Journal profile · Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
RNA Biology
ISSN 1547-6286 · eISSN 1555-8584 · Landes Bioscience · UNITED STATES · Quarterly · Founded 2004
RNA Biology: CAS Zone 3 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 4.09; JCR Q2 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 3,650; review about 46 days (first decision after review, publisher); acceptance rate 30% (journal website); 84 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
RNA Biology is published by Landes Bioscience and is in Zone 3 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are RNA and protein synthesis mechanisms, RNA Research and Splicing and RNA modifications and cancer, together about 52.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
RNA Biology is an open access international peer-reviewed journal for RNA research including structural biology, genome, transcription, and splicing research. RNA has played a central role in all cellular processes since the beginning of life: decoding the genome, regulating gene expression, structural biology, mediating molecular interactions, and catalyzing chemical reactions. Recently there has been increased interest in leveraging RNA as a biomarker, therapeutic target, and modality. The journal considers submissions focussing on the biology of RNA and its role in life, disease, and therapy. This includes everything from transcription to translation, as well as its regulation and localization. The journal will broadly consider submissions related to the biology, biochemistry, structure, and function of RNA, including in translational and applied contexts. RNA Biology, as a leading journal in the field, provides a platform for presenting and discussing all cutting-edge RNA research. The journal accepts the following types of article: Research Article, Review Article, Letter to the Editor, Editorial, Data note, Method, Rapid Communication, Commentary. If you would like to submit a Meeting Report, Letters to the Editors, or Commentaries please contact the Editor first. Manuscripts that primarily re-analyse previously published data must receive pre-approval from the Editor-in-Chief prior to submission. with a brief description of the proposed re-analysis, the original data source(s), and the novel insights their approach aims to provide. RNA Biology offers a variety of formats for paper submission, including original research articles, short reports, reviews and commentaries. The journal only publishes manuscripts in English. Open Access means you can publish your research so it is free to access online as soon as it is published, meaning anyone can read (and cite) your work. Please see our guide to Open Access for more information. Many funders mandate publishing your research open access; you can check open access funder policies and mandates here. The standard article publishing charge (APC) for this journal is $3,650 / £2,920 / €3,505 / AUD 5,085 plus VAT, or other local taxes where applicable in your country. There is no submission charge. Find out more about article publishing charges and funding options. RNA Biology operates a single anonymized peer review policy. Read the Instructions for Authors . Please note, from 2022 the Print ISSN is not in a
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Editor-in-chief Alain LaederachPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 40%); most named Mainland China 2, United States 1, Belgium 1, Austria 1 (5 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology17.7%
- RNA Research and SplicingBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology17.5%
- RNA modifications and cancerBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology17.1%
- Cancer-related molecular mechanisms researchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.9%
- MicroRNA in disease regulationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.3%
- CRISPR and Genetic EngineeringBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology3.7%
- Circular RNAs in diseasesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology3.4%
- RNA regulation and diseaseBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology3.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Zone 3 |
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 |
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 | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q2 · best quartile · 2025
- CiteScore Q2 · 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
Web of ScienceMEDLINEPMCEmbaseCASPublisher website
Other: Adis International Ltd. - Reactions Weekly (Online), EBSCOhost - Biological Abstracts (Online)
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
- 4.09LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.1Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 6.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.5LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 1.5Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.82LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.82Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 65LetPub ·
- h-index
- 139OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,053OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.56OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 89LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 1,000,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,711 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 70 | 70 | 25 |
| 2025 | 84 | 84 | 306 |
| 2024 | 94 | 94 | 800 |
| 2023 | 94 | 94 | 1,320 |
| 2022 | 94 | 94 | 1,711 |
| 2021 | 180 | 180 | 4,136 |
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
Too few articlesOnly 4 articles from the last 24 months carry both submission and acceptance dates, too few for a median
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".
Figures by source
- Average review time (community reports)
- 4–8 weeksLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 30%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 10 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 46 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 12 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 12 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Single 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 | USD 3,650 / GBP 2,920 / EUR 3,505 / AUD 5,085 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC | |
| OpenAlex | USD 3,175 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,650 / GBP 2,920 / EUR 3,505 / AUD 5,085 | — | — |
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)
Article types accepted8
- commentaryThe journal accepts the following types of article: Research Article, Review Article, Letter to the Editor, Editorial, Data note, Method, Rapid Communication, C…Length not stated
- data noteThe journal accepts the following types of article: Research Article, Review Article, Letter to the Editor, Editorial, Data note, Method, Rapid Communication, C…Length not stated
- editorialThe journal accepts the following types of article: Research Article, Review Article, Letter to the Editor, Editorial, Data note, Method, Rapid Communication, C…Length not stated
- letter to the editorThe journal accepts the following types of article: Research Article, Review Article, Letter to the Editor, Editorial, Data note, Method, Rapid Communication, C…Length not stated
- methodThe journal accepts the following types of article: Research Article, Review Article, Letter to the Editor, Editorial, Data note, Method, Rapid Communication, C…Length not stated
- rapid communicationThe journal accepts the following types of article: Research Article, Review Article, Letter to the Editor, Editorial, Data note, Method, Rapid Communication, C…Length not stated
- research articleThe journal accepts the following types of article: Research Article, Review Article, Letter to the Editor, Editorial, Data note, Method, Rapid Communication, C…Length not stated
- review articleThe journal accepts the following types of article: Research Article, Review Article, Letter to the Editor, Editorial, Data note, Method, Rapid Communication, C…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
only publishes manuscripts in English Model summary
RNA 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 with easy a…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
single anonymized peer review policy Model summary
RNA Biology 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
- Landes Bioscience
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 2004
- ISSN
- 1547-6286
- Electronic ISSN
- 1555-8584
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 23, Issue 1 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗DOAJ
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗DOAJ
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about RNA Biology
What CAS zone is RNA Biology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, RNA Biology is in Zone 3 of Biology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. 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 RNA Biology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.09; CiteScore 6.9, h-index 139.
How long does peer review take at RNA Biology?
The publisher reports about 46 days (first decision after review); authors report an average review time of 4–8 weeks; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 30%. 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 RNA Biology in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q2 (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 Biology.
Where are the editorial board members of RNA Biology based?
Of the 5 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 40%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (2), United States (1) and Belgium (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index RNA Biology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, RNA Biology is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, MEDLINE, PMC, Embase and CAS; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is RNA Biology open access, and what is the APC?
RNA Biology is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 3,650.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .