Journal profile · Clinical Neurology
European Spine Journal
ISSN 0940-6719 · eISSN 1432-0932 · Springer Berlin Heidelberg · UNITED STATES · Bimonthly · Founded 1992
European Spine Journal: CAS Zone 3 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.16; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,790; median 149 days to acceptance (138 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 1,058 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
European Spine Journal is published by Springer Berlin Heidelberg 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 Spine and Intervertebral Disc Pathology, Spinal Fractures and Fixation Techniques and Scoliosis diagnosis and treatment, together about 55.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Surgery. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
European Spine Journal is a publication founded in response to the increasing trend toward specialization in spinal surgery. The Journal is devoted to spine surgery and all related disciplines, including functional and surgical anatomy of the spine, biomechanics and pathophysiology, diagnostic procedures, and neurology. The aim of European Spine Journal is to support the further development of highly innovative spine treatments and to provide an integrated and balanced view of diagnostic, research and treatment procedures that will enhance effective collaboration among specialists worldwide. Manuscripts submitted for publication must contain a statement to the effect that all human studies have been reviewed by the appropriate ethics committee and have therefore been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in an appropriate version of the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki. It should also be stated clearly in the text that all persons gave their informed consent prior to their inclusion in the study. Details that might disclose the identity of the subjects under study should be omitted. Reports of animal experiments must state that the "Principles of laboratory animal care" (NIH publication No. 86-23, revised 1985) were followed, as well as specific national laws (e.g. the current version of the German Law on the Protection of Animals) where applicable.The coordinating editors reserve the right to reject manuscripts that do not comply with the above-mentioned requirements. The author will be held responsible for false statements or for failure to fulfil the above-mentioned requirements.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Clinical Neurology
Editor-in-chief Riccardo CecchinatoPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 11 in mainland China (about 3%); most named United States 52, Italy 35, Germany 33, United Kingdom 31, Switzerland 24 (342 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Spine and Intervertebral Disc PathologyMedicine25.6%
- Spinal Fractures and Fixation TechniquesMedicine15.7%
- Scoliosis diagnosis and treatmentMedicine14.5%
- Cervical and Thoracic MyelopathyMedicine12.1%
- Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitationMedicine7.8%
- Medical Imaging and AnalysisEngineering3.3%
- Pelvic and Acetabular InjuriesMedicine2.7%
- Management of metastatic bone diseaseMedicine2%
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 | Orthopedics | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Clinical Neurology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Clinical Neurology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Orthopedics | Zone 2 |
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 | Clinical Neurology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Orthopedics | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINEEmbaseCurrent ContentsPublisher 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
- 3.16LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.2Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.2LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.14LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.54LetPub ·
- h-index
- 117LetPub ·
- h-index
- 208OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 6,498OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.02OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 15.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 28.36%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 804LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 2,400,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 11,924 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 682 | 239 | 131 |
| 2025 | 1,058 | 344 | 1,719 |
| 2024 | 543 | 187 | 2,752 |
| 2023 | 564 | 207 | 5,346 |
| 2022 | 430 | 162 | 5,521 |
| 2021 | 388 | 136 | 5,855 |
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
149 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 92 days – 224 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 11 days (138 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 165 days
- Sample
- 138 articles with submission and acceptance dates (1,856 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)
- 2–4 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 10 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 2,790 / EUR 4,390 | — | — |
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 prepare2 items from the author guidelines
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted10, with length limits
- case reportOriginal articles Text: limit of 2,500 words, abstract: 150 to 250 words, references: limit of 25 Review articles/meta-analysis Text: limit of 3,500 words, abst…main text ≤ 1,500 words
- case reportsCase Reports: Limit of 1500 words (abstract no longer than 350 words), 15 references, 5 Images/drawings, 2 figures/tables.Length not stated
- editorialDouble-blind peer review This journal follows a double-blind reviewing procedure. This means that the author will remain anonymous to the reviewers throughout p…Length not stated
- meta-analysisOriginal articles Text: limit of 2,500 words, abstract: 150 to 250 words, references: limit of 25 Review articles/meta-analysis Text: limit of 3,500 words, abst…Length not stated
- original articleOriginal articles Text: limit of 2,500 words, abstract: 150 to 250 words, references: limit of 25 Review articles/meta-analysis Text: limit of 3,500 words, abst…Length not stated
- original articlesOriginal articles Text: limit of 2,500 words, abstract: 150 to 250 words, references: limit of 25Length not stated
- perspectiveOriginal articles Text: limit of 2,500 words, abstract: 150 to 250 words, references: limit of 25 Review articles/meta-analysis Text: limit of 3,500 words, abst…Length not stated
- reviewGuidelines SNAPP Double Anonymous Peer Review Guidelines Back to top Types of papers: Original articles Text: limit of 2,500 words, abstract: 150 to 250 words, …main text ≤ 2,500 words
- review articleOriginal articles Text: limit of 2,500 words, abstract: 150 to 250 words, references: limit of 25 Review articles/meta-analysis Text: limit of 3,500 words, abst…main text ≤ 3,500 words
- review articles/meta-analysisReview articles/meta-analysis Text: limit of 3,500 words, abstract, references: 50 to 70Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, 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
LLMs do not satisfy authorship criteria Model summary
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 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 ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
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 a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in European Spine Journal, 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. This means that the author will remain anonymous to the reviewers throughout peer review. It is the responsibility of the author to anonymize the manuscript and any associated materials. Author names, affiliations and any other potentially identifying information should be removed from the manuscript text and any accompanying files (such as …
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
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1992
- ISSN
- 0940-6719
- Electronic ISSN
- 1432-0932
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 35, Issue 9 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about European Spine Journal
What CAS zone is European Spine Journal in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, European Spine Journal is in Zone 3 of Medicine, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Orthopedics / Clinical Neurology. 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 European Spine Journal?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.16; CiteScore 5.2, h-index 208.
How long does peer review take at European Spine Journal?
Based on the dates recorded on 138 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 149 days (interquartile range 92–224 days); authors report an average review time of 2–4 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly 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 European Spine Journal?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Keywords: ≥ 4; 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 European Spine Journal based?
Of the 342 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 11 (about 3%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (52), Italy (35) and Germany (33). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index European Spine Journal?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, European Spine Journal is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, Embase and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is European Spine Journal open access, and what is the APC?
European Spine Journal is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,790.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .