Journal profile · Neuroscience-General Neuroscience
Brain Sciences
ISSN 2076-3425 · MDPI (Basel, Switzerland) · Switzerland · Founded 2011
Brain Sciences: CAS Zone 3 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.39; JCR Q2 (journal website); fully open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 37 days to acceptance (195 articles, last 24 months); 1,377 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Brain Sciences is published by MDPI (Basel, Switzerland) 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 Functional Brain Connectivity Studies, EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces and Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies, together about 23.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Cognitive Neuroscience and Neurology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Brain Sciences is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes original articles, critical reviews, research notes, and short communications in the broad area of neuroscience. The scope of Brain Sciences includes: Behavioral neuroscience Neurodegenerative diseases Neuropsychology Neurosurgery and neuroanatomy Molecular and cellular neuroscience Neurotechnology and neuroimaging Neuromuscular and movement disorders Social cognitive and affective neuroscience Sensory and motor neuroscience Neurorehabilitation Psychiatric diseases Neurolinguistics Developmental neuroscience Systems neuroscience Neuroscience of pain Neuropharmacology Neuropathology Neural engineering, neuroergonomics, and neurorobotics Computational neuroscience and neuroinformatics Neural control of peripheral function Environmental neuroscience Educational neuroscience Neuroenergetics nutrition and brain health Neurotology and neuro-ophthalmology Neuroglia Neuro-oncology Neurovirology Craniofacial and oral neurosciences
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Neuroscience-General Neuroscience
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 3%); most named United States 12, Italy 7, United Kingdom 4, Canada 3, Mainland China 1 (30 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Functional Brain Connectivity StudiesNeuroscience8.8%
- EEG and Brain-Computer InterfacesNeuroscience8.4%
- Neural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesNeuroscience6.6%
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation StudiesNeuroscience6.4%
- Autism Spectrum Disorder ResearchNeuroscience5.1%
- Stroke Rehabilitation and RecoveryMedicine4.4%
- Parkinson's Disease Mechanisms and TreatmentsMedicine4.4%
- Neural dynamics and brain functionNeuroscience4.4%
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 | Neurosciences | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Neurosciences | 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 | Neurosciences | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q2 · Clinical Neurology
- CiteScore Q2 · General Neuroscience
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePMCPubMedEmbasePsycINFOCASPublisher website
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
- 3.39LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.4Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.92LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.12LetPub ·
- h-index
- 116OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 4,644OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.16OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 2.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 99.98%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 1,352LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 10,864 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 984 | 984 | 405 |
| 2025 | 1,377 | 1,377 | 5,304 |
| 2024 | 1,290 | 1,290 | 9,491 |
| 2023 | 1,694 | 1,694 | 20,534 |
| 2022 | 1,745 | 1,745 | 25,596 |
| 2021 | 1,694 | 1,694 | 36,153 |
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
37 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 30 days – 48 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 3 days (195 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 42 days
- Sample
- 195 articles with submission and acceptance dates (2,640 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 11 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 16.8 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 2.3 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 6 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 | CHF 2,200 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | CHF 2,200 | — | — | |
| LetPub | CHF 2,200 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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 accepted19
- articleArticle: These are original research manuscripts. The work should report scientifically sound experiments and provide a substantial amount of new information.Length not stated
- book reviewAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- brief communicationAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- brief reportAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- case reportAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- commentaryAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- conference reportAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- editorialAll peer-reviewed articles published by MDPI are assessed by our independent Academic Editors, and MDPI staff are not involved in any editorial decisions regard…Length not stated
- hypothesisAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- letterAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- opinionAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- perspectiveAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- protocolAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- registered reportAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- reviewAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- systematic reviewAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- technical noteAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- tutorialAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
- viewpointAll Article Types Article Review Communication Editorial Abstract Book Review Brief Communication Brief Report Case Report Clinicopathological Challenge Comment…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Code availability, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- Authorship Authorship
MDPI follows the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) guidelines which state that, in order to qualify for authorship of a manuscript, the following criteria should be observed: Make substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; Draft the work or review it critically for important intel…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Code availability
Citation policy: cite sources clearly, obtain permission where appropriate, avoid excessive self-citation, citation manipulation, and citing unread or advertorial material. Model summary
Authors should ensure that where material is taken from other sources (including their own published writing) the source is clearly cited and that where appropriate permission is obtained.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Conflicts of Interest
According to The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, “Authors should avoid entering into agreements with study sponsors, both for-profit and non-profit, that interfere with authors’ access to all of the study’s data or that interfere with their ability to analyze and interpret the data and to prepare and publish manuscripts independently when and where they choose.” All authors mus…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
Data availability statements are required for all articles; authors may be asked to share datasets during peer review and provide details of analyzed datasets. Model summary
Data availability statements are required for all articles published with MDPI. During the peer review and editorial decision process, authors can be asked to share existing datasets or raw data that have been analyzed in the manuscript, and whether they will be made available to other researchers following publication. Authors will also be asked for the details of any existing datasets that have …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Publication Ethics Statement
Brain Sciences is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). We fully adhere to its Code of Conduct and to its Best Practice Guidelines. The editors of this journal enforce a rigorous peer review process together with strict ethical policies and standards to ensure to add high quality scientific works to the field of scholarly publication. Unfortunately, cases of plagiarism, data fals…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright / Open Access
Articles published in Brain Sciences will be Open-Access articles distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The copyright is retained by the author(s). MDPI will insert the following note at the end of the published text: © 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publication fees
If you transfer your manuscript to another open access (OA) journal, you will be charged an Article Processing Charge (APC) if your article is accepted for publication. The APC for each journal can be found on the individual journal’s website. For more information about APCs, please see here.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Editorial Process and Peer Review
All submissions are thoroughly peer-reviewed by experts within the field and undergo a structured editorial workflow designed to ensure quality, transparency, and scientific integrity. The full editorial procedure is available on the Editorial Process page and is also provided below. Pre-check Pre-check consists of a technical pre-check performed by the Editorial Office and an editorial pre-check …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints and Conference Papers
Brain Sciences accepts submissions that have previously been made available as preprints provided that they have not undergone peer review. A preprint is a draft version of a paper made available online before submission to a journal. MDPI operates Preprints, a preprint server to which submitted papers can be uploaded directly after completing journal submission. Note that Preprints operates indep…
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
- MDPI (Basel, Switzerland)
- Country or region
- Switzerland
- Language
- English
- Founded
- 2011
- ISSN
- 2076-3425
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 16 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Brain Sciences
What CAS zone is Brain Sciences in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Brain Sciences is in Zone 3 of Medicine, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Neurosciences. 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 Sciences?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.39; CiteScore 6, h-index 116.
How long does peer review take at Brain Sciences?
Based on the dates recorded on 195 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 37 days (interquartile range 30–48 days); authors report an average review time of about 11 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 JCR quartile is Brain Sciences in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q2; by category, Clinical Neurology Q2. JCR quartiles are Clarivate's to confirm and a different system from the CAS zones; in the CAS ranking the journal is in Zone 3 of Medicine.
Where are the editorial board members of Brain Sciences based?
Of the 30 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 3%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (12), Italy (7) and United Kingdom (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Brain Sciences?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Brain Sciences is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, PMC, PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO and CAS; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Brain Sciences open access, and what is the APC?
Brain Sciences is a fully open-access journal. APC charged, amount not published.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .