Journal profile · Toxicology
Drugs
ISSN 0012-6667 · eISSN 1179-1950 · Springer International Publishing · NEW ZEALAND · Monthly · Founded 1971
Drugs: CAS Zone 1 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 14.48; hybrid open access; APC about USD 5,990; median 72 days to acceptance (60 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly hard; 136 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Drugs is published by Springer International Publishing and is in Zone 1 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Antibiotics Pharmacokinetics and Efficacy, Blood Pressure and Hypertension Studies and Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria, together about 25.3% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Stay up to date with the latest developments in therapeutics by reading the world’s most respected source of authoritative drug information. For over 40 years Drugs has been the definitive journal of drugs and therapeutics, providing independent and crucial information authored by leading international clinicians and researchers. Our prestigious and truly international Honorary Editorial Board ensures content of the highest quality to support clinical decision-making. Through a rigorous and comprehensive program of peer-reviewed evaluations, Drugs provides detailed and objective analysis covering the full spectrum of new and established drug therapies in all disease areas.
Source: LetPub
Research area (LetPub): Toxicology
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Antibiotics Pharmacokinetics and EfficacyMedicine11.7%
- Blood Pressure and Hypertension StudiesMedicine7.9%
- Antibiotic Resistance in BacteriaBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.8%
- Asthma and respiratory diseasesMedicine5.2%
- Cancer Treatment and PharmacologyMedicine5.1%
- Pneumonia and Respiratory InfectionsMedicine5.1%
- Diabetes Treatment and ManagementMedicine4.4%
- Inflammatory mediators and NSAID effectsMedicine3.9%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Toxicology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Toxicology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Toxicology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview 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
- 14.48LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 25.3LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 3.5LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 3.62LetPub ·
- h-index
- 154LetPub ·
- h-index
- 262OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 6,449OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 11.83OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 30.18%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 125LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 10,036 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 133 | 60 | 142 |
| 2025 | 136 | 54 | 1,408 |
| 2024 | 145 | 87 | 3,348 |
| 2023 | 161 | 124 | 6,554 |
| 2022 | 158 | 120 | 8,843 |
| 2021 | 204 | 118 | 12,714 |
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
72 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 26 days – 155 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 33 days (100 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 100 days
- Sample
- 60 articles with submission and acceptance dates (288 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)
- Fairly hardLetPub ·
- 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 5,990 / EUR 4,690 / GBP 3,990 | — | — |
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 prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 10,000 words
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted13
- current opinionCurrent Opinion. Word count approximately up to 3000. Places an area in perspective given that it is of current international interest and a consensus has not y…Length not stated
- editorialInternal Review by Editorial Staff: The journal editor will perform an initial appraisal of each manuscript. If your paper has been peer reviewed by another jou…Length not stated
- leading articleLeading Article. Word count up to 4000. Provides a short, balanced overview of the current state of development of an emerging area.Length not stated
- letter to the editorLetter to the Editor. Word count up to 1000. Comment on an article published recently in the journal; a response to the comments would normally be sought from t…Length not stated
- opinionPlease note: There is no limit on the number of tables, figures or references that can accompany an article. Information that is relevant but not critical to un…Length not stated
- original research articlePlease note: There is no limit on the number of tables, figures or references that can accompany an article. Information that is relevant but not critical to un…Length not stated
- perspectivePlease note: There is no limit on the number of tables, figures or references that can accompany an article. Information that is relevant but not critical to un…Length not stated
- protocolPlease note: There is no limit on the number of tables, figures or references that can accompany an article. Information that is relevant but not critical to un…Length not stated
- research articlePlease note: There is no limit on the number of tables, figures or references that can accompany an article. Information that is relevant but not critical to un…Length not stated
- reviewPlease note: There is no limit on the number of tables, figures or references that can accompany an article. Information that is relevant but not critical to un…Length not stated
- review articlePlease note: There is no limit on the number of tables, figures or references that can accompany an article. Information that is relevant but not critical to un…Length not stated
- systematic reviewPlease note: There is no limit on the number of tables, figures or references that can accompany an article. Information that is relevant but not critical to un…Length not stated
- therapy in practiceTherapy in Practice. Word count up to 5000. Provides a succinct, clinically orientated guide to the optimum management of the disease/disorder/situation which h…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship Principles
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
Data availability statement required for all original research Model summary
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright and license term – CC BY-NC
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License Find more about the license agreement Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Drugs, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Clinical Trial Registration
The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of a clinical trial is "any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes". The WHO defines health interventions as “A health intervention is an act performed for, with or on behalf of a person or population whose purpose is to ass…
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
- Springer International Publishing
- Country or region
- NEW ZEALAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1971
- ISSN
- 0012-6667
- Electronic ISSN
- 1179-1950
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Drugs
What CAS zone is Drugs in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Drugs is in Zone 1 of Medicine, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Pharmacology & Pharmacy / Toxicology; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Drugs?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 14.48; CiteScore 25.3, h-index 262.
How long does peer review take at Drugs?
Based on the dates recorded on 60 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 72 days (interquartile range 26–155 days); authors report an average review time of 3–8 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly hard”. 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 Drugs?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Manuscript length: ≤ 10,000 words; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; Suggested reviewers: 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.
Which databases index Drugs?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Drugs is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Drugs open access, and what is the APC?
Drugs is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 5,990.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; 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: .