Journal profile · Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Cognitive Systems Research
ISSN 1389-0417 · Elsevier · NETHERLANDS · Quarterly · Founded 1999
Cognitive Systems Research: CAS Zone 4 · Psychology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.84; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,030; review about 317 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); community-reported acceptance: easy; 72 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Cognitive Systems Research is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 4 of Psychology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Cognitive Science and Mapping, Embodied and Extended Cognition and Human auditory perception and evaluation, together about 21.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Neuroscience. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Cognitive Systems Research is dedicated to the study of human-level cognition. As such, it welcomes papers which advance the understanding, design and applications of cognitive and intelligent systems, both natural and artificial.The journal brings together a broad community studying cognition in its many facets in vivo and in silico, across the developmental spectrum, focusing on individual capacities or on entire architectures. It aims to foster debate and integrate ideas, concepts, constructs, theories, models and techniques from across different disciplines and different perspectives on human-level cognition. The scope of interest includes the study of cognitive capacities and architectures - both brain-inspired and non-brain-inspired - and the application of cognitive systems to real-world problems as far as it offers insights relevant for the understanding of cognition.Cognitive Systems Research therefore welcomes mature and cutting-edge research approaching cognition from a systems-oriented perspective, both theoretical and empirically-informed, in the form of original manuscripts, short communications, opinion articles, systematic reviews, and topical survey articles from the fields of Cognitive Science (including Philosophy of Cognitive Science), Artificial Intelligence/Computer Science, Cognitive Robotics, Developmental Science, Psychology, and Neuroscience and Neuromorphic Engineering. Empirical studies will be considered if they are supplemented by theoretical analyses and contributions to theory development and/or computational modelling studies. Note that the journal does not publish clinical and medical papers. We also do not publish pure machine learning papers, e.g. studies proposing variants of classifiers or pure algorithmic improvements that bear no connection to cognitive systems research in the sense above.Additionally, Cognitive Systems Research plays a special role in fostering and promoting the 'BICA Challenge' to create a real-life computational equivalent of the human mind by devoting two special issues to BICA AI (Brain-Inspired Cognitive Architectures for Artificial Intelligence) related topics each year.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Editor-in-chief Serge ThillPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 7, Italy 7, United Kingdom 6, Germany 4, Spain 2 (35 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Cognitive Science and MappingComputer Science8%
- Embodied and Extended CognitionNeuroscience6.9%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering6.2%
- Action Observation and SynchronizationPsychology6.1%
- Educational Robotics and EngineeringComputer Science6%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5.8%
- Neural dynamics and brain functionNeuroscience5.1%
- AI-based Problem Solving and PlanningComputer Science4.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Psychology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Psychology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Neurosciences | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Psychology, Experimental | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Psychology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Psychology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Neurosciences | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Psychology, Experimental | Zone 4 |
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 | Neurosciences | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Psychology, Experimental | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIESSCIScopusLetPub
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
- 2.84LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 2.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.3LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 6.3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.72LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.27LetPub ·
- h-index
- 41LetPub ·
- h-index
- 87OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 694OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.04OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 3.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 30.92%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 67LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,531 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 55 | 27 | 21 |
| 2025 | 72 | 35 | 213 |
| 2024 | 82 | 34 | 611 |
| 2023 | 103 | 28 | 940 |
| 2022 | 54 | 10 | 562 |
| 2021 | 62 | 20 | 1,276 |
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
317 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports over 12 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)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 12 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 172 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 317 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 8 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 3,030 / EUR 2,830 / GBP 2,430 / JPY 375,810 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 2,670 | — | — |
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 websiteArticle types accepted6, with length limits
- book reviewsible to an interdisciplinary audience. Book Reviews A short (1000-3000 words) opinion essay on a book that is highly relevant for researmain text ≤ 3,000 words
- book reviewsBook Reviews A short (1000-3000 words) opinion essay on a book that is highly relevant for researchers in cognitive systems research.Length not stated
- discussionDiscussion A short (2,000-5,000 words) opinion essay engaging critically with a previously published original research article that is of high importance for th…Length not stated
- research papersResearch papers Original Research papers make an original contribution to the literature in Cognitive Systems Research.Length not stated
- reviewBoth Systematic and Literature Reviews are welcomed that provide a thorough analysis of the research around a specific topic. Reviews should offer a balanced ac…main text ≤ 4,500 words
- reviewsReviews Both Systematic and Literature Reviews are welcomed that provide a thorough analysis of the research around a specific topic.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 review process 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. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
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
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1999
- ISSN
- 1389-0417
- Print ISSN
- 2214-4366
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Cognitive Systems Research
What CAS zone is Cognitive Systems Research in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Cognitive Systems Research is in Zone 4 of Psychology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence / Neurosciences / Psychology, Experimental. 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 Systems Research?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.84; CiteScore 6.3, h-index 87.
How long does peer review take at Cognitive Systems Research?
The publisher reports about 317 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of over 12 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Cognitive Systems Research based?
Of the 35 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (7), Italy (7) and United Kingdom (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Cognitive Systems Research?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Cognitive Systems Research is indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus.
Is Cognitive Systems Research open access, and what is the APC?
Cognitive Systems Research is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,030.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .