Journal profile · Surgery
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY
ISSN 0002-9610 · eISSN 1879-1883 · Elsevier Inc. · UNITED STATES · Monthly · Founded 1905
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY: CAS Zone 3 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.3; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,830; median 114 days to acceptance (92 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy (Elsevier website: 45%); 532 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY is published by Elsevier Inc. 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 Gallbladder and Bile Duct Disorders, Cardiac, Anesthesia and Surgical Outcomes and Gastrointestinal disorders and treatments, together about 17.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Surgery. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The American Journal of Surgery® is a peer-reviewed journal which features the best surgical science focusing on clinical care; translational, health services, and qualitative research, surgical education, leadership, diversity and inclusion, and other domains of surgery.The American Journal of Surgery® is the official publication of: The Southwestern Surgical Congress, The North Pacific Surgical Association, The Latino Surgical Society, The Association of Women Surgeons, The Midwest Surgical Association, The Society of Black Academic Surgeons, The Society of Surgical Ergonomics and The Society of Asian Academic Surgeons.Types of Paper : The Editors and Publisher of The American Journal of Surgery invite concise original articles in the following categories: (1) original articles, (2), review articles, (3) "My Thoughts"- editorials on emerging topics, (4) "My Surgical Practice"- lessons learned in surgical practice, (5) invited commentaries, (6) "My Academic Path"- editorials for trainees and early-career surgeons, and (7) “My Inspiration” - short creative essays, personal narratives, or poems.We do not accept case reports or papers in the following areas: orthopedics, ear, nose and throat, urology, neurology, neurosurgery, anaesthesia, or obstetrics and gynaecology, basic/translational research.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Surgery
Editor-in-chief Herbert ChenPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 81, Australia 3, Argentina 3, United Kingdom 2, Taiwan, China 1 (95 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Gallbladder and Bile Duct DisordersMedicine6.2%
- Cardiac, Anesthesia and Surgical OutcomesMedicine5.8%
- Gastrointestinal disorders and treatmentsMedicine5.1%
- Appendicitis Diagnosis and ManagementMedicine4.9%
- Surgical Simulation and TrainingMedicine4.9%
- Hernia repair and managementMedicine4.9%
- Colorectal Cancer Surgical TreatmentsMedicine4.8%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.7%
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 | Surgery | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Surgery | 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 | Surgery | 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
- 2.3LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 2.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 4.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.81LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.06LetPub ·
- h-index
- 140LetPub ·
- h-index
- 254OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 16,798OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 8.3%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 324LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 40,179 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 374 | 61 | 171 |
| 2025 | 532 | 88 | 844 |
| 2024 | 504 | 108 | 1,808 |
| 2023 | 455 | 83 | 2,729 |
| 2022 | 528 | 133 | 3,670 |
| 2021 | 488 | 94 | 5,484 |
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
114 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 75 days – 177 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 1 days (92 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 115 days
- Sample
- 92 articles with submission and acceptance dates (1,113 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)
- 3–6 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 45%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 10 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 47 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 87 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 3,830 / EUR 3,580 / GBP 3,070 / JPY 475,030 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,890 | — | — |
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 prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 150 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Article types accepted10
- "my thoughts" -editorials on emerging topics(3) "My Thoughts" -Editorials on Emerging TopicsLength not stated
- case reportThe Editors and Publisher of The American Journal of Surgery® invite concise original articles in the following categories: (1) original articles, (2), review a…Length not stated
- commentaryThe Editors and Publisher of The American Journal of Surgery® invite concise original articles in the following categories: (1) original articles, (2), review a…Length not stated
- editorialThe Editors and Publisher of The American Journal of Surgery® invite concise original articles in the following categories: (1) original articles, (2), review a…Length not stated
- invited commentary(5) Invited CommentaryLength not stated
- original articleThe Editors and Publisher of The American Journal of Surgery® invite concise original articles in the following categories: (1) original articles, (2), review a…Length not stated
- original articles(1) Original ArticlesLength not stated
- reviewThe Editors and Publisher of The American Journal of Surgery® invite concise original articles in the following categories: (1) original articles, (2), review a…Length not stated
- review articleThe Editors and Publisher of The American Journal of Surgery® invite concise original articles in the following categories: (1) original articles, (2), review a…Length not stated
- review articles(2) Review ArticlesLength 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
Open access options available Model summary
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 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 Inc.
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1905
- ISSN
- 0002-9610
- Electronic ISSN
- 1879-1883
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY
What CAS zone is AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY is in Zone 3 of Medicine, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Surgery. 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 AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.3; CiteScore 4.5, h-index 254.
How long does peer review take at AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY?
Based on the dates recorded on 92 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 114 days (interquartile range 75–177 days); authors report an average review time of 3–6 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly easy (Elsevier website: 45%)”. 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 SURGERY?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 150 words; Keywords: 1–7; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: 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 SURGERY based?
Of the 95 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (81), Australia (3) and Argentina (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY open access, and what is the APC?
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SURGERY is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,830.
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: .