Journal profile · Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Molecular and Cellular Biology
ISSN 0270-7306 · eISSN 1098-5549 · American Society for Microbiology · UNITED STATES · Semimonthly · Founded 1981
Molecular and Cellular Biology: CAS Zone 3 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.79; hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 1 month (community reports); community-reported acceptance: about 50%; 59 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Molecular and Cellular Biology is published by American Society for Microbiology 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 RNA Research and Splicing, RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms and Genomics and Chromatin Dynamics, together about 29.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Aims and scopeJournal metrics Editorial board Molecular and Cellular Biology ( MCB ) is devoted to the advancement and dissemination of fundamental knowledge concerning the molecular biology of all eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells. The journal is edited by leading investigators in the life sciences, and decisions are based solely on scientific merit. MCB seeks technically rigorous, mechanistic studies that report significant advances in the molecular life sciences. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, chromatin biology and genome organization, gene expression, systems biology, and core cellular processes including cell cycle, cell death, metabolism, cellular trafficking, autophagy, cellular migration and signal transduction. The journal is also interested in studies that investigate molecular and cellular mechanisms in health and disease and molecular and systemic host responses to pathogens in chronic diseases and conditions. Minireviews covering recent literature in active and emerging fields are also welcome. Read full aims and scope
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- RNA Research and SplicingBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology11.6%
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology9%
- Genomics and Chromatin DynamicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology8.8%
- Fungal and yeast genetics researchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.8%
- DNA Repair MechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.4%
- RNA modifications and cancerBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.2%
- Virus-based gene therapy researchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.6%
- CRISPR and Genetic EngineeringBiochemistry, 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 | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | Zone 3 |
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
- 2.79LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.98LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.56LetPub ·
- h-index
- 308LetPub ·
- h-index
- 462OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 28,244OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.05OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 3.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 27.27%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 58LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 31,901 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 41 | 21 | 26 |
| 2025 | 59 | 34 | 146 |
| 2024 | 52 | 52 | 291 |
| 2023 | 43 | 43 | 356 |
| 2022 | 75 | 74 | 619 |
| 2021 | 105 | 103 | 1,284 |
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
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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)
Article types accepted2
- research articleResearch Article | Published online: 15 Sep 2026Length not stated
- review articleReview Article | Published online: 4 Aug 2026Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
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
- American Society for Microbiology
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Semimonthly
- Founded
- 1981
- ISSN
- 0270-7306
- Electronic ISSN
- 1098-5549
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 46, Issue 9 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Molecular and Cellular Biology
What CAS zone is Molecular and Cellular Biology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Molecular and Cellular Biology is in Zone 3 of Biology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Biochemistry & Molecular Biology / Cell Biology. 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 Molecular and Cellular Biology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.79; CiteScore 4.6, h-index 462.
How long does peer review take at Molecular and Cellular Biology?
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.
Which databases index Molecular and Cellular Biology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Molecular and Cellular Biology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Molecular and Cellular Biology open access, and what is the APC?
Molecular and Cellular Biology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: 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 2026-08-24). Last updated: .