Journal profile · Parasitology
Acta Tropica
ISSN 0001-706X · eISSN 1873-6254 · Elsevier · NETHERLANDS · Monthly · Founded 1944
Acta Tropica: CAS Zone 3 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.54; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,160; median 89 days to acceptance (122 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 418 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Acta Tropica is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 3 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Parasites and Host Interactions, Mosquito-borne diseases and control and Research on Leishmaniasis Studies, together about 29.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Parasitology and Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Acta Tropica is an international journal on infectious diseases that covers public health sciences, medical and veterinary entomology, and biomedical research with particular emphasis on topics relevant to human and animal health.Its scope includes the biology of pathogens and vectors, host-parasite relationships, mechanisms of pathogenicity, clinical disease and chemotherapy. We welcome contributions in basic or applied research in disciplines such as epidemiology, disease ecology, diagnostics, interventions and control, drug and insecticide resistance, mathematical modelling, public health and social sciences, climate change, parasite and vector taxonomy, biology, ecology and behaviour, host and parasite genomics, biochemistry, immunology, and vaccine testing.Contributions may be in the form of original research papers, review articles, short communications, opinion articles, or letters to the Editors.Only manuscripts of high scientific significance and innovation will be considered for publication. Criteria for rejection without review:Out of scopeManuscripts of minimal international relevance, including regional reports and studies of local interestCase reportsParasite and vector control strategies at very early inconclusive laboratory stages of development. For vector control studies, field validation is requiredField studies not replicated at least over two yearsStudies dealing with natural products (e.g., plant extracts) not characterized from a chemical point of view.Ethical issues, including plagiarism, submission of the manuscript to multiple journals, and lack of ethical approval where needed.Important Guidelines for AcceptanceEditors and the Editorial Board of Acta Tropica provide the following guidelines to help authors prepare manuscripts of high quality that can be considered for publication. Maximize your chances of acceptance by making sure your manuscript:Matches the scientific scope of the journalFollows the instructions specified in Acta Tropica guide for authorsPresents results that significantly advance science including innovative new approachesMeets quality standards of presentation and literature citationDemonstrates potential health or biomedical impact.The above points are critical for the publication of original papers. Be aware Editors carefully evaluate initial manuscript submissions and only those meeting the above criteria will be forwarded to review. If reviewed favourably and the authors seriously address all concerns, then chances of acceptance are increased. Review and Opinion articles may be invited by the Editors in Chief or submitted by authors responding to a recognized need. Reviews are expected to carefully synthesize and discuss the literature and make recommendations to advance respective scientific fields. Reviews and Opinions submitted by authors without research experience on the topic covered by the manuscript will not be considered. Systematic reviews adhering to PRISMA guidelines and meta-analyses are welcome. For any inquiry about Reviews and Opinions please contact our Special Content Editor, Prof. John Beier.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Parasitology
Editor-in-chief Nicola DecaroPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 8 in mainland China (about 12%); most named Italy 14, United States 10, Mainland China 8, Brazil 6, Germany 4 (66 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Parasites and Host InteractionsImmunology and Microbiology10%
- Mosquito-borne diseases and controlMedicine9.8%
- Research on Leishmaniasis StudiesMedicine9.4%
- Trypanosoma species research and implicationsMedicine9.2%
- Malaria Research and ControlMedicine8%
- Parasite Biology and Host InteractionsEnvironmental Science6.3%
- Viral Infections and VectorsMedicine4.8%
- Vector-borne infectious diseasesImmunology and Microbiology3.9%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Tropical Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Parasitology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Parasitology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Tropical Medicine | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Tropical Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Parasitology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
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
- 2.54LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 2.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 4.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.68LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.98LetPub ·
- h-index
- 89LetPub ·
- h-index
- 155OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 5,081OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.57OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 19.22%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 400LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 8,393 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 375 | 120 | 117 |
| 2025 | 418 | 106 | 805 |
| 2024 | 402 | 134 | 2,145 |
| 2023 | 272 | 80 | 2,462 |
| 2022 | 396 | 118 | 4,573 |
| 2021 | 398 | 111 | 5,869 |
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 PubMed · to
89 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 63 days – 114 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 1 days (122 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 92 days
- Sample
- 122 articles with submission and acceptance dates (947 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)
- 3–8 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 4 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 30 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 69 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single 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 3,160 / EUR 2,960 / GBP 2,530 / JPY 391,930 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,350 | — | — |
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)
Open calls for papers5, by deadline
- Integrated Mosquito Management (IMM) in the United States: From Concept to Field ImplementationDeadline
- Resilient Futures in Tropical Veterinary Medicine: Leveraging Research, Artificial Intelligence and Crisis Response to Combat Emerging Diseases and Safeguard Food SecurityDeadline
- New Challenges and Role of Innovative Technology on Dengue Prevention and Control: the 2025 APEC Conference on Dengue Prevention and Control in the Post-COVID-19 EraDeadline
- The social ecology of tropical zoonotic and vector-borne diseasesDeadline
- Advances in MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry for the identification of blood-feeding arthropods: reference databases and applications in human and animal healthDeadline
What to prepare1 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
Article types accepted14, with length limits
- full paperOriginal research articles should report highly significant innovative results not previously published elsewhere. Original articles are limited to 7,000 words …Length not stated
- letters to the editorit to both the journal and its readers. Letters to the Editor are limited to 2,000 words per article (all text excluding tables and figure legends).main text ≤ 2,000 words
- meta-analysisOriginal research articles should report highly significant innovative results not previously published elsewhere. Original articles are limited to 7,000 words …Length not stated
- opinionyears to achieve public health impact. Opinion articles are limited to 6,000 words per article (all text excluding tables and figure legends).main text ≤ 6,000 words
- opinion articlesOpinion articles should include scientifically backed points of view regarding currently relevant, controversial or future-oriented topics pertinent to the scop…Length not stated
- original articleOriginal research articles should report highly significant innovative results not previously published elsewhere. Original articles are limited to 7,000 words …main text ≤ 7,000 words
- original research articleOriginal research articles should report highly significant innovative results not previously published elsewhere. Original articles are limited to 7,000 words …Length not stated
- original research articlesOriginal research articles should report highly significant innovative results not previously published elsewhere. Original articles are limited to 7,000 words …Length not stated
- protocolOriginal research articles should report highly significant innovative results not previously published elsewhere. Original articles are limited to 7,000 words …Length not stated
- reviewOriginal research articles should report highly significant innovative results not previously published elsewhere. Original articles are limited to 7,000 words …Length not stated
- review articleOriginal research articles should report highly significant innovative results not previously published elsewhere. Original articles are limited to 7,000 words …main text ≤ 15,000 words
- short communicationOriginal research articles should report highly significant innovative results not previously published elsewhere. Original articles are limited to 7,000 words …main text ≤ 3,000 words
- short communicationsShort Communications should consist of original results or new methods within the scope of the journal. Short Communications need not be formally structured as …Length not stated
- systematic reviewOriginal research articles should report highly significant innovative results not previously published elsewhere. Original articles are limited to 7,000 words …Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Single anonymized review process Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing allowed Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
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
- Elsevier
- Country or region
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1944
- ISSN
- 0001-706X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-6254
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Acta Tropica
What CAS zone is Acta Tropica in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Acta Tropica is in Zone 3 of Medicine, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Tropical Medicine / Parasitology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Acta Tropica?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.54; CiteScore 4.7, h-index 155.
How long does peer review take at Acta Tropica?
Based on the dates recorded on 122 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 89 days (interquartile range 63–114 days); authors report an average review time of 3–8 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”. 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Acta Tropica based?
Of the 66 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 8 (about 12%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Italy (14), United States (10) and Mainland China (8). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Acta Tropica?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Acta Tropica is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Acta Tropica open access, and what is the APC?
Acta Tropica is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,160.
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: .