Journal Guide
Publishing in Cell Death & Disease: Fit, Timeline & Submission Guide
Cell Death & Disease fits manuscripts where the cell-death mechanism changes disease interpretation, not only marker expression.
Should you submit here?
Submit if the paper should explain what changes about a disease process, not only what changes in a pathway. Be careful if the disease mechanism needs to be central from the abstract onward.
8.1
Impact Factor (2024)
Selective Springer Nature open-access journal
Acceptance Rate
Editorial screening first; peer review after editor fit
Time to First Decision
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What Cell Death & Disease Publishes
Cell Death & Disease publishes research linking cell death, differentiation, and cellular stress mechanisms to disease biology, including cancer, neurodegeneration, cardiovascular disease, immunity, inflammation, and therapeutic response.
- Disease-linked cell-death mechanism manuscripts with functional evidence
- Studies using in-vivo, patient-derived, organoid, or clinically relevant evidence to support disease interpretation
- Manuscripts where translational relevance is direct rather than decorative
Editor Insight
“Cell Death & Disease readiness depends on whether the manuscript proves a disease-linked cell-death mechanism rather than general cell biology with disease language.”
What Cell Death & Disease Editors Look For
Disease-mechanism ownership
The paper should explain what changes about a disease process, not only what changes in a pathway.
Functional and translational support
Figures should connect perturbation to disease-relevant behavior, model, sample, or therapeutic implication.
Correct sibling-journal routing
Authors should know why Cell Death & Disease is cleaner than Cell Death and Differentiation or a disease-specialty title.
Why Papers Get Rejected
These patterns appear repeatedly in manuscripts that don't make it past Cell Death & Disease's editorial review:
Disease context added late
The disease mechanism needs to be central from the abstract onward.
Therapeutic language outruns evidence
Clinical or treatment implications require model, patient, or functional support.
Sibling-journal mismatch
A basic mechanism paper may fit Cell Death and Differentiation better.
Does your manuscript avoid these patterns?
The Free Readiness Scan reads your full manuscript against Cell Death & Disease's criteria and flags the specific issues most likely to cause rejection.
Insider Tips from Cell Death & Disease Authors
Lead with the disease mechanism
The abstract and cover letter should name the disease decision the cell-death evidence changes.
Do not hide model evidence
Disease model, patient, or in-vivo evidence should support the main claim, not sit only in supplementary files.
The Cell Death & Disease Submission Process
Scope fit
Before uploadConfirm the manuscript links cell death to a specific disease mechanism or translational problem.
Prepare Springer Nature package
Pre-submissionFinalize manuscript, figures, declarations, data availability, ethics statements, and supplementary evidence.
Submit online
Day 0Upload through the Springer Nature submission workflow linked from the guide to authors.
Editorial assessment
Initial screenEditors screen disease relevance, mechanism, functional evidence, and reviewer fit.
Peer review
After editor invitationReviewers assess disease model choice, mechanism, controls, translational framing, and claim discipline.
Cell Death & Disease by the Numbers
| Publisher | Springer Nature |
| Core scope | Cell death in disease |
| Publishing model | Open access |
Before you submit
Cell Death & Disease accepts a small fraction of submissions. Make your attempt count.
Start with the Free Readiness Scan. Unlock the Full Review from $29, with local pricing shown before checkout. If you need deeper submission planning, choose the Submission-Ready Dossier. The full report is calibrated to Cell Death & Disease.
Article Types
Article
Original disease-linked cell-death research
Review
Synthesis of disease-linked cell-death mechanisms
Letter
Shorter contribution within journal scope
Landmark Cell Death & Disease Papers
Papers that defined fields and changed science:
- Cancer cell-death mechanism papers
- Neurodegeneration and cell-death studies
- Disease-linked autophagy and apoptosis analyses
Preparing a Cell Death & Disease Submission?
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Primary Fields
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