Journal profile · Developmental Biology
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
ISSN 1084-9521 · eISSN 1096-3634 · Elsevier Ltd · ENGLAND · Bimonthly · Founded 1996
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY: CAS Zone 2 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 6.57; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,670; median 136 days to acceptance (93 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 20%; 68 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY is published by Elsevier Ltd and is in Zone 2 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Developmental Biology and Gene Regulation, Diverse Scientific and Economic Studies and Human auditory perception and evaluation, together about 19.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology and Cell Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology is a review journal dedicated to keeping scientists informed of developments in the field of molecular cell and developmental biology. Each issue is thematic, devoted to an important topic of interest to cell and developmental biologists, focusing on the latest advances and their specific implications. Every issue is edited by a guest editor, an internationally acknowledged expert in the field, and contains authoritative invited reviews on different aspects of the subject area. We aim to provide a coordinated, readable, and lively review of a selected area, published rapidly to ensure currency.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Developmental Biology
Editor-in-chief Yanlan MaoPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 3 in mainland China (about 15%); most named United Kingdom 5, Australia 4, Mainland China 3, United States 2, Japan 1 (20 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Developmental Biology and Gene RegulationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.8%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance6.6%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering6.5%
- Educational Robotics and EngineeringComputer Science6.4%
- RNA Research and SplicingBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.7%
- Microtubule and mitosis dynamicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.5%
- Cellular Mechanics and InteractionsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.2%
- Cellular transport and secretionBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.9%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Developmental Biology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: yes
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Developmental 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 | Cell Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Developmental Biology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: yes
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
- 6.57LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 6.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 16.6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 16.6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.71LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.92LetPub ·
- h-index
- 128LetPub ·
- h-index
- 211OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 3,192OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.63OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 1.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 38.58%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 63LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 4,156 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 30 | 17 | 8 |
| 2025 | 68 | 51 | 302 |
| 2024 | 36 | 23 | 311 |
| 2023 | 146 | 68 | 2,223 |
| 2022 | 249 | 136 | 5,977 |
| 2021 | 258 | 142 | 8,473 |
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
136 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 88 days – 174 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 15 days (93 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 159 days
- Sample
- 93 articles with submission and acceptance dates (108 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 2 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 20%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 7 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 55 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 146 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 11 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 4,670 / EUR 4,370 / GBP 3,740 / JPY 579,220 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 4,540 | — | — |
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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, 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 ·- 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
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 two reviewers 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.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
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.
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
- Elsevier Ltd
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1996
- ISSN
- 1084-9521
- Electronic ISSN
- 1096-3634
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
What CAS zone is SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY is in Zone 2 of Biology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Cell Biology / Developmental Biology; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 6.57; CiteScore 16.6, h-index 211.
How long does peer review take at SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY?
Based on the dates recorded on 93 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 136 days (interquartile range 88–174 days); authors report an average review time of about 2 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 20%”. 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 SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY based?
Of the 20 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 3 (about 15%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (5), Australia (4) and Mainland China (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY open access, and what is the APC?
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,670.
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: .