Journal profile · Multiple
Microbial Cell
ISSN 2311-2638 · Shared Science Publishers OG · Austria
Microbial Cell: CAS Zone 3 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 4.08; fully open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 135 days to acceptance (48 articles, last 24 months); 24 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Microbial Cell is published by Shared Science Publishers OG and is in Zone 3 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Fungal and yeast genetics research, Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology and Mitochondrial Function and Pathology, together about 29% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Microbial Cell is an open-access, peer-reviewed journal that publishes exceptionally relevant research works that implement the use of unicellular organisms (and multicellular microorganisms) to understand cellular responses to internal and external stimuli and/or human diseases. Thus, the topics covered in Microbial Cell are as heterogeneous as cell death (including apoptosis, necrosis, autophagic death), aging, autophagy, stress response, nutrient signalling, unicellular metabolism, cell host and microbe interactions, or plant/fungal interaction. Further topics include but are not restricted to the microbiome, disease and behaviour, infection, evolution of multicellularity and quorum sensing, biofilm formation, antibiotics, bacteria, archaea, fungi, eukaryotic microorganisms, viruses, pathogenicity, gene expression and regulation, biotechnology, microbial factories, cell biology and signaling pathways, microbial ecology, evolution and gene transfer, membranes, traffic, vesicle fusion, lipids, and novel techniques. The publication is intended for international scientists, educators and policy makers as well as for any individual around the world interested in the indirect (e.g. in vivo modeling) and direct (e.g. infection treatments) applicability of results obtained in the unicellular research community.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Frank MadeoPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 3 in mainland China (about 1%); most named United States 56, Austria 30, Germany 26, France 22, Italy 19 (304 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Fungal and yeast genetics researchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology16.3%
- Bacterial Genetics and BiotechnologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.6%
- Mitochondrial Function and PathologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.1%
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.2%
- Gut microbiota and healthBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.8%
- Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model OrganismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.6%
- Microbial Metabolic Engineering and BioproductionBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.6%
- DNA Repair MechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | 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 | Cell Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Microbiology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Microbiology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
ESCIPMCPubMedCASPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, Baidu, J-Gate, Crossref
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
- 4.08LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 4.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.82LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.04LetPub ·
- h-index
- 54OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 304OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.7OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 97.33%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 23LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 669 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 23 | 23 | 20 |
| 2025 | 24 | 24 | 59 |
| 2024 | 32 | 32 | 213 |
| 2023 | 34 | 34 | 445 |
| 2022 | 31 | 31 | 230 |
| 2021 | 43 | 43 | 857 |
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
135 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 98 days – 169 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 38 days (48 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 188 days
- Sample
- 48 articles with submission and acceptance dates (49 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 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 12 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Unspecified 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 | EUR 1,190 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | EUR 1,190 | — | — | |
| LetPub | EUR 1,190 | 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)
What to prepare2 items from the author guidelines
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted3
- commentaryCommentaryLength not stated
- research articleResearch ArticleLength not stated
- reviewReviewLength not stated
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
- Shared Science Publishers OG
- Country or region
- Austria
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2311-2638
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗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
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Microbial Cell
What CAS zone is Microbial Cell in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Microbial Cell is in Zone 3 of Biology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Cell Biology / 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 Microbial Cell?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.08; CiteScore 5.4, h-index 54.
How long does peer review take at Microbial Cell?
Based on the dates recorded on 48 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 135 days (interquartile range 98–169 days); authors report an average review time of about 12 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 Microbial Cell?
According to the journal's author guidelines: First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Optional. 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 Microbial Cell based?
Of the 304 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 3 (about 1%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (56), Austria (30) and Germany (26). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Microbial Cell?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Microbial Cell is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists ESCI, PMC, PubMed and CAS; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Microbial Cell open access, and what is the APC?
Microbial Cell 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, 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: .