Journal profile · Cell Biology
Nature Cell Biology
ISSN 1465-7392 · eISSN 1476-4679 · Springer Nature · ENGLAND · Monthly · Founded 1999
Nature Cell Biology: CAS Zone 1 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 22.84; hybrid open access; APC about USD 12,690; median 290 days to acceptance (59 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 5%; 273 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Nature Cell Biology is published by Springer Nature and is in Zone 1 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Microtubule and mitosis dynamics, Cellular transport and secretion and Cellular Mechanics and Interactions, together about 24.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology and Cell Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Nature Cell Biology publishes research of the highest quality across all areas of cell biology, encouraging studies that shed light on the mechanisms underlying fundamental cell biological processes in physiology and disease.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Cell Biology
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 8%); most named United States 5, United Kingdom 2, Germany 2, Mainland China 1, Italy 1 (12 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Microtubule and mitosis dynamicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology10.7%
- Cellular transport and secretionBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.4%
- Cellular Mechanics and InteractionsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.6%
- Genomics and Chromatin DynamicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.1%
- RNA Research and SplicingBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.2%
- Ubiquitin and proteasome pathwaysBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.2%
- Epigenetics and DNA MethylationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.9%
- DNA Repair MechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePublisher website
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
- 22.84LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 22.7Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 23Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 28.2LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 9.09LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 3.55LetPub ·
- h-index
- 337LetPub ·
- h-index
- 494OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 4,481OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 16.7OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 47.05%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 162LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 6,454,934Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 6,823 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 235 | 113 | 403 |
| 2025 | 273 | 134 | 3,235 |
| 2024 | 268 | 139 | 9,320 |
| 2023 | 251 | 130 | 9,274 |
| 2022 | 231 | 141 | 14,163 |
| 2021 | 202 | 111 | 13,502 |
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
290 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 231 days – 366 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 41 days (59 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 319 days
- Sample
- 59 articles with submission and acceptance dates (557 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 3 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 5%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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 12,690 / EUR 10,690 / GBP 9,190 | — | — |
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.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1999
- ISSN
- 1465-7392
- Electronic ISSN
- 1476-4679
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Nature Cell Biology
What CAS zone is Nature Cell Biology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Nature Cell Biology is in Zone 1 of Biology, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Cell Biology; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Nature Cell Biology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 22.84; CiteScore 28.2, h-index 494.
How long does peer review take at Nature Cell Biology?
Based on the dates recorded on 59 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 290 days (interquartile range 231–366 days); authors report an average review time of about 3 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 5%”. 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 Nature Cell Biology based?
Of the 12 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 8%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (5), United Kingdom (2) and Germany (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Nature Cell Biology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Nature Cell Biology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Nature Cell Biology open access, and what is the APC?
Nature Cell Biology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 12,690.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .