Journal profile · Materials Science-Multidisciplinary
Microstructures
ISSN 2770-2995 · OAE PUBLISHING INC · UNITED STATES OF AMERICA · Quarterly · Founded 2021
Microstructures: CAS Zone 1 · Materials Science (2026 Xinrui edition); impact factor 8.5 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 2,600; review about 8 days (submission to first decision, publisher); 100 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Microstructures is published by OAE PUBLISHING INC and is classed under Materials Science in the CAS Journal Ranking. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Ferroelectric and Piezoelectric Materials, Advancements in Battery Materials and Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion, together about 24% of its articles. Its main subfields are Electrical and Electronic Engineering. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Microstructure, which is the nature, quantity and distribution of structural elements or phases that make up materials, determines the properties of materials. Understanding microstructure–properties relationships is critical for the design of materials. With the increase of demand and investment in new materials around the globe, there has been a great deal of interest in the exploration and manipulation of microstructure in materials science and engineering. The journal of Microstructures publishes peer-reviewed articles that present a full spectrum of research topics in microstructure-oriented research and development. Papers involve all aspects of microstructures, including the design, fabrication, modelling, characterization, testing, and evaluation of the end-user-oriented applications, from the microscale to the atomic scale. Contents are written at a general level aiming at a broad audience. The journal publishes articles covering new research and developments, perspectives, and reviews related to the microstructures of materials, including, but not limited to metals and alloys, ceramics, polymers, composites, crystals, glasses, biomaterials, interfaces and nanomaterials. Microstructures serves the interdisciplinary community of physicists, chemists, engineers, biologists, and engineers in related disciplines, delivering high-quality, original research focusing on design–fabrication–microstructure–property–application relationships in materials. The journal provides scientists and engineers with cutting-edge information on topics that are closely linked to microstructures of all types of materials. These include but are not limited to: Microstructure characterizationMicrostructural evolution under external stimulationsSynthesis/processing–microstructure–properties relationshipsPrediction and design of microstructuresComputational modelling of microstructure and its relationships with processing condition and propertiesMultifunction and emerging coupling phenomena in microstructuresApplications of structure-manipulated materialsAdvances in microstructure characterization techniques
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Materials Science-Multidisciplinary
Editor-in-chief Shujun ZhangPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 36 in mainland China (about 40%); most named Mainland China 36, Australia 16, Hong Kong, China 12, United States 9, Italy 4 (91 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Ferroelectric and Piezoelectric MaterialsMaterials Science12.2%
- Advancements in Battery MaterialsEngineering6.1%
- Electrocatalysts for Energy ConversionEnergy5.7%
- Multiferroics and related materialsMaterials Science5.7%
- High Entropy Alloys StudiesEngineering5.7%
- Advanced Photocatalysis TechniquesEnergy5%
- Advanced Battery Materials and TechnologiesEngineering5%
- Perovskite Materials and ApplicationsEngineering4.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Materials Science Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Materials Science | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Materials Science, Multidisciplinary | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Physics, Applied | Zone 1 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusLetPub
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) 2025
- 8.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 7.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.5LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.25LetPub ·
- h-index
- 26OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 122OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.69OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 3.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 85.29%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 100LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2027
- 2,027Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 538,350Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 364 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 127 | 120 | 127 |
| 2025 | 100 | 100 | 784 |
| 2024 | 58 | 58 | 711 |
| 2023 | 44 | 32 | 800 |
| 2022 | 26 | 26 | 665 |
| 2021 | 9 | 8 | 157 |
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
- Desk decision
- 8 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 8 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single 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
Fully open accessLetPub
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | USD 2,600 | — | — |
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 papers2, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare8 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 3–6
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 3,000 words
- Templates
- Word
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
- Not considered
- preprint
Article types accepted13
- commentaryThere is no restriction on the number of figures, tables and references, provided that the manuscript is concise and comprehensive. The journal publishes Resear…Length not stated
- editorialThere is no restriction on the number of figures, tables and references, provided that the manuscript is concise and comprehensive. The journal publishes Resear…Length not stated
- letterThere is no restriction on the number of figures, tables and references, provided that the manuscript is concise and comprehensive. The journal publishes Resear…Length not stated
- letter to editorA Letter to Editor is usually an open post-publication review of a paper from its readers, often critical of some aspect of a published paper.Length not stated
- mini reviewThere is no restriction on the number of figures, tables and references, provided that the manuscript is concise and comprehensive. The journal publishes Resear…Length not stated
- opinionThere is no restriction on the number of figures, tables and references, provided that the manuscript is concise and comprehensive. The journal publishes Resear…Length not stated
- perspectiveThere is no restriction on the number of figures, tables and references, provided that the manuscript is concise and comprehensive. The journal publishes Resear…Length not stated
- research articleThere is no restriction on the number of figures, tables and references, provided that the manuscript is concise and comprehensive. The journal publishes Resear…Length not stated
- research highlightA Research highlight is a peer-reviewed paper that should focus on interesting research articles recently published in prestigious journals, provide a balanced …Length not stated
- reviewThere is no restriction on the number of figures, tables and references, provided that the manuscript is concise and comprehensive. The journal publishes Resear…Length not stated
- review articleThere is no restriction on the number of figures, tables and references, provided that the manuscript is concise and comprehensive. The journal publishes Resear…Length not stated
- technical noteThere is no restriction on the number of figures, tables and references, provided that the manuscript is concise and comprehensive. The journal publishes Resear…Length not stated
- viewpointThere is no restriction on the number of figures, tables and references, provided that the manuscript is concise and comprehensive. The journal publishes Resear…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
- AI use 2.3.3.4 AI and AI-assisted tools Statement
AI tools cannot be listed as authors/co-authors; authors retain full responsibility for all content, including AI-generated material. Model summary
Authors should disclose in their manuscript the use of AI and AI-assisted technologies. Declaring the use of these technologies supports transparency and trust between authors, readers, reviewers, editors and contributors and facilitates compliance with the terms of use of the relevant tool or technology.If the manuscript does not involve this issue, state "Not applicable." in this section.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship 4. Authorship
Authorship credit of Microstructures should be solely based on substantial contributions to a published study, as specified in the following four criteria:1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work;2. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content;3. Final approval of the…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest 2.3.3.6 Conflicts of Interest
Authors must declare any potential conflicts of interest that may be perceived as inappropriately influencing the representation or interpretation of reported research results. If there are no conflicts of interest, please state "All authors declared that there are no conflicts of interest." in this section. Some authors may be bound by confidentiality agreements. In such cases, in place of itemiz…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability 2.3.3.3 Availability of Data and Materials
Authors should include a data availability section detailing where the data supporting their findings can be found; data can be deposited into repositories or published as supplementary information. Model summary
In order to maintain the integrity, transparency and reproducibility of research records, authors should include this section in their manuscripts, detailing where the data supporting their findings can be found. Data can be deposited into data repositories or published as supplementary information in the journal. Authors who cannot share their data should state that the data will not be shared an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics 3.2 Publication Ethics Statement
OAE is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and adheres to its Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines. Model summary
OAE is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). We fully adhere to its Code of Conduct and to its Best Practice Guidelines. The Editors of this journal enforce a rigorous peer-review process together with strict ethical policies and standards to guarantee to add high-quality scientific works to the field of scholarly publication. Unfortunately, cases of plagiarism, data falsificatio…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright 1.2 Open Access and Copyright
Authors retain copyright through a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Model summary
The journal adopts Gold Open Access publishing model and distributes content under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Copyright is retained by authors. Please make sure that you are well aware of these policies.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access 1.2 Open Access and Copyright
Gold Open Access publishing model, distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License; copyright retained by authors. Model summary
The journal adopts Gold Open Access publishing model and distributes content under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Copyright is retained by authors. Please make sure that you are well aware of these policies.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review 7.3 AI Use in Peer Review
Confidentiality requirements: Reviewers must not upload manuscripts/materials to AI platforms, as this: 1. Violates OAE’s confidentiality policies2. Risks intellectual property infringement3. May compromise personal data in identifiable content Review integrity standards: Peer review must remain human-driven – AI tools cannot replace critical scholarly judgment.Reviewers must not use AI for manusc…
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
- OAE PUBLISHING INC
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 2021
- ISSN
- 2770-2995
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Microstructures
What CAS zone is Microstructures in?
In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Materials Science. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Microstructures?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 8.5 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 7.9, h-index 26.
How long does peer review take at Microstructures?
The publisher reports about 8 days (submission to first decision); first decisions include desk rejections. 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 Microstructures?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 3–6; Manuscript length: ≤ 3,000 words; Templates: Word; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: 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 Microstructures based?
Of the 91 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 36 (about 40%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (36), Australia (16) and Hong Kong, China (12). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Microstructures?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Microstructures is indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Is Microstructures open access, and what is the APC?
Microstructures is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 2,600.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; 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: .