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Biometrika is a journal of theoretical and methodological statistics, owned by the Biometrika Trust and hosted on Oxford Academic. This profile is for researchers deciding whether to submit and for readers who want to know what the journal publishes. Details below were read from the journal’s own About and instructions pages on 2026-11-08; the journal can change any of them, so confirm on the journal pages before you submit.
What Biometrika is
Biometrika is a statistics journal covering all areas of statistics. Its About page says papers are judged on importance, conceptual novelty and clarity, and states plainly: “We do not publish purely applied work.” That sentence is the most useful fit test on the page: a paper that applies existing methods to a new dataset is outside scope, while a paper that develops new theory or methodology is inside it.
The journal dates from 1901. It was founded by Francis Galton, Karl Pearson and W. F. R. Weldon, and its first issue appeared in October 1901 (the Biometrika Trust archive is catalogued at AIM25).
Who runs it and what it covers
- Owner: the page footer shows copyright held by the Biometrika Trust.
- Host: Oxford Academic (Oxford University Press), at academic.oup.com/biomet.
- Online ISSN: 1464-3510.
- Article types: regular papers; synthesis papers, normally under 20 pages; and miscellanea, a maximum of 8 pages.
- Indexing listed by the journal: Mathematical Reviews, Science Citation Index Expanded, Current Index to Statistics, Zentralblatt Math and RePEc, among others.
- Metrics shown on the journal page (checked 2026-11-08): 2025 Impact Factor 2.8, five-year Impact Factor 4.1, 2025 CiteScore 5.4. These are the publisher’s displayed figures and change each year. For how such a figure is read, see this worked example of a journal impact factor and where to check the current value.
How to find and submit to Biometrika
Readers find articles through the journal’s Oxford Academic pages. Authors submit through the journal’s ManuscriptCentral site, which is linked from the About page together with the Author and Reviewer Guidelines. The sign-in is reached from that link. The general instructions page sets these requirements:
- Submit the main paper, including figures, tables and bibliography, as one PDF.
- Put any Supplementary Material in a separate PDF.
- The work must not be published or under consideration elsewhere.
- For a synthesis paper, include a cover letter (Step 5 of the submission process) explaining how the paper meets the synthesis criteria.
- Expect single-anonymised review: reviewers are hidden from authors.
- After acceptance, choose between the standard licence and an open access licence.
Open access and data policy
Open access is chosen after acceptance and carries a charge; the amount is set on the publisher’s separate charges page, not in the instructions, so check there for the current figure. The instructions also say Read and Publish agreements may cover it, which is worth asking your library about, or about an open access publishing fund. On data, authors are “strongly encouraged” to share data and code where ethically feasible, and to cite public datasets with an accession number or DOI. For how the single-anonymised model compares with other review models, see open peer review.
Strengths and limits
- Strength, fit: a narrow, explicit scope (theory and methodology, all areas of statistics) makes the submit-or-not decision easier than at a general journal.
- Strength, formats: the synthesis and miscellanea types give a route for review-style and short papers.
- Limit, applied work: purely applied papers are out of scope by the journal’s own statement.
- Limit, review model: single-anonymised review means authors do not see reviewer identities, while reviewers see authors.
- Limit, open access cost: open access requires a charge unless an agreement covers it.
Alternatives
Journals with overlapping methodological scope exist; this table lists only what the journals’ own pages state.
| Journal | Stated scope | Online ISSN | Host |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biometrika | All areas of statistics; no purely applied work | 1464-3510 | Oxford Academic (Biometrika Trust) |
| Journal of the Royal Statistical Society Series B | Methodological aspects of statistics and data science more broadly; also comparisons, critical evaluations and new applications of existing methods | 1467-9868 | Oxford Academic (Royal Statistical Society and OUP) |
The difference that matters in practice: Series B states that new applications of existing methods are in scope, while Biometrika excludes purely applied work. Scope statements read 2026-11-08.
FAQ
What is Biometrika?
A statistics journal, founded in 1901 and owned by the Biometrika Trust, that publishes theoretical and methodological work across all areas of statistics.
Does Biometrika publish applied statistics?
Not purely applied work. The About page says so directly; papers are judged on importance, conceptual novelty and clarity.
What is Biometrika’s impact factor?
The journal page showed a 2025 Impact Factor of 2.8, a five-year Impact Factor of 4.1 and a 2025 CiteScore of 5.4 on 2026-11-08. Figures are updated annually.
How do I submit a paper?
Through ManuscriptCentral, as one main PDF plus a separate supplementary PDF, following the journal’s general instructions.
Is review anonymous?
Review is single-anonymised: reviewers are hidden from authors.
Sources
- Biometrika, About the journal, read 2026-11-08.
- Biometrika, General instructions for authors, read 2026-11-08.
- JRSS Series B, About the journal, read 2026-11-08.
- AIM25, Biometrika Trust archive catalogue.
