Journal profile · Psychiatry
Journal of Affective Disorders
ISSN 0165-0327 · eISSN 1573-2517 · Elsevier · NETHERLANDS · Monthly · Founded 1979
Journal of Affective Disorders: CAS Zone 2 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 5.64; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,790; median 120 days to acceptance (179 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 2,277 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Affective Disorders is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 2 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Bipolar Disorder and Treatment, Treatment of Major Depression and Mental Health Treatment and Access, together about 26.9% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Official Journal of the International Society for Affective Disorders The Journal of Affective Disorders publishes papers concerned with affective disorders in the widest sense: depression, mania, mood spectrum, emotions and personality, anxiety and stress. It is interdisciplinary and aims to bring together different approaches for a diverse readership. Top quality papers will be accepted dealing with any aspect of affective disorders, including neuroimaging, cognitive neurosciences, genetics, molecular biology, experimental and clinical neurosciences, pharmacology, neuroimmunoendocrinology, intervention and treatment trials.Journal of Affective Disorders is the companion title to the open access Journal of Affective Disorders Reports.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Psychiatry
Editor-in-chief Melissa DelBelloPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 6 in mainland China (about 4%); most named United States 77, Italy 14, Canada 12, Germany 9, United Kingdom 8 (171 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Bipolar Disorder and TreatmentMedicine10.3%
- Treatment of Major DepressionMedicine10.2%
- Mental Health Treatment and AccessPsychology6.5%
- Suicide and Self-Harm StudiesPsychology6.3%
- Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesPsychology6.2%
- Tryptophan and brain disordersNeuroscience5.5%
- Mental Health Research TopicsPsychology5.3%
- Schizophrenia research and treatmentMedicine5.2%
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 | Clinical Neurology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Psychiatry | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Clinical Neurology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Psychiatry | Zone 2 |
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 | Clinical Neurology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Psychiatry | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIESSCIScopusLetPub
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
- 5.64LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 5.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 9.2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 9.2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.71LetPub ·
- h-index
- 165LetPub ·
- h-index
- 311OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 15,342OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.18OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 8.8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 28.42%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 1,939LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 23,594 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1,334 | 569 | 655 |
| 2025 | 2,277 | 887 | 7,791 |
| 2024 | 1,835 | 824 | 19,772 |
| 2023 | 1,371 | 614 | 24,637 |
| 2022 | 1,332 | 611 | 32,598 |
| 2021 | 1,303 | 573 | 43,770 |
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
120 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 78 days – 167 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 2 days (179 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 123 days
- Sample
- 179 articles with submission and acceptance dates (4,368 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)
- 2–3 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 21 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 80 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 136 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 3 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 3,790 / EUR 3,550 / GBP 3,030 / JPY 470,070 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 4,210 | — | — |
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)
Open calls for papers3, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Highlights
- Required
Article types accepted7, with length limits
- correspondencewords, 20 references, 2 tables/figures) Correspondence (up to 1000 words, 10 references, 1 table/figure). At the discretion of the amain text ≤ 1,000 words · references ≤ 10
- full-length research papersFull-Length Research Papers (up to 5000 words, excluding references and up to 6 tables/figures)Length not stated
- research paperournal primarily publishes: Full-Length Research Papers (up to 5000 words, excluding references and up to 6 tables/figures) Review Armain text ≤ 5,000 words
- review articlereferences and up to 6 tables/figures) Review Articles and Meta-analyses (up to 8000 words, excluding references and up to 10 tables/figures) Short Comain text ≤ 8,000 words
- review articles and meta-analysesReview Articles and Meta-analyses (up to 8000 words, excluding references and up to 10 tables/figures)Length not stated
- short communicationreferences and up to 10 tables/figures) Short Communications (up to 2000 words, 20 references, 2 tables/figures) Correspondence (up to 100main text ≤ 2,000 words · references ≤ 20
- short communicationsShort Communications (up to 2000 words, 20 references, 2 tables/figures)Length not stated
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
Abstract max 250 words Model summary
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 sharing allowed Model summary
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
- Country or region
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1979
- ISSN
- 0165-0327
- Electronic ISSN
- 1573-2517
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Affective Disorders
What CAS zone is Journal of Affective Disorders in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Affective Disorders is in Zone 2 of Medicine, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Clinical Neurology / Psychiatry; it is a Top journal. 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 Affective Disorders?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 5.64; CiteScore 9.2, h-index 311.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Affective Disorders?
Based on the dates recorded on 179 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 120 days (interquartile range 78–167 days); authors report an average review time of 2–3 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 Affective Disorders?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: Author–date; Highlights: 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 Journal of Affective Disorders based?
Of the 171 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 6 (about 4%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (77), Italy (14) and Canada (12). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Affective Disorders?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Affective Disorders is indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus.
Is Journal of Affective Disorders open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Affective Disorders is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,790.
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: .