Journal profile · NURSING-NURSING
Australian Critical Care
ISSN 1036-7314 · eISSN 1878-1721 · Elsevier Ireland Ltd · AUSTRALIA · Founded 1992
Australian Critical Care: CAS Zone 3 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.57; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,900; median 156 days to acceptance (101 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 274 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Australian Critical Care is published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd 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 Intensive Care Unit Cognitive Disorders, Family and Patient Care in Intensive Care Units and Sepsis Diagnosis and Treatment, together about 36.9% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Australian Critical Care is the official journal of the Australian College of Critical Care Nurses (ACCCN). It is a bi-monthly peer-reviewed journal, providing clinically relevant research, reviews and articles of interest to the critical care community. Australian Critical Care publishes papers that report research findings, research-based reviews, discussion papers and commentaries which are of interest to an international readership of critical care practitioners, educators, administrators and researchers. Interprofessional articles are welcomed.Australian Critical Care is a COPE membership publication.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): NURSING-NURSING
Editor-in-chief Andrea MarshallPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Australia 42, Canada 4, Switzerland 4, United States 2, Taiwan, China 1 (58 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Intensive Care Unit Cognitive DisordersMedicine14.7%
- Family and Patient Care in Intensive Care UnitsHealth Professions12.8%
- Sepsis Diagnosis and TreatmentMedicine9.4%
- Respiratory Support and MechanismsMedicine6.5%
- Palliative Care and End-of-Life IssuesMedicine5%
- Nosocomial Infections in ICUMedicine4.4%
- Cardiac Arrest and ResuscitationMedicine3.5%
- Cardiac, Anesthesia and Surgical OutcomesMedicine3.5%
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 | Nursing | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Critical Care Medicine | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Critical Care Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Nursing | 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 | Nursing | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Critical Care Medicine | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIESSCIScopusLetPub
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
- 3.57LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 3.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 4.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.84LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.31LetPub ·
- h-index
- 31LetPub ·
- h-index
- 67OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 731OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 11.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 37.08%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 209LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,935 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 151 | 71 | 45 |
| 2025 | 274 | 91 | 407 |
| 2024 | 230 | 104 | 861 |
| 2023 | 147 | 76 | 1,077 |
| 2022 | 193 | 89 | 1,643 |
| 2021 | 134 | 84 | 1,665 |
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
156 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 102 days – 198 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 35 days (101 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 197 days
- Sample
- 101 articles with submission and acceptance dates (425 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)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 21%Publisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 123 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 2,900 / EUR 2,710 / GBP 2,320 / JPY 359,690 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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)
- Colour charges
- USD 312
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 accepted16, with length limits
- case reporttatement.org/prisma-2020-flow-diagram). Case Reports - up to 2,500 words Case reports may be of valuable to the readership, and shoumain text ≤ 2,500 words
- case studyAustralian Critical Care primarily publishes original research, systematically conducted reviews of the literature and letters to the editor that pertain to wor…Length not stated
- clinical trialsClinical Trials - 2,000-3,500 wordsLength not stated
- commentarythrough the online submission process. Commentaries - 2000 words + 15 references Contributions that are of general interest,main text ≤ 2,000 words
- editorialAustralian Critical Care primarily publishes original research, systematically conducted reviews of the literature and letters to the editor that pertain to wor…main text ≤ 1,500 words
- editorialsEditorials - 1,000–1,500 wordsLength not stated
- full paperu). Research Papers - 2,000-3,500 words Full papers reporting original research can be a maximum of 3,500 words in length, although shorter papers are preferred…main text ≤ 3,500 words
- letters to the editorAustralian Critical Care primarily publishes original research, systematically conducted reviews of the literature and letters to the editor that pertain to wor…Length not stated
- methods paperAustralian Critical Care primarily publishes original research, systematically conducted reviews of the literature and letters to the editor that pertain to wor…main text ≤ 5,000 words
- original paperAustralian Critical Care primarily publishes original research, systematically conducted reviews of the literature and letters to the editor that pertain to wor…Length not stated
- original researchAustralian Critical Care primarily publishes original research, systematically conducted reviews of the literature and letters to the editor that pertain to wor…Length not stated
- protocolAustralian Critical Care primarily publishes original research, systematically conducted reviews of the literature and letters to the editor that pertain to wor…main text ≤ 3,000 words
- research paperAustralian Critical Care primarily publishes original research, systematically conducted reviews of the literature and letters to the editor that pertain to wor…main text ≤ 3,500 words
- research papersResearch Papers - 2,000-3,500 wordsLength not stated
- research reportto identify the authorship team. Brief Research Report - 1500-2000 words Australian Critical Care accepts brief research reports whimain text ≤ 2,000 words
- reviewAustralian Critical Care primarily publishes original research, systematically conducted reviews of the literature and letters to the editor that pertain to wor…main text ≤ 5,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use Declaration of generative AI in scientific writing
The below guidance only refers to the writing process, and not to the use of AI tools to analyse and draw insights from data as part of the research process.Where authors use generative artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process, authors should only use these technologies to improve readability and language. Applying the technology should be done with human ov…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship
All authors should have made substantial contributions to all of the following: (1) the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work, AND (2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content, AND (3) final approval of the version to be submitted, AND (4) agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the wor…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of interest
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organisations that could inappropriately influence (bias) their work. Examples of potential competing interests include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations, and grants or other funding. Authors must disclose any interests in two places:…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Ethical considerations
Member of Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Model summary
Please ensure you provide the name of the institution providing ethical approval and any relevant approval numbers. Where multiple approvals have been obtained, it is sufficient to provide the details from the initial approving institution. Please also include a statement for participant consent. If ethical approval has been waived or is not required in your jurisdiction, please provide relevant d…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to complete a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' (for more information on this and copyright see https://www.elsevier.com/copyright). This enables the Publisher to administer Copyright on behalf of the Authors and the Society, whilst allowing the continued use of the material by the Author for Scholarly communication. An e-mail will be sent to the c…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
Authors can choose whether to publish their paper as open access. There is a 20% discount off the open access publication fee for members of the Australian College of Critical Care Nurses (the College). Please visit our open access page for more information and pricing. Learn more about Elsevier's pricing policy: https://www.elsevier.com/openaccesspricing.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review The review process
Single-blind peer review Model summary
This journal operates a single-blind peer review process. Identifying information such as Clinical Trials Numbers, names of institutions providing ethical approval (and any relevant ethical approval numbers), author initials, citations to author's previous publications should be included in the initial submission.All contributions will be initially assessed by the Editor-in-Chief for suitability f…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprints can be shared anywhere at any time, in line with Elsevier's sharing policy. Sharing your preprints e.g. on a preprint server will not count as prior publication (see 'Multiple, redundant or concurrent publication' for more information). Information regarding the preprint, including the DOI must be included during submission.Elsevier supports responsible sharingFind out how you can share …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines
Clinical trial registration required Model summary
Registration in a public trial registry is a condition for publication of clinical trials in this journal in accordance with International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE, https://www.icmje.org) recommendations.
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 Ireland Ltd
- Country or region
- AUSTRALIA
- Language
- English
- Founded
- 1992
- ISSN
- 1036-7314
- Electronic ISSN
- 1878-1721
- Society / sponsor
- Australian College of Critical Care Nurses
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Australian Critical Care
What CAS zone is Australian Critical Care in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Australian Critical Care is in Zone 3 of Medicine, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Nursing / Critical Care Medicine. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Australian Critical Care?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.57; CiteScore 4.9, h-index 67.
How long does peer review take at Australian Critical Care?
Based on the dates recorded on 101 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 156 days (interquartile range 102–198 days); authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 21%. 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 Australian Critical Care based?
Of the 58 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Australia (42), Canada (4) and Switzerland (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Australian Critical Care?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Australian Critical Care is indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus.
Is Australian Critical Care open access, and what is the APC?
Australian Critical Care is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,900.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .