Journal profile · Medicine-Health Policy
Health Care Science
ISSN 2771-1749 · eISSN 2771-1757 · Wiley · United Kingdom
Health Care Science: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 6 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 2,300; median 122 days to acceptance (74 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 29% (journal website); 65 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Health Care Science is published by Wiley 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 Healthcare Systems and Reforms, Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Education and Diverse Scientific and Economic Studies, together about 24.1% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Health Care Science is a high-quality, peer-reviewed, open access journal, which aims to provide a platform for the researchers, scholars, administrators, and innovators to share their research in the quality, evaluation, and technology of healthcare service delivery, healthcare management, and healthcare policy on a scientific basis.We promote and disseminate high-quality Original Articles, Reviews, Short Communications, Case Reports, Commentaries, News and Views, Editorials-Invited only and Practice and Policies. The preference will be given to the articles based on quantitative methods, with emphasis on specific healthcare settings, have impact on real-world operation and policy making, and about emerging hot topics in healthcare.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Medicine-Health Policy
Editor-in-chief Zongjiu ZhangPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 59 in mainland China (about 66%); most named Mainland China 59, United States 13, Australia 5, Singapore 5, Hong Kong, China 3 (89 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Healthcare Systems and ReformsEconomics, Econometrics and Finance8.6%
- Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and EducationMedicine8.6%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance6.9%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering6.9%
- Educational Robotics and EngineeringComputer Science6.9%
- Machine Learning in HealthcareComputer Science5.3%
- Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of LifeEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.9%
- Chronic Disease Management StrategiesMedicine4.1%
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 | Health Care Sciences & Services | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Health Care Sciences & Services | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
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
PMCPublisher website
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)
- 6Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 6.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 6.6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.15LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.62LetPub ·
- h-index
- 19OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 39OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.16OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 38LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2Publisher website ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 44Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 119,407Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 262 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 64 | 64 | 13 |
| 2025 | 65 | 65 | 158 |
| 2024 | 54 | 54 | 590 |
| 2023 | 48 | 48 | 757 |
| 2022 | 31 | 31 | 228 |
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
122 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 85 days – 169 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 87 days (75 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 222 days
- Sample
- 74 articles with submission and acceptance dates (134 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 ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 29%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 29%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 28 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 28 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 115 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 74 daysPublisher website ·
- 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 | USD 2,300 / GBP 1,910 / EUR 2,210 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 2,300 / EUR 2,210 / GBP 1,910 | — | — | |
| LetPub | EUR 1,900 / GBP 1,600 / USD 2,200 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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
- 3–10
- Reference style
- Chicago
- Graphical abstract
- Required
Article types accepted10, with length limits
- brief reportThe table below outlines general specifications of the different Health Care Science article types. Article Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Oth…Length not stated
- commentaryThe table below outlines general specifications of the different Health Care Science article types. Article Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Oth…main text ≤ 1,500 words
- editorialThe table below outlines general specifications of the different Health Care Science article types. Article Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Oth…Length not stated
- editorial-invited onlyEditorial-Invited Only Opinion or perspective on the content of Health Care Science or of relevance to the fieldLength not stated
- news and viewsNews and Views News and Views articles should address unresolved and timely issues in health care. They can involve discussion of new discoveries related to hea…Length not stated
- opinionThe table below outlines general specifications of the different Health Care Science article types. Article Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Oth…Length not stated
- original articleThe table below outlines general specifications of the different Health Care Science article types. Article Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Oth…Length not stated
- perspectiveThe table below outlines general specifications of the different Health Care Science article types. Article Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Oth…Length not stated
- reviewThe table below outlines general specifications of the different Health Care Science article types. Article Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Oth…Length not stated
- short communicationThe table below outlines general specifications of the different Health Care Science article types. Article Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Oth…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use
AI use in submissions and reviews must adhere to Wiley's generative AI guidelines from 1 January 2025. Model summary
From 1st January 2025, all submissions and reviews must adhere to Generative artificial intelligence (AI) guidelines. Note: Health Care Science adopts Wiley’s Best Practice Guidelines on Research Integrity and Publishing Ethics – Artificial Intelligence.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship
All listed authors should have contributed to the manuscript substantially and have agreed to the final submitted version. Review editorial standards and scroll down for a description of authorship criteria.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest
Chicago style references; in-text citations as numerals in square brackets. Model summary
References must be cited following the Chicago style, and in-text citations should be presented in the format of numerals enclosed in square brackets (e.g., "[2]", "[5-7]").
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Sharing and Data Availability
Data sharing expected; data availability statement required. Model summary
This journal expects data sharing. Review Wiley's Data Sharing policy where you will be able to see and select the data availability statement that is right for your submission.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Reproduction of Copyright Material
If excerpts from copyrighted works owned by third parties are included, credit must be shown in the contribution. It is your responsibility to also obtain written permission for reproduction from the copyright owners. For more information visit Wiley's Copyright Terms & Conditions FAQ. Authors wishing to include figures, tables, or text passages that have already been published elsewhere (includin…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access
Gold open access; CC-BY/CC-BY-NC/CC-BY-NC-ND licenses; APC applies with possible waivers/discounts. Model summary
This journal is a gold open access title which means that all content is freely available without charge to the user or his/her institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of the articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author. This is in accordance with the BOAI de…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review
Single-anonymized peer review; at least two anonymous reviewers; Editor-in-Chief screens papers for quality and relevance; Editorial and News and Views are not peer-reviewed. Model summary
This journal operates under a single-anonymized peer review model. Except where otherwise stated, manuscripts are peer reviewed by at least two anonymous reviewers. Papers will only be sent to review if the Editor-in-Chief determines that the paper meets the appropriate quality and relevance requirements. Only Editorial and News and Views are not peer-reviewed but will be evaluated internally. In-…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprint Policy
Preprint servers accepted; authors should update pre-publication versions with link to final published article. Model summary
Please find our preprint policy here. This journal accepts articles previously published on preprint servers. You are requested to update any pre-publication versions with a link to the final published article. You may also post the final published version of the article immediately after 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
- Wiley
- Country or region
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2771-1749
- Electronic ISSN
- 2771-1757
- Society / sponsor
- Institute for Hospital Management of Tsinghua University
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 5, Issue 4 (August 2026)
- 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 Health Care Science
What CAS zone is Health Care Science in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Health Care Science is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Health Care Sciences & Services. 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 Health Care Science?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 6 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 6.6, h-index 19.
How long does peer review take at Health Care Science?
Based on the dates recorded on 74 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 122 days (interquartile range 85–169 days); authors report an average review time of about 14 weeks; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 29% (2025). 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 Health Care Science?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Keywords: 3–10; Reference style: Chicago; Graphical abstract: 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 Health Care Science based?
Of the 89 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 59 (about 66%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (59), United States (13) and Australia (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Health Care Science?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Health Care Science is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists PMC; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Health Care Science open access, and what is the APC?
Health Care Science is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 2,300.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex, 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: .