Journal profile · Orthopedics
Hand Clinics
ISSN 0749-0712 · eISSN 1558-1969 · W.B. Saunders Ltd · UNITED STATES · Quarterly · Founded 1985
Hand Clinics: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.34; subscription journal; APC about USD 3,000; review 6–12 weeks (community reports); community-reported acceptance: easy; 73 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Hand Clinics is published by W.B. Saunders Ltd and is in Zone 4 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, Elbow and Forearm Trauma Treatment and Bone fractures and treatments, together about 49.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Surgery. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Ideal for orthopedists and those in the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation, Hand Clinics presents the latest in patient management trends and updates on the newest advances in the field. Published four times a year—in February, May, August, and November—each issue covers a single topic in hand surgery, including anatomy, distal radium fractures, carpal metacarpal and phalangeal injuries, tendon injuries, overuse syndromes, and more.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Orthopedics
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 3 (3 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Orthopedic Surgery and RehabilitationMedicine28.3%
- Elbow and Forearm Trauma TreatmentMedicine15.3%
- Bone fractures and treatmentsMedicine6.2%
- Reconstructive Surgery and Microvascular TechniquesMedicine5.9%
- Nerve Injury and RehabilitationMedicine5.9%
- Peripheral Nerve DisordersMedicine5.7%
- Shoulder Injury and TreatmentMedicine4.9%
- Musculoskeletal synovial abnormalities and treatmentsMedicine3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Orthopedics | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: yes
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Orthopedics | Zone 4 |
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 | Orthopedics | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: yes
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
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
- Impact factor
- 1.34LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.58LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.02LetPub ·
- h-index
- 50LetPub ·
- h-index
- 97OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,745OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.85OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 3.77%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 49LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,309 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 61 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 73 | 5 | 57 |
| 2024 | 64 | 10 | 111 |
| 2023 | 97 | 10 | 362 |
| 2022 | 77 | 4 | 349 |
| 2021 | 75 | 8 | 548 |
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- 6–12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
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 3,000 / EUR 2,630 / GBP 2,350 / JPY 322,400 | — | — |
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
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
Article types accepted1
- reviewThe Clinics and Advances review article journals publish high-quality, invited review content on a bi-monthly, quarterly or annual basis. Each journal’s editori…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship
Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. Model summary
By adhering to the authorship requirements stated above, authors meet the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria [updated version January 2024] on authorship.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability
Authors are encouraged to state data availability at submission. Model summary
To foster transparency, you are encouraged to state the availability of any data at submission.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Authors must follow Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy. Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Systematic reviews should follow PRISMA reporting guidelines. Model summary
For systematic reviews and meta-analyses you are encouraged to follow the PRISMA reporting guidelines.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing is allowed and does not count as prior publication. Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication.
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
- W.B. Saunders Ltd
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1985
- ISSN
- 0749-0712
- Electronic ISSN
- 1558-1969
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Hand Clinics
What CAS zone is Hand Clinics in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Hand Clinics is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Orthopedics. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Hand Clinics?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.34; CiteScore 2.2, h-index 97.
How long does peer review take at Hand Clinics?
Authors report an average review time of 6–12 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Hand Clinics based?
Of the 3 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Hand Clinics?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Hand Clinics is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Hand Clinics open access, and what is the APC?
Hand Clinics is a subscription journal. APC about USD 3,000.
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: .