Journal profile · Integrative & Complementary Medicine
Complementary Therapies in Medicine
ISSN 0965-2299 · eISSN 1873-6963 · Churchill Livingstone · ENGLAND · Bimonthly · Founded 1993
Complementary Therapies in Medicine: CAS Zone 3 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.95; fully open access; APC about USD 3,390; median 135 days to acceptance (101 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 25%; 187 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Complementary Therapies in Medicine is published by Churchill Livingstone 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 Complementary and Alternative Medicine Studies, Acupuncture Treatment Research Studies and Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions, together about 45.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Complementary and alternative medicine. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Complementary Therapies in Medicine is an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal dedicated to publishing high-quality research on the role of complementary and integrative approaches in healthcare. The journal aims to advance safe, effective, and evidence-based practice, with a focus on the responsible integration of these approaches in modern medical practice to enhance patient outcomes.We welcome submissions on a wide range of topics, including mind-body interventions, manual practices, physical activity and other lifestyle-based approaches, individual, identified and quantified compounds used as supplements from herbal sources and nutritional therapies, and digital health interventions.The journal is focused on studies involving human participants that examine clinical effectiveness, mechanisms of action, health outcomes, methodological challenges, implementation strategies, and health service delivery across modern healthcare settings.The journal publishes:Research Articles, reporting original studies—including pre-registered, clinical trials, quantitative, observational, and qualitative work—that present new evidence on complementary therapies. The journal considers studies examining the evidence for individual complementary therapies or individual active supplementary compounds for specific medical conditions using robust tests, especially sufficiently powered, registered, double-blind randomised controlled trials with appropriate placebo or sham conditionsReviews, including pre-registered systematic reviews, meta-analyses, scoping reviews and narrative reviews that synthesize current knowledge from human studies on topics relevant to the journal’s scope.In addition, pilot or feasibility studies that address design and implementation issues relevant to future large-scale investigations. Robust studies reporting negative or null results may be considered.Please note: The journal does not consider animal models or in vitro studies, network pharmacology, case reports, case series, protocols, combined therapies without individual sham-controlled experimental groups, Invasive processes for which the modern medical services note concerns over safety or post-publication critiques such as Letters to the Editor intended to re-evaluate previously published articles.Our readership includes healthcare practitioners, researchers, academics, policy makers, and informed patients seeking objective, reliable, and critically appraised information on complementary therapies in modern medicine from diverse global perspectives.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Integrative & Complementary Medicine
Editor-in-chief Alyx TaylorPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 15 in mainland China (about 19%); most named Mainland China 15, United States 13, Australia 9, United Kingdom 7, Hong Kong, China 4 (81 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine StudiesMedicine25.4%
- Acupuncture Treatment Research StudiesMedicine14.1%
- Mindfulness and Compassion InterventionsPsychology5.8%
- Pain Management and Placebo EffectNeuroscience5.5%
- Biofield Effects and BiophysicsMedicine4.7%
- Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitationMedicine4.6%
- Traditional Chinese Medicine StudiesMedicine4.3%
- Music Therapy and HealthPsychology3.3%
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 | Integrative & Complementary Medicine | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Integrative & Complementary Medicine | 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 | Integrative & Complementary Medicine | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
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
- 3.95LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 5.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.96LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.29LetPub ·
- h-index
- 55LetPub ·
- h-index
- 117OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,035OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.75OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 2.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 163LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,882 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 116 | 116 | 45 |
| 2025 | 187 | 187 | 614 |
| 2024 | 108 | 108 | 883 |
| 2023 | 89 | 89 | 1,007 |
| 2022 | 109 | 109 | 2,038 |
| 2021 | 137 | 137 | 3,356 |
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
135 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 91 days – 193 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 2 days (101 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 141 days
- Sample
- 101 articles with submission and acceptance dates (345 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 2 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 25%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 6 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 41 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 95 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 16 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double 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 | USD 3,390 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 2,760 / EUR 2,580 / GBP 2,210 / JPY 342,320 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,630 | — | — |
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 papers3, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Suggested reviewers
- Required
Article types accepted4
- meta-analysisCTIM focuses on human clinical trials (following CONSORT guidelines), systematic reviews and meta-analyses (following PRISMA guidelines), and well-written, inno…Length not stated
- research articlesResearch Articles, reporting original studies—including pre-registered, clinical trials, quantitative, observational, and qualitative work—that present new evid…Length not stated
- reviewsReviews, including pre-registered systematic reviews, meta-analyses, scoping reviews and narrative reviews that synthesize current knowledge from human studies …Length not stated
- systematic reviewCTIM focuses on human clinical trials (following CONSORT guidelines), systematic reviews and meta-analyses (following PRISMA guidelines), and well-written, inno…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
Open access journal Model summary
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
Single anonymized peer review Model summary
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. 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
- Churchill Livingstone
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1993
- ISSN
- 0965-2299
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-6963
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗DOAJ
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Complementary Therapies in Medicine
What CAS zone is Complementary Therapies in Medicine in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Complementary Therapies in Medicine is in Zone 3 of Medicine, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Integrative & Complementary Medicine. 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 Complementary Therapies in Medicine?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.95; CiteScore 5.9, h-index 117.
How long does peer review take at Complementary Therapies in Medicine?
Based on the dates recorded on 101 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 135 days (interquartile range 91–193 days); authors report an average review time of about 2 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 25%”. 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 Complementary Therapies in Medicine?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Suggested reviewers: Required. 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 Complementary Therapies in Medicine based?
Of the 81 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 15 (about 19%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (15), United States (13) and Australia (9). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Complementary Therapies in Medicine?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Complementary Therapies in Medicine is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Complementary Therapies in Medicine open access, and what is the APC?
Complementary Therapies in Medicine is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 3,390.
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: .