Journal profile · Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Pharmaceutical Biology
ISSN 1388-0209 · eISSN 1744-5116 · Taylor and Francis Ltd. · NETHERLANDS · Bimonthly · Founded 1998
Pharmaceutical Biology: CAS Zone 3 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 6.03; JCR Q1 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 3,300; median 103 days to acceptance (90 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 62.5%; 63 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Pharmaceutical Biology is published by Taylor and Francis Ltd. and is in Zone 3 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Phytochemistry and Biological Activities, Essential Oils and Antimicrobial Activity and Natural product bioactivities and synthesis, together about 29.3% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Pharmaceutical Biology publishes peer-reviewed, open access research on natural medicines and drugs, biologically active natural products or their derivatives, and complex traditional medicine formulas. Pharmaceutical Biology aims to deliver high-level research characterized by scientific rigor and the potential to advance the field. Papers may cover any facet of natural product research related to pharmaceutical biology, as well as agents or topics related to natural product drugs (e.g. semi-synthetic derivatives) as well as innovative research in natural products derived drug discovery and development. The journal aims to serve both the academic and industrial communities as well as interested consumers and accepts research on the following topics: Discovery of novel bioactive chemicals from natural sources (including herbal medicines, marine organisms, and microorganisms) Structural modification of bioactive natural products and structure-activity relationship studies Quality control of herbal medicines Pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, toxicity, and clinical studies of natural products and herbal medicines Biosynthesis and biocatalysis of natural products Drug discovery and development related to natural products The journal gives preference to experimental studies that demonstrate clear cause-and-effect relationships and to observational studies that establish robust explanatory or associative links. Descriptive studies may be considered if they offer significant scientific value or serve as a solid foundation for future mechanistic research. Authors should clearly articulate the objectives, methods, results, and interpretation to highlight the scientific significance and novelty of their work. Studies on complex herbal extracts must characterize their chemical composition (e.g. HPLC fingerprinting analysis or quantization of major compounds). This is important for other researchers to repeat the results. Manuscripts that are based solely on network pharmacology or molecular docking analyses will not be considered by the journal. Pharmaceutical Biology accepts the following types of article: research articles, reviews, discussions, article commentaries, rapid communications, data notes, and methods. The journal operates a single-anonymized peer review policy. Read the Instructions for Authors .
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Editor-in-chief Igor KoturbashPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 3%); most named United States 17, Malaysia 2, Thailand 2, Mainland China 1, Hong Kong, China 1 (35 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Phytochemistry and Biological ActivitiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences10.8%
- Essential Oils and Antimicrobial ActivityAgricultural and Biological Sciences9.8%
- Natural product bioactivities and synthesisBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology8.8%
- Ethnobotanical and Medicinal Plants StudiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences7.2%
- Natural Antidiabetic Agents StudiesMedicine6.3%
- Phytochemicals and Antioxidant ActivitiesMedicine5.6%
- Traditional Chinese Medicine AnalysisMedicine4.7%
- Traditional and Medicinal Uses of AnnonaceaeBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology3.9%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Medical Laboratory Technology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Medical Laboratory Technology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Medical Laboratory Technology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q1 · best quartile · 2025
- CiteScore Q1 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINEPubMedEmbaseCASPublisher website
Other: Abstracts on Hygiene and Communicable Diseases, Academic Search Complete, AgBiotech News and Information, AgBiotechNet, Agricultural Economics Database, Agroforestry Abstracts, Animal Breeding Abstracts, Animal Production Database, Animal Science Database, BIOBASE, Biochemistry and Biophysics Citation Index, Biocontrol News and Information, Biological Abstracts, BIOSIS Previews, Biotechnology Abstracts, Botanical Pesticides, Consumer Health Complete, Crop Physiology Abstracts, Crop Science Database, Dairy Science Abstracts, Derwent Drug File, Derwent Chimera, EMBIOLOGY, ETOH, Environmental Science Database, Field Crop Abstracts, Forest Products Abstracts
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
- 6.03LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 6Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 12.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 12.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.12LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 1.12Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.23LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.23Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 53LetPub ·
- h-index
- 115OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 3,682OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 6.63OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 54LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 1,700,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 4,971 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 43 | 43 | 35 |
| 2025 | 63 | 63 | 330 |
| 2024 | 60 | 60 | 736 |
| 2023 | 131 | 131 | 2,185 |
| 2022 | 218 | 218 | 4,171 |
| 2021 | 179 | 179 | 3,945 |
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
103 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 68 days – 151 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 14 days (90 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 117 days
- Sample
- 90 articles with submission and acceptance dates (121 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 1 monthLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 62.5%LetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 6%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 45 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 17 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 6 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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 accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | AUD 4,595 / EUR 3,170 / GBP 2,640 / USD 3,300 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC | |
| OpenAlex | GBP 2,085 | — | — | |
| LetPub | GBP 2,392 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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 prepare1 items from the author guidelines
- Not considered
- network pharmacology; molecular docking
Article types accepted7
- article commentariesPharmaceutical Biology accepts the following types of article: research articles, reviews, discussions, article commentaries, rapid communications, data notes, …Length not stated
- data notesPharmaceutical Biology accepts the following types of article: research articles, reviews, discussions, article commentaries, rapid communications, data notes, …Length not stated
- discussionsPharmaceutical Biology accepts the following types of article: research articles, reviews, discussions, article commentaries, rapid communications, data notes, …Length not stated
- methodsPharmaceutical Biology accepts the following types of article: research articles, reviews, discussions, article commentaries, rapid communications, data notes, …Length not stated
- rapid communicationsPharmaceutical Biology accepts the following types of article: research articles, reviews, discussions, article commentaries, rapid communications, data notes, …Length not stated
- research articlesPharmaceutical Biology accepts the following types of article: research articles, reviews, discussions, article commentaries, rapid communications, data notes, …Length not stated
- reviewsPharmaceutical Biology accepts the following types of article: research articles, reviews, discussions, article commentaries, rapid communications, data notes, …Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Pharmaceutical Biology is an open access journal and only publishes open access articles. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the discoverability and readership of your article Make an impact and reach new readers, not just those …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Single-anonymized peer review policy. Model summary
The journal operates a single-anonymized peer review policy.
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
- Taylor and Francis Ltd.
- Country or region
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1998
- ISSN
- 1388-0209
- Electronic ISSN
- 1744-5116
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 64, Issue 1 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Pharmaceutical Biology
What CAS zone is Pharmaceutical Biology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Pharmaceutical Biology is in Zone 3 of Medicine, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Medical Laboratory Technology / Pharmacology & Pharmacy / Plant Sciences. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Pharmaceutical Biology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 6.03; CiteScore 12.4, h-index 115.
How long does peer review take at Pharmaceutical Biology?
Based on the dates recorded on 90 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 103 days (interquartile range 68–151 days); authors report an average review time of about 1 month; the community-reported acceptance is “about 62.5%”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 6%. 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 JCR quartile is Pharmaceutical Biology in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q1 (best quartile). JCR quartiles are Clarivate's to confirm and a different system from the CAS zones; in the CAS ranking the journal is in Zone 3 of Medicine.
Where are the editorial board members of Pharmaceutical Biology based?
Of the 35 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 3%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (17), Malaysia (2) and Thailand (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Pharmaceutical Biology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Pharmaceutical Biology is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase and CAS; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Pharmaceutical Biology open access, and what is the APC?
Pharmaceutical Biology is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 3,300.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex, DOAJ; 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: .