Journal profile · Urology & Nephrology
American Journal of Kidney Diseases
ISSN 0272-6386 · eISSN 1523-6838 · W.B. Saunders Ltd · UNITED STATES · Monthly · Founded 1981
American Journal of Kidney Diseases: CAS Zone 1 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 9.32; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,900; median 179 days to acceptance (116 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly hard; 905 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
American Journal of Kidney Diseases is published by W.B. Saunders Ltd 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 Dialysis and Renal Disease Management, Chronic Kidney Disease and Diabetes and Renal Diseases and Glomerulopathies, together about 38.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Nephrology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Official Journal of the National Kidney FoundationFirst published in 1981, the American Journal of Kidney Diseases® is the official journal of the National Kidney Foundation. AJKD® is recognized worldwide as a leading source of information devoted to clinical nephrology research and practice.Articles selected for publication in AJKD® undergo a rigorous peer review and editorial consideration process, including statistical review where appropriate, supporting the journal's goal to communicate important new information in clinical nephrology in a way that strengthens knowledge and helps physicians to provide their patients with the highest standard of care.Content appearing in AJKD® includes original research, reviews, editorials, case reports, and human interest pieces. Articles span a wide range of topics, including pathogenesis and treatment of kidney disease, hypertension, acid-base and electrolyte disorders, dialysis therapies, kidney transplantation, patient-centered outcomes, health care policy, socioeconomic aspects of kidney disease and treatment, and health care disparities. Research submissions must focus on clinical research, with laboratory studies suitable only if they are directly linked to measurements or outcomes in humans; criteria for review include validity, clinical importance, and interest.The American Journal of Kidney Diseases is ranked 7th of 134 journals in the Urology & Nephrology category of the 2026 Journal Citation Reports© (Clarivate Analytics) and has an Impact Factor of 9.4.AJKD®(ISSN: 0272-6386) offers authors the choice of subscription or open access publication.Please consult the AJKD Information for Authors for a detailed description of each article type, submission guidelines, as well as important journal policies. The journal's Editorial Board page provides a full list of the editors and board members associated with the journal.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Urology & Nephrology
Editor-in-chief Harold I. FeldmanPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 1%); most named United States 116, Canada 11, Australia 8, United Kingdom 7, Brazil 4 (164 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Dialysis and Renal Disease ManagementMedicine18.9%
- Chronic Kidney Disease and DiabetesMedicine10%
- Renal Diseases and GlomerulopathiesMedicine9.5%
- Renal Transplantation Outcomes and TreatmentsMedicine5%
- Acute Kidney Injury ResearchMedicine5%
- Parathyroid Disorders and TreatmentsMedicine4.3%
- Central Venous Catheters and HemodialysisHealth Professions4.2%
- Renal and Vascular PathologiesMedicine3.7%
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 | Urology & Nephrology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Urology & Nephrology | 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 | Urology & Nephrology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview 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
- 9.32LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 9.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 15.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 15.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 3.1LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.86LetPub ·
- h-index
- 196LetPub ·
- h-index
- 293OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 9,443OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.34OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 3.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 21.23%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 133LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 25,148 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 876 | 99 | 66 |
| 2025 | 905 | 155 | 929 |
| 2024 | 796 | 168 | 2,464 |
| 2023 | 700 | 610 | 3,819 |
| 2022 | 681 | 385 | 4,631 |
| 2021 | 685 | 252 | 11,072 |
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
179 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 127 days – 227 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 86 days (99 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 286 days
- Sample
- 116 articles with submission and acceptance dates (530 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)
- Fairly hardLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 8 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 42 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 158 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single-anonymous peer reviewPublisher website · model-extracted
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 3,900 / EUR 3,650 / GBP 3,120 / JPY 483,720 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 4,660 | — | — |
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
- USD 50
- Submission fee
- USD 600
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 prepare2 items from the author guidelines
- Reference style
- AMA
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted21, with length limits
- ajkd express (expedited consideration)AJKD offers AJKD Express, an expedited consideration path for manuscripts that meet the following criteriaLength not stated
- case reportCase Reports present interesting, rare, and/or novel situations that bring to the attention of the experienced practitioner and others newly described clinical …main text ≤ 1,500 words · abstract ≤ 200 words · figures and tables ≤ 2 · references ≤ 20
- case reportsAJKD® (ISSN: 0272-6386) is dedicated to providing high-quality, clinically relevant information in the form of original research articles, case reports, and a r…Length not stated
- case seriesA description of the clinical course of 11 or more actual individuals with a condition of interest.Length not stated
- clinical trialAn experimental study that assesses the effect of an intervention or compares the effects of 2 or more interventions.Length not stated
- custom featuresArticle Types Original Investigations Research Letters Case Reports Features Editorial In a Few Words Review Mini-Reviews Perspective Quiz Special Report Letter…Length not stated
- decision analysis or cost-effectiveness analysisAn analysis that weighs choices in clinical care by modeling the projected consequences of different strategies to identify the optimal choice and/or to inform …Length not stated
- editorialncerning a current issue in nephrology. Editorials are limited to 1,500 words of body text and 1 figure, table, or box; in most cases, edmain text ≤ 1,500 words · figures and tables ≤ 1 · references ≤ 20
- featuresArticle Types Original Investigations Research Letters Case Reports Features Editorial In a Few Words Review Mini-Reviews Perspective Quiz Special Report Letter…Length not stated
- in a few wordsAn evocative work that illuminates the personal experiences and stories that define kidney disease.Length not stated
- letters to the editorA Letter to the Editor responds to an article in AJKD and should not exceed 250 words of body text (up to 5 references and 1 figure or table may also be include…main text ≤ 250 words · figures and tables ≤ 1 · references ≤ 5
- mini-reviewsMini-Reviews provide a concise and focused overview of a particular topic area.Length not stated
- original investigationsOriginal Investigations may evaluate pathogenesis, consequences, and treatment of kidney disease; kidney transplantation and dialysis therapies; and disorders o…Length not stated
- perspectiveor of argument, and clinical relevance. Perspectives are limited to 3,000 words of body text and 4 figures/tables/boxes in total; an unstrumain text ≤ 3,000 words · abstract ≤ 200 words · figures and tables ≤ 4 · references ≤ 70
- quizArticle Types Original Investigations Research Letters Case Reports Features Editorial In a Few Words Review Mini-Reviews Perspective Quiz Special Report Letter…Length not stated
- registry or health care database studyA study using routinely collected health or health care administrative data that seeks to draw inferences about patterns of health care delivery, clinical decis…Length not stated
- research lettersOriginal Investigations, Research Letters, and selected other content is discussed at weekly editorial meetings attended by a team generally including the Edito…Length not stated
- reviewAn authoritative exploration of a clinical, translational, or basic science topic of interest to practitioners. Clinically focused Reviews should describe the t…main text ≤ 3,500 words · abstract ≤ 200 words · references ≤ 80
- special reportArticle Types Original Investigations Research Letters Case Reports Features Editorial In a Few Words Review Mini-Reviews Perspective Quiz Special Report Letter…Length not stated
- systematic reviewA systematic review follows an explicit protocol to systematically identify, appraise, and synthesize the findings of studies that address a similar question; a…Length not stated
- systematic review or meta-analysisA systematic review follows an explicit protocol to systematically identify, appraise, and synthesize the findings of studies that address a similar question; a…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, Open access, Preprints, Self-archiving
- AI use Declaration of Generative AI in Scientific Writing
Authors must declare the use of generative AI in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Elsevier recognizes the potential of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI Tools”), when used responsibly, to help researchers work efficiently, gain critical insights fast and achieve better outcomes. Increasingly, these tools, including AI agents and deep research tools, are…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship
The full name of each author and his/her affiliation must be listed on the title page of the manuscript.Each author must meet all 4 of the following conditions; moreover, each person fulfilling these conditions must be listed as an author.(1) the individual made a substantial contribution to conception and design of the work, to data acquisition, to data analysis, or to data interpretation; and(2)…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Financial Disclosure
Each article except for In a Few Words must list financial relationships between each author (or the author’s institution) and entities that did not support the study, but that might reasonably be considered to be relevant stakeholders. For manuscripts that discuss tests or treatments, relationships with entities offering alternatives to those tests or treatments are considered pertinent. The type…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Sharing
Reuse of Copyrighted Material Model summary
In recognition of the increased attention given to reproducibility of research findings, and to enhance opportunities for research collaboration, each manuscript reporting a clinical trial must include a data sharing statement. AJKD does not currently have a particular data sharing expectation (beyond the stipulation that data be available for editors’ inspection, as detailed in the Research and P…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Misconduct Handling Policy
The AJKD editors recognize their role in making all reasonable efforts to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record, and will generally follow COPE recommendations when they suspect or receive credible allegations of a breach of journal policies. Any reports of potential misconduct submitted to the journal should include as much detailed information as possible to assist the editors in their …
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.License optionsAuthors 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 ·- Preprints Preprint Policy
Preprint Policy Model summary
Posting a manuscript as a preprint does not violate AJKD’s originality policies provided the following conditions are met. The existence of the preprint, including unique identifier or hyperlink, must be explicitly noted by authors when responding to the submission questions posed by the Editorial Manager system; if the preprint is posted after the manuscript is submitted to AJKD, authors must not…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Self-archiving Prepublication Embargo
Aside from the exceptions listed in the Presubmission Dissemination section, if the confidentiality of an AJKD article or its key elements is not maintained up to the point it is published by AJKD, the article’s acceptance for publication may be forfeited. If an author’s institution is interested in preparing a press release for an upcoming AJKD article, the Editorial Office will be happy to coord…
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
- W.B. Saunders Ltd
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1981
- ISSN
- 0272-6386
- Electronic ISSN
- 1523-6838
- Society / sponsor
- National Kidney Foundation
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about American Journal of Kidney Diseases
What CAS zone is American Journal of Kidney Diseases in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, American Journal of Kidney Diseases is in Zone 1 of Medicine, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Urology & Nephrology; 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 American Journal of Kidney Diseases?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 9.32; CiteScore 15.1, h-index 293.
How long does peer review take at American Journal of Kidney Diseases?
Based on the dates recorded on 116 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 179 days (interquartile range 127–227 days); authors report an average review time of 3–8 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 American Journal of Kidney Diseases?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Reference style: AMA; Suggested reviewers: Optional. 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 American Journal of Kidney Diseases based?
Of the 164 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 1%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (116), Canada (11) and Australia (8). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index American Journal of Kidney Diseases?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, American Journal of Kidney Diseases is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is American Journal of Kidney Diseases open access, and what is the APC?
American Journal of Kidney Diseases is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,900.
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 2026-08-24). Last updated: .