Journal profile · Immunology and Microbiology-Microbiology
Nature Microbiology
ISSN 2058-5276 · Springer Nature · UNITED STATES · 12 issues per year · Founded 2016
Nature Microbiology: CAS Zone 1 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 18.61; hybrid open access; APC about USD 12,690; median 287 days to acceptance (84 articles, last 24 months); 345 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Nature Microbiology 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 Gut microbiota and health, Bacteriophages and microbial interactions and Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology, together about 30.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Nature Microbiology is an online-only, monthly journal publishing the best research from across the field of microbiology. All editorial decisions are made by a team of full-time professional editors.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Immunology and Microbiology-Microbiology
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
- Gut microbiota and healthBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology11.4%
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactionsEnvironmental Science9.7%
- Microbial Community Ecology and PhysiologyEnvironmental Science9.3%
- Bacterial Genetics and BiotechnologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.6%
- Genomics and Phylogenetic StudiesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7%
- Antibiotic Resistance in BacteriaBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4%
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology3.9%
- Mosquito-borne diseases and controlMedicine3.7%
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 | Microbiology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Microbiology | 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 | Microbiology | 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
- 18.61LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 18.7Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 20.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 28.8LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 7.44LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 3.62LetPub ·
- h-index
- 40LetPub ·
- h-index
- 234OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,856OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 17.31OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 1.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 45.63%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 239LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 6,143,801Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,916 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 270 | 138 | 552 |
| 2025 | 345 | 212 | 5,157 |
| 2024 | 331 | 212 | 10,662 |
| 2023 | 269 | 166 | 12,357 |
| 2022 | 238 | 160 | 18,711 |
| 2021 | 206 | 131 | 18,754 |
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
287 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 229 days – 394 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 42 days (84 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 338 days
- Sample
- 84 articles with submission and acceptance dates (674 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
- 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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websitePublication ethics, Peer review, Preprints
- Publication ethics
Editorial policies Model summary
Read and understand our policies – Editorial policies
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review 3 – Editorial Process, Peer Review, Appeals & Transfers
Double-anonymized peer review requirements Model summary
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 ·- 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
- 12 issues per year
- Founded
- 2016
- ISSN
- 2058-5276
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Nature Microbiology
What CAS zone is Nature Microbiology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Nature Microbiology is in Zone 1 of Biology, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Microbiology; 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 Microbiology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 18.61; CiteScore 28.8, h-index 234.
How long does peer review take at Nature Microbiology?
Based on the dates recorded on 84 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 287 days (interquartile range 229–394 days). 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 Microbiology 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 Microbiology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Nature Microbiology 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 Microbiology open access, and what is the APC?
Nature Microbiology 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: .