Journal profile · Neuroscience-Neuroscience (miscellaneous)
Brain and Spine
ISSN 2772-5294 · Elsevier · Netherlands
Brain and Spine: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.7 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 1,950; median 107 days to acceptance (109 articles, last 24 months); 1,663 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Brain and Spine is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 4 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Spine and Intervertebral Disc Pathology, Spinal Fractures and Fixation Techniques and Medical Imaging and Analysis, together about 33.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Surgery. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Official Scientific Journal of EUROSPINE and EANSBrain and Spine, the official scientific journal of the Spine Society of Europe (EUROSPINE) and European Association of Neurosurgical Societies (EANS), is a peer reviewed open access journal for scientific manuscripts concerned with pathophysiology, diagnostics, prevention, surgical and non-surgical interventions for structural pathological-anatomical alterations of the nervous system and axial skeleton.Brain and Spine accepts high quality papers from a wide variety of research areas, such as basic science at a molecular level, translational research and clinical epidemiology through to population health at a societal level. More specifically, the journal publishes papers that emphasize the fast growing biomedical fields of genomics, molecular sciences, biomechanical engineering, computer navigation and 3-D reconstruction techniques, experimental clinical research, as well as papers from the growing public health fields of clinical epidemiology, medical decision analysis, psychology, bio-ethics and prediction modelling at a population level.Although both scientific societies have a European origin, the journal's Editorial Team consists of experts from across the globe, with acclaimed knowledge in structural diseases of the nervous system and axial skeleton.In the biomedical arena of structural brain and spinal disorders Brain and Spine offers authors of all disciplines with brain and spine specialization, the possibility to submit manuscripts, describing original scientific studies, systematic reviews and "rare" case illustrations with the goal to add value to brain and spine patients care in near future.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Neuroscience-Neuroscience (miscellaneous)
Editor-in-chief Frank KandzioraPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 1%); most named Germany 21, Netherlands 10, Switzerland 10, Italy 8, Spain 4 (90 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Spine and Intervertebral Disc PathologyMedicine15.7%
- Spinal Fractures and Fixation TechniquesMedicine10.6%
- Medical Imaging and AnalysisEngineering7.3%
- Scoliosis diagnosis and treatmentMedicine7.3%
- Cervical and Thoracic MyelopathyMedicine6.3%
- Traumatic Brain Injury and Neurovascular DisturbancesMedicine5.4%
- Glioma Diagnosis and TreatmentMedicine5.3%
- Meningioma and schwannoma managementMedicine4.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Clinical Neurology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Clinical Neurology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
PubMedPublisher website
Other: Crossref
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 (publisher)
- 2.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 2.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.71LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1LetPub ·
- h-index
- 24OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 114OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.4OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 11.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 99.82%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 262LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 7,285 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1,522 | 1,522 | 113 |
| 2025 | 1,663 | 1,663 | 673 |
| 2024 | 1,414 | 1,414 | 1,043 |
| 2023 | 1,011 | 1,011 | 1,083 |
| 2022 | 834 | 834 | 1,136 |
| 2021 | 841 | 841 | 650 |
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
107 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 82 days – 165 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 1 days (109 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 111 days
- Sample
- 109 articles with submission and acceptance dates (649 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 10 weeksLetPub ·
- First decision after review
- 44 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 83 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 14 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | USD 1,950 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 1,950 / EUR 1,820 / GBP 1,560 / JPY 241,860 | — | — | |
| LetPub | EUR 1,780 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 1,950 | — | — |
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Page charges
- Charged; see the journal's website for the amount
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 papers1, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare8 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 6,500 words
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Templates
- Word
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Not considered
- Case Reports
Article types accepted13, with length limits
- case reportOriginal Research: Papers of original experimental or clinical research with a maximum of 6500 words (including tables and legends to figures).Reviews: A critic…Length not stated
- case reportsCase Reports: We accept only high quality case reports that must include a structured (preferably systematic) literature review that emphasizes the importance o…Length not stated
- guidelinesGuidelines: We accept national (governmental) guidelines (of predominant European countries) or guidelines published by professional non-profit organizations or…Length not stated
- letterOriginal Research: Papers of original experimental or clinical research with a maximum of 6500 words (including tables and legends to figures).Reviews: A critic…Length not stated
- letters to editorsLetters to Editors: Communications unrelated to material published in Brain and Spine in the three months prior to submission. Letters have to be shorter than 8…Length not stated
- literature reviewOriginal Research: Papers of original experimental or clinical research with a maximum of 6500 words (including tables and legends to figures).Reviews: A critic…Length not stated
- opinionOriginal Research: Papers of original experimental or clinical research with a maximum of 6500 words (including tables and legends to figures).Reviews: A critic…Length not stated
- original researchOriginal Research: Papers of original experimental or clinical research with a maximum of 6500 words (including tables and legends to figures).Reviews: A critic…main text ≤ 6,500 words
- reviewOriginal Research: Papers of original experimental or clinical research with a maximum of 6500 words (including tables and legends to figures).Reviews: A critic…Length not stated
- reviewsReviews: A critical account of what has been published on a specialised topic. No word limit.Length not stated
- short communicationOriginal Research: Papers of original experimental or clinical research with a maximum of 6500 words (including tables and legends to figures).Reviews: A critic…main text ≤ 2,500 words
- short communicationsShort Communications: maximum of 2500 words.Length not stated
- tutorialOriginal Research: Papers of original experimental or clinical research with a maximum of 6500 words (including tables and legends to figures).Reviews: A critic…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI in scientific writing
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 Authorship
All authors should have made substantial contributions to all of the following: (1) the conception and design of the study, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data, (2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content, (3) final approval of the version to be submitted.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interest
Corresponding authors, on behalf of all the authors of a submission, must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence (bias) their work. Examples of potential conflicts of interest include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations, and grants or other …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Plagiarism screening via Crossref Similarity Check Model summary
To verify compliance, your article may be checked by Crossref Similarity Check and other originality or duplicate checking software.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to complete a 'License Agreement' (see more information on this). Permitted third party reuse of open access articles is determined by the author's choice of user license.Author rightsAs an author you (or your employer or institution) have certain rights to reuse your work. More information.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access
License agreement required upon acceptance; open access licensing Model summary
Please visit our Open Access page for more information about open access publishing in this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Peer review type: single anonymized review process Model summary
This journal operates a single anonymized review process. All contributions will be initially assessed by the editor for suitability for the journal. Papers deemed suitable are then typically sent to a minimum of two independent expert reviewers to assess the scientific quality of the paper. The Editor is responsible for the final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of articles. The Editor'…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing allowed; does not count as prior publication Model summary
Please note that 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).
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
- Country or region
- Netherlands
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2772-5294
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗DOAJ
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗DOAJ
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Brain and Spine
What CAS zone is Brain and Spine in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Brain and Spine is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Clinical Neurology. 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 Brain and Spine?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 2.7; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 2.9, h-index 24.
How long does peer review take at Brain and Spine?
Based on the dates recorded on 109 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 107 days (interquartile range 82–165 days); authors report an average review time of about 10 weeks. 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 Brain and Spine?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Manuscript length: ≤ 6,500 words; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; Templates: Word; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; 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 Brain and Spine based?
Of the 90 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 1%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Germany (21), Netherlands (10) and Switzerland (10). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Brain and Spine?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Brain and Spine is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists PubMed; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Brain and Spine open access, and what is the APC?
Brain and Spine is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 1,950.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex, DOAJ; 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: .