Journal profile · Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
WORLD JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY
ISSN 0959-3993 · eISSN 1573-0972 · Springer Netherlands · NETHERLANDS · Monthly · Founded 1985
WORLD JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY: CAS Zone 3 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 4.73; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,090; median 85 days to acceptance (145 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 70%; 506 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
WORLD JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY is published by Springer Netherlands and is in Zone 3 of Biology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Biofuel production and bioconversion, Enzyme Production and Characterization and Microbial Metabolic Engineering and Bioproduction, together about 24% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology publishes research papers and review articles on all aspects of Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology.Since its foundation, the Journal has provided a forum for research work directed toward finding microbiological and biotechnological solutions to global problems. As many of these problems, including crop productivity, public health and waste management, have major impacts in the developing world, the Journal especially reports on advances for and from developing regions.Some topics are not within the scope of the Journal. Please do not submit your manuscript if it falls into one of the following categories:
· Virology
· Simple isolation of microbes from local sources
· Simple descriptions of an environment or reports on a procedure
· Veterinary, agricultural and clinical topics in which the main focus is not on a microorganism
· Data reporting on host response to microbes
· Optimization of a procedure
· Description of the biological effects of not fully identified compounds or undefined extracts of natural origin
· Data on not fully purified enzymes or procedures in which they are appliedAll articles published in the Journal are independently refereed.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Editorial board by country: 7 in mainland China (about 9%); most named United States 16, India 11, Spain 11, Mainland China 7, Brazil 7 (82 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Biofuel production and bioconversionEngineering8.7%
- Enzyme Production and CharacterizationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology8.4%
- Microbial Metabolic Engineering and BioproductionBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7%
- Plant-Microbe Interactions and ImmunityAgricultural and Biological Sciences6.3%
- Enzyme Catalysis and ImmobilizationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.3%
- Probiotics and Fermented FoodsAgricultural and Biological Sciences5%
- Microbial Community Ecology and PhysiologyEnvironmental Science4.6%
- Fungal Biology and ApplicationsMedicine4.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
EI CompendexMEDLINECASCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, AGRICOLA, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
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
- 4.73LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.7Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.3LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.91LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.05LetPub ·
- h-index
- 76LetPub ·
- h-index
- 154OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 5,546OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.56OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 2.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 13.47%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 499LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 1,500,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 9,009 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 542 | 121 | 310 |
| 2025 | 506 | 89 | 2,315 |
| 2024 | 374 | 66 | 3,864 |
| 2023 | 348 | 63 | 5,187 |
| 2022 | 306 | 65 | 6,507 |
| 2021 | 233 | 35 | 6,432 |
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
85 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 62 days – 115 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 13 days (145 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 102 days
- Sample
- 145 articles with submission and acceptance dates (632 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 3 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 70%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double 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 4,090 / EUR 3,090 / GBP 2,690 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use Generative AI Images
LLMs do not satisfy authorship criteria; use of LLMs must be documented in Methods. Model summary
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship Policy
Authorship should incorporate and should be restricted to those who have contributed substantially to the work in one or more of the following categories: • Conceived of or designed study • Performed research • Analyzed data • Contributed new methods or models • Wrote the paper Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Availability
Data availability statement is optional but encouraged. Model summary
This journal encourages authors to provide an optional statement of data availability in their article. Data Availability Statements should include information on where data supporting the results reported in the article can be found, including, where applicable, hyperlinks to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Data availability statements can also indicate whether …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
Journal is a COPE member and follows COPE guidelines on misconduct. Model summary
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Clinical Trial Registration
The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of a clinical trial is "any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes". The WHO defines health interventions as “A health intervention is an act performed for, with or on behalf of a person or population whose purpose is to ass…
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
- Springer Netherlands
- Country or region
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1985
- ISSN
- 0959-3993
- Electronic ISSN
- 1573-0972
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about WORLD JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY
What CAS zone is WORLD JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, WORLD JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY is in Zone 3 of Biology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology. 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 WORLD JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.73; CiteScore 7.3, h-index 154.
How long does peer review take at WORLD JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY?
Based on the dates recorded on 145 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 85 days (interquartile range 62–115 days); authors report an average review time of about 3 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 70%”. 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 WORLD JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: 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 WORLD JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY based?
Of the 82 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 7 (about 9%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (16), India (11) and Spain (11). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index WORLD JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, WORLD JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists EI Compendex, MEDLINE, CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is WORLD JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY open access, and what is the APC?
WORLD JOURNAL OF MICROBIOLOGY & BIOTECHNOLOGY is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,090.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; 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: .