Journal profile · Surgery
Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery
ISSN 0936-8051 · eISSN 1434-3916 · Springer Berlin Heidelberg · GERMANY · Monthly · Founded 1903
Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery: CAS Zone 3 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.19; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,590; median 111 days to acceptance (117 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 50%; 443 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery is published by Springer Berlin Heidelberg 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 Total Knee Arthroplasty Outcomes, Orthopaedic implants and arthroplasty and Bone fractures and treatments, together about 30.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Surgery. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The journal will serve as a source of instruction and information for physicians in clinical practice and research in the extensive field of orthopaedics, traumatology and arthroscopy. Papers dealing with the surgical treatment of diseases and injuries of the musculoskeletal system from all fields and aspects of medicine will be considered, particularly if they satisfy the information needs of orthopaedic clinicians and practitioners. The journal features special emphasis of clinical relevance. Manuscripts submitted for publication must contain a statement to the effect that all human studies have been reviewed by appropriate ethics committee and have therefore been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in an appropriate version of the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki. It should also be stated clearly in the text that all persons gave their informed consent prior to their inclusion in the study. Details that might disclose the identity of the subjects under study should be omitted. Reports of animal experiments must state that the "Principles of laboratory animal care" (NIH publication No. 86-23, revised 1985) were followed, as well as specific national laws (e.g. the current version of the German Law on the Protection of Animals) where applicable. The editors reserve the right to reject manuscripts that do not comply with the above-mentioned requirements. The author will be held responsible for false statements or for failure to fulfil the above-mentioned requirements.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Surgery
Editor-in-chief Thomas J. HeysePublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Germany 49, Austria 16, Switzerland 8, United States 5, Japan 4 (97 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Total Knee Arthroplasty OutcomesMedicine12%
- Orthopaedic implants and arthroplastyMedicine11.2%
- Bone fractures and treatmentsMedicine7.3%
- Orthopedic Surgery and RehabilitationMedicine6.6%
- Orthopedic Infections and TreatmentsMedicine6.1%
- Shoulder Injury and TreatmentMedicine5.8%
- Hip and Femur FracturesMedicine5.3%
- Knee injuries and reconstruction techniquesMedicine4.8%
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 | Orthopedics | 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 | Orthopedics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Surgery | Zone 3 |
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 | Orthopedics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Surgery | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINEEmbaseCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS, Semantic Scholar
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
- Impact factor
- 2.19LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.2Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.95LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.32LetPub ·
- h-index
- 69LetPub ·
- h-index
- 129OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 5,750OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.77OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 36.92%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 417LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 1,600,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 13,333 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 330 | 319 | 72 |
| 2025 | 443 | 209 | 888 |
| 2024 | 534 | 224 | 2,656 |
| 2023 | 429 | 160 | 3,206 |
| 2022 | 452 | 197 | 4,993 |
| 2021 | 586 | 235 | 8,854 |
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 Crossref · to
111 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 76 days – 167 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 20 days (117 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 135 days
- Sample
- 117 articles with submission and acceptance dates (929 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 2 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 50%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 7 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double 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 4,590 / EUR 3,590 / GBP 2,890 | — | — |
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)
Open calls for papers2, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare9 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 300 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 1,000 words
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Optional
Article types accepted10, with length limits
- case reportOriginal research articles Original research papers report the results of laboratory or clinical studies and they should present original observations. The text…main text ≤ 1,000 words · figures and tables ≤ 4 · references ≤ 30
- case reportsCase Reports Case reports are accepted only if they illustrate exceptional or extremely rare clinical experiences and should include, whenever possible, a revie…Length not stated
- editorialDouble-blind peer review This journal follows a double-blind reviewing procedure. This means that the author will remain anonymous to the reviewers throughout p…Length not stated
- original research articleOriginal research articles Original research papers report the results of laboratory or clinical studies and they should present original observations. The text…Length not stated
- original research articlesOriginal research articles Original research papers report the results of laboratory or clinical studies and they should present original observations.Length not stated
- original research paperOriginal research articles Original research papers report the results of laboratory or clinical studies and they should present original observations. The text…Length not stated
- reviewOriginal research articles Original research papers report the results of laboratory or clinical studies and they should present original observations. The text…Length not stated
- review articleOriginal research articles Original research papers report the results of laboratory or clinical studies and they should present original observations. The text…Length not stated
- review articles and invited papersReview articles and invited papers Review papers may be narrative or systematic and are subject to the peer review process.Length not stated
- technical reportsTechnical Reports Technical Report articles introduce new surgical modalities or variants of existing techniques.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, Open access, Peer review, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Limitation of Authorship
All individuals listed as authors should have substantially contributed to the design, execution, and analysis of the study. Prior to its submission, all authors should have reviewed and confirmed the accuracy of the whole manuscript. People who have made minor contributions to the manuscript should be appropriately mentioned in an acknowledgment section on the title page. However, the individual(…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
Data transparency Model summary
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
Retrospective ethics approval Model summary
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Double-blind peer review
Double-blind peer review Model summary
This journal follows a double-blind reviewing procedure. This means that the author will remain anonymous to the reviewers throughout peer review. It is the responsibility of the author to anonymize the manuscript and any associated materials. Author names, affiliations and any other potentially identifying information should be removed from the manuscript text and any accompanying files (such as …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Clinical Trial Registration
The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of a clinical trial is "any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes". The WHO defines health interventions as “A health intervention is an act performed for, with or on behalf of a person or population whose purpose is to ass…
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
- Springer Berlin Heidelberg
- Country or region
- GERMANY
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1903
- ISSN
- 0936-8051
- Electronic ISSN
- 1434-3916
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery
What CAS zone is Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery is in Zone 3 of Medicine, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Orthopedics / 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 Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.19; CiteScore 5, h-index 129.
How long does peer review take at Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery?
Based on the dates recorded on 117 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 111 days (interquartile range 76–167 days); authors report an average review time of about 2 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 50%”. 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 Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 300 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 1,000 words; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: Optional; Graphical abstract: Optional; Cover letter: 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 Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery based?
Of the 97 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Germany (49), Austria (16) and Switzerland (8). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, Embase and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery open access, and what is the APC?
Archives of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,590.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .