Nature Communications' 2026 Journal Metrics Score is 16.7, ranking Q1 in Molecular Biology. Two-year citation average from OpenAlex data, updated August 2026.
Bookmark this page — track observed submission-to-acceptance timing, FWCI and field-normalized citation data for this journal in one view.
Journal Metrics Score 2026 · 2021–2024 window citedness 17.59.
Middle 50%: 177–338 days
100 of 100 PubMed-indexed articles · 100% coverage · 2024–2025
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Each spoke is a 0–100 percentile within a comparable journal cohort—not a percentage grade or a single black-box rating.
24652 of 34,802 works · same type, year & subfield
6584 works · same type, year & subfield
Above field-year expectation
of 1,277 topic-associated OpenAlex sources by lifetime output
FWCI compares papers with the same publication year, type, and field. 1.0 is the world average; above 1.0 is above expectation. This journal's median is 4.38, so its typical recent paper runs about 338% above its field benchmark.
70.8% of recent papers rank in the global top 10% after field normalization. This is easier to compare across specialties than raw citation totals.
Volume is separated from citation accumulation so newer papers are not presented as weaker simply because they are newer.
OpenAlex source records · 2016–2025
34,802 OpenAlex works · 2021–2024
OpenAlex topics show research communities; MeSH keeps the medical taxonomy recognizable.
Select a MeSH signal to see how much Nature Communications publishes on it, from PubMed counts for the last five complete years.
Candidates share at least one OpenAlex subfield (or field, if too few do) with this journal's main research topics, ignoring generic catch-all topics, and are ordered by topic overlap, then current Journal Metrics Score.
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| Category | Quartile |
|---|---|
| Molecular Biology | Q1 |
Yes. One of the most-cited journals in Biology & Basic Science
Yes. By citation data, Nature Communications is one of the most-cited journals in Biology & Basic Science: it ranks #37 of 3,784 Biology & Basic Science journals by Journal Metrics Score (top 1%) and is Q1 in Molecular Biology. Nature Communications' 2026 Journal Metrics Score is 16.7. Recent papers took a median of 248 days from submission to acceptance, according to PubMed dates. OpenAlex lists an indicative article processing charge of $6,990 USD. OpenAlex classifies its papers in subfields including Molecular Biology, so check that your topic fits its scope.
Verdict from citation data only: quartile and field rank by Journal Metrics Score (OpenAlex), publisher-reported acceptance rates, and PubMed submission and acceptance dates. See how we rank journals and how to verify indexing.
Confirm the exact title and ISSNs against the publisher homepage before a high-stakes submission decision.
2026 Journal Metrics Scores for 13 of 59 Nature journals published by Nature Portfolio, highest score first. Each journal is scored separately; there is no combined score for the Nature family.
Source: the current OpenAlex source record. OpenAlex works can include multiple work types. Fully Open Access is a source-level flag. Recent OA Works is summed from OpenAlex's counts_by_year series (up to the latest ten years); it is not a lifetime OA percentage. Any APC shown here is an indicative OpenAlex value—verify current charges on the journal's official website.
OpenAlex classifies Nature Communications' papers in subfields including Molecular Biology. Read the aims and scope page and a few recent papers close to your topic before you prepare the manuscript.
Article types, word and figure limits, reference style, and the required statements (data availability, ethics, conflicts of interest, author contributions) are set by the journal. Prepare the cover letter and files to match them.
Nature Communications homepage ↗Use the submit link in Nature Communications' author guidelines; Nature Portfolio runs the submission site. Every author usually needs an ORCID iD, and the corresponding author needs an account on the submission site.
OpenAlex lists an indicative article processing charge of $6,990 USD for this open-access journal. Check the current fee, waivers, and any institutional agreement on the journal website.
Recent accepted papers took a median of 248 days from submission to acceptance, including revisions (PubMed dates). Nature Communications does not publish an acceptance rate.
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See what the report coversYes. By citation data, Nature Communications is one of the most-cited journals in Biology & Basic Science: it ranks #37 of 3,784 Biology & Basic Science journals by Journal Metrics Score (top 1%) and is Q1 in Molecular Biology. Nature Communications' 2026 Journal Metrics Score is 16.7. Recent papers took a median of 248 days from submission to acceptance, according to PubMed dates. OpenAlex lists an indicative article processing charge of $6,990 USD. OpenAlex classifies its papers in subfields including Molecular Biology, so check that your topic fits its scope.
Nature Communications' 2026 Journal Metrics Score is 16.7, from the August 2026 data release. The score is a two-year citation average computed from OpenAlex (CC0) data: citations received in the most recent complete year to works published in the two prior years, divided by the number of those works.
We have not found an official acceptance rate published by Nature Communications or its publisher, and Journal Metrics does not estimate one because submission counts are not public. What recent PubMed records do show is speed: accepted papers took a median of 248 days from submission to acceptance. To judge selectivity, compare Nature Communications' quartile and score with similar journals, or ask the editorial office.
Nature Communications' best quartile is Q1. By OpenAlex subfield: Q1 in Molecular Biology. Quartiles rank journals by Journal Metrics Score within each subfield.
No. Journal Metrics computes the score independently from OpenAlex open data. Other providers use different citation databases, document types, and counting rules, so their published figures for Nature Communications will not match this score exactly. Compare journals using one source at a time.
Across 100 recent PubMed records with both dates, Nature Communications took a median of 248 days from submission to acceptance; the middle half took 177–338 days. This interval includes editorial handling and revisions, so it is not the time to a first decision.
OpenAlex lists an indicative article processing charge of $6,990 USD for Nature Communications. This journal-level estimate may exclude taxes, waivers, discounts, or article-type fees, so confirm the current charge on the journal's website.
Comparable journals include Cell, Cell Discovery, Cell Insight, and Precision Clinical Medicine. Compare their scores, acceptance times, and costs in the recommended alternatives on this page before choosing where to submit.
Submit online through the link in Nature Communications' author guidelines on the journal homepage. Before submitting, check the scope, follow the author guidelines for article type, length, and required statements, and prepare a cover letter. Accepted papers took a median of 248 days from submission to acceptance in recent PubMed records.
Explore related journals before choosing where to submit.