Journal profile · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology-General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
STAR Protocols
ISSN 2666-1667 · Elsevier · United States
STAR Protocols: CAS Zone 4 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.4 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 1,920; median 103 days to acceptance (129 articles, last 24 months); 756 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
STAR Protocols is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 4 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, CRISPR and Genetic Engineering and Pluripotent Stem Cells Research, together about 25.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
STAR (Structured Transparent Accessible Reproducible) Protocols is an open access peer-reviewed journal from Cell Press publishing innovative step-by-step experimental and computational protocols from all areas of life, health, earth, and physical sciences. The primary criteria for publication in STAR Protocols are usability and reproducibility. We will also consider submissions for validating reagents or adapting existing protocols to new applications, as well as technical guides for experimental design. STAR Protocols aims to make the daily work of scientific researchers easier by providing complete, authoritative, and consistent instructions and guidance on how to conduct experiments. STAR Protocols gives scientists the space they need to explain what worked and, perhaps more importantly, what didn't. We are committed to open science and scientific reproducibility. To promote these goals, we offer the following to our authors, reviewers, and readers:Our user-tested author protocol template makes the writing process simple for authors and produces a clear and consistent manuscript for readers.The STAR Protocols advisory board is composed of core and platform facility scientists and staff who have deep technical expertise in their field. Open code and data deposition policies to ensure readers have the resources needed to execute the protocol. If you have feedback, feel free to reach out to us at starprotocols@cell.com or register to join our STAR Protocols community.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology-General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Single-cell and spatial transcriptomicsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology10.5%
- CRISPR and Genetic EngineeringBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology8.9%
- Pluripotent Stem Cells ResearchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.3%
- RNA Research and SplicingBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.5%
- RNA and protein synthesis mechanismsBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.9%
- Cell Image Analysis TechniquesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.6%
- Cancer Cells and MetastasisMedicine4.6%
- 3D Printing in Biomedical ResearchEngineering4.6%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biochemical Research Methods | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Biochemical Research Methods | Zone 4 |
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
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)
- 1.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 2.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.85LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.45LetPub ·
- h-index
- 50OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 914OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.72OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 99.91%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 733LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2,023Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 4,729 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 526 | 526 | 106 |
| 2025 | 756 | 756 | 1,017 |
| 2024 | 712 | 712 | 2,298 |
| 2023 | 810 | 810 | 4,355 |
| 2022 | 880 | 880 | 6,932 |
| 2021 | 800 | 800 | 9,543 |
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
103 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 82 days – 131 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 18 days (129 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 124 days
- Sample
- 129 articles with submission and acceptance dates (1,527 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
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 95 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 17 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 1,920 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 1,550 / EUR 1,440 / GBP 1,240 / JPY 192,250 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 1,500 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 1,920 | — | — |
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
- Open access Open Access
Article Publishing Charge (APC): USD 1,920 (excluding taxes).
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
- Country or region
- United States
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2666-1667
- 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 STAR Protocols
What CAS zone is STAR Protocols in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, STAR Protocols is in Zone 4 of Biology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Biochemical Research Methods. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Biology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of STAR Protocols?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 1.4; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 2.5, h-index 50.
How long does peer review take at STAR Protocols?
Based on the dates recorded on 129 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 103 days (interquartile range 82–131 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.
Which databases index STAR Protocols?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, STAR Protocols is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is STAR Protocols open access, and what is the APC?
STAR Protocols is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 1,920.
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: .