Journal profile · Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Molecular Microbiology
ISSN 0950-382X · eISSN 1365-2958 · Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd · ENGLAND · Semimonthly · Founded 1987
Molecular Microbiology: CAS Zone 3 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.08; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,430; median 112 days to acceptance (91 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly hard; 98 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Molecular Microbiology is published by Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd 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 Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology, Bacteriophages and microbial interactions and RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms, together about 43.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Molecular Microbiology encompasses all areas of microbiology, from fundamental to translational research. The journal aims at attracting research content of the highest quality and novelty. It will publish studies of all microbes (Bacteria, Archaea, eukaryotic microorganisms, and Viruses), while retaining its historical emphasis on studies that provide significant new biological insights into the systems under study. It is expected that contributions will lead to a deeper understanding of the molecular principles underlying physiological or pathological processes, mechanisms, biological functions, or interactions between microbes, their hosts, or the environment in health or disease. Insights should be supported by quantitative data of highest standards obtained through cellular, biochemical, biophysical, bioinformatic, imaging, structural, genomic, or genetic approaches. We welcome breakthroughs made using emerging methodologies and cutting-edge technologies. The journal encourages cross-disciplinary approaches including the use of computational analyses to inform experimental studies. The journal will thereby strengthen its service to the broader microbiology research community. Scope includes but is not limited to: Cell biology Cell–cell communication and signaling pathways Evolution Enzymology Gene expression and regulation Gene transfer Host–microbe interactions Intracellular organization, architecture Macromolecular synthesis Membrane biogenesis and function Metabolism Microbial ecology Microbiota, microbiome Mutualistic and symbiotic relationships Pathogenicity, virulence Physiology Structural biology Synthetic microbiology Traffic and transport
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Editor-in-chief John D. HelmannPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 3, United Kingdom 1, Germany 1, Switzerland 1, Sweden 1 (7 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Bacterial Genetics and BiotechnologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology23.8%
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactionsEnvironmental Science10.1%
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology10%
- Antibiotic Resistance in BacteriaBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.4%
- Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensingBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.4%
- Fungal and yeast genetics researchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.3%
- Escherichia coli research studiesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.2%
- Genomics and Phylogenetic StudiesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4%
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 | Microbiology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Zone 4 |
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 3 |
| Minor | Microbiology | Zone 3 |
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 | 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
MEDLINEPubMedEmbaseCASCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest, AGRICOLA
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
- 3.08LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 6.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.31LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.94LetPub ·
- h-index
- 226LetPub ·
- h-index
- 339OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 12,948OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.21OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 59.64%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 70LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 71Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 2,068,707Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 15,643 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 86 | 60 | 19 |
| 2025 | 98 | 71 | 215 |
| 2024 | 144 | 120 | 820 |
| 2023 | 193 | 173 | 1,811 |
| 2022 | 154 | 102 | 1,496 |
| 2021 | 228 | 152 | 3,511 |
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
112 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 79 days – 179 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 14 days (91 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 128 days
- Sample
- 91 articles with submission and acceptance dates (184 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 2 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly hardLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 23%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 6 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 132 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 15 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single-anonymous peer reviewPublisher website · model-extracted
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 4,430 / EUR 3,800 / GBP 3,180 | — | — | |
| 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)
What to prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Reference style
- Author–date
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional, 6
- Graphical abstract
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
- Not considered
- Preliminary observations
Article types accepted13, with length limits
- editorialMolecular Microbiology publishes Research Articles, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Research Highlight, Resources, and Perspectives, as described below. The journal will…Length not stated
- mini reviewMolecular Microbiology publishes Research Articles, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Research Highlight, Resources, and Perspectives, as described below. The journal will…main text ≤ 5,000 words
- mini reviewsMolecular Microbiology publishes Research Articles, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Research Highlight, Resources, and Perspectives, as described below.Length not stated
- perspectiveMolecular Microbiology publishes Research Articles, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Research Highlight, Resources, and Perspectives, as described below. The journal will…main text ≤ 3,000 words
- perspectivesMolecular Microbiology publishes Research Articles, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Research Highlight, Resources, and Perspectives, as described below.Length not stated
- research articleMolecular Microbiology publishes Research Articles, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Research Highlight, Resources, and Perspectives, as described below. The journal will…Length not stated
- research articlesMolecular Microbiology publishes Research Articles, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Research Highlight, Resources, and Perspectives, as described below.Length not stated
- research communicationsMolecular Microbiology also accepts Research Communications.Length not stated
- research highlightMolecular Microbiology publishes Research Articles, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Research Highlight, Resources, and Perspectives, as described below.Length not stated
- resourcesMolecular Microbiology publishes Research Articles, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Research Highlight, Resources, and Perspectives, as described below.Length not stated
- reviewMolecular Microbiology publishes Research Articles, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Research Highlight, Resources, and Perspectives, as described below. The journal will…main text ≤ 10,000 words · figures and tables ≤ 2
- review articleMolecular Microbiology publishes Research Articles, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Research Highlight, Resources, and Perspectives, as described below. The journal will…Length not stated
- reviewsMolecular Microbiology publishes Research Articles, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Research Highlight, Resources, and Perspectives, as described below.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use AI-generated content
Text, figures or images created by Generative Artificial Intelligence Tools —such as ChatGPT and others based on large language models (LLMs), cannot be used in papers in this journal, without explicit permission from the editor. Content created by artificial intelligence (AI) is discouraged, unless part of formal research design or methods, and is not permitted without clear description of the co…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship
On initial submission, the submitting author will be prompted to provide valid email addresses and country of residence for all contributing authors. All listed authors should have contributed to the manuscript substantially and have agreed to the final submitted version. Review Wiley's editorial standards and scroll down for a description of authorship criteria. For all articles, the journal mand…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Conflict of Interest
The journal requires that all authors disclose any potential sources of conflict of interest. Any interest or relationship, financial or otherwise that might be perceived as influencing an author's objectivity is considered a potential source of conflict of interest. These must be disclosed when directly relevant or directly related to the work that the authors describe in their manuscript. Potent…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Sharing and Data Availability
This journal mandates data sharing. Review Wiley’s Data Sharing policy where you will be able to see and select the data availability statement that is right for your submission.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Reproduction of Copyright Material
If excerpts from copyrighted works owned by third parties are included, credit must be shown in the contribution. It is your responsibility to also obtain written permission for reproduction from the copyright owners. For more information visit Wiley’s Copyright Terms & Conditions FAQ. The corresponding author is responsible for obtaining written permission to reproduce the material "in print and …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access
No submission fees Model summary
Molecular Microbiology offers an Open Access option as a hybrid (subscription-based) journal. Charge (APC) to make the article immediately, freely available online for all to read, download, and share. You can learn more at /page/journal/13652958/homepage/fundedaccess.html and at Wiley's Hybrid Open Access page. Preprint policy Please find the Wiley preprint policy here. Note the section on subscr…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review 4. Peer Review Process
Molecular Microbiology has adopted the ANSI/NISO Standard Terminology for Peer Review. Standardising the terminology across journals and publishers used to describe peer review practices helps make the peer review process for articles and journals more transparent, and it will enable the community to better assess and compare peer review practices between different journals. Terminology: Identity …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprint your manuscript on Authorea
Preprint posting encouraged but not required Model summary
For authors who would like to opt to seamlessly preprint their manuscript at submission, please upload your manuscript directly to Authorea. Learn more at Authorea's Under Review FAQ.
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
- Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Semimonthly
- Founded
- 1987
- ISSN
- 0950-382X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1365-2958
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 126, Issue 3 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Molecular Microbiology
What CAS zone is Molecular Microbiology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Molecular Microbiology is in Zone 3 of Biology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Microbiology / Biochemistry & Molecular 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 Microbiology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.08; CiteScore 6.1, h-index 339.
How long does peer review take at Molecular Microbiology?
Based on the dates recorded on 91 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 112 days (interquartile range 79–179 days); authors report an average review time of about 2 months; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly hard”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 23% (2025). 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 Molecular Microbiology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Reference style: Author–date; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Optional, 6; 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 Molecular Microbiology based?
Of the 7 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (3), United Kingdom (1) and Germany (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Molecular Microbiology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Molecular Microbiology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase, CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Molecular Microbiology open access, and what is the APC?
Molecular Microbiology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,430.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .