Journal profile · Health Professions-Medical Laboratory Technology
MethodsX
ISSN 2215-0161 · Elsevier · Netherlands
MethodsX: CAS Zone 4 · Multidisciplinary (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.9 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 1,380; median 77 days to acceptance (125 articles, last 24 months); 633 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
An open access journal publishing methods and protocols. If this journal is a good fit for your methods or protocols, you can find out more via the Guide for Authors and are invited to submit your manuscript using MethodsX's methods, protocol or review template.MethodsX is a multidisciplinary, open access, peer-reviewed journal, which publishes detailed but digestible articles that describe methodological advances. It contributes to open science and improves reproducibility by making methods, protocols, reviews and the associated research more discoverable; opening doors for collaboration; and sparking new lines of inquiry to enhance the research cycle.In support of the FAIR Data Principles, which state that research data should be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable, MethodsX aims to make your methods and protocols:Discoverable – We will make your article easy to find and download, giving readers easy access to both your method or protocol and your original research article.Citable – Receive recognition for the work you've done with a peer-reviewed article with a distinct DOI. Drive traffic to and from your MethodsX article and original research with linking and references.Reproducible and reusable – Promote reproducibility by openly sharing methods or protocols that strengthen the reliability, transparency, validity, and rigor of results and help your peers save valuable time, resources, and funding.Trustworthy – Earn the respect of your peers with method articles reviewed by experts.The journal welcomes high-quality submissions describing methodological advances from all subject areas, including customizations to established methods and protocols. Articles should be written using one of the provided templates and include evidence of the efficiency of the method or protocol and/or comparison with pre-existing practices. Submissions undergo thorough peer-review to check for suitability and quality.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Health Professions-Medical Laboratory Technology
Editor-in-chief Markus VeltenPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 5 in mainland China (about 5%); most named United States 26, India 10, United Kingdom 9, France 7, Mainland China 5 (99 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Microplastics and Plastic PollutionEnvironmental Science6.4%
- Analytical chemistry methods developmentChemistry6.2%
- Recycling and Waste Management TechniquesEnvironmental Science5.7%
- Advanced Chemical Sensor TechnologiesEngineering5.1%
- Land Use and Ecosystem ServicesEnvironmental Science5%
- 3D Printing in Biomedical ResearchEngineering4.7%
- EEG and Brain-Computer InterfacesNeuroscience4.5%
- Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental ImpactsEnvironmental Science4.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Multidisciplinary Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Multidisciplinary | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Multidisciplinary Sciences | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Multidisciplinary Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Multidisciplinary | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Multidisciplinary Sciences | Zone 4 |
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)
- 2.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.3LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 4.3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.55LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.97LetPub ·
- h-index
- 77OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,160OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.25OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 3.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 621LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 4,170 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 404 | 404 | 110 |
| 2025 | 633 | 633 | 2,473 |
| 2024 | 600 | 600 | 4,370 |
| 2023 | 544 | 544 | 5,578 |
| 2022 | 362 | 362 | 3,825 |
| 2021 | 407 | 407 | 5,360 |
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
77 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 51 days – 122 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 1 days (125 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 80 days
- Sample
- 125 articles with submission and acceptance dates (1,370 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 7 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 7 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 45 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 85 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 13 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 1,380 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 1,260 / EUR 1,180 / GBP 1,010 / JPY 156,280 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 530 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 1,660 | — | — |
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)
Open calls for papers1, by deadline
Publisher websiteArticle types accepted7
- letters to the editorLetters to the Editor are commentaries on methods/protocols previously published.Length not stated
- method articleA method article is a short, templated article, describing methodological advances from all subject areas. The article can also describe customizations to previ…Length not stated
- method articlesMethod articles describe new methods in all research areas.Length not stated
- protocolA protocol article is a short, templated article, describing new protocols or customizations in the fields of medicine and life sciences. Articles should also i…Length not stated
- protocol articlesProtocol articles focus on the life and health science areas.Length not stated
- review articleVia this article type, we invite reviews assessing current knowledge of methods used in a specific field. The review must evaluate existing methods, discuss lim…Length not stated
- review articlesReview articles review and discuss methodological information.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, 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 ·- 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
single anonymized review process Model summary
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 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
- 2215-0161
- 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 MethodsX
What CAS zone is MethodsX in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, MethodsX is in Zone 4 of Multidisciplinary, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Multidisciplinary Sciences. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Multidisciplinary. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of MethodsX?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 2.9; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 4.3, h-index 77.
How long does peer review take at MethodsX?
Based on the dates recorded on 125 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 77 days (interquartile range 51–122 days); authors report an average review time of about 7 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 MethodsX based?
Of the 99 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 5 (about 5%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (26), India (10) and United Kingdom (9). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index MethodsX?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, MethodsX is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is MethodsX open access, and what is the APC?
MethodsX is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 1,380.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .