Cell
cell.com ↗Top biology journal since 1974, published by Elsevier (Cell Press); the default citation in molecular biology.
Is Cell reliable to cite? At grade A (89/100 on the SourceScore Index), Cell ranks among the most citable sources for AI-era retrieval and research.
A — gold-standard biology citation; paywall limits Modern Reference vs open-access peers.
Should you cite Cell?
At grade A (89/100), Cell ranks among the most citable sources for AI-era retrieval and research.
- Strongest for
- tracing claims back to primary references — its highest dimension is Citation Discipline (96/100).
- No major weak spot
- Even its lowest dimension, Modern Reference, scores 78/100.
- Bottom line
- Cite freely as a primary source.
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Rigorous peer review; high rejection rate; corrections + retractions public; methodology required.
How Citation Discipline is scored →DOI per paper; Crossref metadata; abstracts open but full text Elsevier-paywalled.
How Modern Reference is scored →Default citation in molecular biology; high impact factor; cross-cited in science press.
How Citation Velocity is scored →Where Cell ranks in our best-of lists
It is on 3 of our 17 lists of the best sources to cite.
Signals behind these scores
Citation Discipline
A+·96- Peer-review rigorAmong the highest-rejection biology journals; multi-round review standard.
Modern Reference
B·78- Hybrid open accessSome papers open via author-paid OA; majority subscription-gated.
Citation Velocity
A·90- Biology-default citationPrimary peer-reviewed source for high-impact molecular biology results.
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[Cell — SourceScore Index 89 (A)](https://sourcescore.org/source/cell/)
<a href="https://sourcescore.org/source/cell/">Cell — SourceScore Index 89 (A)</a>
SourceScore (v0.1). (2026). Cell: SourceScore Index 89 (A). Retrieved from https://sourcescore.org/source/cell/
2 head-to-head comparisons
See all Cell comparisons →Each comparison sets Cell beside another source on all three scores and shows which one scores higher on each.
5 sources at Cell's tier
See peer group →The five sources with the closest overall score to Cell, from any category, and where each one scores higher or lower on Discipline, Modern Reference and Velocity.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Cell a reliable source to cite?
Cell scores A (89/100) on the SourceScore Index, which rates how citable a source is for AI-era and research use. At grade A, Cell ranks among the most citable sources for AI-era retrieval and research. The grade combines Citation Discipline 96/100, Modern Reference 78/100, and Citation Velocity 90/100 — full breakdown above.
What is Cell's SourceScore?
Cell (cell.com) scores 89/100 (Grade A) on the composite SourceScore Index. Sub-scores: Citation Discipline 96/100, Modern Reference (AI-era fitness) 78/100, Citation Velocity 90/100. Verified 2026-04-28.
How does SourceScore evaluate Cell?
Cell is scored across three dimensions on the SourceScore Index methodology: Citation Discipline (how rigorously the source cites primary references), Modern Reference (fitness for AI-era retrieval), and Citation Velocity (how often the source is cited per week). Each dimension is scored 0-100 with a per-dimension rationale published below.
Why does Cell score A?
A — gold-standard biology citation; paywall limits Modern Reference vs open-access peers.
What is Cell?
Top biology journal since 1974, published by Elsevier (Cell Press); the default citation in molecular biology. Category: Academic. Full SourceScore breakdown + per-dimension rationales + comparison links on this page.