Journal profile · Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Journal of drug targeting
ISSN 1061-186X · eISSN 1029-2330 · Informa Healthcare · ENGLAND · Bimonthly · Founded 1993
Journal of drug targeting: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 5.01; subscription journal; median 95 days to acceptance (113 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 75%; 159 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of drug targeting is published by Informa Healthcare 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 Nanoparticle-Based Drug Delivery, RNA Interference and Gene Delivery and Advanced Drug Delivery Systems, together about 41.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Molecular Biology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Journal of Drug Targeting publishes papers and reviews on all aspects of drug delivery and targeting for molecular and macromolecular drugs including the design and characterization of carrier systems (whether colloidal, protein or polymeric) for both vitro and/or in vivo applications of these drugs. Papers are not restricted to drugs delivered by way of a carrier, but also include studies on molecular and macromolecular drugs that are designed to target specific cellular or extra-cellular molecules. As such the journal publishes results on the activity, delivery and targeting of therapeutic peptides/proteins and nucleic acids including genes/plasmid DNA, gene silencing nucleic acids (e.g. small interfering (si)RNA, antisense oligonucleotides, ribozymes, DNAzymes), as well as aptamers, mononucleotides and monoclonal antibodies and their conjugates. The diagnostic application of targeting technologies as well as targeted delivery of diagnostic and imaging agents also fall within the scope of the journal. In addition, papers are sought on self-regulating systems, systems responsive to their environment and to external stimuli and those that can produce programmed, pulsed and otherwise complex delivery patterns.
Source: LetPub
Research area (LetPub): Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Nanoparticle-Based Drug DeliveryMaterials Science16.1%
- RNA Interference and Gene DeliveryBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology15.8%
- Advanced Drug Delivery SystemsPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics10%
- Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniquesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.3%
- Advancements in Transdermal Drug DeliveryPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics5.9%
- Nanoplatforms for cancer theranosticsEngineering5.8%
- Lipid Membrane Structure and BehaviorBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology3.8%
- Drug Transport and Resistance MechanismsMedicine3.7%
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 | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Zone 3 |
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 | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Zone 4 |
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
- 5.01LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 8.5LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.83LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.73LetPub ·
- h-index
- 80LetPub ·
- h-index
- 121OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,917OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.29OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 2.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 2.31%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 152LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,760 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 111 | 10 | 43 |
| 2025 | 159 | 13 | 685 |
| 2024 | 124 | 23 | 1,358 |
| 2023 | 70 | 17 | 850 |
| 2022 | 76 | 18 | 1,219 |
| 2021 | 82 | 7 | 2,175 |
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
95 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 67 days – 127 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 15 days (113 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 118 days
- Sample
- 113 articles with submission and acceptance dates (297 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 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 75%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
Subscription journalLetPub
A subscription journal: articles are read by subscription or purchase, and authors usually pay no publication charge.
No source has fee information yet; check the journal's website.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Informa Healthcare
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1993
- ISSN
- 1061-186X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1029-2330
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of drug targeting
What CAS zone is Journal of drug targeting in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of drug targeting is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Pharmacology & Pharmacy. 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 drug targeting?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 5.01; CiteScore 8.5, h-index 121.
How long does peer review take at Journal of drug targeting?
Based on the dates recorded on 113 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 95 days (interquartile range 67–127 days); authors report an average review time of about 2 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 75%”. 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 drug targeting?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of drug targeting is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Journal of drug targeting open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of drug targeting is a subscription journal. Fee information is not available yet; check the journal's website.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .