Last Updated on July 1, 2026 by Dr. Bhagat
JOURNAL METRICS·Updated June 2026
iScience Impact Factor 2025 is 4.1 (Q2, Multidisciplinary Sciences, SCIE). Launched in 2018 by Cell Press as a fully open-access interdisciplinary journal, iScience has rapidly established itself as a major venue for cross-disciplinary research spanning life sciences, physical sciences, and beyond. With a CiteScore of ~7.2 and an H-index of 72, it punches above its weight for a journal barely seven years old.
BackgroundWhat Is iScience?
iScience is Cell Press’s answer to the growing demand for an open-access venue that doesn’t force research into narrow disciplinary boxes. Launched in 2018 by Cell Press (an imprint of Elsevier), the journal was conceived at a time when interdisciplinary research was surging but publication options remained siloed. Rather than competing head-to-head with its elite sibling Cell, iScience occupies a deliberately different niche: it welcomes solid, methodologically rigorous science from across the full spectrum of disciplines, provided it offers a meaningful advance.
The journal carries ISSN 2589-0042 and is indexed in SCIE, Scopus, PubMed Central, and DOAJ. Its editorial philosophy centers on a simple but powerful idea: important scientific questions often sit at the boundaries between traditional fields, and those questions deserve a high-quality, accessible home. Under the leadership of Cell Press’s editorial team, iScience has grown from a fledgling title into a recognized brand in scholarly publishing, attracting submissions from over 100 countries annually.
CoverageWhat Does iScience Publish?
Unlike most Cell Press journals that focus on a single domain, iScience embraces a deliberately broad remit. The editorial team evaluates submissions based on the quality of the science and the significance of the advance, not on whether the topic fits a predefined category. This approach has attracted researchers whose work falls through the cracks of traditional disciplinary journals.
The journal’s coverage spans four major pillars:
- Life Sciences: Molecular biology, genetics, neuroscience, immunology, microbiology, developmental biology, and biotechnology. Studies here range from mechanistic cell biology to systems-level organismal research.
- Physical Sciences: Chemistry, physics, materials science, nanotechnology, and engineering. iScience has become a notable outlet for applied physical sciences with biological or environmental relevance.
- Earth & Environmental Sciences: Climate science, geosciences, ecology, sustainability research, and environmental chemistry. This pillar has grown rapidly as interdisciplinary climate research has expanded.
- Social & Behavioral Sciences: Computational social science, psychology, economics of science, and human behavior studies with quantitative, reproducible methodologies.
What ties these disparate areas together is an editorial emphasis on rigor over flash. iScience does not chase headline-grabbing novelty in the way its sister journal Cell does. Instead, it values comprehensive datasets, robust methodologies, and incremental but genuine advances that move a field forward. This editorial stance has made it particularly attractive to researchers whose work is methodologically strong but might struggle to find a home in journals that prioritize conceptual breakthroughs.
ComparisoniScience vs. Other Cell Press Journals
Understanding where iScience fits within the Cell Press portfolio helps clarify its positioning. Cell Press operates a tiered journal system, and iScience serves a functionally distinct role from its siblings.
| Journal | Impact Factor (2025) | Quartile | Access Model | Scope | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| iScience | 4.1 | Q2 | Fully Open Access | All disciplines | Interdisciplinary, solid science |
| Cell | ~45.5 | Q1 | Subscription / Hybrid | Molecular & cell biology | Breakthrough discoveries |
| Cell Reports | ~7.5 | Q1 | Fully Open Access | Life sciences | Comprehensive life science studies |
| One Earth | ~8.0 | Q1 | Fully Open Access | Environmental science | Global change & sustainability |
| Cell Reports Physical Science | ~5.5 | Q1 | Fully Open Access | Physical sciences | Chemistry, physics, engineering |
| Nature Communications (benchmark) | ~14.7 | Q1 | Fully Open Access | All disciplines | High-impact interdisciplinary |
The comparison reveals iScience’s strategic sweet spot. Against Cell, it offers a far more accessible venue for researchers whose work, while excellent, does not claim a transformative conceptual advance. Against Nature Communications, it provides a similarly broad interdisciplinary scope but with a considerably lower APC and a more inclusive acceptance philosophy. Within the Cell Press family, iScience functions as the broad-access entry point: it captures strong science that might not fit the narrower remits of Cell Reports, One Earth, or Cell Reports Physical Science.
For authors, the practical implication is clear: if your work crosses disciplinary boundaries or represents a strong but incremental advance, iScience offers a credible Cell Press imprint without the extreme selectivity of Cell or the premium pricing of Nature Communications.
AccessOpen Access Model & Article Processing Charges
iScience operates under a fully open access model. Every article published is immediately and permanently free to read, download, and share worldwide. There are no subscription barriers, no embargo periods, and no paywalls. This aligns with Cell Press’s broader strategy of maintaining a portfolio that includes both traditional subscription journals and open-access titles serving different author communities.
As a gold open-access journal, iScience charges an Article Processing Charge (APC) upon acceptance. As of 2025, the standard APC is approximately $3,500 USD for full-length articles, though this figure is subject to periodic adjustment by Elsevier. Cell Press offers APC waivers and discounts for authors from low- and lower-middle-income countries through the Elsevier waiver program, and many institutional agreements with Elsevier include prepaid open-access publishing funds that cover iScience.
Under the CC BY license (Creative Commons Attribution), authors retain copyright while granting others the right to use, distribute, and reproduce the work in any medium, provided the original authors and source are credited. This is the most permissive Creative Commons license and maximizes the visibility and reuse potential of published research. Authors may also choose CC BY-NC-ND in specific circumstances, though CC BY is the default and recommended option.
For authors whose funding bodies mandate open access, iScience meets all major funder requirements including Plan S compliance, NIH Public Access Policy, and Wellcome Trust open-access mandates. The journal’s inclusion in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) further confirms its adherence to quality and transparency standards for open-access publishing.
TrajectoryGrowth Since Launch: A Young Journal’s Rise
At barely seven years old, iScience does not have the decades-long track record that older journals enjoy. But what it lacks in history, it makes up for in trajectory. Since its inaugural issue in 2018, the journal has demonstrated one of the more impressive growth curves in recent scholarly publishing.
The editorial team expanded from a small core at launch to a global network of handling editors covering all major scientific disciplines. Annual submission volume has grown year-over-year, reflecting both increasing author awareness and the journal’s solidifying reputation. The Impact Factor, first assigned after the journal’s second full year, has settled in the 4.0-4.5 range, a respectable position for a multidisciplinary title that competes across all scientific categories.
| Year | Event / Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2018 | Journal launched by Cell Press; first issues published |
| 2019 | First Impact Factor tracking begins; indexing in major databases confirmed |
| 2020 | First official Impact Factor assigned; submission volume increases significantly |
| 2021-2023 | Steady growth in publications; expansion of editorial board; CiteScore climbs above 7.0 |
| 2024 | H-index reaches 70+; journal firmly established in Q2 of Multidisciplinary Sciences |
| 2025 | Impact Factor of 4.1 confirmed; journal continues growth trajectory |
Compared to other journals launched around the same time, iScience’s performance is notable. Many new journals struggle to achieve viability within their first decade; iScience has already cleared that bar. Its H-index of 72, accumulated in just seven years, indicates that published papers are being cited at a rate that sustains the journal’s credibility and visibility. For a multidisciplinary journal, which typically faces stiffer citation competition than single-field titles, this is a genuinely strong showing.
Key Takeaways
- iScience’s 2025 Impact Factor of 4.1 (Q2, Multidisciplinary Sciences) represents solid performance for a journal launched in 2018.
- As Cell Press’s fully open-access interdisciplinary journal, iScience fills a unique gap between ultra-selective titles like Cell and broad multidisciplinary competitors.
- The journal’s CiteScore of ~7.2 and H-index of 72 demonstrate strong citation performance despite its young age.
- iScience publishes across life sciences, physical sciences, earth sciences, and social sciences, making it ideal for cross-disciplinary research.
- The APC of ~$3,500 USD is competitive among major Cell Press and Nature-branded open-access journals, with waiver options available.
FAQFrequently Asked Questions
What makes iScience different from other multidisciplinary journals like Nature Communications or Science Advances?
While Nature Communications and Science Advances are also broad-scope open-access journals, iScience distinguishes itself through its editorial philosophy and positioning. Nature Communications carries a higher Impact Factor (~14.7) and a substantially higher APC, targeting research with broader conceptual significance. iScience, by contrast, explicitly welcomes solid, methodologically rigorous studies that may not claim revolutionary breakthroughs but represent genuine advances. This makes iScience more accessible to authors whose work is strong but incremental. Additionally, as a Cell Press journal, iScience benefits from the publisher’s rigorous editorial standards and professional production quality while maintaining a more inclusive acceptance threshold.
Is iScience a good journal for early-career researchers?
Yes, iScience is particularly well-suited for early-career researchers in several respects. First, its interdisciplinary scope means that novel cross-boundary work, which often struggles to find a home in traditional disciplinary journals, has a natural fit. Second, the editorial process is generally faster and more transparent than at ultra-selective journals, with editorial decisions typically rendered within 2-4 weeks of submission. Third, the Cell Press brand carries significant prestige even at its lower-tier journals, and a publication in iScience signals that the work has met professional editorial and peer review standards. Finally, the fully open-access model ensures maximum visibility for authors building their publication record. The Q2 ranking in Multidisciplinary Sciences is a respectable position for tenure and promotion committees evaluating publication portfolios.
How does the peer review process at iScience work?
iScience employs a professional editor-driven peer review process. Upon submission, a handling editor with relevant domain expertise evaluates the manuscript for scope fit, methodological rigor, and potential significance. Manuscripts that pass this initial editorial screening are sent to external peer reviewers, typically 2-3 experts in the field. Reviewers assess technical soundness, data quality, and the strength of conclusions. Unlike journals that prioritize conceptual novelty above all else, iScience reviewers are instructed to evaluate whether the science is solid and the advance is meaningful within its context. Decisions are rendered as accept, minor revision, major revision, or reject. The journal maintains a single-blind review model: reviewers know the authors’ identities, but authors do not know the reviewers’. Turnaround times average 6-8 weeks from submission to first decision.
What types of articles does iScience publish beyond original research?
Beyond standard original research articles, iScience publishes several other article types. Reviews provide comprehensive, critical syntheses of emerging interdisciplinary topics. Perspectives offer opinion and commentary on trends, controversies, or future directions at the intersection of fields. Methodology papers present new techniques or substantial improvements to existing methods with broad applicability across disciplines. The journal also considers Resource articles that introduce valuable datasets, tools, or infrastructure for the scientific community. All article types undergo the same rigorous peer review process, and all are published under the fully open-access model. Authors interested in contributing a non-research article type should consult the journal’s author guidelines and consider contacting the editorial office with a pre-submission inquiry.
Does iScience charge page fees or color charges in addition to the APC?
No. iScience charges only the Article Processing Charge (APC) upon acceptance, and there are no additional page fees, color charges, or supplementary material fees. The APC covers all costs of the publication process: editorial handling, peer review coordination, professional copyediting, typesetting, online hosting, and permanent archiving. Authors who prepare their figures in color will see them published in color at no extra cost, which is increasingly important for data-rich interdisciplinary papers where color coding is essential for clarity. Authors should verify whether their institution has a publishing agreement with Elsevier that may cover or reduce the APC, and those from qualifying low-income countries can apply for APC waivers through the Elsevier waiver program.
