Journal profile · Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Microbes and Environments
ISSN 1342-6311 · eISSN 1347-4405 · Japanese Society Of Microbial Ecology · JAPAN · Quarterly · Founded 1996
Microbes and Environments: CAS Zone 4 · Environmental Science & Ecology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.55; fully open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 1 month (community reports); community-reported acceptance: about 50%; 49 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Microbes and Environments is published by Japanese Society Of Microbial Ecology and is in Zone 4 of Environmental Science & Ecology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology, Wastewater Treatment and Nitrogen Removal and Legume Nitrogen Fixing Symbiosis, together about 37.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Plant Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Microbes and Environments (M&E) is an international, peer-reviewed, and fully open-access journal devoted to the publication of original and review articles regarding all aspects of research on microbial ecology and environmental microbiology. It is published quarterly in an electronic version by Japanese Society of Microbial Ecology (JSME), Japanese Society of Soil Microbiology (JSSM), Taiwan Society of Microbial Ecology (TSME), Japanese Society of Plant Microbe Interactions (JSPMI), and Japanese Society for Extremophiles (JSE). M&E has an Impact Factor of 2.0 according to the 2024 Journal Citation Reports. Articles can deal with cultured and non-cultured forms of any type of microorganism: Bacteria, archaea, fungi, yeasts, protists, algae and viruses. 6 types of papers are published: Regular Papers Short Communications Reviews Mini-Review Research Highlights (invited) Letters to the Editor The scope of M&E covers: Microbial ecology in natural and engineered environments Microbial degradation of xenobiotic compounds Microbial processes in biogeochemical cycles Microbial interactions and signaling with animals and plants Interactions among microorganisms Microorganisms related to public health Phylogenetic and functional diversity of microbial communities Genomics, metagenomics, and bioinformatics for microbiology Application of microorganisms to agriculture, fishery, and industry Molecular biology and biochemistry related to environmental microbiology Methodology in general and environmental microbiology Interdisciplinary research areas for microbial ecology (e.g., Astrobiology, and Origins of Life) Taxonomic description of novel microorganisms with ecological perspective Physiology and metabolisms of microorganisms Evolution of genes and microorganisms Genome report of microorganisms with ecological perspective Life in extreme environments
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Editor-in-chief Shigeto OTSUKAPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Japan 59, Taiwan, China 3, United States 1, Canada 1 (64 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Microbial Community Ecology and PhysiologyEnvironmental Science21%
- Wastewater Treatment and Nitrogen RemovalEnvironmental Science8.7%
- Legume Nitrogen Fixing SymbiosisAgricultural and Biological Sciences7.7%
- Genomics and Phylogenetic StudiesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.9%
- Plant-Microbe Interactions and ImmunityAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.9%
- Protist diversity and phylogenyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.5%
- Microbial Fuel Cells and BioremediationEnvironmental Science3.8%
- Methane Hydrates and Related PhenomenaEnvironmental Science3.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Microbiology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Microbiology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Environmental Science & Ecology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Environmental Science & Ecology | 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
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
- 2.55LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 2.1Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher)
- 3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.87LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.02LetPub ·
- h-index
- 42LetPub ·
- h-index
- 83OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 874OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.74OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 49LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,458 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 31 | 31 | 1 |
| 2025 | 49 | 49 | 58 |
| 2024 | 30 | 30 | 242 |
| 2023 | 40 | 40 | 240 |
| 2022 | 49 | 49 | 676 |
| 2021 | 42 | 42 | 492 |
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 1 monthLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 50%LetPub ·
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 accessOpenAlex
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Page charges
- 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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access
- Open access
Open access; published articles readable at PubMed Central and J-Stage. Model summary
All of the published articles can be read at PubMed Central and J-Stage.
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
- Japanese Society Of Microbial Ecology
- Country or region
- JAPAN
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1996
- ISSN
- 1342-6311
- Electronic ISSN
- 1347-4405
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 41, Issue 2 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Microbes and Environments
What CAS zone is Microbes and Environments in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Microbes and Environments is in Zone 4 of Environmental Science & Ecology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology / Microbiology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Environmental Science & Ecology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Microbes and Environments?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.55; CiteScore 4.7, h-index 83.
How long does peer review take at Microbes and Environments?
Authors report an average review time of about 1 month; the community-reported acceptance is “about 50%”. 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 Microbes and Environments based?
Of the 64 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Japan (59), Taiwan, China (3) and United States (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Microbes and Environments?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Microbes and Environments is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Microbes and Environments open access, and what is the APC?
Microbes and Environments is a fully open-access journal. APC charged, amount not published.
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: .