Journal profile · Obstetrics & Gynecology
Early Human Development
ISSN 0378-3782 · eISSN 1872-6232 · Elsevier Ireland Ltd · NETHERLANDS · Monthly · Founded 1977
Early Human Development: CAS Zone 3 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.04; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,840; median 71 days to acceptance (109 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 186 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Early Human Development is published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd 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 Neonatal Respiratory Health Research, Infant Development and Preterm Care and Neonatal and fetal brain pathology, together about 38.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
An international journal concerned with the continuity of fetal and postnatal lifeEstablished as an authoritative, highly cited voice on early human development, Early Human Development provides a unique opportunity for researchers and clinicians to bridge the communication gap between disciplines. Creating a forum for the productive exchange of ideas concerning early human growth and development, the journal publishes original research and clinical papers with particular emphasis on the continuum between fetal life and the perinatal period; aspects of postnatal growth influenced by early events; and the safeguarding of the quality of human survival.The first comprehensive and interdisciplinary journal in this area of growing importance, Early Human Development offers pertinent contributions to the following subject areas:Fetology; perinatology; pediatrics; growth and development; obstetrics; reproduction and fertility; epidemiology; behavioural sciences; nutrition and metabolism; teratology; neurology; brain biology; developmental psychology and screening.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Obstetrics & Gynecology
Editor-in-chief Frans WaltherPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 3%); most named United Kingdom 10, United States 7, Australia 5, Germany 2, France 2 (39 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Neonatal Respiratory Health ResearchMedicine15%
- Infant Development and Preterm CareMedicine12.5%
- Neonatal and fetal brain pathologyMedicine11.4%
- Birth, Development, and HealthMedicine7.9%
- Neuroscience of respiration and sleepNeuroscience5%
- Infant Nutrition and HealthNursing4.5%
- Pregnancy and preeclampsia studiesMedicine4.3%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering3.5%
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 | Obstetrics & Gynecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Pediatrics | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Obstetrics & Gynecology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Pediatrics | 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 | Pediatrics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Obstetrics & Gynecology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview 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
- 2.04LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 2.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.3LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 3.3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.76LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.07LetPub ·
- h-index
- 87LetPub ·
- h-index
- 160OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 3,686OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.24OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 14.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 32.89%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 170LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 8,662 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 143 | 66 | 32 |
| 2025 | 186 | 86 | 309 |
| 2024 | 174 | 88 | 787 |
| 2023 | 139 | 63 | 831 |
| 2022 | 97 | 44 | 1,083 |
| 2021 | 152 | 55 | 1,557 |
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
71 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 51 days – 100 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 2 days (109 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 73 days
- Sample
- 109 articles with submission and acceptance dates (355 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)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 29 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 58 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 3 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 3,840 / EUR 3,590 / GBP 3,070 / JPY 476,280 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,500 | — | — |
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 prepare1 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
Article types accepted12, with length limits
- book reviewPapers should deal with original research not previously published or being considered for publication elsewhere. The act of submitting a manuscript to the jour…main text ≤ 2,000 words
- book reviewsBook reviews should not exceed 2000 words.Length not stated
- letters to the editorPapers should deal with original research not previously published or being considered for publication elsewhere. The act of submitting a manuscript to the jour…Length not stated
- original researchPapers should deal with original research not previously published or being considered for publication elsewhere. The act of submitting a manuscript to the jour…Length not stated
- original research paperPapers should deal with original research not previously published or being considered for publication elsewhere. The act of submitting a manuscript to the jour…Length not stated
- practice guidelinesPractice guidelines should not exceed 8000 words. Please note the reference section is not included in the word count.Length not stated
- research paperPapers should deal with original research not previously published or being considered for publication elsewhere. The act of submitting a manuscript to the jour…main text ≤ 6,000 words
- research papersResearch papers should not exceed 6000 words. For the introduction there is a maximum of 1000 words and for the discussion a maximum of 2000 words. There should…Length not stated
- reviewPapers should deal with original research not previously published or being considered for publication elsewhere. The act of submitting a manuscript to the jour…main text ≤ 8,000 words
- review papersReview papers of specialized topics within the scope of the journal should not exceed 8000 words. There should be not more than 6 illustrations, figures and/or …Length not stated
- short communicationPapers should deal with original research not previously published or being considered for publication elsewhere. The act of submitting a manuscript to the jour…main text ≤ 2,000 words
- short communicationsShort communications describe new methods or the results of experiments that can be reported briefly. A short communication is 2000 words or less with a maximum…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. 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 Ireland Ltd
- Country or region
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1977
- ISSN
- 0378-3782
- Electronic ISSN
- 1872-6232
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Early Human Development
What CAS zone is Early Human Development in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Early Human Development is in Zone 3 of Medicine, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Obstetrics & Gynecology / Pediatrics. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Early Human Development?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.04; CiteScore 3.3, h-index 160.
How long does peer review take at Early Human Development?
Based on the dates recorded on 109 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 71 days (interquartile range 51–100 days); authors report an average review time of 3–8 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 Early Human Development based?
Of the 39 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 3%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (10), United States (7) and Australia (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Early Human Development?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Early Human Development is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Early Human Development open access, and what is the APC?
Early Human Development is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,840.
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: .