Journal profile · Multiple
International Journal of Law and Psychiatry
ISSN 0160-2527 · eISSN 1873-6386 · Elsevier
International Journal of Law and Psychiatry: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.61; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,510; median 182 days to acceptance (105 articles, last 24 months); 74 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
International Journal of Law and Psychiatry is published by Elsevier 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 Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending, Healthcare Decision-Making and Restraints and Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis, together about 39.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Clinical Psychology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The International Journal of Law and Psychiatry is intended to provide a multi-disciplinary forum for the exchange of ideas and information among professionals concerned with the interface of law and psychiatry. There is a growing awareness of the need for exploring the fundamental goals of both the legal and psychiatric systems and the social implications of their interaction. The journal seeks to enhance understanding and cooperation in the field through the varied approaches represented, not only by law and psychiatry, but also by the social sciences and related disciplines. The Editors and Publisher wish to encourage a dialogue among the experts from different countries whose diverse legal cultures afford interesting and challenging alternatives to existing theories and practices. Priority will therefore be given to articles which are oriented to a comparative or international perspective. The journal will publish significant conceptual contributions on contemporary issues as well as serve in the rapid dissemination of important and relevant research findings.The views expressed in this journal do not necessarily reflect those of the editors.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Brendan KellyPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 5%); most named United Kingdom 9, United States 8, Australia 8, Ireland 4, Mainland China 2 (41 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual OffendingPsychology18.4%
- Healthcare Decision-Making and RestraintsPsychology15.7%
- Criminal Justice and Corrections AnalysisSocial Sciences5.8%
- Psychiatric care and mental health servicesPsychology5.1%
- Child Abuse and TraumaPsychology4.8%
- Mental Health and PsychiatryArts and Humanities4.5%
- Schizophrenia research and treatmentMedicine4.2%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering4.2%
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 | Law | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Psychiatry | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Law | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Psychiatry | 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 | Law | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Psychiatry | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
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
- 1.61LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 3.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.4LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.93LetPub ·
- h-index
- 107OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,360OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.04OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 12.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 57.31%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 67LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,589 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 69 | 44 | 17 |
| 2025 | 74 | 50 | 160 |
| 2024 | 71 | 45 | 259 |
| 2023 | 47 | 24 | 221 |
| 2022 | 52 | 26 | 315 |
| 2021 | 56 | 19 | 525 |
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
182 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 108 days – 287 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 8 days (105 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 190 days
- Sample
- 105 articles with submission and acceptance dates (156 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
- Submission to first decision
- 1 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 119 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 180 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 9 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewPublisher 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 3,510 / EUR 3,280 / GBP 2,810 / JPY 435,350 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,630 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare7 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- APA
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, 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 Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
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 ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Single anonymized review process. Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
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
- Elsevier
- ISSN
- 0160-2527
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-6386
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about International Journal of Law and Psychiatry
What CAS zone is International Journal of Law and Psychiatry in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, International Journal of Law and Psychiatry is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Law / Psychiatry. 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 International Journal of Law and Psychiatry?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.61; CiteScore 3.1, h-index 107.
How long does peer review take at International Journal of Law and Psychiatry?
Based on the dates recorded on 105 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 182 days (interquartile range 108–287 days). 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 International Journal of Law and Psychiatry?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: APA; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: Optional; Graphical abstract: Required; Cover letter: 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 International Journal of Law and Psychiatry based?
Of the 41 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 5%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (9), United States (8) and Australia (8). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index International Journal of Law and Psychiatry?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, International Journal of Law and Psychiatry is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is International Journal of Law and Psychiatry open access, and what is the APC?
International Journal of Law and Psychiatry is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,510.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .