PNAS Nexus Impact Factor 2026: What to Expect From the New Journal

Short answer

PNAS Nexus has a first JCR impact factor of 3.5 (2024 release). It's the fully open-access companion to PNAS (IF 9.1), published by Oxford University Press for the National Academy of Sciences. Estimated acceptance rate is 25-35%. The journal is still young, so its IF is likely to shift over the next 2-3 years.

Best for

• Understanding where PNAS Nexus fits relative to PNAS
• Researchers considering the PNAS-to-PNAS-Nexus transfer pathway
• Evaluating whether a young journal's early IF is worth the submission

Not best for

• Treating a first-year IF as a stable long-term indicator
• Comparing PNAS Nexus directly to mature journals with 20+ years of citation data
• Assuming NAS affiliation alone guarantees high impact

Background: Why PNAS Nexus Exists

PNAS Nexus launched in January 2022 as the National Academy of Sciences' answer to the growing demand for fully open-access publishing. PNAS itself has a hybrid model (authors can choose open access), but PNAS Nexus is open-access only. Oxford University Press handles publication on behalf of NAS.

The journal's mission is to publish rigorous, peer-reviewed research across all scientific disciplines. That's the same broad scope as PNAS, but with a different selectivity threshold. PNAS Nexus is explicitly positioned as a venue for strong work that doesn't meet PNAS's higher bar for significance and novelty.

The First Impact Factor: What 3.5 Means

A first JCR impact factor of 3.5 is moderate. It places PNAS Nexus in the same range as Scientific Reports (3.9) and above PLOS ONE (2.6). That's a reasonable starting point for a new multidisciplinary journal, but it's substantially below PNAS (9.1).

First IFs are unreliable predictors of where a journal will settle. Journals typically see their IF change significantly in the first 3-5 years as they build a citation base and refine their editorial positioning. PNAS Nexus could stabilize higher if it attracts consistently cited work, or it could stay in the 3-5 range if it functions primarily as a PNAS overflow venue.

PNAS vs PNAS Nexus: Key Differences

The contributed submission track is a notable difference. PNAS allows NAS members to sponsor submissions through a contributed pathway, which has historically been controversial but provides an alternative review route. PNAS Nexus doesn't offer this track; all submissions go through standard editorial evaluation.

The Transfer Pathway

Like many journal families, PNAS offers a transfer option. Papers rejected from PNAS after external review can be redirected to PNAS Nexus with the existing reviewer reports. This is practical because it avoids starting the review process from scratch.

If your paper was desk-rejected from PNAS (no external review), the transfer doesn't carry reviewer reports, so the advantage is smaller. You'd essentially be submitting fresh to PNAS Nexus with the PNAS desk-rejection on record.

Should You Submit to PNAS Nexus?

The practical question is whether PNAS Nexus adds value compared to alternatives in the same IF range. At IF 3.5, it competes with Scientific Reports (3.9), PLOS ONE (2.6), and various discipline-specific journals in the 3-5 IF range.

Arguments for PNAS Nexus:

• NAS affiliation carries name recognition that generic open-access journals don't have
• The transfer pathway from PNAS makes it a natural second choice after a PNAS rejection
• The IF may rise as the journal matures

Arguments against:

• The IF is still early-stage and could stagnate
• Discipline-specific journals at similar IFs may have stronger readership in your field
• The journal doesn't yet have the track record that PNAS, Scientific Reports, or PLOS ONE have built over decades

For a deeper look at PNAS itself, see PNAS impact factor and the PNAS submission guide. For comparing alternatives, see Nature Communications vs PNAS and how to choose a journal for your paper.

Sources

• Clarivate JCR 2024: PNAS Nexus IF 3.5 (first official IF)
• PNAS and PNAS Nexus editorial policies, pnas.org, accessed March 2026
• Oxford University Press journal pages for PNAS Nexus