Journal profile · Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Journal of Controlled Release
ISSN 0168-3659 · eISSN 1873-4995 · Elsevier · NETHERLANDS · Semimonthly · Founded 1984
Journal of Controlled Release: CAS Zone 1 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 12.39; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,440; median 105 days to acceptance (194 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: 50%; 1,168 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Controlled Release 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 RNA Interference and Gene Delivery, Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery and Advanced Drug Delivery Systems, together about 33.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Pharmaceutical Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Together with researchers and healthcare professionals, Elsevier strives every day to create a better future, worldwide.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- RNA Interference and Gene DeliveryBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology12.9%
- Nanoparticle-Based Drug DeliveryMaterials Science11.5%
- Advanced Drug Delivery SystemsPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics9.3%
- Nanoplatforms for cancer theranosticsEngineering7.1%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5.6%
- Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniquesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.3%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering5.2%
- Advancements in Transdermal Drug DeliveryPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics5%
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 | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Chemistry, Multidisciplinary | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Chemistry, Multidisciplinary | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Chemistry, Multidisciplinary | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
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
- 12.39LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 19.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.54LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.81LetPub ·
- h-index
- 237LetPub ·
- h-index
- 375OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 12,382OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 11.15OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 23.26%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 999LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 18,630 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 779 | 238 | 890 |
| 2025 | 1,168 | 380 | 11,146 |
| 2024 | 862 | 313 | 19,280 |
| 2023 | 738 | 283 | 24,665 |
| 2022 | 739 | 235 | 37,287 |
| 2021 | 587 | 194 | 32,864 |
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
105 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 79 days – 143 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 2 days (194 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 108 days
- Sample
- 194 articles with submission and acceptance dates (2,101 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 2.6 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 50%LetPub ·
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 4,440 / EUR 4,150 / GBP 3,550 / JPY 550,690 | — | — |
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 websitePublication ethics
- Publication ethics
Copyright and data mining rights Model summary
Copyright © 2026 Elsevier, its licensors, and contributors. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.
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
- Semimonthly
- Founded
- 1984
- ISSN
- 0168-3659
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-4995
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Controlled Release
What CAS zone is Journal of Controlled Release in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Controlled Release is in Zone 1 of Medicine, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Pharmacology & Pharmacy / Chemistry, Multidisciplinary; 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 Journal of Controlled Release?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 12.39; CiteScore 19.6, h-index 375.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Controlled Release?
Based on the dates recorded on 194 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 105 days (interquartile range 79–143 days); authors report an average review time of about 2.6 months; the community-reported acceptance is “50%”. 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.
Which databases index Journal of Controlled Release?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Controlled Release is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Journal of Controlled Release open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Controlled Release is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,440.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .