Journal profile · Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews
ISSN 0169-409X · eISSN 1872-8294 · Elsevier · NETHERLANDS · Monthly · Founded 1987
Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews: CAS Zone 1 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 20.74; hybrid open access; APC about USD 5,550; median 113 days to acceptance (96 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: mostly invited papers; 147 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews is published by Elsevier 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 RNA Interference and Gene Delivery, Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery and Advanced Drug Delivery Systems, together about 28.5% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The aim of the Journal is to provide a forum for the critical analysis of advanced drug and gene delivery systems and their applications in human and veterinary medicine. The Journal has a broad scope, covering the key issues for effective drug and gene delivery, from administration to site-specific delivery.In general, the Journal publishes review articles in a Theme Issue format. Each Theme Issue provides a comprehensive and critical examination of current and emerging research on the design and development of advanced drug and gene delivery systems and their application to experimental and clinical therapeutics. The goal is to illustrate the pivotal role of a multidisciplinary approach to modern drug delivery, encompassing the application of sound biological and physicochemical principles to the engineering of drug delivery systems to meet the therapeutic need at hand. Importantly the Editorial Team of ADDR asks that the authors effectively window the extensive volume of literature, pick the important contributions and explain their importance, produce a forward looking identification of the challenges facing the field and produce a Conclusions section with expert recommendations to address the issues.Articles review the current status of a specific topic, giving equal emphasis to the identification of major conceptual and technological challenges to successful drug and gene delivery, to an evaluation of triumphs as well as shortcomings in current conceptual and technical approaches, and to a discussion of their possible solution.Theme issues are commissioned by one of the Executive Editors or the Editor-in-Chief. The Journal does not publish stand alone manuscripts. If you wish to submit a theme issue topic for consideration, please contact one of the editors.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Editor-in-chief María VicentPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 4 in mainland China (about 6%); most named United States 25, Germany 7, Mainland China 4, United Kingdom 4, Japan 4 (67 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- RNA Interference and Gene DeliveryBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology12.2%
- Nanoparticle-Based Drug DeliveryMaterials Science9.2%
- Advanced Drug Delivery SystemsPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics7.2%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering6%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5.8%
- Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniquesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.6%
- Nanoplatforms for cancer theranosticsEngineering5.1%
- Educational Robotics and EngineeringComputer Science4.9%
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 | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: yes
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | 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 | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: yes
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
- 20.74LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 21Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 39LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 39Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 4.01LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.95LetPub ·
- h-index
- 278LetPub ·
- h-index
- 435OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 4,295OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 15.79OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 1.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 30.83%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 126LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 5,432 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 121 | 61 | 237 |
| 2025 | 147 | 82 | 1,815 |
| 2024 | 137 | 75 | 4,343 |
| 2023 | 206 | 96 | 11,853 |
| 2022 | 278 | 135 | 19,367 |
| 2021 | 338 | 183 | 30,744 |
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
113 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 93 days – 155 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 3 days (96 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 118 days
- Sample
- 96 articles with submission and acceptance dates (274 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)
- Mostly invited papersLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 5 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 51 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 116 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 3 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 5,550 / EUR 5,190 / GBP 4,440 / JPY 688,370 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 5,470 | — | — |
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 prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Highlights
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Required
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
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 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.
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
- 1987
- ISSN
- 0169-409X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1872-8294
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews
What CAS zone is Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews is in Zone 1 of Medicine, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Pharmacology & Pharmacy; 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 Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 20.74; CiteScore 39, h-index 435.
How long does peer review take at Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews?
Based on the dates recorded on 96 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 113 days (interquartile range 93–155 days); authors report an average review time of 3–8 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Mostly invited papers”. 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 Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; Highlights: Optional; Graphical abstract: 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 Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews based?
Of the 67 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 4 (about 6%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (25), Germany (7) and Mainland China (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews open access, and what is the APC?
Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 5,550.
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: .