Journal profile · Clinical Neurology
Brain
ISSN 0006-8950 · eISSN 1460-2156 · Oxford University Press · ENGLAND · Monthly · Founded 1878
Brain: CAS Zone 1 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 12.49; hybrid open access; APC about USD 5,570; median 143 days to acceptance (72 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly hard; 492 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Brain is published by Oxford University Press 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 Neurology and Historical Studies, Neurological disorders and treatments and Parkinson's Disease Mechanisms and Treatments, together about 29.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Neurology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Brain provides researchers and clinicians with the finest original contributions in neurology. Leading studies in neurological science are balanced with practical clinical articles. Its citation rating is one of the highest for neurology journals, and it consistently publishes papers that become classics in the field. The Editorial Board reflects both the journal's truly international readership and wide coverage.
Source: LetPub
Research area (LetPub): Clinical Neurology
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Neurology and Historical StudiesNeuroscience14.6%
- Neurological disorders and treatmentsMedicine8.3%
- Parkinson's Disease Mechanisms and TreatmentsMedicine6.4%
- Genetic Neurodegenerative DiseasesNeuroscience5.2%
- Functional Brain Connectivity StudiesNeuroscience4.9%
- Epilepsy research and treatmentMedicine4.9%
- Alzheimer's disease research and treatmentsMedicine4.8%
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchNeuroscience4.3%
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 | Clinical Neurology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Neurosciences | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Clinical Neurology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Neurosciences | 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 | Clinical Neurology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Neurosciences | 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
- 12.49LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 21.2LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 4.75LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 3.13LetPub ·
- h-index
- 308LetPub ·
- h-index
- 507OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 11,558OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 8.73OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 2.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 55.34%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 295LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 19,588 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 326 | 177 | 239 |
| 2025 | 492 | 377 | 2,838 |
| 2024 | 413 | 366 | 7,669 |
| 2023 | 444 | 411 | 14,076 |
| 2022 | 493 | 448 | 20,482 |
| 2021 | 518 | 457 | 27,412 |
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
143 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 106 days – 206 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 77 days (3 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 188 days
- Sample
- 72 articles with submission and acceptance dates (1,015 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)
- Fairly hardLetPub ·
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 | GBP 4,224 | — | — |
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.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1878
- ISSN
- 0006-8950
- Electronic ISSN
- 1460-2156
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Brain
What CAS zone is Brain in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Brain is in Zone 1 of Medicine, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Clinical Neurology / Neurosciences; 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 Brain?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 12.49; CiteScore 21.2, h-index 507.
How long does peer review take at Brain?
Based on the dates recorded on 72 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 143 days (interquartile range 106–206 days); authors report an average review time of 3–6 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.
Which databases index Brain?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Brain is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Brain open access, and what is the APC?
Brain is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 5,570.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, 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: .