Journal profile · Virology
Virus Research
ISSN 0168-1702 · eISSN 1872-7492 · Elsevier · NETHERLANDS · Monthly
Virus Research: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.4; fully open access; APC about USD 3,010; median 78 days to acceptance (102 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 144 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Virus Research is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 4 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Plant Virus Research Studies, Animal Virus Infections Studies and Virus-based gene therapy research, together about 25.4% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Virus Research published its first issue in 1984 and celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2024! It is a broad-scope and inclusive journal which provides a means for fast publication of original research papers in the field of virology. We deal with viroids and all kinds of viruses, whether they infect bacteria, fungi, plants, animals or humans, and all aspects of virology, from molecular virology to structural biology, from pathogenesis to virus evolution, from theoretical drug development to drug-resistance, from host restriction factors to the interaction with the immune system, but also clinical and epidemiological virology papers may be submitted to Virus Research. The journal also publishes review articles on topics of current interest, special issues focused on a defined subject, and occasional book reviews, editorials and meeting reports. These articles should be composed by experts in the field and provide a critical review of the field or a novel perspective.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Virology
Editor-in-chief Ben BerkhoutPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 9 in mainland China (about 9%); most named United States 28, Spain 16, Mainland China 9, Japan 8, Netherlands 8 (98 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Plant Virus Research StudiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences8.8%
- Animal Virus Infections StudiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences8.6%
- Virus-based gene therapy researchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology8.1%
- Viral gastroenteritis research and epidemiologyMedicine7.8%
- Viral Infections and Immunology ResearchMedicine5.6%
- Viral Infections and VectorsMedicine5.2%
- Animal Disease Management and EpidemiologyAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.8%
- Herpesvirus Infections and TreatmentsMedicine4.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Virology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Virology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Virology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
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
- 3.4LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 3.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 6.2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.83LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.84LetPub ·
- h-index
- 104LetPub ·
- h-index
- 186OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 5,535OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.81OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 121LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 8,935 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 115 | 115 | 46 |
| 2025 | 144 | 144 | 322 |
| 2024 | 198 | 198 | 1,375 |
| 2023 | 241 | 241 | 2,320 |
| 2022 | 272 | 167 | 3,225 |
| 2021 | 287 | 85 | 4,109 |
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
78 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 52 days – 110 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 1 days (102 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 79 days
- Sample
- 102 articles with submission and acceptance dates (300 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 1 monthLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 4 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 31 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 78 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 1 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
Fully open accessOpenAlex
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,010 / EUR 2,820 / GBP 2,410 / JPY 373,330 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,070 | — | — |
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
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted10
- book reviewResearch articles should generally be divided into Summary, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion and Acknowledgements and References. Short …Length not stated
- book reviews or meeting reportsBook Reviews or Meeting Reports.Length not stated
- research articleResearch articles should generally be divided into Summary, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion and Acknowledgements and References. Short …Length not stated
- research articlesResearch articles should generally be divided into Summary, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion and Acknowledgements and References.Length not stated
- reviewResearch articles should generally be divided into Summary, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion and Acknowledgements and References. Short …Length not stated
- review articleResearch articles should generally be divided into Summary, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion and Acknowledgements and References. Short …Length not stated
- review articlesReview articles on topics of current interest in Virology will be published.Length not stated
- short communicationResearch articles should generally be divided into Summary, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion and Acknowledgements and References. Short …Length not stated
- short communicationsShort communications, approximately 8 typewritten pages in total, including a summary, illustrations and keywords but written without section headings.Length not stated
- virus research consortia series (vrcs)Virus Research Consortia Series (VRCS): if you are interested in contributing to this series please contact Dr. Ben Berkhout at b.berkhout@amsterdamumc.nl.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
Abstract max 250 words Model summary
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 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
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- ISSN
- 0168-1702
- Electronic ISSN
- 1872-7492
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Virus Research
What CAS zone is Virus Research in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Virus Research is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Virology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Virus Research?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.4; CiteScore 6.2, h-index 186.
How long does peer review take at Virus Research?
Based on the dates recorded on 102 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 78 days (interquartile range 52–110 days); authors report an average review time of about 1 month; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”. 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 Virus Research?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: Optional; Cover letter: 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 Virus Research based?
Of the 98 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 9 (about 9%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (28), Spain (16) and Mainland China (9). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Virus Research?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Virus Research is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Virus Research open access, and what is the APC?
Virus Research is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 3,010.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .