Journal profile · Developmental Biology
Zygote
ISSN 0967-1994 · eISSN 1469-8730 · Cambridge University Press · UNITED STATES · Quarterly · Founded 1993
Zygote: CAS Zone 4 · Biology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.68; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,550; review 6–12 weeks (community reports); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 38 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Zygote is published by Cambridge University Press 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 Reproductive Biology and Fertility, Sperm and Testicular Function and Ovarian function and disorders, together about 52.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Reproductive Medicine. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Zygote is an international journal dedicated to the rapid publication of original research in early embryology. It covers interdisciplinary studies in animals and humans, from gametogenesis through fertilization to gastrulation. The scope includes gametogenesis, sperm-oocyte interaction, gamete and embryo physiology, cell polarity, cell-cell interactions, nuclear transfer, haploidization, molecular genetics, developmental genetics, in-vitro fertilization, and stem-cell and cryoconservation technologies. The editors favour work describing fundamental processes in the cellular and molecular mechanisms of animal development, and, in particular, the identification of unifying principles in biology. New technologies, clinical papers, review articles, debates and letters are prominent features.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Developmental Biology
Editor-in-chief Jonathan Van BlerkomPublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Reproductive Biology and FertilityMedicine29%
- Sperm and Testicular FunctionMedicine15.9%
- Ovarian function and disordersMedicine7.2%
- Pluripotent Stem Cells ResearchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.9%
- Animal Genetics and ReproductionBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5%
- Renal and related cancersBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.8%
- Reproductive biology and impacts on aquatic speciesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.5%
- Reproductive Health and TechnologiesMedicine2.5%
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 | Cell Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Developmental Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Reproductive Biology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Developmental Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Reproductive Biology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Biology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Cell Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Developmental Biology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Reproductive Biology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
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
- 1.68LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.47LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.57LetPub ·
- h-index
- 43LetPub ·
- h-index
- 65OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 964OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.7OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 14.29%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 32LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,035 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 29 | 10 | 2 |
| 2025 | 38 | 8 | 26 |
| 2024 | 50 | 15 | 171 |
| 2023 | 74 | 16 | 337 |
| 2022 | 74 | 14 | 462 |
| 2021 | 107 | 9 | 929 |
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- 6–12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
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 3,550 / GBP 2,460 | — | — |
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)
Article types accepted5
- commentaryResearch Article*Review Article*Short Communication*Method*CommentaryLength not stated
- methodMethod*Length not stated
- research articleResearch Article*Review Article*Short Communication*Method*CommentaryLength not stated
- review articleResearch Article*Review Article*Short Communication*Method*CommentaryLength not stated
- short communicationResearch Article*Review Article*Short Communication*Method*CommentaryLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship
- Authorship
Papers of a technical nature or which involve industrial-scale IVF are not suitable for Zygote and should be submitted elsewhere. Model summary
Please note: papers of a technical nature or which involve industrial-scale IVF are not suitable for Zygote and should be submitted elsewhere.
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
- Cambridge University Press
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1993
- ISSN
- 0967-1994
- Electronic ISSN
- 1469-8730
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Zygote
What CAS zone is Zygote in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Zygote is in Zone 4 of Biology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Cell Biology / Developmental Biology / Reproductive Biology. 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 Zygote?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.68; CiteScore 4, h-index 65.
How long does peer review take at Zygote?
Authors report an average review time of 6–12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly 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.
Which databases index Zygote?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Zygote is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Zygote open access, and what is the APC?
Zygote is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,550.
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: .