214-0301 · Elsevier · Netherlands
Metabolic Engineering Communications: CAS Zone 2 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 4.2 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 4,040; median 132 days to acceptance (36 articles, last 24 months); 12 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Metabolic Engineering Communications is published by Elsevier 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 Microbial Metabolic Engineering and Bioproduction, Biofuel production and bioconversion and Enzyme Catalysis and Immobilization, together about 52.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
An official journal of the International Metabolic Engineering SocietyMetabolic Engineering Communications, a companion title to Metabolic Engineering (MBE), is devoted to publishing original research in the areas of metabolic engineering, synthetic biology, computational biology and systems biology for problems related to metabolism and the engineering of metabolism for the production of fuels, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. The journal will carry articles on the design, construction, and analysis of biological systems ranging from pathway components to biological complexes and genomes (including genomic, analytical and bioinformatics methods) in suitable host cells to allow them to produce novel compounds of industrial and medical interest. Demonstrations of regulatory designs and synthetic circuits that alter the performance of biochemical pathways and cellular processes will also be presented. Metabolic Engineering Communications complements MBE by publishing articles that are either shorter than those published in the full journal, or which describe key elements of larger metabolic engineering efforts. All articles should impact the development of the field.Types of papers: Research articles, Short communications, Review articles.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Medicine-Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
Editor-in-chief Nancy A. Da SilvaPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 6 in mainland China (about 13%); most named United States 21, Germany 8, Mainland China 6, Taiwan, China 2, South Korea 2 (45 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Microbial Metabolic Engineering and BioproductionBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology29.4%
- Biofuel production and bioconversionEngineering14.9%
- Enzyme Catalysis and ImmobilizationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology8.4%
- Plant biochemistry and biosynthesisBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.6%
- Photosynthetic Processes and MechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.4%
- Algal biology and biofuel productionEnergy4.3%
- Bacterial Genetics and BiotechnologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology3.8%
- Fungal and yeast genetics researchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology3.4%
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 | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
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 (publisher)
- 4.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 8.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 8.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.99LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.86LetPub ·
- h-index
- 54OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 203OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.87OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 10LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 287 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 17 | 17 | 7 |
| 2025 | 12 | 12 | 46 |
| 2024 | 24 | 24 | 258 |
| 2023 | 13 | 13 | 224 |
| 2022 | 25 | 25 | 530 |
| 2021 | 32 | 32 | 825 |
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
132 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 93 days – 159 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 2 days (36 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 133 days
- Sample
- 36 articles with submission and acceptance dates (42 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 18 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 12 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 67 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 127 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 21 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 4,040 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 4,040 / EUR 3,780 / GBP 3,230 / JPY 501,080 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 3,020 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 4,040 | — | — |
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 prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 1
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted6
- research articleTypes of papers: Research articles, Short Communications, Review articles.Length not stated
- research articlesTypes of papers: Research articles, Short communications, Review articles.Length not stated
- review articleTypes of papers: Research articles, Short Communications, Review articles.Length not stated
- review articlesTypes of papers: Research articles, Short communications, Review articles.Length not stated
- short communicationTypes of papers: Research articles, Short Communications, Review articles.Length not stated
- short communicationsTypes of papers: Research articles, Short communications, Review articles.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Follow Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing allowed; does not count as prior publication Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication.
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
- Elsevier
- Country or region
- Netherlands
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2214-0301
- Society / sponsor
- International Metabolic Engineering Society
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- 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 Metabolic Engineering Communications
What CAS zone is Metabolic Engineering Communications in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Metabolic Engineering Communications is in Zone 2 of Biology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology. 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 Metabolic Engineering Communications?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 4.2; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 8.7, h-index 54.
How long does peer review take at Metabolic Engineering Communications?
Based on the dates recorded on 36 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 132 days (interquartile range 93–159 days); authors report an average review time of about 18 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.
What are the manuscript requirements of Metabolic Engineering Communications?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: ≥ 1; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: Required; 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Metabolic Engineering Communications based?
Of the 45 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 6 (about 13%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (21), Germany (8) and Mainland China (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Metabolic Engineering Communications?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Metabolic Engineering Communications is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Metabolic Engineering Communications open access, and what is the APC?
Metabolic Engineering Communications is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 4,040.
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: .