Journal profile · Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
PROTEIN ENGINEERING DESIGN & SELECTION
ISSN 1741-0126 · eISSN 1741-0134 · Oxford University Press · ENGLAND · Monthly · Founded 2004
PROTEIN ENGINEERING DESIGN & SELECTION: CAS Zone 4 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.49; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,656; median 143 days to acceptance (43 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 21 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
PROTEIN ENGINEERING DESIGN & SELECTION is published by Oxford University Press and is in Zone 4 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Protein Structure and Dynamics, Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies Research and Enzyme Structure and Function, together about 36.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Protein Engineering, Design and Selection (PEDS) publishes high-quality research papers and review articles that are relevant to the engineering, design and selection of proteins with novel or improved properties for practical applications, or aimed at understanding the fundamental links between protein sequence, structure, dynamics, function, and evolution. Author guidelines PEDS has always had a community focus, led by the needs of authors and readers to provide the best possible venue for publishing cutting-edge research. All submissions are handled by one of the four experienced Associate Editors on the Editorial Board. PEDS prioritizes speed of publication and all papers are published into a single annual volume which is continuously filled throughout the year. Our extensive Editorial Advisory Board ensures that a diverse range of individuals and subject areas are invested in guiding the evolution of the journal. We’re always open to suggestions from the community. To contribute your ideas, contact the journal at: peds.editorialoffice@oup.com
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Editor-in-chief Robert E. CampbellPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 14, United Kingdom 4, Canada 4, Germany 3, Japan 2 (37 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Protein Structure and DynamicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology13.6%
- Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies ResearchMedicine12%
- Enzyme Structure and FunctionMaterials Science11.4%
- Glycosylation and Glycoproteins ResearchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.6%
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.2%
- Protein purification and stabilityBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5%
- Enzyme Production and CharacterizationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.2%
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactionsEnvironmental Science3.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINEEmbaseCASCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: ProQuest
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
- 3.49LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 5.4Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 5.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.98LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.7LetPub ·
- h-index
- 100LetPub ·
- h-index
- 159OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,783OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.05OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 21.15%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 15LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 184,971Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,794 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 21 | 14 | 5 |
| 2025 | 21 | 11 | 38 |
| 2024 | 18 | 14 | 140 |
| 2023 | 22 | 13 | 175 |
| 2022 | 19 | 13 | 301 |
| 2021 | 34 | 19 | 593 |
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 PubMed · to
143 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 92 days – 187 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 25 days (3 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 173 days
- Sample
- 43 articles with submission and acceptance dates (44 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)
- 6–12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to final decision 2025
- 2 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 4,656 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | No APC | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Colour charges
- No colour charges
- Page charges
- No page charges
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 prepare8 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 150 words
- Keywords
- ≤ 5
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 4,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Required, 3
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Article types accepted11, with length limits
- opinionThe Journal publishes the following article types, described below. While word, reference, and table/figure counts are suggested, the Journal is happy to review…Length not stated
- original articleThe Journal publishes the following article types, described below. While word, reference, and table/figure counts are suggested, the Journal is happy to review…figures and tables ≤ 6 · references ≤ 250
- original articlesOriginal articles Suggested maximum word count: 4,000 (not including abstract, methods, references, and figure legends) Abstract—suggested maximum word count: 2…Length not stated
- original research articleThe Journal publishes the following article types, described below. While word, reference, and table/figure counts are suggested, the Journal is happy to review…Length not stated
- perspectiveThe Journal publishes the following article types, described below. While word, reference, and table/figure counts are suggested, the Journal is happy to review…figures and tables ≤ 4 · references ≤ 250
- protocolThe Journal publishes the following article types, described below. While word, reference, and table/figure counts are suggested, the Journal is happy to review…Length not stated
- reviewThe Journal publishes the following article types, described below. While word, reference, and table/figure counts are suggested, the Journal is happy to review…figures and tables ≤ 4 · references ≤ 250
- reviewsReviews Suggested maximum word count: 4,000 (not including abstract, references, and figure legends) Abstract—suggested maximum word count: 250 References—suggeLength not stated
- short communicationThe Journal publishes the following article types, described below. While word, reference, and table/figure counts are suggested, the Journal is happy to review…figures and tables ≤ 4 · references ≤ 250
- short communicationsShort communications Suggested maximum word count: 2,500 (not including abstract, references, and figure legends) Abstract—suggested maximum word count: 250 Ref…Length not stated
- viewpointThe Journal publishes the following article types, described below. While word, reference, and table/figure counts are suggested, the Journal is happy to review…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, Open access, Peer review, Preprints, Self-archiving
- Authorship Authorship
Authorship is limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the design and execution of the work described. Any contributors whose participation does not meet the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged but not listed as an author. For a detailed definition of authorship, please see the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) definitions of authors and cont…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest
Authors The Journal requires all authors to disclose any potential conflict of interest at the point of submission. It is the responsibility of the corresponding author to ensure that conflicts of interest of all authors are declared to the Journal. A conflict of interest exists when the position, activities, or relationships of an individual, whether direct or indirect, financial or non-financial…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Availability of data and materials
The Journal requires all authors, where ethically possible, to publicly release all data and software code underlying any published paper as a condition of publication. Authors are required to include a data availability statement in their paper. When data and software underlying the research article are available in an online source, authors should include a full citation in their reference list.…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Screening for misconduct
Manuscripts may be screened using iThenticate to help detect publication misconduct including plagiarism and redundant publication. Manuscripts may also be screened, including with services provided by third parties, to help detect integrity issues such as inappropriate image alteration and papermill activity.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access charges
Please see the details of open access licences and charges. If you select an open access licence, you must pay the open access charge or request to use an institutional agreement to pay the open access charge through our licencing and payment portal, SciPris. Please note that prices are subject to change. All stated charges are exclusive of any applicable value added tax, goods and services tax an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review process
Double-anonymized peer review Model summary
The Journal conducts double-anonymized peer review, meaning that the identities of the authors are hidden from reviewers, and the reviewers’ identities are hidden from the authors. The editors know the identity of both the reviewers and the authors. During peer review, reviewers communicate directly with the editors but not the authors or other reviewers. Once a submitted manuscript passes initial…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
As an author, you retain the right to make an Author’s Original Version (preprint) available through various channels and this does not prevent submission to the Journal. If accepted, you are required to update the status of any preprint, including adding your published paper’s DOI. For full details on allowed channels and updating your preprint, please see our Author self-archiving policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Self-archiving Self-archiving
Self-archiving refers to posting a copy of your work on a publicly accessible website or repository. Under certain circumstances, you may self-archive versions of your work on your own webpages, on institutional webpages, and in other repositories. For information about the Journal's policy, and to learn which version(s) of your paper are acceptable for self-archiving, please see our Author self-a…
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
- Oxford University Press
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 2004
- ISSN
- 1741-0126
- Electronic ISSN
- 1741-0134
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about PROTEIN ENGINEERING DESIGN & SELECTION
What CAS zone is PROTEIN ENGINEERING DESIGN & SELECTION in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, PROTEIN ENGINEERING DESIGN & SELECTION is in Zone 4 of Biology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Biochemistry & Molecular Biology / Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of PROTEIN ENGINEERING DESIGN & SELECTION?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.49; CiteScore 5.4, h-index 159.
How long does peer review take at PROTEIN ENGINEERING DESIGN & SELECTION?
Based on the dates recorded on 43 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 143 days (interquartile range 92–187 days); authors report an average review time of 6–12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly easy”. 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 PROTEIN ENGINEERING DESIGN & SELECTION?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 150 words; Keywords: ≤ 5; Manuscript length: ≤ 4,000 words; Reference style: Author–date; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Required, 3; Highlights: Required; 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 PROTEIN ENGINEERING DESIGN & SELECTION based?
Of the 37 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (14), United Kingdom (4) and Canada (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index PROTEIN ENGINEERING DESIGN & SELECTION?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, PROTEIN ENGINEERING DESIGN & SELECTION is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, Embase, CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is PROTEIN ENGINEERING DESIGN & SELECTION open access, and what is the APC?
PROTEIN ENGINEERING DESIGN & SELECTION is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,656.
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: .