Journal profile · Social Sciences-Health (social science)
Ethics & human research
ISSN 2578-2363 · Wiley-Blackwell
Ethics & human research: subscription journal; APC about USD 3,240; review about 154 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); acceptance rate 30% (journal website); 46 articles in 2025; indexed in Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Ethics & human research is published by Wiley-Blackwell. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Ethics in Clinical Research, Ethics and bioethics in healthcare and Biomedical Ethics and Regulation, together about 76.7% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Ethics & Human Research (formerly IRB: Ethics & Human Research) aims to foster critical analysis of issues in science and health care that have implications for human biomedical and behavioral research. For example, in addition to covering topics related to informed consent for research, genetic research with human biospecimens, ethics committee review of research protocols, and research with children and other vulnerable populations, E&HR will publish work on rapid developments in science and medicine that bring new challenges to the ethical, regulatory, and policy frameworks that govern research with humans in the United States and elsewhere. E&HR invites articles, commentaries, case studies, letters, and book reviews that address topics including, but not limited to, review, approval, and oversight of human research by institutional review boards (IRBs), research ethics committees (RECs), and other oversight bodies (e.g., those of funders and regulators and those at the national and transnational levels); regulatory and legal developments related to research with humans and to the privacy and confidentiality of their medical and other personal data; informed consent for participation in research; consent, privacy, and oversight issues related to research with human biospecimens and associated genetic and medical data; research with organ donors, transplant organs, and transplant recipients; research involving learning health care systems; research with digital data from social media and other “big data” collections and platforms; ethical issues surrounding novel trial designs, such as basket trials, umbrella trials or platform trials; ethical issues in the testing and development of computational technologies from machine learning and artificial intelligence; human research involving novel biotechnologies such as genome-editing techniques, cell-, gene-, and tissue-based interventions, and preventive and therapeutic neurological drug and device interventions; research on nonhuman subjects and the ethical implications for the conduct and oversight of biomedical and behavioral human research and for the potential harms and benefits to people who participate in human research studies; the implications of the quality and reporting of preclinical research involving animals and other models (e.g., in vitro assays, epidemiological studies, computer simulations) for the ethical translation of such research to human clinical trials; the intersection of human rese
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Social Sciences-Health (social science)
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Ethics in Clinical ResearchMedicine36%
- Ethics and bioethics in healthcareMedicine25%
- Biomedical Ethics and RegulationMedicine15.8%
- Qualitative Research Methods and EthicsSocial Sciences4.1%
- Academic integrity and plagiarismSocial Sciences1.7%
- Ethics and Social Impacts of AISocial Sciences1.5%
- Race, Genetics, and SocietyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology1.4%
- Ethics and Legal Issues in Pediatric HealthcareMedicine1.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CiteScore quartiles (Scopus, June 2026 release)
| Subject | Quartile | Rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health (social science) | Q2 | 164/387 | 57th |
Scopus ranks journals by CiteScore within each subject: the 75th percentile and above is Q1, then a quartile every 25 points. A different system from the CAS zones.LetPub
Database indexing
ScopusLetPub
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
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 2.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.46LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.99LetPub ·
- h-index
- 19OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 62OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.74OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 31Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 45,932Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 321 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 25 | 15 | 361 |
| 2025 | 46 | 28 | 333 |
| 2024 | 39 | 25 | 280 |
| 2023 | 41 | 27 | 256 |
| 2022 | 34 | 18 | 182 |
| 2021 | 48 | 20 | 173 |
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
154 dayssubmission to acceptance
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
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 30%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 23 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 154 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 170 daysPublisher 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
Subscription journalLetPub
A subscription journal: articles are read by subscription or purchase, and authors usually pay no publication charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,240 / EUR 2,730 / GBP 2,160 | — | — |
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 prepare7 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 200 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 8,500 words
- Reference style
- AMA
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted5, with length limits
- articles (conceptual pieces or empirical studies)Articles (conceptual pieces or empirical studies) 4500-8500 words (not including references, figures, tables, appendices, or other supplementary materials)main text ≤ 4,500 words
- case studiesCase Studies 1400 words or moremain text ≤ 1,400 words
- case studyListed below are the suggested minimum and maximum word counts for each type of manuscript. The editor may commission manuscripts for these sections. Placement …main text ≤ 1,400 words
- commentaryListed below are the suggested minimum and maximum word counts for each type of manuscript. The editor may commission manuscripts for these sections. Placement …main text ≤ 1,400 words
- essays and commentariesEssays and Commentaries 1400 words or moremain text ≤ 1,400 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Peer review
- AI use The Use of Generative AI Tools
Authors who have used generative AI tools should describe how they used such tools. Model summary
Authors who have used large language models or other generative AI tools to develop or compose their paper should describe, in the cover letter and in a disclosure section or other relevant part of the manuscript, how in particular they used such tools. In describing the use of AI, err on the side of too much, rather than too little, transparency. AI tools cannot be listed as authors. For more on …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Conflict of Interest
Authors will be asked to disclose any conflicts of interest. Model summary
Authors will be asked to disclose any conflicts of interest. expects all prospective contributors and reviewers to declare any potential conflicts of interest. Conflicts of interest include any personal or professional affiliations, any financial interests, and/or any past, present, or anticipated activities that may compromise the quality or objectivity of a manuscript or review. The rough test t…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright
Copyright is transferred to The Hastings Center upon acceptance. Model summary
Copyright is transferred to The Hastings Center upon acceptance.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Manuscripts are blind reviewed by peer reviewers. Model summary
Manuscripts are blind reviewed by peer reviewers.
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
- ISSN
- 2578-2363
- Print ISSN
- 2578-2355
- Society / sponsor
- Hastings Center
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Ethics & human research
How long does peer review take at Ethics & human research?
The publisher reports about 154 days (submission to acceptance); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 30% (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 Ethics & human research?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 200 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 8,500 words; Reference style: AMA; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Graphical abstract: Optional; 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.
Which databases index Ethics & human research?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Ethics & human research is indexed in Scopus.
Is Ethics & human research open access, and what is the APC?
Ethics & human research is a subscription journal. APC about USD 3,240.
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: .