Angewandte Chemie vs Scientific Reports: Which Should You Submit To?

Angewandte Chemie's impact factor is 16.9; Scientific Reports is 3.9 (2024 JCR data). Among chemistry journals, Angewandte Chemie ranks 15th globally and is considered one of the top three general chemistry journals worldwide (alongside Nature Chemistry and JACS). Scientific Reports is the 25th-ranked multidisciplinary journal and doesn't specialize in chemistry.

For chemistry careers globally: Angewandte Chemie is gold standard. Publishing there significantly elevates your CV across Europe, Asia, and North America. It's where major chemistry breakthroughs appear. Scientific Reports is respected and peer-reviewed but lacks the chemistry-specific prestige. Chemists recognize Angewandte Chemie as elite; they view Scientific Reports as a solid, professional fallback.

Angewandte Chemie seeks major advances in chemistry and materials science. Your work should represent a significant breakthrough: a new synthetic method with broad applicability, a reaction mechanism that reshapes understanding, a material with transformative properties, or a discovery opening entirely new research avenues. The journal explicitly prioritizes high-impact work. Routine studies, incremental improvements, and narrow applications face desk rejection. Roughly 35-40% of submissions are rejected without peer review.

Scientific Reports accepts solid, peer-reviewed chemistry research meeting novelty and rigor standards, without requiring breakthrough status. A new synthesis, a property characterization, an incremental improvement, a specialized application—all are publishable if technically sound and novel. Angewandte Chemie rejects many of these; Scientific Reports publishes them routinely.

In practice: a new method yielding modest improvements would likely be desk-rejected at Angewandte Chemie. That same work would be suitable for Scientific Reports. A reaction opening entirely new synthetic pathways or a material with revolutionary properties would have a strong shot at Angewandte Chemie and would certainly be accepted at Scientific Reports.

Angewandte Chemie is chemistry-focused: organic, inorganic, physical, analytical, materials chemistry, biochemistry, and polymer science. It's less welcoming to applications outside chemistry unless chemistry itself is novel.

Scientific Reports is multidisciplinary. Chemistry papers compete with biology, medicine, physics, engineering, and other fields. However, this is not a disadvantage—chemistry papers are peer-reviewed by chemists and evaluated fairly. The broader scope means your work is assessed alongside diverse high-quality research rather than only within chemistry.

If your work is pure chemistry innovation, Angewandte Chemie is the specialized home. If your chemistry has broader biological, materials, or engineering applications, Scientific Reports is equally valid and potentially more impactful for cross-disciplinary reach.

Angewandte Chemie: Approximately 8-10% of submissions are accepted (varies by year and subfield).

Scientific Reports: ~57% acceptance in Manusights' current internal estimate.

Angewandte Chemie acceptance is highly selective—roughly 1 in 10-12 papers succeed. Scientific Reports is selective but significantly more open—roughly 3-4 in 10. Your odds improve 3-4× at Scientific Reports.

Angewandte Chemie: Typically 2-4 weeks for editor decision (many desk rejections here). If sent to peer review, expect another 1-3 months. Total: 2-4+ months depending on outcome. Accepted papers are fast-tracked; rejected papers get quick turnaround.

Scientific Reports: 21 days median to first editorial decision.

Angewandte Chemie timeline depends heavily on editorial decision; Scientific Reports is more consistent.

Angewandte Chemie: Subscription journal (published by Wiley). No article processing charge; authors don't pay. Papers are behind a paywall, though authors can self-archive on preprint servers and in institutional repositories.

Scientific Reports: Full open-access journal. The current listed APC is £2,190 / $2,850 / €2,490. All published articles are free to read and reuse globally.

Angewandte Chemie's free publication is advantageous if cost is a barrier. Scientific Reports's open-access model ensures maximum visibility but requires an APC (typically covered by institutions or grants).

Angewandte Chemie editors are internationally renowned chemists. They screen rigorously and desk-reject papers lacking sufficient novelty or impact. The review process is thorough; only high-impact papers survive. Few papers receive detailed feedback if rejected at the desk stage, though rejection comes quickly.

Scientific Reports editors send most papers to peer review. You're more likely to receive constructive feedback, even if ultimately rejected. The process feels more equitable and developmental, equally rigorous on scientific merit.

Ask yourself: Is my chemistry work a major advance that redefines methods, mechanisms, or materials?

Many chemists submit to Angewandte Chemie as their first choice for impactful work. If rejected (most submissions are), revise based on feedback and submit to Scientific Reports. Angewandte Chemie reviewer comments (if sent to full review) often strengthen your manuscript significantly. This sequential approach is standard in chemistry publishing.

Don't simultaneous-submit; obtain your Angewandte Chemie decision (2-4 weeks), then proceed to Scientific Reports if needed.

If Angewandte Chemie feels like a long shot and Scientific Reports feels overqualified, consider intermediate-tier chemistry journals (e.g., Chemical Communications, Journal of the American Chemical Society, ACS Catalysis, Organic Chemistry Frontiers) that are prestigious, have better acceptance rates than Angewandte Chemie, and are well-regarded in chemistry communities.

Angewandte Chemie is where transformative chemistry is published. Its selectivity reflects genuine standards for breakthrough research. Scientific Reports is an excellent, open-access alternative for solid chemistry that doesn't reach Angewandte Chemie's breakthrough bar—which describes the vast majority of published chemistry research, and that's completely normal and professional.

Publishing in Scientific Reports is a genuine achievement. It means your chemistry passed rigorous peer review, met standards for novelty and quality, and contributed meaningfully to the literature. Many excellent chemists publish regularly in Scientific Reports alongside (or instead of) specialized journals. Choose the venue matching your work's true impact level. You'll publish, reach your community, and build your scientific reputation effectively.