Journal profile · Multiple
RSC Chemical Biology
ISSN 2633-0679 · The Royal Society of Chemistry · United Kingdom
RSC Chemical Biology: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.9 (journal website); fully open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 87 days to acceptance (109 articles, last 24 months); 217 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
RSC Chemical Biology is published by The Royal Society of Chemistry and is in Zone 4 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Click Chemistry and Applications, Chemical Synthesis and Analysis and Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques, together about 22.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
We welcome contributions from across the breadth of the chemical biology field. This includes research on the development of new chemical and biological techniques and tools that comprise but are not limited to: Analytical methods (including sensing, imaging, spectroscopy, omics)Bioorthogonal chemistryBiosynthesis, biomimetics and bioengineeringChemical synthesis and synthetic biologyDirected evolutionDrugs and small molecules (including prodrugs)GlycoscienceLipidsNatural productsNucleic acids (including DNA, RNA, mRNA and siRNA, modifications and gene delivery)PeptidesPhenotypic screeningProteins (including protein-protein interactions, modifications, structure and function) We are particularly interested in reports on the application of chemical tools to probe, explore and visualise biological systems and processes to provide insights into molecular mechanisms in health and disease. These include but are not limited to: biochemistry, metabolism, and physiologycancer biologyimmunology and immunomodulationneuromodulationtranscription/gene regulationmechanism of disease and therapeuticssignalling pathwaysvirology and microbiologynatural product biosynthesissystems biologyWe also encourage translational research that bridges chemistry and chemical biology to medicine. Computational studies must significantly advance chemical biology. Studies using established methods should present original predictions, validated by new experimental data. Novel computational methodologies must demonstrate relevance through direct comparison with experimental results. Studies lacking clear experimental connections or practical utility that meaningfully advances the field are unsuitable for RSC Chemical Biology.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Hiroaki SugaPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 25%); most named Mainland China 1, India 1, Spain 1, Australia 1 (4 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Click Chemistry and ApplicationsChemistry8.7%
- Chemical Synthesis and AnalysisBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.2%
- Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniquesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.1%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance6.9%
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.6%
- DNA and Nucleic Acid ChemistryBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.5%
- Glycosylation and Glycoproteins ResearchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.1%
- Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies ResearchMedicine4.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Chemistry, Multidisciplinary | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biochemistry & Molecular Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Chemistry, Multidisciplinary | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePubMedPublisher website
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 (publisher) 2025
- 3.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.1LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.12LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.84LetPub ·
- h-index
- 44OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 272OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.64OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 2.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 168LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,099 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 185 | 185 | 69 |
| 2025 | 217 | 217 | 553 |
| 2024 | 158 | 158 | 854 |
| 2023 | 143 | 143 | 1,465 |
| 2022 | 157 | 157 | 1,535 |
| 2021 | 164 | 164 | 4,030 |
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
87 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 63 days – 113 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 4 days (109 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 95 days
- Sample
- 109 articles with submission and acceptance dates (359 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 10 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 24 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 10 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Open 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 | GBP 2,100 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC | |
| OpenAlex | GBP 1,600 | — | — | |
| LetPub | GBP 2,000 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | GBP 2,200 | — | — |
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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Publish open access
Choosing to publish open access is easy and straightforward – and it is possible in every Royal Society of Chemistry journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review model
Single-anonymised: reviewers are anonymous and author names and affiliations are known to reviewers. Double-anonymised: both the authors’ and reviewers’ identities are anonymous (opt in at submission). Transparent: the editor’s decision letter, reviewers’ comments, and authors’ response for all versions of the manuscript are published alongside the article (opt in at any point prior to acceptance)…
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
- The Royal Society of Chemistry
- Country or region
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2633-0679
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- 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 RSC Chemical Biology
What CAS zone is RSC Chemical Biology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, RSC Chemical Biology is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Biochemistry & Molecular Biology / Chemistry, Multidisciplinary. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of RSC Chemical Biology?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 3.9 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 6.1, h-index 44.
How long does peer review take at RSC Chemical Biology?
Based on the dates recorded on 109 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 87 days (interquartile range 63–113 days); authors report an average review time of about 10 weeks. 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.
Where are the editorial board members of RSC Chemical Biology based?
Of the 4 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 25%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (1), India (1) and Spain (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index RSC Chemical Biology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, RSC Chemical Biology is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science and PubMed; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is RSC Chemical Biology open access, and what is the APC?
RSC Chemical Biology is a fully open-access journal. APC charged, amount not published.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website, 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: .