Journal profile · CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY
Smart Molecules
ISSN 2751-4587 · eISSN 2751-4595
Smart Molecules: CAS Zone 1 · Chemistry (2026 Xinrui edition); impact factor 16.8 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 3,200; median 72 days to acceptance (84 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 83% (journal website); 46 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Smart Molecules is classed under Chemistry in the CAS Journal Ranking. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Nanoplatforms for cancer theranostics, Luminescence and Fluorescent Materials and Molecular Sensors and Ion Detection, together about 34.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Materials Chemistry. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Aims Smart Molecules aims to publish experimental and theoretical approaches dealing with molecules based functional systems that show response to external stimuli, such as light, heat, electric field, magnetic field, sound, guest molecules, et al. It will focus on the intelligent design of molecular based systems. Scope The scope of Smart Molecules is intentionally broad to encompass the multidisciplinary research of chemistry, physics, materials, engineering, biology, medical, life and health science. It will include but not limited to the following topics: external stimuli induced cis-trans, open-close ring structural transformation, electric configuration interconversion, such as spin transition, and electron transfer detecting, sensing, self-healing functions of molecules based functional systems molecular devices and machine micro and nano-systems key core materials mechanistic study molecular design work function tuning smart manufacturing, etc. ReadershipOur readership includes chemists, physicists, materials scientists, nanotechnologists, engineers, biologists, medical researchers, and optoelectronic, environmental and analytical scientists from academia and industry as well as policy makers. Indexing Information CAS: Chemical Abstracts Service (ACS) Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) Emerging Sources Citation Index (Clarivate Analytics) PubMed (NLM) Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics) Smart Molecules deposits all articles in PMC (PubMed Central)
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY
Editor-in-chief Xiaojun PengPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 29 in mainland China (about 43%); most named Mainland China 29, United States 7, Japan 7, South Korea 5, Singapore 4 (68 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Nanoplatforms for cancer theranosticsEngineering13.3%
- Luminescence and Fluorescent MaterialsMaterials Science13%
- Molecular Sensors and Ion DetectionChemistry8.4%
- Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniquesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.1%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5.1%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering5.1%
- Educational Robotics and EngineeringComputer Science5.1%
- Metal-Organic Frameworks: Synthesis and ApplicationsChemistry3.6%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Chemistry Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Chemistry | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Chemistry, Multidisciplinary | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePubMedCASPublisher 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)
- 16.8Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 16.8Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 30OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 82OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 8.89OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 47LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 32Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 96,675Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 233 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 82 | 82 | 61 |
| 2025 | 46 | 46 | 296 |
| 2024 | 73 | 73 | 1,429 |
| 2023 | 32 | 32 | 899 |
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
72 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 51 days – 110 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 30 days (84 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 105 days
- Sample
- 84 articles with submission and acceptance dates (141 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
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 83%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 83%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 39 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 39 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 86 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 26 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 | EUR 2,775 / GBP 2,354 / USD 3,200 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | USD 0 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare7 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 260 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Templates
- LaTeX and Word
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Required
Article types accepted1
- editorialQuick Navigation Policies and Procedures Professional Conduct and Publication Ethics Authors Reviewers Editors Data Security Special Issues Peer Review Policy A…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- Authorship Authorship
The list of authors should accurately indicate who contributed to the work. All those listed as authors should qualify for authorship according to the following criteria: Have made substantial contributions to conception and design, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; Been involved in drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for important intellectual content; …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Conflict of Interest
All authors must declare financial/commercial conflicts of interest. If the authors have no conflicts of interest, this should be stated. Where a manuscript is submitted by an Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editor, or Editorial Board Member of the journal, this must be clearly disclosed as a conflict of interest. The author(s) should identify the editorial role of the relevant individual in both the s…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Sharing/Repositories
Wiley is committed to a more open research landscape, facilitating faster and more effective research discovery by enabling reproducibility and verification of data, methodology and reporting standards. We encourage authors of published articles to share their research data including, but not limited to: raw data, processed data, software, algorithms, protocols, methods, and materials. We expect t…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Professional Conduct and Publication Ethics
The journal requires that you include in the manuscript details IRB approvals, ethical treatment of human and animal research participants, and gathering of informed consent, as appropriate. You will be expected to declare all conflicts of interest, or none, on submission. Please review Wiley’s guidelines surrounding human studies, animal studies, clinical trial registration, biosecurity, and rese…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright Permissions
Quick Navigation Figure Reproduction, Adaption, and Redrawing Seeking Permission to Reproduce Figures and Images Subscription Journals Open Access Re-Using Figures from Non-Journal Sources General Public Domain and CC0 Stock Photos Trademarks and Logos Classical Art Currency Don’t Use Material Without Permission Further Information Copyright is a complex subject and causes concern for many because…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access
A general exception to this rule is open access journals and articles, which have different agreements governing re-use of material. If you wish to reproduce materials from an open access title, you should check the journal homepage for more information on their re-use policies.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review Policy
The acceptance criteria for all papers are the quality and originality of the research and its significance to our readership. Except where otherwise stated, manuscripts are single-blind peer reviewed. Papers will only be sent to review if the Editor-in-Chief determines that the paper meets the appropriate quality and relevance requirements. Wiley's policy on confidentiality of the review process …
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
- ISSN
- 2751-4587
- Electronic ISSN
- 2751-4595
- Society / sponsor
- Dalian University of Technology
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 4, Issue 2 (June 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- 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 Smart Molecules
What CAS zone is Smart Molecules in?
In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Chemistry. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Smart Molecules?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 16.8 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; h-index 30.
How long does peer review take at Smart Molecules?
Based on the dates recorded on 84 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 72 days (interquartile range 51–110 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 83% (2025). 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 Smart Molecules?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 260 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; Templates: LaTeX and Word; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Graphical abstract: Required. 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 Smart Molecules based?
Of the 68 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 29 (about 43%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (29), United States (7) and Japan (7). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Smart Molecules?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Smart Molecules is indexed in ESCI and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, PubMed and CAS; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Smart Molecules open access, and what is the APC?
Smart Molecules is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 3,200.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .