Journal profile · Medical Ethics
Developing World Bioethics
ISSN 1471-8731 · eISSN 1471-8847 · Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd · ENGLAND · Tri-annual · Founded 2001
Developing World Bioethics: CAS Zone 4 · Philosophy (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.3; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,800; median 150 days to acceptance (71 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 47 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Developing World Bioethics is published by Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd and is in Zone 4 of Philosophy in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Ethics in medical practice, Ethics in Clinical Research and Biomedical Ethics and Regulation, together about 49.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Developing World Bioethics provides long needed case studies, teaching materials, news in brief, and legal backgrounds to bioethics scholars and students in developing and developed countries alike. This companion journal to Bioethics also features high-quality peer reviewed original articles. It is edited by well-known bioethicists who are working in developing countries, yet it will also be open to contributions and commentary from developed countries' authors. Developing World Bioethics is the only journal in the field dedicated exclusively to developing countries' bioethics issues. The journal is an essential resource for all those concerned about bioethical issues in the developing world. Members of Ethics Committees in developing countries will highly value a special section dedicated to their work. For information about Wiley Publication Ethics, click here.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Medical Ethics
Editorial board by country: 3 in mainland China (about 11%); most named South Africa 5, United States 4, Mainland China 3, Brazil 3, United Kingdom 2 (28 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Ethics in medical practiceHealth Professions21%
- Ethics in Clinical ResearchMedicine15.9%
- Biomedical Ethics and RegulationMedicine12.3%
- Ethics and Legal Issues in Pediatric HealthcareMedicine4.4%
- Global Health and SurgeryMedicine4.4%
- HIV/AIDS Research and InterventionsMedicine3.1%
- Global Maternal and Child HealthMedicine2.9%
- Reproductive Health and TechnologiesMedicine2.9%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Philosophy Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Ethics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Medical Ethics | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Philosophy Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Ethics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Medical Ethics | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Philosophy Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Ethics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Medical Ethics | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIESSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINEPubMedPsycINFOCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
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
- 1.3LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.3Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 2.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 2.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.29LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.87LetPub ·
- h-index
- 23LetPub ·
- h-index
- 51OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 324OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.08OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 41.18%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 25LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 38Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 81,778Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 986 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 44 | 18 | 6 |
| 2025 | 47 | 30 | 34 |
| 2024 | 39 | 19 | 101 |
| 2023 | 55 | 32 | 186 |
| 2022 | 53 | 24 | 219 |
| 2021 | 38 | 18 | 164 |
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 Crossref · to
150 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 66 days – 232 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 27 days (78 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 175 days
- Sample
- 71 articles with submission and acceptance dates (90 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)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 19%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 19%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 13 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 13 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 101 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 31 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 3,800 / EUR 3,170 / GBP 2,550 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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 prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 150 words
- Keywords
- 5–6
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 7,500 words
- Reference style
- Vancouver
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted2
- original researchOriginal ResearchLength not stated
- reviewReviewLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Publication ethics, Peer review
- AI use 10. DISCLOSING THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)
If you or your co-authors have used Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC) tools such as ChatGPT and others based on large language models (LLMs) to develop any portion of a manuscript, their use must be described transparently and in detail in the Methods section. Find more details in Wiley’s AI policy in full in the Best Practices Guidelines on Research Integrity and Publishing Ethics.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics 4. EDITORIAL POLICIES AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Peer Review and AcceptanceThe acceptance criteria for all papers are the quality and originality of the research and its significance to journal readership. Except where otherwise stated, manuscripts are double-blind peer reviewed. Papers will only be sent to review if the Editor-in-Chief determines that the paper meets the appropriate quality and relevance requirements.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review 1. SUBMISSION AND PEER REVIEW PROCESS
New submissions should be made via the Research Exchange submission portal https://authors.wiley.com/journal/dewb. Should your manuscript proceed to the revision stage, you will be directed to make your revisions via the same submission portal. You may check the status of your submission at any time by logging on to submission.wiley.com and clicking the “My Submissions” button. For technical help …
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
- Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Tri-annual
- Founded
- 2001
- ISSN
- 1471-8731
- Electronic ISSN
- 1471-8847
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 26, Issue 3 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Developing World Bioethics
What CAS zone is Developing World Bioethics in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Developing World Bioethics is in Zone 4 of Philosophy, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Ethics / Medical Ethics. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Philosophy. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Developing World Bioethics?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.3; CiteScore 2.7, h-index 51.
How long does peer review take at Developing World Bioethics?
Based on the dates recorded on 71 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 150 days (interquartile range 66–232 days); authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 19% (2025). 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 Developing World Bioethics?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 150 words; Keywords: 5–6; Manuscript length: ≤ 7,500 words; Reference style: Vancouver; Cover letter: 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 Developing World Bioethics based?
Of the 28 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 3 (about 11%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are South Africa (5), United States (4) and Mainland China (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Developing World Bioethics?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Developing World Bioethics is indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, PubMed, PsycINFO and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Developing World Bioethics open access, and what is the APC?
Developing World Bioethics is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,800.
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: .