Journal profile · Microbiology
Protist
ISSN 1434-4610 · eISSN 1618-0941 · Urban und Fischer Verlag Jena · GERMANY · Quarterly · Founded 1998
Protist: CAS Zone 4 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.92; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,230; median 153 days to acceptance (63 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: moderate; 41 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Protist is published by Urban und Fischer Verlag Jena 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 Protist diversity and phylogeny, Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology and Marine and coastal ecosystems, together about 48.5% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Protist is the international forum for reporting substantial and novel findings in any area of research on protists. The criteria for acceptance of manuscripts are scientific excellence, significance, and interest for a broad readership. Suitable subject areas include: molecular, cell and developmental biology, biochemistry, systematics and phylogeny, and ecology of protists. Both autotrophic and heterotrophic protists as well as parasites are covered. The journal publishes original papers, review/mini-review articles and short historical perspectives.Protist was formerly known as Archiv fur Protistenkunde.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Microbiology
Editor-in-chief Christopher HowePublisher website
Editorial board by country: 4 in mainland China (about 16%); most named United Kingdom 9, France 6, Mainland China 4, Germany 2, Sweden 2 (25 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Protist diversity and phylogenyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology25.4%
- Microbial Community Ecology and PhysiologyEnvironmental Science16.3%
- Marine and coastal ecosystemsEarth and Planetary Sciences6.8%
- Genomics and Phylogenetic StudiesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.5%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.6%
- Educational Robotics and EngineeringComputer Science4.2%
- Diatoms and Algae ResearchMaterials Science3.8%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering3.7%
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 | 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 | Microbiology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Microbiology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
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
- 1.92LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 3.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.54LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.72LetPub ·
- h-index
- 68LetPub ·
- h-index
- 99OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 844OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.77OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 36.25%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 33LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,512 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 26 | 13 | 3 |
| 2025 | 41 | 25 | 43 |
| 2024 | 37 | 17 | 138 |
| 2023 | 27 | 12 | 120 |
| 2022 | 44 | 16 | 330 |
| 2021 | 35 | 15 | 273 |
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
153 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 95 days – 228 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 3 days (63 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 158 days
- Sample
- 63 articles with submission and acceptance dates (69 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)
- ModerateLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 17 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 57 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 189 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 5 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single 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 3,230 / EUR 3,020 / GBP 2,590 / JPY 400,620 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,150 | — | — |
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 prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 2,000 words
- Reference style
- Vancouver
Article types accepted6, with length limits
- mini-reviewsMini-Reviews, should be around 1000-2000 words, excluding references.Length not stated
- perspectiveProtist publishes:Article typeRequirementsResearch papersResearch papers report substantial and novel findings in any area of research on protists.ReviewsReview…main text ≤ 2,000 words
- research papersResearch papers report substantial and novel findings in any area of research on protists.Length not stated
- reviewProtist publishes:Article typeRequirementsResearch papersResearch papers report substantial and novel findings in any area of research on protists.ReviewsReview…Length not stated
- reviewsReviews should aim to ‘synthesise’ information - for example to provide new insights into a topic, to propose new ideas, to integrate existing ideas, or to iden…Length not stated
- short historical perspectivesShort Historical Perspectives are welcomed, and should be up to 2,000 words, excluding references.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Publishing ethics policy Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Single anonymized review process Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of one reviewer for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Rea…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing allowed Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
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
- Urban und Fischer Verlag Jena
- Country or region
- GERMANY
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1998
- ISSN
- 1434-4610
- Electronic ISSN
- 1618-0941
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Protist
What CAS zone is Protist in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Protist is in Zone 4 of Biology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category 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 Protist?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.92; CiteScore 3.5, h-index 99.
How long does peer review take at Protist?
Based on the dates recorded on 63 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 153 days (interquartile range 95–228 days); authors report an average review time of 6–12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Moderate”. 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 Protist?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Manuscript length: ≤ 2,000 words; Reference style: Vancouver. 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 Protist based?
Of the 25 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 4 (about 16%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (9), France (6) and Mainland China (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Protist?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Protist is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Protist open access, and what is the APC?
Protist is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,230.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; 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: .