Journal decision profile

Nature Reviews Cancer

Medicine · Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Nature Reviews Cancer's 2026 Journal Metrics Score is 24.1, ranking Q1 in Cancer Research and 2 other subfields. Two-year citation average from OpenAlex data, updated August 2026.

Nature PortfolioUnited KingdompISSN 1474-175XeISSN 1474-1768
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Bookmark this page — track observed submission-to-acceptance timing, FWCI and field-normalized citation data for this journal in one view.

Journal Metrics Score
i
Journal Metrics ScoreThe raw score is citations received in the latest complete year by works from the two previous years, divided by the number of those works. It is calculated from OpenAlex open data (CC0) and is not a percentage grade.
2026
24.1

Journal Metrics Score 2026 · 2021–2024 window citedness 31.22.

Submission-to-acceptance
i
Submission-to-acceptanceCalendar days between the received and accepted dates reported in recent PubMed records. This interval includes editorial handling and author revisions, so it is not time to first decision or pure peer-review time.
PUBMED

Not available — there are not enough recent PubMed records with both received and accepted dates.

Indicative APC
i
Indicative APCThis journal-level estimate comes from the OpenAlex source record. It is not a verified quote and may exclude taxes, waivers, society discounts, or article-type charges. Check the journal's official website before deciding.
OPENALEX · VERIFY
Not available

No journal-level APC is available in the current OpenAlex snapshot. Cost is excluded from scoring.

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Does your manuscript fit Nature Reviews Cancer?

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At a glance

Journal decision profile

Each spoke is a 0–100 percentile within a comparable journal cohort—not a percentage grade or a single black-box rating.

Relative profile

Metrics ScoreThe raw 2026 Journal Metrics Score is the recent two-year citation average shown above. The radar converts it to a 0–100 cohort percentile: farther out means a higher score than more comparable journals. It is not a percentage grade.iSource outputThe raw rank compares lifetime output inside the journal’s leading-topic source set. The radar then compares that rank position across Decision Profile journals in the same primary OpenAlex field; when that field has too few profiles, it uses the broader profile set. Farther out means relatively more output, not better research quality.iTop 10% shareThe share of recent papers in the global top 10% for citations after comparing papers of the same type, publication year, and subfield. The radar converts that share to a 0–100 cohort percentile; it does not predict how a new paper will perform.iMedian FWCICitation performance of the middle recent paper after field, year, and work type are considered. A raw FWCI of 1.0 is the expected citation level for comparable papers; the radar shows its 0–100 cohort percentile.iOutput volumeAverage works published per year in the recent analysis window, converted to a 0–100 cohort percentile. Farther out means the journal publishes more papers; it does not mean those papers are better.i
Cost is intentionally excluded. Missing APC data is never converted to a zero-dollar fee or a fabricated cost score.

Raw values behind the shape

Always visible
Metrics Score
i
Metrics ScoreThe 2026 raw Journal Metrics Score shown above. The bar is its 0–100 percentile within the radar's comparable journal cohort; it is not a percentage score.
24.12026 · OPENALEX
Source output rank
i
Source output rankThis lifetime journal-wide output rank compares works published by the OpenAlex source with sources associated with the journal’s leading topic. More output does not mean higher quality.
#111 / 939LIFETIME OUTPUT
Highly cited papers
i
Highly cited papersShare of recent works in the global top 10% for citations after comparing papers of the same type, publication year, and subfield.
37.6%FIELD-NORMALIZED TOP 10%
Field-normalized impact
i
Field-normalized impactCitation performance of the middle recent paper after field, year, and work type are considered. A raw FWCI of 1.0 is the expected level for comparable work.
0.69MEDIAN FWCI
Submission-to-acceptance
i
Submission-to-acceptanceReceived-to-accepted calendar days from qualified PubMed records. It includes editorial handling and author revisions; it is not time to first decision or pure peer-review time.
—NOT AVAILABLE
Recent output
i
Recent outputAverage works published per year across the complete analysis window. This is a volume measure, not a quality score.
115 / yr2021–2024 AVG
Field-normalized top 10% share37.6%

173 of 460 works · same type, year & subfield

Field-normalized top 1% share11.3%

52 works · same type, year & subfield

Median FWCI0.69×

Below field-year expectation

Source output rank#111

of 939 topic-associated OpenAlex sources by lifetime output

What does Median FWCI mean?

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 0.69, so its typical recent paper runs about 31% below its field benchmark.

What does Top 10% Share mean?

37.6% of recent papers rank in the global top 10% after field normalization. This is easier to compare across specialties than raw citation totals.

Publishing pattern

Publication volume and article mix

Volume is separated from citation accumulation so newer papers are not presented as weaker simply because they are newer.

Works published by year

OpenAlex source records · 2016–2025

1512016
1242017
1342018
1352019
892020
1112021
1082022
1122023
1292024
1152025

Recent work-type mix

460 OpenAlex works · 2021–2024

Article58%
Review39.8%
Erratum2.2%
OpenAlex article is broader than “original research.” PubMed Publication Types can add case-report and clinical-study detail.
Fit signals

Topics and medical subject coverage

OpenAlex topics show research communities; MeSH keeps the medical taxonomy recognizable.

Major MeSH signals

PubMed-indexed works

Select a MeSH signal to see how much Nature Reviews Cancer publishes on it, from PubMed counts for the last five complete years.

Leading OpenAlex topics

2021–2024 works
Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers45
Cancer Cells and Metastasis36
Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics18
Immune cells in cancer15
Cancer, Hypoxia, and Metabolism13
Single-cell and spatial transcriptomics13
Gut microbiota and health10
Cellular Mechanics and Interactions8
Glioma Diagnosis and Treatment8
Immunotherapy and Immune Responses7
Methodology: OpenAlex snapshot 2026-10-20. FWCI, percentile badges, topics, and type mix use 460 works published 2021–2024. Radar normalization is versioned in the cached profile, and no cost score is assigned without reliable APC data.

Subject Category Quartiles

Quartiles computed within each OpenAlex subfield
CategoryQuartile
Cancer ResearchQ1
Molecular BiologyQ1
OncologyQ1

Is Nature Reviews Cancer a good journal?

Yes. One of the most-cited journals in Oncology

Yes. By citation data, Nature Reviews Cancer is one of the most-cited journals in Oncology: it ranks #9 of 897 Oncology journals by Journal Metrics Score (top 2%) and is Q1 in Cancer Research and 2 other subfields. Nature Reviews Cancer's 2026 Journal Metrics Score is 24.1. OpenAlex classifies its papers in subfields including Cancer Research, Molecular Biology, and Oncology, so check that your topic fits its scope.

Best quartile
Q1
Cancer Research
Rank in Oncology
#9 of 897
Top 2%
2026 Journal Metrics Score
24.1
Acceptance rate
Not published
By the journal or publisher
Papers published in 2025
115
OpenAlex works

Check before you submit

  • Confirm the journal is indexed where your institution or funder requires (for example Scopus or PubMed) before you submit.

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.

Q1
Subfield Quartile
B1
CAS Block

Ranking and source check

#9
of 897 Oncology field journals
#9
among Q1 Oncology journals

Confirm the exact title and ISSNs against the publisher homepage before a high-stakes submission decision.

Nature journals compared

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.

  1. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology41.7Q1
  2. Nature Reviews Microbiology32.8Q1
  3. Nature Medicine30.0Q1
  4. Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology26.5Q1
  5. Nature Nanotechnology26.0Q1
  6. Nature Reviews Cancerthis journal24.1Q1
  7. Nature Reviews Chemistry21.9Q1
  8. Nature Methods21.2Q1
  9. Nature Protocols19.3Q1
  10. Nature Chemistry18.2Q1
  11. Nature18.0Q1
  12. Nature Genetics17.4Q1
  13. Nature Metabolism17.0Q1

Journal Details

OpenAlex Works
4,710
H-Index
599
Fully Open Access
No
Recent OA Works
2,502
Subject Areas
Cancer ResearchMolecular BiologyOncology

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.

How to submit to Nature Reviews Cancer

  1. 1

    Check the scope

    OpenAlex classifies Nature Reviews Cancer's papers in subfields including Cancer Research, Molecular Biology, and Oncology. Read the aims and scope page and a few recent papers close to your topic before you prepare the manuscript.

  2. 2

    Follow the author guidelines

    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 Reviews Cancer homepage ↗
  3. 3

    Submit online

    Use the submit link in Nature Reviews Cancer's 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.

  4. 4

    Plan for costs

    OpenAlex has no article processing charge on record. Check the journal website for page charges or an optional open-access fee.

  5. 5

    Know what to expect

    Nature Reviews Cancer does not publish an acceptance rate.

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Common questions about Nature Reviews Cancer

Is Nature Reviews Cancer a good journal?

Yes. By citation data, Nature Reviews Cancer is one of the most-cited journals in Oncology: it ranks #9 of 897 Oncology journals by Journal Metrics Score (top 2%) and is Q1 in Cancer Research and 2 other subfields. Nature Reviews Cancer's 2026 Journal Metrics Score is 24.1. OpenAlex classifies its papers in subfields including Cancer Research, Molecular Biology, and Oncology, so check that your topic fits its scope.

What is Nature Reviews Cancer's Journal Metrics Score in 2026?

Nature Reviews Cancer's 2026 Journal Metrics Score is 24.1, 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.

What is the acceptance rate of Nature Reviews Cancer?

We have not found an official acceptance rate published by Nature Reviews Cancer or its publisher, and Journal Metrics does not estimate one because submission counts are not public. To judge selectivity, compare Nature Reviews Cancer's quartile and score with similar journals, or ask the editorial office.

What quartile is Nature Reviews Cancer in?

Nature Reviews Cancer's best quartile is Q1. By OpenAlex subfield: Q1 in Cancer Research; Q1 in Molecular Biology; Q1 in Oncology. Quartiles rank journals by Journal Metrics Score within each subfield.

Is the Journal Metrics Score the same as other journal citation metrics?

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 Reviews Cancer will not match this score exactly. Compare journals using one source at a time.

Which journals are alternatives to Nature Reviews Cancer?

Comparable journals include Cancer Cell, Trends in Cancer, Cancer Biology & Medicine, and Nature Cancer. Compare their scores, acceptance times, and costs in the recommended alternatives on this page before choosing where to submit.

How do I submit a paper to Nature Reviews Cancer?

Submit online through the link in Nature Reviews Cancer's 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.

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