Journal profile · Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Clinical Therapeutics
ISSN 0149-2918 · eISSN 1879-114X · Elsevier Inc. · UNITED STATES · Monthly · Founded 1977
Clinical Therapeutics: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.64; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,240; median 119 days to acceptance (91 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 225 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Clinical Therapeutics is published by Elsevier Inc. 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 Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life, Diabetes Treatment and Management and Pharmaceutical Economics and Policy, together about 20.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Economics and Econometrics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Clinical Therapeutics provides peer-reviewed, rapid publication of recent developments in drugs, biologicals, and other therapies as well as in diagnostics, pharmacoeconomics, health policy, treatment outcomes, and innovations in drug and biologics research and development. In addition, Clinical Therapeutics features updates on specific topics collated by expert Topic Editors and Guest Editors. Clinical Therapeutics is read by a large international audience of scientists and clinicians in a variety of research, academic, and clinical practice settings. Articles are indexed by all major biomedical abstracting databases.Published articles range from pivotal studies exploring new chemical entities in large, multicenter trials to those exploring repurposing of marketed agents. Additionally, pilot study reports that assess drug safety and tolerability in all phases of development, new routes of drug administration and formulations, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, bioavailability, and biosimilarity and changes in practice guidelines, standards, policies and regulations are all of interest for publication. Clinical Therapeutics also understands the importance of strengthening the body of publicly accessible evidence surrounding particular agents through the publication of replication studies, negative trials, and failed trials.Beyond therapeutic clinical applications, we seek reports that examine the real-world implications of therapeutics such as comparative effectiveness and pharmacoeconomics studies as well as work that has implications for health policy. Commentaries, which include perspectives and contemporary issues, are sought to offer a balance of viewpoints and scholarly opinion on a broad array of drug-related topics. Case reports, which remain a vital part of our mission, offer clinically valuable lessons. All manuscripts are peer reviewed by independent clinicians or scientists for clinical relevance, technical accuracy, methodological rigor, clarity, and objectivity using a blind review process.In addition to feature articles published monthly, Clinical Therapeutics regularly features a specific theme section dedicated to an annual update of a specific topic area. A special guest editor will comprise each update with reviews, commentaries, and original research highlighting what's new or controversial in the topical specialty. Authors are invited to submit manuscripts for consideration in the topic updates, identifying submissions as such in their cover letters. Submissions not selected for the updates will be considered for general publication. Submit your manuscript at https://www.editorialmanager.com/clinther.Certain manuscript types require prior editorial review before submission to ensure alignment with the journal’s scope and contribution to the field. Authors intending to submit the following types of studies should seek pre-submission approval by contacting the journal office at clinther@elsevier.com with a brief description of the proposed manuscript for editorial evaluation:Adverse event studies based on the FAERS database. Submissions must clearly articulate the novel contribution of the study and how it advances the existing literature. This justification should also be included in the cover letter.Drug–drug interaction studies. Manuscripts must provide a clear methodological rationale for the selection of the agents studied, including clinical or mechanistic justification described within the Methods section.Studies focused on alternative or complementary medicines, including traditional medical systems (e.g., Traditional Chinese Medicine) or supplementation-focused interventions.Out-of-Scope ContentClinical Therapeutics focuses on clinically relevant therapeutic research and studies with clear implications for patient care, therapeutic development, or health policy. The following manuscript categories are generally considered outside the scope of the journal and are not suitable for submission:Animal o
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Editor-in-chief Jill L. MaronPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 20, Italy 7, United Kingdom 6, Hong Kong, China 2, Germany 2 (46 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of LifeEconomics, Econometrics and Finance7.9%
- Diabetes Treatment and ManagementMedicine6.6%
- Pharmaceutical Economics and PolicyEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5.8%
- Pharmaceutical studies and practicesMedicine5.6%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5.2%
- Lipoproteins and Cardiovascular HealthMedicine4.8%
- Medication Adherence and ComplianceMedicine4.7%
- Pharmaceutical Practices and Patient OutcomesMedicine4.6%
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 | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Zone 4 |
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
- 3.64LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 3.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 5.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.04LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.09LetPub ·
- h-index
- 123LetPub ·
- h-index
- 175OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 4,110OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.36OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 24.56%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 163LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 8,716 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 192 | 83 | 87 |
| 2025 | 225 | 98 | 373 |
| 2024 | 218 | 104 | 1,040 |
| 2023 | 237 | 149 | 2,333 |
| 2022 | 165 | 80 | 2,002 |
| 2021 | 239 | 137 | 3,669 |
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
119 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 84 days – 168 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 28 days (91 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 150 days
- Sample
- 91 articles with submission and acceptance dates (482 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)
- 3–8 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 6 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 61 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 101 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 29 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 4,240 / EUR 3,970 / GBP 3,390 / JPY 525,890 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 4,360 | — | — |
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)
- Page charges
- USD 600
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 prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 6,000 words
- Reference style
- Vancouver
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Article types accepted10, with length limits
- brief reportThese papers are reports of preliminary clinical investigations that are narrowly focused or provide limited findings. The submission should include a descripti…main text ≤ 250 words · abstract ≤ 250 words · references ≤ 3
- case reportCase reports are retrospective analyses of one, two, or three clinical cases. Case reports are an important part of post-marketing surveillance. They serve an a…Length not stated
- commentaryThese papers should address an important and current issue in clinical practice, health policy, or therapeutics/diagnostics research from the author's perspecti…main text ≤ 300 words · abstract ≤ 300 words · references ≤ 5
- editorialOriginal ResearchSubmissions categorized as Original Research describe substantive, well-controlled clinical research projects including clinical trials, pharma…Length not stated
- letters to the editorThese are objective, constructive, or educational critiques of papers published in Clinical Therapeutics. Accepted letters will be sent to the author of the ori…main text ≤ 1,000 words · abstract ≤ 1000 words · references ≤ 1
- meta-analysisOriginal ResearchSubmissions categorized as Original Research describe substantive, well-controlled clinical research projects including clinical trials, pharma…Length not stated
- original researchOriginal ResearchSubmissions categorized as Original Research describe substantive, well-controlled clinical research projects including clinical trials, pharma…Length not stated
- protocolOriginal ResearchSubmissions categorized as Original Research describe substantive, well-controlled clinical research projects including clinical trials, pharma…Length not stated
- reviewOriginal ResearchSubmissions categorized as Original Research describe substantive, well-controlled clinical research projects including clinical trials, pharma…main text ≤ 400 words · abstract ≤ 400 words · references ≤ 6
- systematic reviewOriginal ResearchSubmissions categorized as Original Research describe substantive, well-controlled clinical research projects including clinical trials, pharma…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
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 Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication.
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 Inc.
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1977
- ISSN
- 0149-2918
- Electronic ISSN
- 1879-114X
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Clinical Therapeutics
What CAS zone is Clinical Therapeutics in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Clinical Therapeutics is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Pharmacology & Pharmacy. 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 Clinical Therapeutics?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.64; CiteScore 5.7, h-index 175.
How long does peer review take at Clinical Therapeutics?
Based on the dates recorded on 91 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 119 days (interquartile range 84–168 days); authors report an average review time of 3–8 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”. 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 Clinical Therapeutics?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Manuscript length: ≤ 6,000 words; Reference style: Vancouver; 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 Clinical Therapeutics based?
Of the 46 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (20), Italy (7) and United Kingdom (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Clinical Therapeutics?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Clinical Therapeutics is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Clinical Therapeutics open access, and what is the APC?
Clinical Therapeutics is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,240.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .