Journal profile · Pathology
Acta Neuropathologica
ISSN 0001-6322 · eISSN 1432-0533 · Springer Berlin Heidelberg · GERMANY · Monthly · Founded 1961
Acta Neuropathologica: CAS Zone 1 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 10.32; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,990; median 93 days to acceptance (98 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly hard; 132 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Acta Neuropathologica is published by Springer Berlin Heidelberg and is in Zone 1 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Alzheimer's disease research and treatments, Parkinson's Disease Mechanisms and Treatments and Glioma Diagnosis and Treatment, together about 28.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Neurology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Aims and ScopeActa Neuropathologica aims to publish the best papers on pathology of neurological disease, as well as experimental studies on molecular and cellular mechanisms using in vitro and in vivo models, ideally validated by analysis of human tissues.The journal publishes Original Papers, Review Articles, Case Reports, and Scientific Correspondence (Letters). Manuscripts submitted for publication must contain a statement to the effect that all human studies have been reviewed by the appropriate ethics committee and have therefore been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in an appropriate version of the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki. It should also be stated clearly in the text that all persons gave their informed consent prior to their inclusion in the study. Details that might disclose the identiy of the subjects under study should be omitted.Reports of animal experiments must state that the "Principles of laboratory animal care" (NIH publication No. 86-23, revised 1985) were followed, as well as specific national laws (e.g. the current version of the German Law on the Protection of Animals) where applicable.The editors reserve the right to reject manuscripts that do not comply with the above-mentioned requirements. The author will be held responsible for false statements or for failure to fulfil the above-mentioned requirements.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Pathology
Editor-in-chief Johannes AttemsPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 25, Germany 16, United Kingdom 6, Austria 5, Belgium 4 (74 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Alzheimer's disease research and treatmentsMedicine12.7%
- Parkinson's Disease Mechanisms and TreatmentsMedicine8.4%
- Glioma Diagnosis and TreatmentMedicine7.7%
- Neurological diseases and metabolismNeuroscience6%
- Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration MechanismsNeuroscience5.3%
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ResearchMedicine5.3%
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchNeuroscience5.3%
- Prion Diseases and Protein MisfoldingBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.1%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Clinical Neurology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Neurosciences | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Pathology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Clinical Neurology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Neurosciences | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Pathology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Clinical Neurology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Neurosciences | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Pathology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINEEmbasePsycINFOCASCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS, Semantic Scholar
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
- 10.32LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 10.3Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 11.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 16.9LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 4.19LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.21LetPub ·
- h-index
- 146LetPub ·
- h-index
- 291OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 7,490OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 11.07OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 3.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 81.98%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 103LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 2,500,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 10,053 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 117 | 96 | 86 |
| 2025 | 132 | 115 | 851 |
| 2024 | 185 | 165 | 3,867 |
| 2023 | 112 | 101 | 3,721 |
| 2022 | 134 | 122 | 5,033 |
| 2021 | 147 | 130 | 9,284 |
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
93 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 65 days – 137 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 14 days (98 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 109 days
- Sample
- 98 articles with submission and acceptance dates (280 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)
- 4–8 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly hardLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 1 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 4,990 / EUR 3,890 / GBP 3,290 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Page charges
- No page charges
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 prepare9 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 200–300 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 1,000 words
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted8, with length limits
- case reportThe following types of articles will be considered for publication: Original ArticlesThey should include:Title pageAbstractKey wordsIntroductionMaterials and me…Length not stated
- commentaryThe following types of articles will be considered for publication: Original ArticlesThey should include:Title pageAbstractKey wordsIntroductionMaterials and me…Length not stated
- correspondenceThe following types of articles will be considered for publication: Original ArticlesThey should include:Title pageAbstractKey wordsIntroductionMaterials and me…Length not stated
- editorialPapers are undergoing prompt initial review by the Editor-in-Chief. As we can accept only those manuscripts that meet stringent requirements of high scientific …Length not stated
- letterThe following types of articles will be considered for publication: Original ArticlesThey should include:Title pageAbstractKey wordsIntroductionMaterials and me…main text ≤ 1,000 words
- original articleThe following types of articles will be considered for publication: Original ArticlesThey should include:Title pageAbstractKey wordsIntroductionMaterials and me…Length not stated
- original articlesThe following types of articles will be considered for publication: Original ArticlesLength not stated
- reviewThe following types of articles will be considered for publication: Original ArticlesThey should include:Title pageAbstractKey wordsIntroductionMaterials and me…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship principles
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
Data transparency policy Model summary
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
Ethics approval required for human studies Model summary
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Permissions required for previously published material Model summary
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Acta Neuropathologica, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Clinical Trial Registration
The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of a clinical trial is "any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes". The WHO defines health interventions as “A health intervention is an act performed for, with or on behalf of a person or population whose purpose is to ass…
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
- Springer Berlin Heidelberg
- Country or region
- GERMANY
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1961
- ISSN
- 0001-6322
- Electronic ISSN
- 1432-0533
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Acta Neuropathologica
What CAS zone is Acta Neuropathologica in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Acta Neuropathologica is in Zone 1 of Medicine, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Clinical Neurology / Neurosciences / Pathology; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Acta Neuropathologica?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 10.32; CiteScore 16.9, h-index 291.
How long does peer review take at Acta Neuropathologica?
Based on the dates recorded on 98 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 93 days (interquartile range 65–137 days); authors report an average review time of 4–8 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly hard”. 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 are the manuscript requirements of Acta Neuropathologica?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 200–300 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 1,000 words; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: Optional; Graphical abstract: Optional; Cover letter: Required. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Acta Neuropathologica based?
Of the 74 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (25), Germany (16) and United Kingdom (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Acta Neuropathologica?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Acta Neuropathologica is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CAS and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Acta Neuropathologica open access, and what is the APC?
Acta Neuropathologica is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,990.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; 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: .