Journal profile · Clinical Neurology
Cephalalgia
ISSN 0333-1024 · eISSN 1468-2982 · SAGE Publications Ltd · NORWAY · Monthly · Founded 1981
Cephalalgia: CAS Zone 2 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 5.68; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,000; review about 66 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); community-reported acceptance: fairly hard; 194 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Cephalalgia is published by SAGE Publications Ltd and is in Zone 2 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Migraine and Headache Studies, Trigeminal Neuralgia and Treatments and Ophthalmology and Eye Disorders, together about 56.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Neurology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Cephalalgia contains original peer reviewed papers on all aspects of headache. The journal provides an international forum for original research papers, review articles and short communications. Published monthly on behalf of the International Headache Society, Cephalalgia's rapid review averages 2 ½ weeks from author … | View full journal description This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Clinical Neurology
Editor-in-chief Simona SaccoPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 4%); most named United States 13, Italy 5, United Kingdom 4, Spain 3, Norway 3 (45 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Migraine and Headache StudiesMedicine40%
- Trigeminal Neuralgia and TreatmentsMedicine10.5%
- Ophthalmology and Eye DisordersMedicine6.3%
- Sympathectomy and Hyperhidrosis TreatmentsMedicine6.3%
- Neurological Complications and SyndromesMedicine4.7%
- Olfactory and Sensory Function StudiesNeuroscience3.5%
- Vestibular and auditory disordersNeuroscience2.8%
- Neurological Disorders and TreatmentsNeuroscience2.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Clinical Neurology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Neurosciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Clinical Neurology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Neurosciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Clinical Neurology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Neurosciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview 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
- 5.68LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 5.8Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher)
- 5.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 9.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.18LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.67LetPub ·
- h-index
- 113LetPub ·
- h-index
- 179OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 4,641OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.61OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 15.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 93.69%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 147LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 3Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 8,500 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 149 | 149 | 72 |
| 2025 | 194 | 194 | 983 |
| 2024 | 136 | 135 | 1,634 |
| 2023 | 158 | 153 | 3,049 |
| 2022 | 108 | 56 | 1,858 |
| 2021 | 168 | 72 | 4,014 |
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
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
66 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports 4–8 weeks
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Average review time (community reports)
- 4–8 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly hardLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 31.7%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 66 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 49 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 3,000 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,500 / USD 2,000 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare1 items from the author guidelines
- Reference style
- Vancouver
Article types accepted4, with length limits
- brief communication(iii) case report or small case series. Brief Communications should be in principle around up to 1,500 words in length (main text). The paper should be organize…main text ≤ 1,500 words
- editorialact the Editorial Office for proposals. Editorials should have fewer than 1000 words total, no abstract, a minimal number of references up to 5main text ≤ 1,000 words
- original research paperether the results are positive or null. Original research papers should be 4,000-4,500 words in length (main text). The paper should be organized in themain text ≤ 4,500 words
- review articles: narrative review or systemic review. Review articles should be up to 5,000 words in length (main text). Longer articles may be acceptable inmain text ≤ 5,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Publication ethics, Open access, Peer review, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- Authorship 4.2 Authorship
Papers should only be submitted for consideration once consent is given by all contributing authors. Those submitting papers should carefully check that all those whose work contributed to the paper are acknowledged as contributing authors.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics 5.1 Publication ethics
Sage is committed to upholding the integrity of the academic record. We encourage authors to refer to the Committee on Publication Ethics’ International Standards for Authors and view the Publication Ethics page on the Sage Information for Authors.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access 1. Open Access
Cephalalgia is an open access, peer-reviewed journal. Each article accepted by peer review is made freely available online immediately upon publication, is published under a Creative Commons license and will be hosted online in perpetuity. Publication costs of the journal are covered by the collection of article processing charges which are paid by the funder, institution or author of each manuscr…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Peer review policy: single-anonymized Model summary
Identity transparency: Single-anonymized
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines 4.8 Reporting guidelines
Your manuscript must follow the relevant EQUATOR Network (https://www.equator-network.org/) reporting guidelines, depending on the type of study. The EQUATOR wizard (https://www.penelope.ai/equatorwizard) can help identify the appropriate guideline. You will need to upload the appropriate checklist with your submission.
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
- SAGE Publications Ltd
- Country or region
- NORWAY
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1981
- ISSN
- 0333-1024
- Electronic ISSN
- 1468-2982
- Society / sponsor
- International Headache Society
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Cephalalgia
What CAS zone is Cephalalgia in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Cephalalgia is in Zone 2 of Medicine, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Clinical Neurology / Neurosciences. 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 Cephalalgia?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 5.68; CiteScore 9.6, h-index 179.
How long does peer review take at Cephalalgia?
The publisher reports about 66 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of 4–8 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly hard”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 31.7%. 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 Cephalalgia based?
Of the 45 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 4%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (13), Italy (5) and United Kingdom (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Cephalalgia?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Cephalalgia is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Cephalalgia open access, and what is the APC?
Cephalalgia is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,000.
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 2026-08-24). Last updated: .