Journal profile · Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nature Chemical Biology
ISSN 1552-4450 · eISSN 1552-4469 · Springer Nature · UNITED STATES · Monthly · Founded 2005
Nature Chemical Biology: CAS Zone 1 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 15.66; hybrid open access; APC about USD 12,690; median 306 days to acceptance (56 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: hard; 307 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Nature Chemical 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 RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms, RNA modifications and cancer and Ubiquitin and proteasome pathways, together about 23.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Nature Chemical Biology is an international monthly journal that provides a high-visibility forum for the publication of top-tier original research and commentary for the chemical biology community.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United Kingdom 10, Germany 3, United States 1, India 1, Italy 1 (17 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology11%
- RNA modifications and cancerBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.9%
- Ubiquitin and proteasome pathwaysBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.9%
- Microbial Natural Products and BiosynthesisMedicine5.4%
- CRISPR and Genetic EngineeringBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.7%
- Glycosylation and Glycoproteins ResearchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.6%
- Protein Degradation and InhibitorsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.5%
- Receptor Mechanisms and SignalingBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.1%
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 | Biochemistry & Molecular 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 | Biochemistry & Molecular 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 | Biochemistry & Molecular 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
Other: ISSN 1552-4469 (online), ISSN 1552-4450 (print)
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
- 15.66LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 15.8Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 16.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 22.8LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 6.03LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.69LetPub ·
- h-index
- 182LetPub ·
- h-index
- 322OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,971OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 10.47OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 1.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 29.08%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 174LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 4,254,246Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 5,504 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 227 | 84 | 356 |
| 2025 | 307 | 118 | 2,535 |
| 2024 | 292 | 123 | 5,759 |
| 2023 | 288 | 126 | 8,528 |
| 2022 | 265 | 118 | 10,293 |
| 2021 | 253 | 120 | 13,166 |
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
306 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 232 days – 388 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 35 days (56 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 345 days
- Sample
- 56 articles with submission and acceptance dates (594 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 12 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- HardLetPub ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
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.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Article types accepted7
- articleArticleOpen Access09 Sept 2026Length not stated
- commentComment19 Aug 2026Length not stated
- news & viewsNews & Views10 Sept 2026Length not stated
- perspectivePerspective31 Aug 2026Length not stated
- research briefingResearch Briefing11 Aug 2026Length not stated
- research highlightResearch Highlight18 Aug 2026Length not stated
- review articleReview Article04 Aug 2026Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websitePeer review, Plagiarism, Preprints
- Peer review 3 – Editorial Process, Peer Review, Appeals & Transfers
Once you have submitted your manuscript, it goes through our editorial process. If your manuscript is sent out for peer review, you will receive an email asking you to read and sign our Editorial Policies. To appeal against a decision, or transfer your submission to another journal – Appeals and Transfers. ____________________________________________________________________________________________…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism
Editorial policies Model summary
Read and understand our policies – Editorial policies
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints
Preprint policy and In Review Model summary
Our preprint policy – Preprint policy and In Review
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
- Springer Nature
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 2005
- ISSN
- 1552-4450
- Electronic ISSN
- 1552-4469
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Nature Chemical Biology
What CAS zone is Nature Chemical Biology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Nature Chemical Biology is in Zone 1 of Biology, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Biochemistry & Molecular 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 Chemical Biology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 15.66; CiteScore 22.8, h-index 322.
How long does peer review take at Nature Chemical Biology?
Based on the dates recorded on 56 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 306 days (interquartile range 232–388 days); authors report an average review time of about 12 months; the community-reported acceptance is “Hard”. 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 Chemical Biology based?
Of the 17 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (10), Germany (3) and United States (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Nature Chemical Biology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Nature Chemical 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 Chemical Biology open access, and what is the APC?
Nature Chemical 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .