FEMS Microbiology Letters gives priority to concise papers that merit rapid publication by virtue of their originality, general interest and contribution to new developments in microbiology. All aspects of microbiology, including virology, are covered. 

2019 Impact Factor: 1.987, Journal Citation Reports (Source Clarivate, 2020)
Ranking: 98/135 (Microbiology)

The journal is divided into eight Sections:

• Physiology and Biochemistry (including genetics, molecular biology and ‘omic’ studies)
• Food Microbiology (from food production and biotechnology to spoilage and food borne pathogens)
• Biotechnology and Synthetic Biology
• Pathogens and Pathogenicity (including medical, veterinary, plant and insect pathogens – particularly those relating to food security – with the exception of viruses)
• Environmental Microbiology (including ecophysiology, ecogenomics and meta-omic studies)
• Virology (viruses infecting any organism, including Bacteria and Archaea)
• Taxonomy and Systematics (for publication of novel taxa, taxonomic reclassifications and reviews of a taxonomic nature)
• Professional Development (including education, training, CPD, research assessment frameworks, research and publication metrics, best-practice, careers and history of microbiology)

If you are unsure which Section is most appropriate for your manuscript, for example in the case of transdisciplinary studies, we recommend that you contact the Editor-In-Chief by email prior to submission. Our scope includes any type of microorganism - all members of the Bacteria and the Archaea and microbial members of the Eukarya (yeasts, filamentous fungi, microbial algae, protozoa, oomycetes, myxomycetes, etc.) as well as all viruses.

In addition, the journal publishes short Commentaries on topical issues in microbiology. Letters to the Editor are brief communications focusing on an article that has been published in the journal within the previous six months. The journal no longer accepts Genome Announcements, as of 1 January 2015. We publish MiniReviews on current, emerging and 'hot' topics in microbiology and welcome proposals for MiniReviews from experts in their fields. These should be sent to the appropriate Section Editor in the first instance. It is worth noting that MiniReviews that have been discussed with us in advance have a higher rate of acceptance than those that are submitted without prior discussion.