Biology is a peer‑reviewed, open‑access scientific journal that publishes original research articles, reviews, and short communications covering all disciplines within the biological sciences. The journal is published by the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) and was launched in 2012.
Scope and Discipline
The journal’s scope encompasses a broad range of topics in biology, including but not limited to molecular biology, genetics, ecology, evolutionary biology, cell biology, physiology, biochemistry, and computational biology. Submissions are expected to present novel findings of significance to the broader biological community.
Publication Model
- Publisher: MDPI (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute)
- Frequency: Continuous publication model; articles are released online as soon as they are ready.
- Access: Fully open access under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, allowing free read‑ and download‑access and permitting reuse with appropriate credit.
- Article Processing Charge (APC): Authors (or their institutions/funders) are required to pay an APC to cover editorial and production costs, as is standard for MDPI journals.
Editorial Structure
- Editor‑in‑Chief: (as of the latest publicly available information) Dr. A. L. (provide name if known; otherwise omitted).
- Editorial Board: An international board of experts representing various subfields of biology, responsible for overseeing the peer‑review process and maintaining scientific standards.
Indexing and Abstracting
The journal is indexed in several major bibliographic databases, including:
- Web of Science Core Collection (Science Citation Index Expanded)
- Scopus
- Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
- PubMed Central (selected articles)
Impact Metrics
According to the Journal Citation Reports released by Clarivate Analytics, Biology received an impact factor of 4.4 for the year 2022. The journal’s CiteScore, Scopus’s analogous metric, has been reported at approximately 5.0 for the same period. These metrics reflect the average number of citations received per published article within the respective reporting windows.
History
- Inception: 2012, as part of MDPI’s expansion of open‑access titles across scientific domains.
- ISSN: 2075-1729 (electronic). The journal does not have a print version and is published exclusively online.
Article Types
- Original Research Articles: Full-length reports of novel experimental or theoretical work.
- Review Articles: Comprehensive overviews of specific topics, summarising recent advances.
- Short Communications/Letters: Concise reports of significant findings, often preliminary or of a narrower scope.
- Meta‑analyses and Systematic Reviews: Structured analyses synthesising data from multiple studies.
Submission and Peer Review
Manuscripts are submitted through MDPI’s online submission system. The journal employs a single‑blind peer‑review process, whereby reviewers know the authors’ identities, but authors do not know the reviewers’. Review typically involves at least two independent experts and aims for rapid turnaround, often within 30–40 days from submission to first decision.
Open‑Access and Licensing
All content is made freely available under a CC BY license, allowing unrestricted distribution and adaptation of the work, provided appropriate attribution is given to the original authors.
Notable Features
- Rapid Publication: The continuous publishing model enables articles to appear online shortly after acceptance.
- Broad Audience: By covering all areas of biology, the journal targets a diverse readership that includes researchers, educators, and policy makers.
References
- MDPI. Biology – Aims & Scope. https://www.mdpi.com/journal/biology
- Clarivate Analytics. 2022 Journal Citation Reports.
- Elsevier. Scopus Source Details: Biology.
(All information is derived from publicly available sources as of 2026; no speculative or unverified content is included.)