Journal profile · Medical Ethics
Ethik in der Medizin
ISSN 0935-7335 · eISSN 1437-1618 · Springer Berlin Heidelberg · GERMANY · Quarterly · Founded 1998
Ethik in der Medizin: CAS Zone 4 · Philosophy (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.87; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,290; median 119 days to acceptance (50 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 49 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Ethik in der Medizin is published by Springer Berlin Heidelberg 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 Medical and Health Sciences Research, Ethics in medical practice and Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues, together about 46.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health and General Health Professions. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Die Zeitschrift Ethik in der Medizin widmet sich der Erforschung der ethischen Aspekte der Gesundheitsversorgung aus interdisziplinärer Sicht. Die Zeitschrift umfasst sowohl philosophisch-theoretische Reflexionen als auch empirische Ethikforschung. Sie richtet sich an ein internationales Publikum vor allem im deutschsprachigen Raum. Sie soll vorrangig zwei Aufgaben erfüllen: Erstens soll sie angesichts kontroverser Debatten in fast allen Bereichen des Gesundheitswesens Ärzten, Angehörigen anderer Gesundheitsberufe und allen an ethischen Problemen des Gesundheitswesens interessierten Personen als Informationsquelle dienen. Zweitens soll die Auseinandersetzung mit verschiedenen Denk- und Argumentationsmodellen helfen, ethische Probleme in der Medizin und im Gesundheitswesen wahrzunehmen, zu analysieren und einer angemessenen Lösung näher zu bringen. Ethik in der Medizin dient somit sowohl dem grundlegenden ethischen Diskurs als auch der Förderung einer verantwortungsvollen Entscheidungsfindung in der Praxis der Gesundheitsversorgung. Die Zeitschrift veröffentlicht Beiträge von Autoren aus den Bereichen Medizin und Pflege, Philosophie, Theologie, Recht, Sozialwissenschaften und allen anderen relevanten Disziplinen. Sie nimmt Original- und Übersichtsartikel, Fallstudien und Kommentare, aktuelle Informationen und Kontroversen sowie Buchbesprechungen entgegen. The journal Ethik in der Medizin (Ethics in Medicine) is dedicated to exploring the ethical aspects of health care from an interdisciplinary perspective. It covers both philosophical-theoretical reflection and empirically informed ethics research. The journal addresses an international audience with a special focus on the German-speaking countries. It is intended to fulfil two tasks: First, in view of controversial debates in almost all areas of health care, it is to serve as a source of information for physicians, members of other health care professions, and all persons interested in the ethical problems of health care. Second, the discussion of different models of thought and argumentation should help perceive and analyze ethical problems in medicine and health care and bring them closer to an appropriate solution. Ethik in der Medizin thus serves both the fundamental ethical discourse and the promotion of responsible decision making in the practice of health care. The journal publishes contributions by authors from the fields of medicine and nursing, philosophy, theology, law, social sciences, and all
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Medical Ethics
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Germany 44, Switzerland 6, Austria 1 (51 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Medical and Health Sciences ResearchMedicine19.8%
- Ethics in medical practiceHealth Professions17.7%
- Palliative Care and End-of-Life IssuesMedicine9.1%
- Patient Dignity and PrivacyMedicine7.6%
- Ethics and Legal Issues in Pediatric HealthcareMedicine6.8%
- Health and Medical StudiesHealth Professions4.9%
- Healthcare Decision-Making and RestraintsPsychology3.9%
- Mental Health and PsychiatryArts and Humanities3%
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 | 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 | Medical Ethics | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Philosophy Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Medical Ethics | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
PsycINFOERIH PLUSPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS, Semantic Scholar
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
- 0.87LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.22LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.35LetPub ·
- h-index
- 10LetPub ·
- h-index
- 27OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 147OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.8OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 10%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 80.21%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 36LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 318,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,655 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 43 | 35 | 0 |
| 2025 | 49 | 37 | 25 |
| 2024 | 56 | 38 | 93 |
| 2023 | 52 | 42 | 166 |
| 2022 | 62 | 52 | 166 |
| 2021 | 73 | 63 | 203 |
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
119 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 97 days – 148 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 35 days (92 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 183 days
- Sample
- 50 articles with submission and acceptance dates (97 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 ·
- 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 2,290 / EUR 3,190 | — | — |
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
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted8
- aktuellesAktuelles: Hierbei handelt es sich um Texte, welche aktuelle Entwicklungen im Bereich der Medizin-, Pflege- bzw. Gesundheitsethik darstellen, einordnen und krit…Length not stated
- book reviewReviews are opinion-based articles that present and critically examine recent academic publications in the field of medical, nursing, or health ethics, thereby …Length not stated
- editorialDouble-blind peer review This journal follows a double-blind reviewing procedure. Peer review is the process used to assess the quality of a manuscript before i…Length not stated
- letter to the editorA Letter to the Editor is addressed to the Editorial Board and communicates a factual and argument-based personal opinion on an article recently published in "E…Length not stated
- original articleAn Original Article is a scientific text that advances the state of research through an original contribution. This contribution may be based on theoretical or …Length not stated
- originalarbeitOriginalarbeit: Eine Originalarbeit ist ein wissenschaftlicher Text, der durch einen originären Beitrag den Stand der Wissenschaft weiterentwickelt.Length not stated
- reviewA Review is a scientific text that reflects the current state of scientific knowledge on a specific topic by systematically collecting, interpreting, classifyin…Length not stated
- übersichtsarbeitÜbersichtsarbeit: Eine Übersichtsarbeit ist ein wissenschaftlicher Text, der durch eine systematische Sammlung, Interpretation, Einordnung und kritische Analyse…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, 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 Conflict of interest
All benefits in any form from a commercial party related directly or indirectly to the subject of this manuscript or any of the authors must be acknowledged. For each source of funds, both the research funder and the grant number should be given. This note should be added in a separate section before the reference list. If no conflict exists, authors should state: The authors declare that they hav…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Ethical standards
Scope requirement Model summary
Manuscripts submitted for publication must contain a statement to the effect that all human and animal studies have been approved by the appropriate ethics committee and have therefore been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments. It should also be stated clearly in the text that all persons gave their informed conse…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright Transfer
Copyright transfer Model summary
Mit der Annahme des Artikels wird der Autor um Übertragung des Copyrights (bzw. das ausschließliche, räumlich und zeitlich uneingeschränkte Recht zur Publikation und zum Vertrieb) an den Verlag gebeten. Die Zeitschrift sowie alle in ihr enthaltenen einzelnen Beiträge und Abbildungen sind urheberrechtlich geschützt. Für Open Choice Artikel ist keine Übertragung des Copyrights erforderlich, da das C…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Ethik in der Medizin, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Double-blind peer review
Double-blind peer review Model summary
This journal follows a double-blind reviewing procedure. Peer review is the process used to assess the quality of a manuscript before it is published. Independent researchers in the relevant research area assess submitted manuscripts for originality, validity, and significance to help Editors determine whether the manuscript should be published in their journal. You can read more about the peer re…
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 Berlin Heidelberg
- Country or region
- GERMANY
- Language
- German
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1998
- ISSN
- 0935-7335
- Electronic ISSN
- 1437-1618
- Society / sponsor
- German Academy of Ethics in Medicine
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 38, Issue 2 (June 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Ethik in der Medizin
What CAS zone is Ethik in der Medizin in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Ethik in der Medizin is in Zone 4 of Philosophy, and in Zone 4 of the minor category 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 Ethik in der Medizin?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0.87; CiteScore 1.6, h-index 27.
How long does peer review take at Ethik in der Medizin?
Based on the dates recorded on 50 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 119 days (interquartile range 97–148 days); authors report an average review time of over 12 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.
What are the manuscript requirements of Ethik in der Medizin?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Author–date; 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Ethik in der Medizin based?
Of the 51 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Germany (44), Switzerland (6) and Austria (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Ethik in der Medizin?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Ethik in der Medizin is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists PsycINFO and ERIH PLUS; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Ethik in der Medizin open access, and what is the APC?
Ethik in der Medizin is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,290.
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: .