Journal profile · MEDICINE, RESEARCH & EXPERIMENTAL
African Journal of Laboratory Medicine
ISSN 2225-2002 · eISSN 2225-2010 · AOSIS · South Africa
African Journal of Laboratory Medicine: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); diamond open access (no APC); no APC; median 129 days to acceptance (63 articles, last 24 months); 53 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
African Journal of Laboratory Medicine is published by AOSIS and is in Zone 4 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Clinical Laboratory Practices and Quality Control, Bacterial Identification and Susceptibility Testing and Viral Infections and Outbreaks Research, together about 38.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Infectious Diseases. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
In 2025, the inclusion of AI policies became compulsory for all SciELO SA journals. Authors using AI-assisted technology must disclose their use in manuscripts to ensure transparency, accuracy, and trust. Guidance is available in the Plagiarism, Fabrication and Artificial Intelligence Policy page and the Submission Guidelines under 'AI-assisted technologies' in the formatting requirements. Not sure if this journal is indexed in SciELO SA? Please check our Indexing Services page.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): MEDICINE, RESEARCH & EXPERIMENTAL
Editor-in-chief Rajiv T. ErasmusPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named South Africa 5, Kenya 4, United States 3, Nigeria 3, Japan 1 (18 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Clinical Laboratory Practices and Quality ControlMedicine24.1%
- Bacterial Identification and Susceptibility TestingBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.5%
- Viral Infections and Outbreaks ResearchMedicine6.6%
- Tuberculosis Research and EpidemiologyMedicine5.1%
- Antibiotic Resistance in BacteriaBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.1%
- Antibiotic Use and ResistanceImmunology and Microbiology4.8%
- HIV/AIDS Research and InterventionsMedicine4.7%
- SARS-CoV-2 detection and testingMedicine4.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Medicine, Research & Experimental | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Medicine, Research & Experimental | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePMCEmbaseSciELOPublisher website
Other: Index Medicus, EBSCO, ProQuest
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
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 1.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.44LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.93LetPub ·
- h-index
- 30OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 162OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.21OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 40LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 564 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 29 | 29 | 0 |
| 2025 | 53 | 53 | 59 |
| 2024 | 30 | 30 | 77 |
| 2023 | 42 | 42 | 195 |
| 2022 | 64 | 64 | 529 |
| 2021 | 39 | 39 | 219 |
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
129 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 98 days – 171 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 91 days (62 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 243 days
- Sample
- 63 articles with submission and acceptance dates (75 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)
- about 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 12 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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
Diamond open access (no APC)DOAJ
Every article is open access and authors pay no article processing charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | No APC | No | CC BY | |
| LetPub | No APC | No | — | |
| Publisher website | No APC | — | — |
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)
Article types accepted9, with length limits
- brief reportsBrief Reports provide a succinct account of original research results with scientific merit but limited scope.Length not stated
- case studiesCase StudiesLength not stated
- correctionsCorrectionsLength not stated
- lessons from the fieldLessons from the Field articles offer authors’ first-hand knowledge and experience of implemented interventions in local settings and the results thereof. This …Length not stated
- lettermay be requested in the authors’ cover letter for up to 6000 words. Abstract MAIN ABSTRACT Maximum: 250 words Required structumain text ≤ 6,000 words
- opinion papersOpinion PapersLength not stated
- original researchOriginal Research provides an overview of innovative research in a particular field within or related to the focus and scope of the journal, presented according…Length not stated
- review articleReview ArticleLength not stated
- scientific lettersScientific LettersLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Disclosure of AI-assisted technologies
The Acknowledgements section must include a clear statement disclosing any use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies (e.g., for data analysis, dataset or artefact creation) in conducting the research. This statement should: Be specific by naming the exact AI tool(s) used. State the purpose of the tool’s use, such as artefact creation or data analysis. Disclose human oversight by confirming …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Disclosure of contributors not qualifying for authorship
The acknowledgement section includes listing those who contributed to the work but did not meet authorship criteria, with the corresponding description of the contribution. Acknowledge anyone who provided intellectual assistance, technical help (incl. editing), or special equipment and/or materials. Authors are responsible for ensuring that anyone named in the Acknowledgements agrees to be named. …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures
Authors retain copyright. Model summary
Authors are required to disclose any prior dissemination of the manuscript content. This includes, but is not limited to: Thesis-based work (e.g., master's or doctoral theses). Preprint versions that are published on open repositories. Refer to our Frequently Asked Questions: Questions from Authors - Preprints. Conference papers or presentations that were expanded into an article. Additionally, au…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statement
Data availability statement required for research articles. Model summary
All research articles should have a data availability statement included in the manuscript in the form of a sentence under a separate heading entitled ‘Data availability statement’. The following are examples of a data availability statement. If you use one of the examples, you should modify it to fit your specific relationship. Availability of data Suggested data availability statements Example 1…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Consent required for identifiable individuals. Model summary
It is your responsibility to obtain consent from patients and other individuals for the use of information, images, audio files, and video clips from which they may be identified.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright
Open access under CC BY 4.0. Model summary
All articles published in this journal are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license, unless otherwise stated.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access OPEN ACCESS
All articles published in this journal are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license, unless otherwise stated.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Double-blinded peer review; authors must anonymise manuscripts. Model summary
The journal follows a double-blinded peer-review process, and you need to make your manuscript anonymous.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Disclosure of preprint-based content
Scenario Suggested preprint-based disclosures Example 1 A preprint version of this work was previously published on [Preprint Server Name] ([DOI or link]), and we acknowledge its role in shaping the final article. Example 2 – preprint feedback incorporated in the final manuscript We acknowledge the initial version of this work published as a preprint on [Preprint Server Name] ([DOI or link]). Feed…
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
- AOSIS
- Country or region
- South Africa
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2225-2002
- Electronic ISSN
- 2225-2010
- Society / sponsor
- ASLM
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about African Journal of Laboratory Medicine
What CAS zone is African Journal of Laboratory Medicine in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, African Journal of Laboratory Medicine is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Medicine, Research & Experimental. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
How long does peer review take at African Journal of Laboratory Medicine?
Based on the dates recorded on 63 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 129 days (interquartile range 98–171 days); authors report an average review time of about 12 weeks. 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 African Journal of Laboratory Medicine based?
Of the 18 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are South Africa (5), Kenya (4) and United States (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index African Journal of Laboratory Medicine?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, African Journal of Laboratory Medicine is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, PMC, Embase and SciELO; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is African Journal of Laboratory Medicine open access, and what is the APC?
African Journal of Laboratory Medicine is a diamond open-access journal (no APC). It charges no article processing charge.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website, DOAJ; 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: .