Journal profile · Medicine-Medicine (miscellaneous)
Frontiers in Drug Delivery
ISSN 2674-0850 · Frontiers Media S.A. · Switzerland
Frontiers in Drug Delivery: impact factor 4.4 (journal website); fully open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 59 days to acceptance (41 articles, last 24 months); 15 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Frontiers in Drug Delivery is published by Frontiers Media S.A.. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Advanced Drug Delivery Systems, Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery and Inhalation and Respiratory Drug Delivery, together about 29% of its articles. Its main subfields are Pharmaceutical Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Frontiers in Drug Delivery is a multidisciplinary, PubMed, ESCI and Scopus-indexed journal that focuses on drug delivery concepts at a cell and tissue level, through to translational outcomes in preclinical and clinical studies for drug formulations and formulations combined with devices. The journal is led by Field Chief Editor Prof David Brayden (University College Dublin, Ireland) and welcomes submissions in all areas of drug delivery research focusing on key delivery routes as well as on important specific disease or product areas where delivery can play an important role. The following subject areas are covered: CNS drug delivery cardiovascular drug delivery drug delivery for special patient populations hepatic drug delivery ophthalmic drug delivery oral drug delivery respiratory drug delivery technological and methodological advances in drug delivery topical and transdermal drug delivery vaccine delivery. Submissions from the following research areas are also encouraged: artificial intelligence research for drug release and feedback systems computational design of formulation components 3D printing of tablets and implants advanced in silico and in vitro assays of performance of the delivered drug in the body toxicology aspects of drug delivery systems. The journal welcomes manuscripts across a range of drug molecule classes where a novel delivery aspect is presented. In addition to conventional therapeutics, the journal will also consider traditional medicines, provided there is well-established, peer-reviewed scientific evidence of efficacy and the principal active molecules are clearly identified. Manuscripts on nutraceuticals with a delivery aspect are also considered, provided the active components have peer-reviewed evidence of a benefit beyond basic nutrition. In particular, the journal welcomes submissions which support and advance the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), notably SDG 3: good health and well-being. Manuscripts purely relating to drug discovery that is not associated with delivery aspects are not suitable for publication in this journal. Frontiers’ journals require that manuscripts primarily comprising computational studies of public data, must include appropriate validation. Please refer to the Frontiers Standards for research methodology policy, for more information. Manuscripts not adhering to these standards will not be considered. Frontiers in Drug Delivery is committed to advancing developments in the field of drug d
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Medicine-Medicine (miscellaneous)
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United Kingdom 6, Denmark 4, United States 2, Germany 1, Spain 1 (18 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Advanced Drug Delivery SystemsPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics10.8%
- Nanoparticle-Based Drug DeliveryMaterials Science9.7%
- Inhalation and Respiratory Drug DeliveryMedicine8.6%
- Advancements in Transdermal Drug DeliveryPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics7.5%
- RNA Interference and Gene DeliveryBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.5%
- Barrier Structure and Function StudiesNeuroscience7%
- Drug Solubulity and Delivery SystemsPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics4.8%
- Drug Transport and Resistance MechanismsMedicine3.8%
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.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePMCPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, CLOCKSS, Crossref
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 (publisher)
- 4.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 6.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.79LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.75LetPub ·
- h-index
- 20OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 39OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 6.97OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 12LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 132 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 26 | 26 | 28 |
| 2025 | 15 | 15 | 167 |
| 2024 | 30 | 30 | 300 |
| 2023 | 24 | 24 | 339 |
| 2022 | 34 | 34 | 531 |
| 2021 | 3 | 3 | 48 |
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
59 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 34 days – 81 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 27 days (41 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 87 days
- Sample
- 41 articles with submission and acceptance dates (45 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)
- about 15 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 15 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | CHF 1,950 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | CHF 1,950 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 2,125 | Yes | — |
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
- Keywords
- 5–8
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- AI use Use of AI to create written or visual content
Authors should not list a generative AI technology as a co-author or author of any submitted manuscript. Generative AI technologies cannot be held accountable for all aspects of a manuscript and consequently do not meet the criteria required for authorship. If the author of a submitted manuscript has used written or visual content produced by or edited using a generative AI technology, this use mu…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Safeguards against financial conflicts of interest
Only leading researchers acting as Associate Editors, who are not part of Frontiers' staff, can make acceptance decisions based on reviews performed by external experts acting as Community Reviewers or Reviewers. None have a financial incentive to accept articles, i.e. they are not paid for their role as Associate Editor or community Reviewer, and any award scheme is not linked to acceptances of m…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Open access and copyright
All Frontiers' articles from July 2012 onwards are published with open access under the Creative Commons CC-BY license (the current version is CC-BY, version 4.0). This means that the author(s) retains copyright, but the content is free to download, distribute, and adapt for commercial or non-commercial purposes, given appropriate attribution to the original article. Upon submission, the author(s)…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access and copyright
All Frontiers' articles from July 2012 onwards are published with open access under the Creative Commons CC-BY license (the current version is CC-BY, version 4.0). This means that the author(s) retains copyright, but the content is free to download, distribute, and adapt for commercial or non-commercial purposes, given appropriate attribution to the original article. Upon submission, the author(s)…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Our rigorous, transparent peer review process combines expert review and constructive dialogue to strengthen your manuscript.
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
- Frontiers Media S.A.
- Country or region
- Switzerland
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2674-0850
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Frontiers in Drug Delivery
What is the impact factor of Frontiers in Drug Delivery?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 4.4; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 6.4, h-index 20.
How long does peer review take at Frontiers in Drug Delivery?
Based on the dates recorded on 41 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 59 days (interquartile range 34–81 days); authors report an average review time of about 15 weeks. 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 Frontiers in Drug Delivery based?
Of the 18 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (6), Denmark (4) and United States (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Frontiers in Drug Delivery?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Frontiers in Drug Delivery is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science and PMC; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Frontiers in Drug Delivery open access, and what is the APC?
Frontiers in Drug Delivery is a fully open-access journal. APC charged, amount not published.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website, DOAJ; 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: .