Journal profile · Neuroscience-Developmental Neuroscience
Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience
ISSN 1662-5137 · Frontiers Media S.A. · Switzerland
Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience: CAS Zone 3 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.56; fully open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 86 days to acceptance (100 articles, last 24 months); 49 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience is published by Frontiers Media S.A. 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 Neural dynamics and brain function, Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research and Functional Brain Connectivity Studies, together about 38.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Cognitive Neuroscience and Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience is a multidisciplinary journal devoted to uncovering the organization and function of whole brain systems involved in processes such as spontaneous dynamics across brain states, sensation, movement, learning and memory, attention, reward, decision-making, reasoning, executive functions, and emotion. With an international Editorial Board led by Specialty Chief Editor Wen-Jun Gao (College of Medicine, Drexel University, United States), the journal addresses the structural and functional architecture and dynamics of brain systems, and the principles of information processing, storage, and retrieval at the systems level. Indexed in PubMed Central (PMC), Scopus, Web of Science (SCIE), and the DOAJ, the journal encompasses research on individual brain regions and interactions across multiple levels and nodes of information processing. The journal covers the full range of systems neuroscience research, including: cognitive modules involved in task-specific engagement dynamics of neuronal networks experimental approaches spanning single-neuron recordings to whole-brain electrophysiology and imaging combined experimental and computational approaches information processing and computation within neural circuits synaptic- and circuit-level changes during development and short- and long-term plasticity brain functions under physiological and pathological conditions studies of spontaneous and evoked activity, including sleep Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience is also interested in state-of-the-art technical approaches and topics addressing the following: cellular analyses of reduced preparations retaining core computational elements computational models that enhance experimental insights into brain systems multi-scale analyses of brain function during multiple forms and time scales of information processing in the normal and diseased conditions across species recent advances in high-resolution structural and functional brain imaging at network, cellular, and sub-cellular levels, along with the application of molecular tools single-cell responses in alert primates In support of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health & Well-being), the journal also welcomes submissions of research and topics that deepen biological understanding of brain health and human well-being. Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience is committed to forwarding the study of the whole brain by allowing unrestricted open access to articles and communicating scien
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Neuroscience-Developmental Neuroscience
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 5, Mexico 4, Italy 3, Japan 1, Germany 1 (18 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Neural dynamics and brain functionNeuroscience22.9%
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchNeuroscience8.1%
- Functional Brain Connectivity StudiesNeuroscience7.5%
- EEG and Brain-Computer InterfacesNeuroscience7.3%
- Memory and Neural MechanismsNeuroscience5.7%
- Visual perception and processing mechanismsNeuroscience5.2%
- Neuroscience and Neural EngineeringNeuroscience4.9%
- Neural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesNeuroscience3.5%
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 | Neurosciences | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Neurosciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Neurosciences | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePMCEmbasePsycINFOPublisher 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
- 3.56LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 3.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 8.6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 8.6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.29LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.33LetPub ·
- h-index
- 134OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,343OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.54OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 44LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,507 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 66 | 66 | 24 |
| 2025 | 49 | 49 | 108 |
| 2024 | 27 | 27 | 86 |
| 2023 | 74 | 74 | 954 |
| 2022 | 154 | 154 | 3,029 |
| 2021 | 168 | 168 | 3,922 |
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
86 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 55 days – 110 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 22 days (100 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 109 days
- Sample
- 100 articles with submission and acceptance dates (119 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 14 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 14 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 3,150 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | CHF 3,150 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 3,295 | 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 prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Keywords
- 5–8
- Reference style
- Harvard
- Templates
- LaTeX and Word
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
- 1662-5137
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- 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 ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience
What CAS zone is Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience is in Zone 3 of Medicine, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Neurosciences. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.56; CiteScore 8.6, h-index 134.
How long does peer review take at Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience?
Based on the dates recorded on 100 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 86 days (interquartile range 55–110 days); authors report an average review time of about 14 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.
What are the manuscript requirements of Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Keywords: 5–8; Reference style: Harvard; Templates: LaTeX and Word. 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 Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience 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 States (5), Mexico (4) and Italy (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, PMC, Embase and PsycINFO; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience open access, and what is the APC?
Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .