Journal profile · Multiple
Cognitive Development
ISSN 0885-2014 · eISSN 1879-226X · Elsevier
Cognitive Development: CAS Zone 3 · Psychology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.94; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,290; review about 199 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 101 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Cognitive Development is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 3 of Psychology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Child and Animal Learning Development, Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills and Reading and Literacy Development, together about 45.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Developmental and Educational Psychology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Cognitive Development is an international journal dedicated to publishing high-quality empirical and theoretical research on the development of cognition across the lifespan, from infancy and childhood through adolescence, adulthood, and aging. The journal’s mission is to advance understanding of the mechanisms and processes underlying cognitive growth, change, and individual differences, including both normative and atypical development, as well as cognitive deterioration, in humans and animal models.The journal welcomes submissions on a broad range of topics central to cognitive development, including perception and attention, concept and category formation, writing and drawing, fine and gross motor skills, memory and learning processes, language acquisition and development, digital literacy, numerical and spatial cognition, problem solving and decision making, executive functions and metacognition, social cognition and theory of mind, emotion regulation, and the cognitive neuroscience of development. Studies involving atypical development or special populations are considered when they provide significant theoretical and empirical insights.We publish original empirical articles, theoretical and integrative reviews, meta-analyses, brief reports, and methodological or conceptual papers. A wide range of methodological approaches is supported, including experimental and quasi-experimental studies, longitudinal and cross-sectional designs, training studies, quantified qualitative research, eye-tracking and video analyses, questionnaire and psychometric approaches, neuroimaging and psychophysiological methods, computational modeling, and cross-cultural or comparative studies.Cognitive Development does not consider studies focused solely on adult populations without addressing developmental change, nor research on cognitive development as it relates to business practices, workplace skills, human resources, or management. Clinical case studies, reports based on university teaching evaluations, and computer software development are also outside the scope of the journal. Purely educational policy or applied studies are only considered if they make a substantial theoretical or innovative empirical contribution.All submissions are evaluated for theoretical significance, methodological rigor, transparency, innovation, originality, and clarity of presentation. Authors are expected to follow the journal’s guidelines and are strongly encouraged to adopt open science practices, including data sharing, preregistration, and collaborative research.Benefits to authors We also provide many author benefits, such as free PDFs, a liberal copyright policy, special discounts on Elsevier publications and much more. Please click here for more information on our author services.Please see our Guide for Authors for information on article submission. If you require any further information or help, please visit our Support Center.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Christiane Lange-KüttnerPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 13, Germany 7, Canada 6, United Kingdom 3, Hong Kong, China 2 (37 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Child and Animal Learning DevelopmentPsychology28.1%
- Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skillsMathematics9.9%
- Reading and Literacy DevelopmentPsychology7.3%
- Language Development and DisordersPsychology6.3%
- Early Childhood Education and DevelopmentSocial Sciences4.6%
- Mathematics Education and Teaching TechniquesSocial Sciences3.5%
- Memory Processes and InfluencesNeuroscience3%
- Spatial Cognition and NavigationEngineering2.9%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Psychology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Psychology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Psychology, Experimental | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Psychology, Developmental | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Psychology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Psychology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Psychology, Developmental | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Psychology, Experimental | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Psychology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Psychology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Psychology, Developmental | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Psychology, Experimental | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
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
- 1.94LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 3.6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.94LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.14LetPub ·
- h-index
- 142OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,143OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.78OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 10.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 37.83%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 99LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,042 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 95 | 50 | 16 |
| 2025 | 101 | 51 | 164 |
| 2024 | 92 | 51 | 332 |
| 2023 | 89 | 50 | 692 |
| 2022 | 114 | 44 | 1,051 |
| 2021 | 119 | 49 | 1,553 |
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
199 dayssubmission to acceptance
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
- Submission to first decision
- 5 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 66 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 199 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 10 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double 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 3,290 / EUR 3,080 / GBP 2,630 / JPY 408,060 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,380 | — | — |
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)
Open calls for papers2, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- APA
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Not considered
- Clinical case studies; Reports based on university teaching evaluations; Computer software development
Article types accepted5
- book reviewCognitive Development publishes articles of reasonable length and of developmental interest on such topics as perception, memory, language, concepts, thinking, …Length not stated
- research paperCognitive Development publishes articles of reasonable length and of developmental interest on such topics as perception, memory, language, concepts, thinking, …Length not stated
- reviewCognitive Development publishes articles of reasonable length and of developmental interest on such topics as perception, memory, language, concepts, thinking, …Length not stated
- scientific noteA Scientific Note is an even shorter article format of 1000 words and a limitation of 10 references.Length not stated
- short articleA Short Article consists of not more than 5000 words, including references.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
Double anonymized peer review Model summary
This journal follows a double 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 sharing allowed Model summary
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
- ISSN
- 0885-2014
- Electronic ISSN
- 1879-226X
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Cognitive Development
What CAS zone is Cognitive Development in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Cognitive Development is in Zone 3 of Psychology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Psychology, Experimental / Psychology, Developmental. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Psychology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Cognitive Development?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.94; CiteScore 3.6, h-index 142.
How long does peer review take at Cognitive Development?
The publisher reports about 199 days (submission to acceptance). 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 Cognitive Development?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: APA; 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 Cognitive Development based?
Of the 37 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (13), Germany (7) and Canada (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Cognitive Development?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Cognitive Development is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Cognitive Development open access, and what is the APC?
Cognitive Development is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,290.
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: .