Journal profile · Immunology and Microbiology-Microbiology
The Microbe
ISSN 2950-1946 · Elsevier · United Kingdom
The Microbe: impact factor 3.9 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 1,095; review about 146 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 421 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
The Microbe is published by Elsevier. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria, Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensing and Probiotics and Fermented Foods, together about 24.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Food Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Microbe is an open access, peer-reviewed international journal that welcomes research on all aspects of microbiology. We consider quantitative and qualitative research articles and review articles, including negative findings, regional studies and multidisciplinary work. We believe that all scientifically accurate research is valuable and should be accessible to every researcher.The Microbe follows a rigorous peer-review process and adheres to the highest ethical scientific publishing principles. We invite submissions on prokaryotes and eukaryote microorganisms, as well as viruses. The topics covered by The Microbe include, but are not limited to:Host-microbe and microbial interactionsEnvironmental microbiology and ecologyMicrobial genetics and genomicsCellular microbiologyApplied microbiology & biotechnologyMicrobial physiology and metabolismAntimicrobial compoundsMedical/clinical microbiologyVirologyParasitologyFood microbiologyBiofilms and microbial communitiesMicrobial systems biologyComputational studies/bioinformaticsDrug and antibiotic resistanceEpidemiologyFungal and antifungal researchPolicy papers relevant to microbiology field
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Immunology and Microbiology-Microbiology
Editor-in-chief Lachlan BeckinghamPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 9 in mainland China (about 12%); most named United States 16, India 10, Mainland China 9, Spain 6, Canada 3 (78 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Antibiotic Resistance in BacteriaBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology8.7%
- Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensingBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology8.3%
- Probiotics and Fermented FoodsAgricultural and Biological Sciences7.8%
- Gut microbiota and healthBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.6%
- Essential Oils and Antimicrobial ActivityAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.4%
- Plant-Microbe Interactions and ImmunityAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.6%
- Salmonella and Campylobacter epidemiologyAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.1%
- Aquaculture disease management and microbiotaImmunology and Microbiology4%
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)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
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)
- 3.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 2.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.72LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.95LetPub ·
- h-index
- 30OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 124OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.5OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 407LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 798 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 149 | 149 | 114 |
| 2025 | 421 | 421 | 2,139 |
| 2024 | 198 | 198 | 1,970 |
| 2023 | 30 | 30 | 243 |
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
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
146 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports about 12 weeks
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 8 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 69 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 146 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 21 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 1,095 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 2,150 / EUR 2,010 / GBP 1,720 / JPY 266,660 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 2,100 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 2,500 | — | — |
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 prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 350 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- Vancouver
- Highlights
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Article types accepted11
- case reportThe Journal publishes Research articles, Review articles, Short Communications, Commentaries and Case Reports.Research Papers are not limited in size. However, …Length not stated
- case reportsThe Journal publishes Research articles, Review articles, Short Communications, Commentaries and Case Reports.Length not stated
- commentariesThe Journal publishes Research articles, Review articles, Short Communications, Commentaries and Case Reports.Length not stated
- commentaryThe Journal publishes Research articles, Review articles, Short Communications, Commentaries and Case Reports.Research Papers are not limited in size. However, …Length not stated
- research articleThe Journal publishes Research articles, Review articles, Short Communications, Commentaries and Case Reports.Research Papers are not limited in size. However, …Length not stated
- research articlesThe Journal publishes Research articles, Review articles, Short Communications, Commentaries and Case Reports.Length not stated
- research paperThe Journal publishes Research articles, Review articles, Short Communications, Commentaries and Case Reports.Research Papers are not limited in size. However, …Length not stated
- review articleThe Journal publishes Research articles, Review articles, Short Communications, Commentaries and Case Reports.Research Papers are not limited in size. However, …Length not stated
- review articlesThe Journal publishes Research articles, Review articles, Short Communications, Commentaries and Case Reports.Length not stated
- short communicationThe Journal publishes Research articles, Review articles, Short Communications, Commentaries and Case Reports.Research Papers are not limited in size. However, …Length not stated
- short communicationsThe Journal publishes Research articles, Review articles, Short Communications, Commentaries and Case Reports.Length not stated
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
Single anonymized review process Model summary
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 sharing allowed; not prior publication Model summary
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. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
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 Kingdom
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2950-1946
- 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 The Microbe
What is the impact factor of The Microbe?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 3.9; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 2.4, h-index 30.
How long does peer review take at The Microbe?
The publisher reports about 146 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of about 12 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.
What are the manuscript requirements of The Microbe?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 350 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: Vancouver; Highlights: Optional; Graphical abstract: Optional. 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 The Microbe based?
Of the 78 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 9 (about 12%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (16), India (10) and Mainland China (9). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index The Microbe?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, The Microbe is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is The Microbe open access, and what is the APC?
The Microbe is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 1,095.
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: .