Journal profile · MEDICAL ETHICS
Accountability in Research-Ethics Integrity and Policy
ISSN 0898-9621 · eISSN 1545-5815 · Taylor and Francis Ltd. · UNITED STATES · Tri-annual · Founded 1989
Accountability in Research-Ethics Integrity and Policy: CAS Zone 2 · Philosophy (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.88; JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,500; median 116 days to acceptance (86 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 63 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Accountability in Research-Ethics Integrity and Policy is published by Taylor and Francis Ltd. and is in Zone 2 of Philosophy in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Ethics in Clinical Research, Academic integrity and plagiarism and scientometrics and bibliometrics research, together about 41.8% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Accountability in Research is devoted to the examination and critical analysis of practices and systems for promoting integrity in the conduct of research. It provides an interdisciplinary, international forum for the development of standards, policies, procedures, and concepts to enhance the validity of research results and to encourage the ethical conduct of research. The journal welcomes original work on advancing research integrity in the form of empirical research, conceptual assessment, and critical analysis in all fields of science, including biology, chemistry, physics, medicine, law, economics, statistics, management studies, public policy, politics, sociology, history, psychology, philosophy, ethics, and information science. The journal seeks to publish research that makes a significant contribution to the literature and advances knowledge of accountability and integrity in research. With some exceptions, the journal is not interested in publishing studies that merely duplicate previous work or are limited in generalizability (e.g., due to problems with statistical design or research focus) or that in other ways fail to contribute meaningfully to the scholarly literature. While the journal seeks to advance accountability and integrity in research, it is not a forum for attempting to adjudicate complaints about specific cases involving individual researchers, academic institutions, journals, or research sponsors. All submitted manuscripts are subject to initial appraisal by the Editor, and if found suitable for further consideration, to peer review by independent, anonymous expert referees. All peer review is double-anonymized (some reviewers opt to have their identity known, however) and submission is online via Submission Portal. (Note: when Editors and Associate Editors of Accountability in Research submit work to the journal, they are blinded to the process within the system to ensure fair and unbiased peer review.) Read the Instructions for Authors
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): MEDICAL ETHICS
Editor-in-chief Lisa M. RasmussenPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 5%); most named United States 21, Hong Kong, China 3, United Kingdom 3, Canada 3, Mainland China 2 (37 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Ethics in Clinical ResearchMedicine18.7%
- Academic integrity and plagiarismSocial Sciences16.6%
- scientometrics and bibliometrics researchDecision Sciences6.6%
- Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and EducationMedicine6.6%
- Ethics in medical practiceHealth Professions5.6%
- Pharmaceutical industry and healthcarePharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics5.5%
- Academic Publishing and Open AccessDecision Sciences5.3%
- Meta-analysis and systematic reviewsDecision Sciences5.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Philosophy Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Medical Ethics | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Philosophy Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Medical Ethics | Zone 3 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Philosophy Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Medical Ethics | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q1 · best quartile · 2025
- CiteScore Q1 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINEPubMedPublisher website
Other: Philosopher's Index, EBSCOhost Products
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 3.88LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.4Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 6.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.9LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.9Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.73LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.73Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 24LetPub ·
- h-index
- 56OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 442OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.44OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 9.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 25.77%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 53LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 241,000Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 241,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,097 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 49 | 29 | 50 |
| 2025 | 63 | 35 | 315 |
| 2024 | 71 | 39 | 447 |
| 2023 | 74 | 29 | 1,188 |
| 2022 | 54 | 21 | 640 |
| 2021 | 57 | 26 | 930 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
116 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 70 days – 151 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 9 days (86 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 126 days
- Sample
- 86 articles with submission and acceptance dates (131 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Average review time (community reports)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 13%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 13%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 1 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 1 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 43 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review 2025
- 43 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 9 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 9 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,500 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare1 items from the author guidelines
- Not considered
- studies limited in generalizability
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Accountability in Research is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the discoverability …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Double-anonymized peer review; online submission via portal. Model summary
All peer review is double-anonymized (some reviewers opt to have their identity known, however) and submission is online via Submission Portal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Taylor and Francis Ltd.
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Tri-annual
- Founded
- 1989
- ISSN
- 0898-9621
- Electronic ISSN
- 1545-5815
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 33, Issue 6 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Accountability in Research-Ethics Integrity and Policy
What CAS zone is Accountability in Research-Ethics Integrity and Policy in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Accountability in Research-Ethics Integrity and Policy is in Zone 2 of Philosophy, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Medical Ethics. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Philosophy. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Accountability in Research-Ethics Integrity and Policy?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.88; CiteScore 6.4, h-index 56.
How long does peer review take at Accountability in Research-Ethics Integrity and Policy?
Based on the dates recorded on 86 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 116 days (interquartile range 70–151 days); authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 13% (2025). Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What JCR quartile is Accountability in Research-Ethics Integrity and Policy in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q1 (best quartile). JCR quartiles are Clarivate's to confirm and a different system from the CAS zones; in the CAS ranking the journal is in Zone 2 of Philosophy.
Where are the editorial board members of Accountability in Research-Ethics Integrity and Policy based?
Of the 37 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 5%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (21), Hong Kong, China (3) and United Kingdom (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Accountability in Research-Ethics Integrity and Policy?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Accountability in Research-Ethics Integrity and Policy is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE and PubMed; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Accountability in Research-Ethics Integrity and Policy open access, and what is the APC?
Accountability in Research-Ethics Integrity and Policy is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,500.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .