Journal profile · Plant Sciences
Plant Cell Reports
ISSN 0721-7714 · eISSN 1432-203X · Springer Berlin Heidelberg · GERMANY · Monthly · Founded 1981
Plant Cell Reports: CAS Zone 2 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 5.27; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,590; median 85 days to acceptance (119 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 33.33%; 289 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Plant Cell Reports is published by Springer Berlin Heidelberg and is in Zone 2 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Plant tissue culture and regeneration, Plant Molecular Biology Research and Transgenic Plants and Applications, together about 42% of its articles. Its main subfields are Plant Science and Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Plant Cell Reports publishes original, peer-reviewed articles on new advances in all aspects of plant cell science, plant genetics and molecular biology. Papers selected for publication contribute significant new advances to clearly identified technological problems and/or biological questions. The articles will prove relevant beyond the narrow topic of interest to a readership with broad scientific background. The coverage includes such topics as - genomics and genetics - metabolism - cell biology - abiotic and biotic stress - phytopathology - gene transfer and expression - molecular pharming - systems biology - nanobiotechnology - genome editing - phenomics and synthetic biology The journal also publishes opinion papers, review and focus articles on the latest developments and new advances in research and technology in plant molecular biology and biotechnology. Founding Editors Klaus Hahlbrock, Oluf L.Gamborg
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Plant Sciences
Editor-in-chief C. Neal StewartPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 16 in mainland China (about 25%); most named United States 17, Mainland China 16, South Korea 5, India 4, Germany 3 (64 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Plant tissue culture and regenerationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology25%
- Plant Molecular Biology ResearchAgricultural and Biological Sciences9%
- Transgenic Plants and ApplicationsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.9%
- Plant Reproductive BiologyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.3%
- Plant Genetic and Mutation StudiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.4%
- Plant Stress Responses and ToleranceAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.4%
- Seed Germination and PhysiologyAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.4%
- Chromosomal and Genetic VariationsAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.1%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Plant Sciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINECASCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, AGRICOLA, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
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
- 5.27LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 5.3Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 6.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 8.8LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.39LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.26LetPub ·
- h-index
- 96LetPub ·
- h-index
- 175OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 5,976OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.21OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 1.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 14.53%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 278LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 1,100,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 7,846 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 298 | 48 | 182 |
| 2025 | 289 | 62 | 1,079 |
| 2024 | 296 | 59 | 3,339 |
| 2023 | 139 | 17 | 2,455 |
| 2022 | 150 | 24 | 2,843 |
| 2021 | 181 | 28 | 8,223 |
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
85 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 57 days – 130 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 13 days (119 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 99 days
- Sample
- 119 articles with submission and acceptance dates (657 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)
- 33.33%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 9 daysPublisher website ·
- 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 4,590 / EUR 3,590 / GBP 2,890 | — | — |
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)
Open calls for papers1, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare8 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 1,500 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Article types accepted4, with length limits
- letters to the editorThe journal publishes the following types of articles: Research Reports specific scientific advances and contribute new insight into clearly identified subjects…Length not stated
- opinionThe journal publishes the following types of articles: Research Reports specific scientific advances and contribute new insight into clearly identified subjects…main text ≤ 1,500 words
- research reportThe journal publishes the following types of articles: Research Reports specific scientific advances and contribute new insight into clearly identified subjects…Length not stated
- reviewThe journal publishes the following types of articles: Research Reports specific scientific advances and contribute new insight into clearly identified subjects…main text ≤ 3,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Author Contribution Statement
Authors must provide a short description of the contributions made by each listed author (please use initials). This will be published in a separate section in front of the Acknowledgments. Example: AM and DB conceived and designed research. AM and BB conducted experiments. GR contributed new reagents or analytical tools. AM and GR analyzed data. AM wrote the manuscript. All authors read and appro…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Availability
This journal encourages authors to provide an optional statement of data availability in their article. Data Availability Statements should include information on where data supporting the results reported in the article can be found, including, where applicable, hyperlinks to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Data availability statements can also indicate whether …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Plant Cell Reports, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
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 Berlin Heidelberg
- Country or region
- GERMANY
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1981
- ISSN
- 0721-7714
- Electronic ISSN
- 1432-203X
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Plant Cell Reports
What CAS zone is Plant Cell Reports in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Plant Cell Reports is in Zone 2 of Biology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Plant Sciences. 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 Plant Cell Reports?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 5.27; CiteScore 8.8, h-index 175.
How long does peer review take at Plant Cell Reports?
Based on the dates recorded on 119 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 85 days (interquartile range 57–130 days); authors report an average review time of about 3 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 33.33%”. 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 are the manuscript requirements of Plant Cell Reports?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 1,500 words; Reference style: Author–date; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: Optional; Graphical abstract: Optional. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Plant Cell Reports based?
Of the 64 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 16 (about 25%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (17), Mainland China (16) and South Korea (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Plant Cell Reports?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Plant Cell Reports is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Plant Cell Reports open access, and what is the APC?
Plant Cell Reports is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,590.
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: .