Journal profile · Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Molecules and Cells
ISSN 1016-8478 · eISSN 0219-1032 · Korean Society for Molecular and Cellular Biology · SOUTH KOREA · Monthly · Founded 2000
Molecules and Cells: CAS Zone 3 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 8.14; fully open access; APC about USD 2,500; median 86 days to acceptance (98 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 50%; 102 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Molecules and Cells is published by Korean Society for Molecular and Cellular Biology 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 and protein synthesis mechanisms, Plant Molecular Biology Research and RNA Research and Splicing, together about 19.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology and Plant Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Molecules and Cells is an international on-line open-access journal devoted to the advancement and dissemination of fundamental knowledge in molecular and cellular biology. It was launched in 1990 and ISO abbreviation is 'Mol. Cells'. Reports on a broad range of topics of general interest to molecular and cell biologists are published. It is published on the last day of each month by the Korean Society for Molecular and Cellular Biology.
Source: LetPub
Research area (LetPub): Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.7%
- Plant Molecular Biology ResearchAgricultural and Biological Sciences6.5%
- RNA Research and SplicingBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.4%
- RNA modifications and cancerBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.5%
- Photosynthetic Processes and MechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5%
- Plant Virus Research StudiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.6%
- CRISPR and Genetic EngineeringBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.5%
- RNA Interference and Gene DeliveryBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.1%
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 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | Zone 2 |
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 | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
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
- 8.14LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.2LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.93LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.89LetPub ·
- h-index
- 66LetPub ·
- h-index
- 119OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,272OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 6.96OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 8.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 74LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 4,003 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 68 | 68 | 29 |
| 2025 | 102 | 102 | 604 |
| 2024 | 117 | 117 | 1,365 |
| 2023 | 90 | 90 | 1,977 |
| 2022 | 96 | 96 | 1,703 |
| 2021 | 101 | 101 | 2,244 |
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 PubMed · to
86 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 50 days – 119 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 5 days (98 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 91 days
- Sample
- 98 articles with submission and acceptance dates (169 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 2.3 monthsLetPub ·
- 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
Fully open accessOpenAlex
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 2,500 / EUR 2,340 / GBP 2,000 / JPY 310,080 | — | — |
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
- Korean Society for Molecular and Cellular Biology
- Country or region
- SOUTH KOREA
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 2000
- ISSN
- 1016-8478
- Electronic ISSN
- 0219-1032
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Molecules and Cells
What CAS zone is Molecules and Cells in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Molecules and Cells 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 2 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Molecules and Cells?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 8.14; CiteScore 7.2, h-index 119.
How long does peer review take at Molecules and Cells?
Based on the dates recorded on 98 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 86 days (interquartile range 50–119 days); authors report an average review time of about 2.3 months; 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 Molecules and Cells?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Molecules and Cells is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Molecules and Cells open access, and what is the APC?
Molecules and Cells is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 2,500.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .