Journal profile · Marine & Freshwater Biology
Microbial Ecology
ISSN 0095-3628 · eISSN 1432-184X · Springer US · UNITED STATES · Bimonthly · Founded 1974
Microbial Ecology: CAS Zone 3 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 4.23; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,590; median 96 days to acceptance (65 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly hard; 178 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Microbial Ecology is published by Springer US 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 Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology, Marine and coastal ecosystems and Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies, together about 35.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Over recent years, the journal Microbial Ecology has been revamped to provide an international forum for the presentation of high-quality scientific investigations into microbial ecology, and how microorganisms interact with their biotic and abiotic environments, with each other as well as with their neighbors and hosts. The journal presents high quality peer reviewed manuscripts in multiple formats inclusive of full-length manuscripts, commentaries and notes. Brief reviews and topical position papers are also encouraged. The journal has a rapid average turn around rate of 6 weeks. Founding Editor Ralph Mitchell, PhD, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA NOTES Microbial Ecology accepts shorter contributions in the forms of NOTES. A Note should be continuous text with a length of no more than 1200 words. There should be no more than three figures or tables with brief legends. Methods should be included as well as references. Journal coverage includes the ecology of microorganisms in natural and engineered environments; genomic, metagenomic and molecular advances in understanding of microbial interactions and phylogeny; microbial drivers of biogeochemical processes; inter- and intraspecific microbial communication; ecological studies of animal, plant and insect microbiology and disease; microbial processes and interactions in extreme or unusual environments; microbial population and community ecology, and more. Technological advances that allow us to increase our understanding of microbial diversity and interactions are also welcome. Other topics that are covered in our journal include. 1. Pathogens in the environment 2. Key players in the carbon cycle and aquatic ecosystems 3. Phage plasmids and mobile elements in ecology 4. Biofilms 5. Soil-microbe interactions 6. Technology developments to study microbial ecology 7. Host microbe interactions 8. Aquatic Microbiology 9. Genes and Genomes 10. Microbial Evolution
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Marine & Freshwater Biology
Editor-in-chief Karen E. NelsonPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 6%); most named United States 17, Mainland China 2, Japan 2, India 2, Taiwan, China 1 (33 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Microbial Community Ecology and PhysiologyEnvironmental Science24.1%
- Marine and coastal ecosystemsEarth and Planetary Sciences6.5%
- Genomics and Phylogenetic StudiesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.2%
- Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant InteractionsAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.1%
- Gut microbiota and healthBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.7%
- Wastewater Treatment and Nitrogen RemovalEnvironmental Science4.3%
- Plant-Microbe Interactions and ImmunityAgricultural and Biological Sciences3.9%
- Protist diversity and phylogenyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology3.8%
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 | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Microbiology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 1 |
| 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 | Marine & Freshwater Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Ecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Microbiology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINECASCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, AGRICOLA, Astrophysics Data System, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
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
- 4.23LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.3Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 9.3LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.12LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.03LetPub ·
- h-index
- 112LetPub ·
- h-index
- 199OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 4,417OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.4OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 2.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 76.88%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 177LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 1,100,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 5,577 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 226 | 202 | 75 |
| 2025 | 178 | 178 | 693 |
| 2024 | 166 | 158 | 1,741 |
| 2023 | 170 | 89 | 2,093 |
| 2022 | 227 | 77 | 4,409 |
| 2021 | 292 | 108 | 5,911 |
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
96 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 81 days – 123 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 15 days (65 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 112 days
- Sample
- 65 articles with submission and acceptance dates (66 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 ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly hardLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer review, Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
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
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 4,590 / EUR 3,490 / GBP 2,890 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
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 websiteWhat to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 4,000 words
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted9, with length limits
- commentaryMicrobial Ecology lies at the heart of functioning for almost every ecosystem on the planet, from the deep-sea vents and subsurface systems, to human and animal…main text ≤ 1,000 words
- editorialMicrobial Ecology lies at the heart of functioning for almost every ecosystem on the planet, from the deep-sea vents and subsurface systems, to human and animal…Length not stated
- methodsMethodsLength not stated
- methods articleMicrobial Ecology lies at the heart of functioning for almost every ecosystem on the planet, from the deep-sea vents and subsurface systems, to human and animal…Length not stated
- mini-reviewMini-ReviewsLength not stated
- noteNotesLength not stated
- original articleMicrobial Ecology lies at the heart of functioning for almost every ecosystem on the planet, from the deep-sea vents and subsurface systems, to human and animal…main text ≤ 4,000 words
- reviewMicrobial Ecology lies at the heart of functioning for almost every ecosystem on the planet, from the deep-sea vents and subsurface systems, to human and animal…main text ≤ 6,000 words
- review articleMicrobial Ecology lies at the heart of functioning for almost every ecosystem on the planet, from the deep-sea vents and subsurface systems, to human and animal…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship Policy
Authorship restricted to substantial contributors. Model summary
Authorship should be restricted to those who have contributed substantially to the work in one or more of the following categories: • Conceived of or designed study • Performed research • Analyzed data • Contributed new methods or models • Wrote the paper Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Availability
Sequence data must be deposited in DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank before acceptance. Model summary
This journal encourages authors to provide an optional statement of data availability in their article. Data Availability Statements should include information on where data supporting the results reported in the article can be found, including, where applicable, hyperlinks to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Data availability statements can also indicate whether …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
In confirming the publication of your article with open access you agree to the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License 4.0 International License Find more about the license agreement Additional Information Articles in Springer Nature open access journals do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Microbial Ecology, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review process
Single-anonymous peer review; minimum 2 reviewers invited; final decisions by Editor-in-Chief. Model summary
This journal follows a single-anonymous peer review procedure. All manuscripts undergo technical checks upon submission. Manuscripts that pass technical checks are assigned to the Editor-in-Chief and undergo suitability checks to confirm alignment with the aims and scope of the journal. Eligible manuscripts are sent out for peer review. Reviewers are invited by the editors. A minimum of 2 reviewer…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Clinical Trial Registration
The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of a clinical trial is "any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes". The WHO defines health interventions as “A health intervention is an act performed for, with or on behalf of a person or population whose purpose is to ass…
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
- Springer US
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1974
- ISSN
- 0095-3628
- Electronic ISSN
- 1432-184X
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Microbial Ecology
What CAS zone is Microbial Ecology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Microbial Ecology is in Zone 3 of Biology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Marine & Freshwater Biology / Ecology / 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 Microbial Ecology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.23; CiteScore 9.3, h-index 199.
How long does peer review take at Microbial Ecology?
Based on the dates recorded on 65 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 96 days (interquartile range 81–123 days); authors report an average review time of 3–8 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly hard”. 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 Ecology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 4,000 words; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; 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 Ecology based?
Of the 33 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 6%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (17), Mainland China (2) and Japan (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Microbial Ecology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Microbial Ecology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Microbial Ecology open access, and what is the APC?
Microbial Ecology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,590.
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: .