Journal profile · INTEGRATIVE & COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE
Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science
ISSN 1672-3597 · eISSN 1993-0399 · Springer Nature · 6 issues per year
Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.7 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,790; median 233 days to acceptance (51 articles, last 24 months); 69 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science is published by Springer Nature 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 Acupuncture Treatment Research Studies, Healthcare and Venom Research and Traditional Chinese Medicine Studies, together about 58.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Complementary and alternative medicine. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science (ISSN 1672-3597, CN 31-1908/R) is a journal with an international scope, focusing on the popularization of traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture- moxibustion culture, the promotion of international exchanges and the prosperity of clinical Chinese medicine and acupuncture-moxibustion. Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science mainly involves clinical practice and emphasizes the presentation of the detailed methods of observing and treating clinical common diseases on which acupuncture-moxibustion has a good effect. The articles are characterized by practicality, briefness and reproducibility. The main contents include the experiences of senior TCM doctors, forum on special diseases, clinical reports, brief reports, education series, terminology and brief introduction to new books. Communications regarding Academy activities are also appropriate.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): INTEGRATIVE & COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE
Editor-in-chief Chen Han-pingPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 32 in mainland China (about 57%); most named Mainland China 32, United States 9, Canada 3, Australia 3, South Korea 2 (56 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Acupuncture Treatment Research StudiesMedicine30.7%
- Healthcare and Venom ResearchMedicine16.5%
- Traditional Chinese Medicine StudiesMedicine10.9%
- Medical Research and TreatmentsMedicine6.5%
- Myofascial pain diagnosis and treatmentBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.7%
- Spine and Intervertebral Disc PathologyMedicine3%
- Botulinum Toxin and Related Neurological DisordersMedicine2.6%
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine StudiesMedicine2.4%
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 | Integrative & Complementary Medicine | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Integrative & Complementary Medicine | 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 | Integrative & Complementary Medicine | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
CASPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS, Semantic Scholar
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) 2025
- 0.7Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 0.8LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.24LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.46LetPub ·
- h-index
- 14OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 41OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.45OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 42.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 8.38%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 69LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 26,100Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,356 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 54 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 69 | 0 | 19 |
| 2024 | 56 | 0 | 62 |
| 2023 | 66 | 16 | 120 |
| 2022 | 66 | 8 | 124 |
| 2021 | 65 | 0 | 148 |
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
233 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 208 days – 313 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 337 days (51 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 586 days
- Sample
- 51 articles with submission and acceptance dates (142 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".
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 3,790 / EUR 2,890 / GBP 2,490 | — | — |
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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access
- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page.
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
- Springer Nature
- Frequency
- 6 issues per year
- ISSN
- 1672-3597
- Electronic ISSN
- 1993-0399
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 24, Issue 4 (August 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science
What CAS zone is Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Integrative & Complementary Medicine. 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 Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 0.7 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 0.8, h-index 14.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science?
Based on the dates recorded on 51 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 233 days (interquartile range 208–313 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science based?
Of the 56 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 32 (about 57%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (32), United States (9) and Canada (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science is indexed in ESCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists CAS; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,790.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; 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: .