Journal of the American Chemical Society vs Scientific Reports: Which Should You Submit To?

JACS's impact factor is 15.6; Scientific Reports is 3.9 (2024 JCR data). Among chemistry-focused journals, JACS ranks 17th globally and is considered the premier general chemistry journal in North America. Scientific Reports is the 25th-ranked multidisciplinary journal overall and doesn't focus on chemistry specifically.

For chemistry careers: JACS is a gold standard. Publishing in JACS significantly boosts your CV in chemistry departments, chemistry companies, and chemistry grant panels. It's a journal where breakthroughs are published and where careers are made. Scientific Reports is a respectable, peer-reviewed outlet that's well-regarded but lacks JACS's chemistry-specific prestige. Chemists recognize JACS as elite; they view Scientific Reports as a solid fallback.

JACS seeks high-impact chemistry and materials findings. Your work should represent a significant advance: a new reaction or synthetic method with broad utility, a mechanism that redefines understanding of a chemical process, a material with substantially improved properties, or a discovery that opens new research directions. JACS rejects routine studies, incremental improvements, and narrow applications. Editors screen aggressively; roughly 35-40% of submissions face desk rejection.

Scientific Reports accepts solid, peer-reviewed chemistry research meeting novelty and rigor criteria, regardless of impact breadth. A synthesis of a new compound, a characterization study, an incremental improvement in a process, a narrow application—these are all publishable if technically sound and novel. JACS would reject many of these; Scientific Reports publishes them regularly.

In practice: a new catalyst with modest improvements over existing ones would likely be desk-rejected at JACS. The same work would be suitable for Scientific Reports. A fundamentally new synthesis strategy or a catalyst with transformative improvements would have a strong chance at JACS and would certainly be accepted at Scientific Reports.

JACS is chemistry and materials-focused. It accepts organic, inorganic, physical, analytical, and materials chemistry; biochemistry; and polymer science. It's less welcoming to biology applications unless coupled with novel chemistry.

Scientific Reports is truly multidisciplinary. It accepts chemistry alongside biology, medicine, physics, engineering, and social sciences. Your chemistry work competes with all fields. However, this is not a disadvantage for good chemistry—peer review is discipline-specific, so chemistry papers are reviewed by chemists. The broader scope just means your paper is evaluated alongside other high-quality research rather than only chemistry.

If your work is pure chemistry, JACS is the specialized home. If your chemistry work has biological or materials applications beyond chemistry itself, Scientific Reports is equally valid.

JACS: Approximately 7-9% of submissions are accepted (varies slightly by year and subfield).

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

JACS acceptance is highly selective—roughly 1 in 11-14 papers succeed. Scientific Reports is selective but significantly more open—roughly 3-4 in 10. Your odds improve 3-5× at Scientific Reports.

JACS: 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. Complex or revised papers can take longer.

Scientific Reports: 21 days median to first editorial decision. The process is predictable, but not as fast as older pages claimed.

JACS's timeline depends heavily on the editor decision; if desk-rejected, you get feedback quickly. Scientific Reports is more consistent in timeline.

JACS: Subscription journal (published by American Chemical Society). No article processing charge; authors don't pay. Published papers are behind a paywall, though authors can self-archive on preprint servers and 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.

JACS's free publication model is advantageous if cost is a concern. Scientific Reports's open-access requirement means broader visibility but requires an APC (often covered by institutions or grants).

JACS editors are senior chemists from top institutions. They screen submissions carefully and desk-reject papers lacking sufficient impact or novelty. The review process is rigorous; only high-impact papers survive both editorial triage and peer review. Few papers get extensive feedback if rejected at the desk stage.

Scientific Reports editors send most papers to peer review. You're more likely to receive detailed feedback, even if rejected. The process feels more inclusive and constructive, though equally rigorous on scientific grounds.

Ask yourself: Is my chemistry work a significant advance that redefines understanding or opens new directions?

Many chemists submit to JACS as their first choice for high-impact work. If rejected (most submissions are), revise and submit to Scientific Reports. JACS reviewer feedback (if sent to full review) can strengthen your manuscript. This sequential approach is standard in chemistry publishing.

Don't simultaneous-submit; get your JACS decision (2-4 weeks), then move to Scientific Reports if needed.

JACS is the flagship journal where breakthrough chemistry is published. Its selectivity reflects genuine standards for high-impact research. Scientific Reports is an excellent, open-access alternative for solid chemistry that doesn't reach JACS's impact bar—which describes most published chemistry research, and that's perfectly normal and professional.

Publishing in Scientific Reports is a real achievement. It means your chemistry survived peer review, met standards for novelty and rigor, and contributed meaningfully to the literature. Many excellent chemists publish regularly in Scientific Reports. The prestige gap with JACS is real but shouldn't discourage you—choose the journal that matches your work's true impact level.