Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics

Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics (commonly abbreviated as ''Q. Rev. Biophys.', CODEN QURBAW) is an authoritative reviews journal in biophysics published by Cambridge University Press, founded in 1968 and appearing quarterly. It bills itself as "A Reviews journal of biological function, structure and mechanism".Quarterly Reviews of Biophysics（常用缩写 Q. Rev. Biophys.，CODEN 为 QURBAW）是生物物理学领域的权威综述期刊，由剑桥大学出版社代表出版，1968 年创刊，现为季刊。其自我定位是"生物功能、结构与机制的综述期刊"。

Scope

The journal covers both experimental and computational biophysics. Experimental biophysics span a range of physics-based measurement techniques, including optical microscopy, super-resolution imaging, electron microscopy, X-ray and neutron diffraction, spectroscopy, calorimetry and thermodynamics, together with their integrated uses. Computational biophysics encompasses theory, simulations, bioinformatics and system analysis. These biophysical methodologies are used to discover the structure, function and physiology of biological systems across varying levels of complexity, from cells, organelles and membranes through protein–nucleic acid complexes and molecular machines down to molecules.该刊覆盖实验生物物理与计算生物物理两大领域。实验生物物理横跨多种基于物理学的测量手段，包括光学显微成像、超分辨成像、电子显微学、X 射线与中子衍射、光谱学、量热法与热力学及其集成应用；计算生物物理则包括理论、模拟、生物信息学与系统分析。这些生物物理方法被用于发现不同复杂层次生物系统的结构、功能与生理，从细胞、细胞器、膜、蛋白质—核酸复合体、分子机器直至分子层面。^[1]

• A review-led journal: the majority of reviews are commissioned, written by invited authors who have made significant contributions to the field and who give critical, readable and sometimes controversial accounts of recent progress and problems in their speciality.综述为主的定位： 绝大多数综述论文为约稿，受邀作者是在其专业领域做出过重要贡献的学者，他们提供批判性的、可读的、有时带争议的近期进展与问题评述。

• Experimental methods: optical and super-resolution microscopy, electron microscopy, X-ray crystallography and neutron diffraction, nuclear magnetic resonance, spectroscopy, calorimetry and thermodynamic measurement, and combinations of these.实验方法： 光学与超分辨显微成像、电子显微学、X 射线晶体学与中子衍射、核磁共振（NMR）、光谱学、量热与热力学测量及其组合应用。

• Computational biophysics: theory and molecular simulation of biological macromolecules, bioinformatics methods, and systems-level analysis and network modelling.计算生物物理： 生物大分子的理论建模与分子模拟、生物信息学方法、系统水平分析与网络建模。

• Spectrum of systems: ion channels, DNA topology, protein complexes, molecular machines and biological membranes, spanning the full chain of structural biology, mechanism and dynamics.研究对象谱系： 从离子通道、DNA 拓扑到蛋白质复合物、分子机器与生物膜，涵盖结构生物学、功能机制与动力学全链条。

• Thematic issues: the journal occasionally publishes thematic issues, assembling multiple reviews around a specific direction in biophysics.专题专辑： 期刊不定期出版专题专辑（thematic issues），围绕生物物理学的某一具体方向组织多篇综述。

History

• Founding (1968): the journal was founded in 1968 under ISSN 0033-5835 by Cambridge University Press, positioned as a high-end review outlet in biophysics and long ranked among the leading titles in biophysics in the ISI Science Citation Index.创刊（1968年）： 期刊于 1968 年创刊，ISSN 0033-5835，由剑桥大学出版社出版，定位为生物物理学领域的高端综述平台，创刊后长期位居 ISI 科学引文索引生物物理类别前列。

• Launch of the Discovery section (2016): in 2016 Editor Bengt Nordén announced a new fully open-access section, QRB Discovery, which began accepting high-quality, innovative original research papers and perspectives to complement the journal's otherwise exclusively review-based content. Discovery accepts two article types, Reports of original research up to roughly 6,000 words and shorter essay-style Perspectives. All Discovery content is published open access, and authors are encouraged to end manuscripts with a box titled "Speculation" briefly describing the potential future implications of the work, though not going beyond reasonable and testable hypotheses.增设 Discovery 原创栏目（2016年）： 2016 年主编 Bengt Nordén 宣布设立全新的开放获取栏目 QRB Discovery，开始接纳高质量、富有创新性的原创研究论文与观点文章，以补充期刊此前纯综述的体裁。Discovery 栏目接受Reports（原创研究，字数上限约 6000 词）与Perspectives（观点文章）两种类型，全部内容采用开放获取模式，并鼓励作者在文末加入一个题为 "Speculation" 的方框，简述研究的潜在后续影响，但要求不得超出合理且可检验的假设范围。

• House-style and nomenclature changes (around the same period): alongside the Discovery launch the journal introduced obligatory registration of new fungal names in response to evolving nomenclatural requirements.排版与体例改革（2016年前后）： 同期期刊还配合真菌学命名法规的变化，引入新真菌名称的强制注册要求，以满足命名学发展的规范需要。

• Digital transition and standing: the journal has maintained a high ranking in the Science Citation Index biophysics category and serves as a forum for general and specialised communication between biophysicists working in different areas. Its impact factor fluctuates in the 5 to 7 range, at 7.2 in 2023 and 6.1 in 2025, with an h-index of 91.数字化与影响： 期刊在科学引文索引中的生物物理类别长期保持高排名，是不同领域生物物理学家之间进行通用与专门交流的平台；影响因子在 5 至 7 区间波动（2023 年为 7.2，2025 年为 6.1），h 指数为 91。

Editors

The journal has a single Editor drawn from senior researchers in biophysics, responsible for commissioning reviews and setting the overall scholarly direction. Peer review is overseen by an Editorial Board of researchers and academics rather than professional editors, who guide the external peer-review process and whose feedback validates and improves the final article.期刊设主编（Editor），由生物物理领域的资深学者担任，负责综述选题的邀约与整体学术方向。其审稿工作由编委会（Editorial Board）主导——编委为相关领域的研究者与学者而非职业编辑，由他们指导外部同行评审流程，其反馈用于提升最终文章的质量。^[2]

• Editor: Bengt Nordén, Professor at the Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, who has led the journal for many years and introduced the Discovery section in 2016.主编： Bengt Nordén（查尔姆斯理工大学，瑞典），化学与生物科学系教授，长期担任该刊主编并于 2016 年主导创设 Discovery 栏目。

• Editorial board: board members are drawn from all branches of biophysics, and the full list is published on the journal's official website.编委阵容： 编委会成员来自生物物理学的各个分支，完整名单见期刊官网。