Journal profile · Nursing-Nursing (all)
International Journal of Nursing Sciences
ISSN 2096-6296 · eISSN 2352-0132 · ELSEVIER · CHINA MAINLAND · Quarterly · Founded 2014
International Journal of Nursing Sciences: CAS Zone 1 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 4.4 (journal website); fully open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 223 days to acceptance (109 articles, last 24 months); 96 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
International Journal of Nursing Sciences is published by ELSEVIER and is in Zone 1 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Nursing education and management, Educational Robotics and Engineering and Human auditory perception and evaluation, together about 24.7% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Copyright Holder: Chinese Nursing Association. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. On behalf of Chinese Nursing Association. Peer review under responsibility of Chinese Nursing Association_International Journal of Nursing Sciences_ (IJNSS, ISSN: 2352-0132, print ISSN: 2096-6296, CN: 10-1444/R) is the official peer-reviewed research journal of the Chinese Nursing Association. This journal aims to promote excellence in nursing and health care through the dissemination of the latest, evidence-based, peer-reviewed clinical information and original research, providing an international platform for exchanging knowledge, research findings and nursing practice experience. This journal covers a wide range of nursing topics such as advanced nursing practice, bio-psychosocial issues related to health, cultural perspectives, lifestyle change as a component of health promotion, chronic disease, including end-of-life care, family care giving. IJNSS publishes six issues per year in Jan, Mar, May, July, Sept, Nov. The intended readership includes practicing nurses in all spheres and at all levels who are committed to advancing practice and professional development on the basis of new knowledge and evidence; managers and senior members of the nursing; nurse educators and nursing students etc. IJNSS seeks to enrich insight into clinical need and the implications for nursing intervention and models of service delivery. Contributions are welcomed from other health professions on issues that have a direct impact on nursing practice.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Nursing-Nursing (all)
Editor-in-chief Shaomei ShangPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 59 in mainland China (about 51%); most named Mainland China 59, United States 22, Australia 7, Hong Kong, China 4, Canada 4 (115 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Nursing education and managementNursing13.6%
- Educational Robotics and EngineeringComputer Science5.6%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering5.5%
- Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnoutHealth Professions5.3%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5.3%
- Diabetes Management and EducationMedicine4.7%
- Cancer survivorship and careMedicine4.2%
- Palliative Care and End-of-Life IssuesMedicine4.1%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Nursing | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Nursing | Zone 1 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Nursing | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
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)
- 4.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.01LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.52LetPub ·
- h-index
- 30LetPub ·
- h-index
- 61OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 514OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.09OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 76LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,113 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 81 | 81 | 15 |
| 2025 | 96 | 96 | 243 |
| 2024 | 78 | 78 | 531 |
| 2023 | 88 | 88 | 905 |
| 2022 | 78 | 78 | 1,016 |
| 2021 | 81 | 81 | 1,448 |
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
223 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 169 days – 273 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 1 days (109 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 223 days
- Sample
- 109 articles with submission and acceptance dates (158 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 32 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 6 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 73 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 199 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewLetPub
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 accessOpenAlex
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 0 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 150 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 150 | — | — |
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 prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 300 words
- Keywords
- 4–8
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional, 3
Article types accepted7
- discussion papersThe IJNSS publishes original research papers, reviews, discussion papers, editorial and letters to the editor.Length not stated
- editorialThe IJNSS publishes original research papers, reviews, discussion papers, editorial and letters to the editor.Length not stated
- letters to the editorThe IJNSS publishes original research papers, reviews, discussion papers, editorial and letters to the editor.Length not stated
- original research paperThe IJNSS publishes original research papers, reviews, discussion papers, editorial and letters to the editor.Length not stated
- original research papersThe IJNSS publishes original research papers, reviews, discussion papers, editorial and letters to the editor.Length not stated
- reviewThe IJNSS publishes original research papers, reviews, discussion papers, editorial and letters to the editor.Length not stated
- reviewsThe IJNSS publishes original research papers, reviews, discussion papers, editorial and letters to the editor.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use Declaration of generative AI in scientific writing
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 Changes to authorship
Authors are expected to consider carefully the list and order of authors before submitting their manuscript and provide the definitive list of authors at the time of the original submission. Any addition, deletion or rearrangement of author names in the authorship list should be made only before the manuscript has been accepted and only if approved by the journal Editor. To request such a change, …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Conflict of Interest
All authors are requested to disclose any actual or potential conflict of interest including any financial, personal or other relationships with other people or organizations within three years of beginning the submitted work that could inappropriately influence, or be perceived to influence, their work. See alsohttps://www.elsevier.com/conflictsofinterest. Further information and an example of a …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Ethical Approval
All studies must be conducted to a high ethical standard and must adhere to local regulations and standards for gaining scrutiny and approval.The work described in your article must have been carried out in accordance with The Code of Ethics of the World Medical Association (Declaration of Helsinki) for experiments involving humans http://www.wma.net/en/30publications/10policies/b3/; EC Directive …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to complete a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' (for more information on this and copyright, see https://www.elsevier.com/about/company-information/policies/copyright). An e-mail will be sent to the corresponding author confirming receipt of the manuscript together with a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' form or a link to the online version of this a…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
Every peer-reviewed research article appearing in this journal will be published open access. This means that the article is universally and freely accessible via the internet in perpetuity, in an easily readable format immediately after publication. To provide open access, the authors (or funders and institutes) will be charged an article processing charge (APC) of 150 USD per page (excluding tax…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
double blind review process Model summary
This journal operates a double blind review process. All contributions will be initially assessed by the editor for suitability for the journal. Papers deemed suitable are then sent to a minimum of two independent expert reviewers to assess the scientific quality of the paper. The Editor is responsible for the final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of articles. The Editor's decision is f…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprint references
Where a preprint has subsequently become available as a peer-reviewed publication, the formal publication should be used as the reference. If there are preprints that are central to your work or that cover crucial developments in the topic, but are not yet formally published, these may be referenced. Preprints should be clearly marked as such, for example by including the word preprint, or the nam…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Reporting Guidelines
The guidelines listed below should be followed where appropriate. Please use these guidelines to structure your article. Structured abstracts and flow diagrams should be uploaded with your submission; these will be published alongside the final version of your paper.CONSORT (for reporting of randomized controlled trials: please use the appropriate extension to the CONSORT statement, including TIDi…
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
- Country or region
- CHINA MAINLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 2014
- ISSN
- 2096-6296
- Electronic ISSN
- 2352-0132
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about International Journal of Nursing Sciences
What CAS zone is International Journal of Nursing Sciences in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, International Journal of Nursing Sciences is in Zone 1 of Medicine, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Nursing; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of International Journal of Nursing Sciences?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 4.4; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 6, h-index 61.
How long does peer review take at International Journal of Nursing Sciences?
Based on the dates recorded on 109 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 223 days (interquartile range 169–273 days); authors report an average review time of about 32 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 International Journal of Nursing Sciences?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 300 words; Keywords: 4–8; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Optional, 3. 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 Nursing Sciences based?
Of the 115 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 59 (about 51%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (59), United States (22) and Australia (7). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index International Journal of Nursing Sciences?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, International Journal of Nursing Sciences is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is International Journal of Nursing Sciences open access, and what is the APC?
International Journal of Nursing Sciences is a fully open-access journal. APC charged, amount not published.
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: .