Journal profile · BIOLOGY
Science China-Life Sciences
ISSN 1674-7305 · eISSN 1869-1889 · Science China Press · PEOPLES R CHINA · Monthly · Founded 1997
Science China-Life Sciences: CAS Zone 1 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 9.61; subscription journal; APC about USD 3,790; median 126 days to acceptance (112 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 50%; 364 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Science China-Life Sciences is published by Science China Press and is in Zone 1 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are CRISPR and Genetic Engineering, RNA modifications and cancer and Plant Molecular Biology Research, together about 22.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Science China Life Sciences is an academic journal cosponsored by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and published by Science China Press. It is committed to publishing high-quality, original results in both basic and applied Life Science research. Covers a wide range of topics in the field of Life Sciences, including biology, medicine, and agriculture and ecology. It publishes authoritative reviews, high-quality original research papers, insight, letter to the editor, highlight, and news and views.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): BIOLOGY
Editor-in-chief Xiaofeng CaoPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 117 in mainland China (about 80%); most named Mainland China 117, United States 19, United Kingdom 4, Japan 2, Hong Kong, China 1 (147 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- CRISPR and Genetic EngineeringBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology8.9%
- RNA modifications and cancerBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.8%
- Plant Molecular Biology ResearchAgricultural and Biological Sciences6%
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.4%
- Cancer-related molecular mechanisms researchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.2%
- RNA Research and SplicingBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.1%
- Genomics and Phylogenetic StudiesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.9%
- Epigenetics and DNA MethylationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Biology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Biology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Biology | 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, 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
- 9.61LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 9.6Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 8.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 12.7LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.3LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.69LetPub ·
- h-index
- 43LetPub ·
- h-index
- 109OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,940OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.49OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 13.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 2.46%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 239LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 932,700Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,840 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 308 | 23 | 177 |
| 2025 | 364 | 28 | 1,968 |
| 2024 | 274 | 15 | 3,052 |
| 2023 | 227 | 35 | 4,964 |
| 2022 | 199 | 50 | 5,716 |
| 2021 | 199 | 36 | 5,425 |
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
126 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 85 days – 182 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 86 days (112 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 218 days
- Sample
- 112 articles with submission and acceptance dates (740 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 3.2 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 50%LetPub ·
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
Subscription journalLetPub
A subscription journal: articles are read by subscription or purchase, and authors usually pay no publication charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,790 / EUR 2,890 / GBP 2,490 | — | — |
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Page charges
- Charged; see the journal's website for the amount
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 websitePolicy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Open access
- Authorship
The journal's editorial office levies page charges, separate from Springer Nature's APC or Transformative Agreements; questions should be directed to the editorial office. Model summary
Please note that Science China Life Sciences Editorial office levies page charges for publishing your article. This charge is not handled by Springer Nature. It is different from the Article Processing Charge (APC) or any Transformative Agreements that may be in place from Springer Nature to publish in fully OA.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Science China Life Sciences, 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
- Science China Press
- Country or region
- PEOPLES R CHINA
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1997
- ISSN
- 1674-7305
- Electronic ISSN
- 1869-1889
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 69, Issue 8 (August 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Science China-Life Sciences
What CAS zone is Science China-Life Sciences in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Science China-Life Sciences is in Zone 1 of Biology, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Biology; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Science China-Life Sciences?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 9.61; CiteScore 12.7, h-index 109.
How long does peer review take at Science China-Life Sciences?
Based on the dates recorded on 112 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 126 days (interquartile range 85–182 days); authors report an average review time of about 3.2 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 50%”. 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 Science China-Life Sciences based?
Of the 147 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 117 (about 80%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (117), United States (19) and United Kingdom (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Science China-Life Sciences?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Science China-Life Sciences 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 Science China-Life Sciences open access, and what is the APC?
Science China-Life Sciences is a subscription journal. APC about USD 3,790.
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: .