Journal profile · Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Journal of Adolescent Health
ISSN 1054-139X · eISSN 1879-1972 · Elsevier USA · UNITED STATES · Monthly · Founded 1991
Journal of Adolescent Health: CAS Zone 2 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 4.13; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,670; median 170 days to acceptance (110 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 580 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Adolescent Health is published by Elsevier USA and is in Zone 2 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health, Adolescent and Pediatric Healthcare and HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions, together about 29.8% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Official Publication of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine SAHM members can access full-text articles on JAH OnlineThe Journal of Adolescent Health is a multidisciplinary scientific Journal dedicated to improving the health and well-being of adolescents and young adults. The Journal publishes new research findings in the field of Adolescent and Young Adult Health and Medicine ranging from the basic biological and behavioral sciences to public health and policy. We seek original manuscripts, brief reports, review articles, clinical case reports, letters to the editor, and commentaries from our colleagues in Anthropology, Education, Ethics, Global Health, Health Services Research, Law, Medicine, Mental and Behavorial Health, Nursing, Nutrition, Psychology, Public Health and Policy, Social Work, Sociology, Youth Development, and other disciplines that work with or are committed to improving the health and well-being of adolescents and young adults. In addition we seek poetry, personal narratives, images, and other creative works from young people, family and community members, and health professionals that deepen our insights into the lived experiences of adolescents and young adults in a way that can augment scientific peer-reviewed research.The Journal is the official publication of the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM), a multidisciplinary organization committed to improving the health and well-being of adolescents and young adults. One of the Society's primary goals is the development, synthesis, and dissemination of scientific and scholarly knowledge unique to the health needs of young people. To meet this goal, the Society established The Journal of Adolescent Health in 1980.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Editor-in-chief Carol A. FordPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 89, Australia 6, United Kingdom 4, Switzerland 4, Canada 3 (120 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive HealthHealth Professions16.9%
- Adolescent and Pediatric HealthcareHealth Professions7.2%
- HIV/AIDS Research and InterventionsMedicine5.8%
- Obesity, Physical Activity, DietMedicine5.6%
- Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentPsychology5.5%
- Child and Adolescent HealthHealth Professions5%
- Substance Abuse Treatment and OutcomesMedicine4.6%
- Eating Disorders and BehaviorsPsychology4.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Pediatrics | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Psychology, Developmental | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Public, Environmental & Occupational Health | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Psychology, Developmental | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Public, Environmental & Occupational Health | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Pediatrics | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Pediatrics | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Psychology, Developmental | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Public, Environmental & Occupational Health | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIESSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
PubMedPublisher website
Other: Crossref
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
- 4.13LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 4.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.53LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.46LetPub ·
- h-index
- 142LetPub ·
- h-index
- 253OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 5,745OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.13OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 28.23%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 258LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 13,971 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 423 | 250 | 43 |
| 2025 | 580 | 493 | 987 |
| 2024 | 524 | 502 | 2,230 |
| 2023 | 614 | 605 | 4,517 |
| 2022 | 528 | 415 | 5,559 |
| 2021 | 478 | 284 | 9,385 |
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
170 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 119 days – 224 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 66 days (98 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 248 days
- Sample
- 110 articles with submission and acceptance dates (660 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)
- 3–6 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 13 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 88 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 173 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single-anonymous peer review, at least 3 reviewersPublisher website · model-extracted
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 3,670 / EUR 3,430 / GBP 2,940 / JPY 455,190 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 4,070 | — | — |
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 prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Keywords
- ≥ 3
- Reference style
- AMA
- Suggested reviewers
- Required, 5
Article types accepted5, with length limits
- commentaryscientific ethics, and meeting reports. Commentaries should not exceed 1,000 words and 10 references. Disclosure of potential conflicts, realmain text ≤ 1,000 words · references ≤ 10
- editoriala broader context for a wide audience. Editorials should not exceed 1,000 words and 20 references. Disclosure of potential conflicts, realmain text ≤ 1,000 words · references ≤ 20
- letters to the editorLetters to the Editor typically represent correspondence regarding articles published in the Journal within the preceding 6 months. The author(s) of the article…main text ≤ 400 words · references ≤ 5
- original articleOriginal Articles are full-length scientific reports on the results of original research. Text is limited to 3500 words with a 250-word structured abstract, 5 t…main text ≤ 3,500 words · references ≤ 40
- review articlemust have a 200-word summary abstract. Review articles are limited to 4500 words, 5 tables/figures, and an unlimited number of references. Rmain text ≤ 4,500 words
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 in scientific writing
The below guidance only refers to the writing process, and not to the use of AI tools to analyze and draw insights from data as part of the research process.Where authors use generative artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process, authors should only use these technologies to improve readability and language. Applying the technology should be done with human ov…
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
According to the World Association of Medical Editors (WAME):"...a conflict of interest (competing interest) is some fact known to a participant in the publication process that if revealed later, would make a reasonable reader feel misled or deceived (or an author, reviewer, or editor feel defensive). Conflicts of interest may influence the judgment of authors, reviewers, and editors; these confli…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to complete a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' (see more information on this). 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 agreement.As an author you (or your employer or institution) have certain rights to reuse …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
Please visit our Open Access page for more information about open access publishing in this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review and decision
Manuscripts accepted for peer review are sent to three external reviewers. Reviewers are anonymous; authors' names are unmasked. The Journal's goal is to complete peer review and reach a decision within ten weeks of submission.Manuscripts will either be declined based on reviewer comments or referred back to the authors for revision.Revisions requestedA Revise and Resubmit decision is an invitatio…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
A preprint is an author’s own write-up of research results and analysis that has not yet been peer reviewed by JAH. If you have already published your research as a preprint, you must notify us in your Cover Letter. If your manuscript is accepted for publication, you should provide a link from the preprint to the final published manuscript at JAH via the Digital Object Identifier (DOI). Preprints …
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 USA
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1991
- ISSN
- 1054-139X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1879-1972
- Society / sponsor
- Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine SAHM members can access full-text articles on JAH
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Adolescent Health
What CAS zone is Journal of Adolescent Health in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Adolescent Health is in Zone 2 of Medicine, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Pediatrics / Psychology, Developmental / Public, Environmental & Occupational Health. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Adolescent Health?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.13; CiteScore 7, h-index 253.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Adolescent Health?
Based on the dates recorded on 110 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 170 days (interquartile range 119–224 days); authors report an average review time of 3–6 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly easy”. 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 Journal of Adolescent Health?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Keywords: ≥ 3; Reference style: AMA; Suggested reviewers: Required, 5. 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 Journal of Adolescent Health based?
Of the 120 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (89), Australia (6) and United Kingdom (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Adolescent Health?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Adolescent Health is indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists PubMed; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Adolescent Health open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Adolescent Health is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,670.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .