Journal profile · Cell Biology
Molecular Biology of the Cell
ISSN 1059-1524 · eISSN 1939-4586 · American Society for Cell Biology · UNITED STATES · Monthly · Founded 1992
Molecular Biology of the Cell: CAS Zone 2 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.9; subscription journal; review about 2 months (community reports); community-reported acceptance: about 51.66%; 226 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Molecular Biology of the Cell is published by American Society for Cell Biology and is in Zone 2 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Cellular transport and secretion, Microtubule and mitosis dynamics and Cellular Mechanics and Interactions, together about 33.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology and Cell Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
MBoC publishes research articles that present conceptual advances of broad interest and significance within all areas of cell, molecular, and developmental biology. We welcome manuscripts that describe advances with applications across topics including but not limited to: cell growth and division; nuclear and cytoskeletal processes; membrane trafficking and autophagy; organelle biology; quantitative cell biology; physical cell biology and mechanobiology; cell signaling; stem cell biology and development; cancer biology; cellular immunology and microbial pathogenesis; cellular neurobiology; prokaryotic cell biology; and cell biology of disease.
Source: LetPub
Research area (LetPub): Cell Biology
Editor-in-chief John AitchisonPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 6 in mainland China (about 55%); most named Mainland China 6, Singapore 2, Hong Kong, China 1, Mexico 1, Cyprus 1 (11 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Cellular transport and secretionBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology13.4%
- Microtubule and mitosis dynamicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology12.3%
- Cellular Mechanics and InteractionsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.9%
- Fungal and yeast genetics researchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.8%
- Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and DiseaseBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.4%
- RNA Research and SplicingBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.2%
- Genomics and Chromatin DynamicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.3%
- Cell Adhesion Molecules ResearchMedicine4.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| 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 | Cell Biology | 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 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
- 2.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.4LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.44LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.82LetPub ·
- h-index
- 207LetPub ·
- h-index
- 302OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 9,534OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.74OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0.17%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 211LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 11,575 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 137 | 108 | 45 |
| 2025 | 226 | 211 | 637 |
| 2024 | 193 | 193 | 1,396 |
| 2023 | 206 | 194 | 1,990 |
| 2022 | 256 | 201 | 2,764 |
| 2021 | 242 | 239 | 4,701 |
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 2 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 51.66%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
Subscription journalLetPub
A subscription journal: articles are read by subscription or purchase, and authors usually pay no publication charge.
No source has fee information yet; check the journal's website.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- American Society for Cell Biology
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1992
- ISSN
- 1059-1524
- Electronic ISSN
- 1939-4586
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Molecular Biology of the Cell
What CAS zone is Molecular Biology of the Cell in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Molecular Biology of the Cell is in Zone 2 of Biology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category 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 Biology of the Cell?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.9; CiteScore 4.4, h-index 302.
How long does peer review take at Molecular Biology of the Cell?
Authors report an average review time of about 2 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 51.66%”. 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 Molecular Biology of the Cell based?
Of the 11 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 6 (about 55%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (6), Singapore (2) and Hong Kong, China (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Molecular Biology of the Cell?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Molecular Biology of the Cell is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Molecular Biology of the Cell open access, and what is the APC?
Molecular Biology of the Cell is a subscription journal. Fee information is not available yet; check the journal's website.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, 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 2026-08-24). Last updated: .