Journal profile · Critical Care Medicine
Journal of Critical Care
ISSN 0883-9441 · eISSN 1557-8615 · Elsevier BV · UNITED STATES · Quarterly · Founded 1986
Journal of Critical Care: CAS Zone 3 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.32; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,610; median 82 days to acceptance (107 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 358 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Critical Care is published by Elsevier BV and is in Zone 3 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Sepsis Diagnosis and Treatment, Respiratory Support and Mechanisms and Intensive Care Unit Cognitive Disorders, together about 40.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Improving Patient Care by Integrating Critical Care Systems Knowledge into Practice Behavior Official Publication of the World Federation of Intensive and Critical Care and the Society for Complex Acute IllnessThe Journal of Critical Care, the official publication of the World Federation of Intensive and Critical Care (WFICC) and the Society for Complex Acute Illness (SCAI), is a leading international, peer-reviewed journal that aims to improve patient care by publishing manuscripts that contain new or updated information that can be integrated into clinical practice, with the exception of experimental research.The Editorial Board represents an international cross section of individuals actively involved in the disciplines of Critical Care Medicine.The Journal welcomes the following paper types:Original ResearchReviewsMeta-analysis and Narrative Reviews: please follow our requirements article here before submitting your paperResearch Letters: should not exceed 600 words, 5 references or 1 figure and/or table. No supplementary material permittedClinical ChallengesMedical Ethics in Intensive Care MedicineEducation in Intensive Care MedicineEditorialsSpecial IssuesPlease see the journal's Guide For Authors for a more detailed explanation of submission requirements.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Critical Care Medicine
Editor-in-chief Jan BakkerPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 4 in mainland China (about 5%); most named United States 22, France 10, Netherlands 10, Belgium 6, Mainland China 4 (87 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Sepsis Diagnosis and TreatmentMedicine20.6%
- Respiratory Support and MechanismsMedicine10.9%
- Intensive Care Unit Cognitive DisordersMedicine9%
- Hemodynamic Monitoring and TherapyMedicine6.7%
- Nosocomial Infections in ICUMedicine6.1%
- Acute Kidney Injury ResearchMedicine4.8%
- Cardiac Arrest and ResuscitationMedicine4.5%
- Trauma, Hemostasis, Coagulopathy, ResuscitationMedicine3.9%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Critical Care Medicine | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Critical Care Medicine | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Critical Care Medicine | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview 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
- 3.32LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 3.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 6.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.02LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.26LetPub ·
- h-index
- 73LetPub ·
- h-index
- 147OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 3,334OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.86OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 41.89%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 158LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 7,456 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 312 | 100 | 103 |
| 2025 | 358 | 128 | 712 |
| 2024 | 414 | 104 | 1,196 |
| 2023 | 221 | 104 | 1,812 |
| 2022 | 207 | 92 | 2,376 |
| 2021 | 237 | 126 | 3,409 |
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
82 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 51 days – 146 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 9 days (107 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 92 days
- Sample
- 107 articles with submission and acceptance dates (716 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 3 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 4 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 48 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 56 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 9 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 3,610 / EUR 3,380 / GBP 2,890 / JPY 447,750 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,430 | — | — |
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 prepare9 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Templates
- LaTeX and Word
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Highlights
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
- Not considered
- Research Letters
Article types accepted18
- clinical challengesClinical ChallengesLength not stated
- editorialThe Journal welcomes the following paper types: Original Research Reviews Meta-analysis and Narrative Reviews: please follow our requirements article here befor…Length not stated
- editorialsEditorialsLength not stated
- education in intensive care medicineEducation in Intensive Care MedicineLength not stated
- letterThe Journal welcomes the following paper types: Original Research Reviews Meta-analysis and Narrative Reviews: please follow our requirements article here befor…Length not stated
- medical ethics in intensive care medicineMedical Ethics in Intensive Care MedicineLength not stated
- meta-analysisThe Journal welcomes the following paper types: Original Research Reviews Meta-analysis and Narrative Reviews: please follow our requirements article here befor…Length not stated
- meta-analysis and narrative reviewsMeta-analysis and Narrative Reviews: please follow our requirements article here before submitting your paper.Length not stated
- narrative reviewThe Journal welcomes the following paper types: Original Research Reviews Meta-analysis and Narrative Reviews: please follow our requirements article here befor…Length not stated
- original researchThe Journal welcomes the following paper types: Original Research Reviews Meta-analysis and Narrative Reviews: please follow our requirements article here befor…Length not stated
- research articleThe Journal welcomes the following paper types: Original Research Reviews Meta-analysis and Narrative Reviews: please follow our requirements article here befor…Length not stated
- research lettersResearch Letters: should not exceed 600 words, 5 references or 1 figure and/or Table. No supplementary material permitted.Length not stated
- reviewThe Journal welcomes the following paper types: Original Research Reviews Meta-analysis and Narrative Reviews: please follow our requirements article here befor…Length not stated
- review articleThe Journal welcomes the following paper types: Original Research Reviews Meta-analysis and Narrative Reviews: please follow our requirements article here befor…Length not stated
- reviewsThe Journal welcomes the following paper types: Original Research ReviewsLength not stated
- special issuesSpecial IssuesLength not stated
- tutorialThe Journal welcomes the following paper types: Original Research Reviews Meta-analysis and Narrative Reviews: please follow our requirements article here befor…Length not stated
- viewpointThe Journal welcomes the following paper types: Original Research Reviews Meta-analysis and Narrative Reviews: please follow our requirements article here befor…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, 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
Authorship criteria 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 ·- Publication ethics
Publishing ethics Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
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 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. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
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 BV
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1986
- ISSN
- 0883-9441
- Electronic ISSN
- 1557-8615
- Society / sponsor
- World Federation of Intensive and Critical Care
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Critical Care
What CAS zone is Journal of Critical Care in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Critical Care is in Zone 3 of Medicine, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Critical Care Medicine. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Critical Care?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.32; CiteScore 6.7, h-index 147.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Critical Care?
Based on the dates recorded on 107 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 82 days (interquartile range 51–146 days); authors report an average review time of about 3 months; the community-reported acceptance is “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 Critical Care?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; Templates: LaTeX and Word; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Highlights: Optional; Graphical abstract: Optional; 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Journal of Critical Care based?
Of the 87 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 4 (about 5%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (22), France (10) and Netherlands (10). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Critical Care?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Critical Care is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Journal of Critical Care open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Critical Care is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,610.
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: .