Journal profile · REHABILITATION
Hand Therapy
ISSN 1758-9983 · eISSN 1758-9991 · SAGE
Hand Therapy: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.7 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,150; median 174 days to acceptance (49 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 58.3% (journal website); 28 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Hand Therapy is published by SAGE 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, Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation and Peripheral Nerve Disorders, together about 44.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Surgery. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
This internationally leading, peer-reviewed journal is dedicated to the publication of review articles, research articles, audits and case reports covering all aspects of hand rehabilitation and its related fields. Hand Therapy is an essential journal for anyone working in orthopaedics, plastic surgery, rheumatology and rehabilitation with a specific focus on the upper extremity. View full journal description This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): REHABILITATION
Editor-in-chief Tara PackhamPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 8%); most named United Kingdom 6, Australia 2, Mainland China 1, United States 1, Canada 1 (13 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Orthopedic Surgery and RehabilitationMedicine26.4%
- Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitationMedicine10.6%
- Peripheral Nerve DisordersMedicine7.3%
- Elbow and Forearm Trauma TreatmentMedicine6.7%
- Nerve Injury and RehabilitationMedicine5.8%
- Shoulder Injury and TreatmentMedicine5.4%
- Cerebral Palsy and Movement DisordersMedicine3.3%
- Tendon Structure and TreatmentMedicine2.8%
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 | Rehabilitation | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Rehabilitation | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusLetPub
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 (publisher)
- 1.7Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher)
- 1.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.7LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.3LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.89LetPub ·
- h-index
- 21OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 63OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.52OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 17.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 26.23%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 28LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 3Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 342 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 20 | 20 | 6 |
| 2025 | 28 | 28 | 31 |
| 2024 | 18 | 18 | 63 |
| 2023 | 15 | 15 | 66 |
| 2022 | 15 | 15 | 54 |
| 2021 | 13 | 13 | 89 |
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
174 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 142 days – 242 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 27 days (49 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 220 days
- Sample
- 49 articles with submission and acceptance dates (57 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
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 58.3%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 6 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 188 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 26 daysPublisher 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 4,150 / GBP 3,043 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | No APC | — | — |
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)
Article types accepted6, with length limits
- case reportlar registries is likewise recommended. Case reports: These are normally limited to 2,000 words and may include novel assessment and treatment techniques,main text ≤ 2,000 words
- case reportsCase reports: These are normally limited to 2,000 words and may include novel assessment and treatment techniques, evaluations of equipment or material based on…Length not stated
- letters to theHand Therapy also accepts Letters to theLength not stated
- original articlesOriginal articles (primary research, audits and service evaluation): Primary research studies should be reported using appropriate reporting guidelines e.g CONS…Length not stated
- reviewsReviews: These can include systematic reviews as well as narrative reviews of literature.Length not stated
- study protocolsStudy protocols: Protocols of proposed or ongoing clinical trials which have not completed recruitment at the time of submission and which have Ethics approval …Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Publication ethics, Open access, Peer review, Preprints, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- Authorship 2.2 Authorship
Papers should only be submitted for consideration once consent is given by all contributing authors. Those submitting papers should carefully check that all those whose work contributed to the paper are acknowledged as contributing authors.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics 3.1 Publication ethics
Member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Model summary
Sage is committed to upholding the integrity of the academic record. We encourage authors to refer to the Committee on Publication Ethics’ International Standards for Authors and view the Publication Ethics page on the Sage Author Gateway.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access 3.3 Open access and author archiving
Optional open access via Sage Choice and Open Access agreements. Model summary
Hand Therapy offers optional open access publishing via the Sage Choice programme and Open Access agreements, where authors can publish open access either discounted or free of charge depending on the agreement with Sage. Find out if your institution is participating by visiting Open Access Agreements at Sage. For more information on Open Access publishing options at Sage please visit Sage Open Ac…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review 2.1 Peer review policy
Double-anonymized peer review; at least two independent reviewers per article. Model summary
Hand Therapy adheres to a rigorous double-anonymize reviewing policy in which the identity of both the reviewer and author are always concealed from both parties. All articles are reviewed by at least two independent reviewers. Where major change is required, recommendations will be made by the Editor and the paper returned, to be re-submitted with appropriate changes. Please note that submission …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints
Preprint submissions allowed; DOI must be included and Editorial Office notified. Model summary
Hand Therapy will consider submissions of papers that have been posted on preprint servers; please alert the Editorial Office when submitting (contact details are at the end of these guidelines) and include the DOI for the preprint in the designated field in the manuscript submission system.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines 2.8 Reporting guidelines
The relevant EQUATOR Network reporting guidelines should be followed depending on the type of study. For example, all randomized controlled trials submitted for publication should include a completed CONSORT flow chart as a cited figure and the completed CONSORT checklist should be uploaded with your submission as a supplementary file. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses should include the comple…
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
- SAGE
- ISSN
- 1758-9983
- Electronic ISSN
- 1758-9991
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Hand Therapy
What CAS zone is Hand Therapy in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Hand Therapy is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Rehabilitation. 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 Therapy?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 1.7; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 1.7, h-index 21.
How long does peer review take at Hand Therapy?
Based on the dates recorded on 49 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 174 days (interquartile range 142–242 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 58.3%. 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 Therapy based?
Of the 13 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 8%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (6), Australia (2) and Mainland China (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Hand Therapy?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Hand Therapy is indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Is Hand Therapy open access, and what is the APC?
Hand Therapy is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,150.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; 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: .