Annual Review of Biochemistry Submission Guide
A practical Annual Review of Biochemistry submission guide for biochemists evaluating whether their proposed synthesis fits the journal's invited-only model and 5-year timing window.
Senior Researcher, Molecular & Cell Biology
Author context
Specializes in molecular and cell biology manuscript preparation, with experience targeting Molecular Cell, Nature Cell Biology, EMBO Journal, and eLife.
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Quick answer: This Annual Review of Biochemistry submission guide is for biochemists evaluating their fit for the journal's invited-only model. ARB does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. The editorial committee identifies topics and invites authors annually. Researchers interested in being considered can contact the editor with a brief proposal, but invitations are at committee discretion.
If you're interested in ARB, the main considerations are not formatting. They are: whether the proposed topic has timing headroom relative to recent ARB volumes and adjacent Annual Reviews, whether you have sustained primary-research credentials in the exact topic, and whether the topic fits ARB versus a related Annual Review.
From our manuscript review practice
Of pre-invitation contacts we've reviewed for Annual Reviews, the most consistent decline trigger is overlap with related topics covered in adjacent Annual Review titles. The committee coordinates topic coverage across the Annual Reviews family, so a topic covered in Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology is unlikely to also appear in ARB.
How this page was created
This page was researched from Annual Review of Biochemistry's author and reviewer information, Annual Reviews editorial policies, Clarivate JCR data, and Manusights internal analysis of pre-invitation contacts and adjacent Annual Reviews experiences.
It owns the submission-guide intent: the editorial process, what the committee looks for, and how to position a pre-invitation contact. It does not cover review-time interpretation or impact-factor analysis, which belong on separate pages.
The specific failure pattern we observe most often is topic overlap with adjacent Annual Reviews titles. The Annual Reviews family coordinates coverage across volumes, so committees consider what was recently covered in Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology, Annual Review of Genetics, Annual Review of Microbiology, and Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology before commissioning new ARB pieces.
Annual Review of Biochemistry Journal Metrics
Metric | Value |
|---|---|
Impact Factor (2024 JCR) | 18.4 |
5-Year Impact Factor | ~25+ |
CiteScore | 30.7 |
Acceptance | Invited-only; no unsolicited submissions |
Time from invitation to publication | 12-18 months |
Reviews per volume | ~25-30 |
Publisher | Annual Reviews |
Article type | Review (invited) |
Source: Clarivate JCR 2024, Annual Reviews editorial disclosures (accessed April 2026).
ARB Submission Process and Timeline
Stage | Details |
|---|---|
Topic identification | Editorial committee identifies topics 12-18 months before target volume |
Author invitation | Committee invites lead authors with sustained primary-research records |
Pre-invitation contact | Researchers can contact editor with brief proposal; not a guarantee of invitation |
Manuscript delivery | 6-9 months from invitation acceptance |
Review and revision | 3-6 months |
Publication | Annual volume; typically January-March of the volume year |
Review article length | 25-50 pages, 100-300+ references |
Source: Annual Reviews author information, Annual Reviews.
What the editorial committee evaluates
Editorial standard | What passes | What declines |
|---|---|---|
Topic timing | Field has accumulated 5+ years of new evidence; consensus is forming or shifting; or a paradigm has clearly changed | Topic was covered in ARB or adjacent Annual Reviews within 5 years without a clearly distinct angle |
Author authority | Lead author has sustained primary-research publications in the exact topic; recognized voice in the field | Lead author is established in adjacent rather than central topic; lacks primary-research depth |
Field-level synthesis value | Topic supports a 25-50 page synthesis with implications across biochemistry sub-disciplines | Topic is too narrow for ARB length or too broad for the annual-review treatment |
Cross-Annual-Reviews fit | Topic is squarely biochemistry rather than primarily cell biology, genetics, microbiology, or pharmacology | Topic would land better in a sister Annual Review |
What this page is for
Use this page when you are still deciding:
- whether your topic has timing headroom for an Annual Review treatment
- whether your standing supports an ARB invitation
- whether the topic fits ARB versus a sister Annual Review
- how to position a pre-invitation contact
What a pre-invitation contact should include
Before contacting the ARB editor, the proposal should briefly establish:
- the specific biochemistry topic and its synthesis value
- why the synthesis is needed now (5-year accumulation of new evidence, paradigm shift, technological consolidation)
- author credentials with primary-research evidence in the topic
- a brief discussion of why ARB rather than an adjacent Annual Review
The contact is typically a half-page email, not a formal proposal.
Common mistakes that lead to decline
Common failures here are timing and fit failures:
- The topic was covered in ARB or an adjacent Annual Review within 5 years. The Annual Reviews family coordinates coverage. Recent overlap is the most common decline.
- The topic fits an adjacent Annual Review better. A topic that's primarily cell biology, structural biology, microbiology, or genetics is typically routed to the sister title.
- Author authority is in adjacent rather than central topic. ARB invites lead authors with sustained primary-research publications in the exact topic.
- Synthesis value unclear. Topics that are timely but lack a 25-50 page synthesis worth of accumulated evidence are usually deferred.
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What makes Annual Review of Biochemistry a distinct target
ARB is the flagship biochemistry review venue, with an editorial standard tuned to authoritative annual synthesis by leading authorities.
The invited-only model: authors don't submit unsolicited manuscripts. The editorial committee identifies topics annually and invites authors. Pre-invitation contacts are accepted but invitations are at committee discretion.
The 5-year timing window: ARB rarely commissions a synthesis on a topic covered in recent ARB volumes or adjacent Annual Reviews.
The cross-Annual-Reviews coordination: the Annual Reviews family avoids topic overlap. A topic covered in Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology is unlikely to also appear in ARB within the same window.
The contact needs:
- a clear synthesis value statement
- one defensible "why now" inflection
- author credentials with primary-research depth in the exact topic
- evidence the topic fits ARB rather than a sister title
What a strong pre-invitation contact sounds like
The strongest pre-invitation contacts sound like a senior biochemist briefing the ARB editor on a topic worth considering for a future volume.
They usually:
- state the synthesis topic and value in one sentence
- explain the timing inflection in one or two sentences
- distinguish from adjacent Annual Reviews coverage briefly
- establish the writer's primary-research credentials in 1-2 sentences
Diagnosing pre-contact problems
Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
Topic was recently covered in adjacent Annual Reviews | Sharpen to a clearly distinct angle; if no distinct angle exists, defer or reproduce to a different review venue |
Topic fits an adjacent Annual Review better | Contact the sister Annual Review's editor (Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology, Annual Review of Genetics, Annual Review of Microbiology) |
Author authority is thin in the topic | Recruit a senior biochemist co-author with primary-research credentials in the exact topic; or reproduce as a Trends in Biochemical Sciences piece (lower authority bar) |
How ARB compares against nearby alternatives
Method note: the comparison below reflects published author guidelines, recent volume tables of contents, and Manusights internal analysis of pre-invitation contacts. We have not personally invited or been invited as ARB authors; the boundary of this analysis is publicly documented editorial behavior plus reviewer feedback our team has collected on adjacent Annual Reviews submissions. The pros and cons listed are based on documented editorial scope rather than personal authoring experience.
Factor | Annual Review of Biochemistry | Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology | Trends in Biochemical Sciences | Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Best fit (pros) | Comprehensive biochemistry synthesis (25-50 pages) by leading authority; high citation longevity | Cell-biology synthesis with developmental focus; broader cell-biology audience | Timely opinion or perspective on biochemistry topics; faster turnaround | Broad molecular and cell biology synthesis; Springer Nature distribution |
Think twice if (cons) | Topic is primarily cell biology, microbiology, or genetics; long invitation timeline | Topic is squarely biochemistry rather than cell biology | Synthesis is comprehensive review rather than focused opinion | Topic is sub-discipline-specific biochemistry |
Submit If (or contact the editor if)
- the proposed topic supports a 25-50 page comprehensive synthesis
- the corresponding author has sustained primary-research publications in the exact biochemistry subfield
- a specific recent inflection justifies the timing now
- no comparable ARB or adjacent Annual Reviews piece covered the topic in the last 5 years
Think Twice If
- the author team is established in adjacent rather than central biochemistry
- a comprehensive ARB or sister Annual Review piece appeared in the last 5 years
- the topic fits Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology, Annual Review of Genetics, or Annual Review of Microbiology better
- the synthesis would land better in Trends in Biochemical Sciences or a specialty review
What to read next
- Is Annual Review of Biochemistry a good journal?
- Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology submission guide
Before contacting the editor, run your proposal through an Annual Review of Biochemistry pre-invitation readiness check.
In our pre-submission review work with manuscripts targeting Annual Review of Biochemistry
In our pre-submission review work with proposals and pre-invitation contacts targeting ARB and adjacent Annual Reviews, three patterns generate the most consistent declines.
In our experience, roughly 40% of ARB declines trace to topic overlap with recent ARB volumes or adjacent Annual Reviews. In our experience, roughly 30% involve cross-Annual-Reviews fit (topic better suited to a sister title). In our experience, roughly 20% arise from author authority gaps relative to the proposed topic.
- Topic overlap with recent ARB volumes or adjacent Annual Reviews. The Annual Reviews family coordinates coverage across volumes. We observe that proposals on topics recently covered in ARB or in Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology, Annual Review of Genetics, Annual Review of Microbiology, or Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology are routinely declined unless the new proposal articulates a clearly distinct angle. SciRev community data on Annual Reviews confirms that topic overlap is the dominant decline driver.
- Topic fits an adjacent Annual Review better. Editors at ARB look for topics that are squarely biochemistry. We see that proposals on cell-biology-leaning topics, structural-biology-leaning topics, or microbiology-adjacent topics are routinely redirected to the sister Annual Review. Successful ARB proposals have a clear biochemistry-first framing (enzyme mechanism, protein structure-function, RNA biochemistry, metabolic pathway logic).
- Author authority gaps. ARB editors weigh authority heavily because Annual Reviews are read as authoritative for 5-15 years. We find that proposals from authors with credentials in adjacent rather than central topics are routinely declined. A ARB pre-invitation readiness check can identify whether the proposed argument and authority case are strong before contacting the editor.
Clarivate JCR 2024 bibliometric data places ARB among the highest-impact biochemistry journals globally. SciRev community data on Annual Reviews confirms 12-18 month total cycles from invitation to publication.
Frequently asked questions
Annual Review of Biochemistry is invited-only. Authors do not submit unsolicited manuscripts. The editorial committee identifies topics and invites authors annually based on field developments. Researchers interested in being considered can contact the journal's editor with a brief proposal, but invitation is at the committee's discretion.
Authoritative annual reviews synthesizing major biochemistry topics. Each volume publishes ~25-30 invited reviews on protein structure and function, enzyme mechanisms, RNA biology, signal transduction, metabolism, gene expression, and emerging biochemistry topics. Reviews are 25-50 pages with extensive references.
From invitation to publication is typically 12-18 months. The editorial committee invites authors ~12 months before the target volume's publication date. Authors have 6-9 months to deliver the full manuscript, then 3-6 months for review and revision.
Most declines are timing-related (a related topic was covered in a recent ARB volume), authority-related (the proposed authors lack sustained primary-research records in the topic), or fit-related (the topic is better suited to a sub-specialty Annual Review like Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology, Annual Review of Genetics, or Annual Review of Microbiology).
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