Journal profile · Multiple
JAMA Health Forum
ISSN 2689-0186 · JAMA Network · United States
JAMA Health Forum: CAS Zone 1 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 12.5 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 4,000; review about 58 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); acceptance rate 12% (journal website); 360 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
JAMA Health Forum is published by JAMA Network 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 Healthcare Policy and Management, Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life and Primary Care and Health Outcomes, together about 39.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Economics and Econometrics and General Health Professions. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Building on a tradition of editorial excellence, JAMA Health Forum provides authors the impact and reach of JAMA and the JAMA Network specialty journals as well as prompt decisions and rapid publication and author-focused services. Impact and Reach Journal Impact Factor of 12.5, the highest ranking journal among health policy & services journals Broad reach through email alerts, news releases, and more than 12,000 social media followers (Facebook, X, LinkedIn) Over 3.4 million annual views and downloads of JAMA Health Forum articles Extensive press coverage: In 2025 and 2026, JAMA Health Forum received more than 5,000 mentions in over 1,500 outlets consisting of news media, broadcast TV and radio stations, blogs, news aggregators, and more Top Altmetric scores among open access general medical journals—JAMA Health Forum published 21 of the top 50 articles among health policy & services journals, including the No. 1 article Open access for all articles Invited Commentary published to augment and direct attention to research articles Online commenting available to continue review and discussion post publication Indexed and covered in Altmetric, CLOCKSS, DeepDyve, Directory of Open Access Journals, EBSCO, AAAS EurekAlert, Google Scholar, Ovid, PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, READCUBE, Scopus, Sherpa Romeo, Science Citation Index Expanded, Social Science Citation Index, and Yewno. Prompt Decisions and Rapid Publication Timelines Highly selective peer review and editorial evaluation, with 12% acceptance rate for all submissions Prompt, rigorous review by our experienced editors Time to first decision: Median time to first decision is 3 days and 43 days with review Median time from submission to acceptance: 58 days; 67 days from acceptance to publication Expedited peer review and publication for select clinical trials, other major studies, or reports with urgent public health importance Coordination with meeting presentation: Opportunity to publish new research simultaneously with your presentation Author Service JAMA Health Forum offers unparalleled reach and an author-friendly approach, from manuscript submission through publication. User-friendly manuscript submission system and process Highest standards followed to improve your accepted manuscript’s accuracy, reliability, and readability Prompt, expert review and consideration from our experienced editors CME credit available for lead authors who publish in JAMA Health Forum High-quality peer review, manuscr
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Sandro GaleaPublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Healthcare Policy and ManagementEconomics, Econometrics and Finance20.9%
- Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of LifeEconomics, Econometrics and Finance9.7%
- Primary Care and Health OutcomesHealth Professions8.6%
- Healthcare cost, quality, practicesHealth Professions5.5%
- Pharmaceutical Economics and PolicyEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5.4%
- Food Security and Health in Diverse PopulationsHealth Professions4.9%
- Geriatric Care and Nursing HomesHealth Professions4%
- Opioid Use Disorder TreatmentMedicine3.8%
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 | Health Care Sciences & Services | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Health Policy & Services | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Public, Environmental & Occupational Health | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Health Care Sciences & Services | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Health Policy & Services | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Public, Environmental & Occupational Health | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
SCIESSCIScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
PMCPubMedPublisher 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)
- 12.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.9LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.83LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.68LetPub ·
- h-index
- 59OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 634OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.47OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 128LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,080 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 242 | 242 | 172 |
| 2025 | 360 | 360 | 1,826 |
| 2024 | 297 | 297 | 2,916 |
| 2023 | 284 | 284 | 4,675 |
| 2022 | 340 | 340 | 5,590 |
| 2021 | 310 | 310 | 4,825 |
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
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
58 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports about 10 weeks
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 10 weeksLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 12%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 58 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 67 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 10 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 4,000 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 5,000 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 3,000 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 4,000 | — | — |
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
- Abstract
- ≤ 350 words
- Reference style
- AMA
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted9, with length limits
- brief reportThese manuscripts are short reports of original studies or evaluations or unique, first-time reports of clinical case series. Follow EQUATOR Reporting Guideline…main text ≤ 1,200 words · references ≤ 15
- editorialAuthors will be sent notifications of the receipt of manuscripts and editorial decisions by email. During the review process, authors can check the status of th…Length not stated
- meta-analysisThese manuscripts are systematic, critical assessments of literature and data sources pertaining to clinical topics, emphasizing factors such as cause, diagnosi…main text ≤ 3,000 words · references ≤ 75
- opinionArticle Type Description Requirements Viewpoint full info Short opinion-based articles that address an important topic relevant to global, national, regional, s…main text ≤ 1,200 words · references ≤ 7
- protocolAuthors of manuscripts reporting clinical trials must submit trial protocols (including the complete statistical analysis plan) along with their manuscripts. Pr…Length not stated
- research letterResearch Letter, Clinical Review and Education Research Letter full info Concise, focused reports of original research. Can include any of the study types liste…Length not stated
- special communicationSpecial Communication full info A Special Communication in JAMA Health Forum is intended to serve as a scholarly overview of a topic of importance to health pol…Length not stated
- systematic reviewSystematic Reviews are critical assessments of the literature and data sources pertaining to health policy or a disease, condition, therapy, intervention, or pu…main text ≤ 350 words · abstract ≤ 350 words · references ≤ 75
- viewpointViewpoints are short opinion-based articles that address an important topic relevant to global, national, regional, state/provincial health policy; health care …main text ≤ 1,200 words · references ≤ 7
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, Open access, Peer review, Preprints, Self-archiving, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use
Authors responsible for accuracy of AI-generated content; must review and confirm accuracy. Model summary
Authors are responsible for the accuracy of all content submitted to the journal. Authors must review and confirm the accuracy of all content generated by artificial intelligence (AI), large language models (LLMs), chatbots, or similar technologies and must be accountable and take full responsibility for all content.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship Form and Publishing Agreement
All authors are required to complete an Authorship Form and Publishing Agreement. See Authorship Criteria and Contributions. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Authorship and Disclosures
Most of the JAMA Network journals' editorial policies for authors are summarized in these instructions. Citations and links to the AMA Manual of Style: A Guide for Authors and Editors2 and other publications with additional information are also provided.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Access, Responsibility, and Analysis
For all reports (regardless of funding source) containing original data, at least 1 named author (eg, the principal investigator), and no more than 2 authors, must indicate that she or he "had full access to all the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis."7 This exact statement should be included in the Acknowledgment section …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Ethical Approval of Studies and Informed Consent
For all manuscripts reporting data from studies involving human participants or animals, formal review and approval, or formal review and waiver, by an appropriate institutional review board or ethics committee is required and should be described in the Methods section.2(p226) For those investigators who do not have formal ethics review committees, the principles outlined in the Declaration of Hel…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access, Depositing in Repositories, and Discoverability
The journal makes all research articles that are accepted for publication freely available open access on the journal website on the day of publication following payment of article processing charges (APC) (see below) and grant of a Publication License to the journal. The journal will deposit a copy of the published research article into PubMed Central (PMC) at the time of publication. A few weeks…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Editorial and Peer Review
Online submission required via manuscript submission and review system. Model summary
Authors will be sent notifications of the receipt of manuscripts and editorial decisions by email. During the review process, authors can check the status of their submitted manuscript via the online manuscript submission and review system. Authors should not disclose the fact that their manuscript has been submitted to anyone, except coauthors and contributors, without permission of the editor. I…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Previous Publication, Related Manuscripts and Reports, and Preprints
Manuscripts are considered with the understanding that they have not been published previously and are not under consideration by another publication. Copies of all related or similar manuscripts and reports by the same authors (ie, those containing substantially similar content or using the same, similar, or a subset of data) that have been previously published or posted electronically or are und…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Self-archiving Embargo
Authors should not disclose the fact that their manuscript has been accepted to anyone, except coauthors and contributors, until it is published without permission of the editor or as described in the guidance on Previous or Planned Meeting Presentaton or Release of Information and Embargo Policy. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Trial Registration:
In concert with the ICMJE, JAMA Network requires, as a condition of consideration for publication, registration of all trials in a public trials registry that is acceptable to the ICMJE (ie, the registry must be owned by a not-for-profit entity, be publicly accessible, and require the minimum registration data set as described by ICMJE).4,8,9 Acceptable trial registries include the following and o…
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
- JAMA Network
- Country or region
- United States
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2689-0186
- Society / sponsor
- AcademyHealth
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- 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 JAMA Health Forum
What CAS zone is JAMA Health Forum in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, JAMA Health Forum is in Zone 1 of Medicine, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Health Care Sciences & Services / Health Policy & Services / Public, Environmental & Occupational Health; 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 JAMA Health Forum?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 12.5; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 7.9, h-index 59.
How long does peer review take at JAMA Health Forum?
The publisher reports about 58 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of about 10 weeks; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 12%. 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 JAMA Health Forum?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 350 words; Reference style: AMA; 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.
Which databases index JAMA Health Forum?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, JAMA Health Forum is indexed in SCIE, SSCI, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists PMC and PubMed; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is JAMA Health Forum open access, and what is the APC?
JAMA Health Forum is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 4,000.
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 2026-08-24). Last updated: .