The Journal of Organic Chemistry welcomes original contributions of fundamental research in all branches of the theory and practice of organic chemistry. In selecting manuscripts for publication, the editors place emphasis on the quality and novelty of the work, as well as the breadth of interest to the organic chemistry community.

Manuscripts with a focus on the following topics along with guidance are included below. The scope of organic chemistry is broader than these several areas of research and the Editorial Board is consistently welcoming and evaluating manuscripts addressing topics in addition to these. Guidelines for specific focus areas are as follows:

Single or multistep synthetic methods manuscripts and total synthesis manuscripts are expected to demonstrate strategies, transformations, or shortened routes to target structures that show conceptual novelty, not merely the extension of previously reported chemistry to a different class of reaction substrates, reagents, or catalysts.
Manuscripts focusing on mechanistic studies (experimental or theoretical) should show methodological advances or provide novel insight into the course of chemical reactions, rather than only confirming previously established mechanisms.
Natural products isolation and identification studies should report unusual skeletal features, improvements in methods for structural determination, or insights into biosynthetic pathways.
Manuscripts with elements of biological study, analytical chemistry, functional molecules and systems, or materials science should demonstrate novelty in those aspects associated with the organic chemistry portion of the work being reported.