Journal profile · MEDICINE, LEGAL
Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine
ISSN 1752-928X · eISSN 1878-7487 · Churchill Livingstone · ENGLAND · Founded 2007
Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.7; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,870; median 149 days to acceptance (116 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 205 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine is published by Churchill Livingstone 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 Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies, Autopsy Techniques and Outcomes and Restraint-Related Deaths, together about 27.8% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
An International journal of Forensic and Legal MedicineThe Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine publishes topical articles on aspects of forensic and legal medicine. Specifically, the Journal supports research that explores the medical principles of care and forensic assessment of individuals, whether adult or child, in contact with the judicial system. It is a fully peer-review hybrid journal with a broad international perspective. It is the official journal for the Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians.The Journal accepts submissions of original research, review articles, and pertinent case studies, editorials, and commentaries in relevant areas of Forensic and Legal Medicine, Context of Practice, and Education and Training. All aspects of the medical principles of care and forensic assessment of individuals in contact with the judicial system are examined and the journal has a broad international perspective.Topics covered in the journal include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following, particularly within the clinical setting:Forensic medicine training, forensic medicine national systemsHealthcare in police and prison custody, death in custody and restraint injuriesDeath investigation and causes of deathSuicide, para-suicide and deliberate self-harmChild abuse and neglectInterpersonal violence, assault and injury, personal injury, elder abuse, domestic violenceSexual assaultHuman rights when involving refugee and asylum medicineTraffic and transportation medicineDrug and alcohol misuse, drink and drug drivingMedical law and medical negligenceMass disasterTortureExtra-judicial deathsHuman rightsThe Journal adheres to strict publication ethical guidelines, and actively supports a culture of inclusive and representative publication.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): MEDICINE, LEGAL
Editor-in-chief Michael FreemanPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 2%); most named United Kingdom 14, Australia 10, Italy 6, United States 4, Canada 2 (53 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology StudiesArts and Humanities9.6%
- Autopsy Techniques and OutcomesMedicine9.2%
- Restraint-Related DeathsMedicine9%
- Forensic and Genetic ResearchBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5%
- Traumatic Ocular and Foreign Body InjuriesMedicine4.8%
- Forensic Entomology and Diptera StudiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.5%
- Injury Epidemiology and PreventionMedicine4.3%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering4.1%
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 | Medicine, Legal | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Medicine, Legal | 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 | Medicine, Legal | 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
- 1.7LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 2.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.48LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1LetPub ·
- h-index
- 40LetPub ·
- h-index
- 72OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,347OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.54OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 28.12%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 176LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,102 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 167 | 53 | 35 |
| 2025 | 205 | 64 | 302 |
| 2024 | 111 | 48 | 405 |
| 2023 | 120 | 34 | 654 |
| 2022 | 114 | 20 | 608 |
| 2021 | 142 | 29 | 1,241 |
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
149 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 94 days – 232 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 1 days (116 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 152 days
- Sample
- 116 articles with submission and acceptance dates (369 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)
- 4–8 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 30%Publisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 68 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 162 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double 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 3,870 / EUR 3,620 / GBP 3,100 / JPY 480,000 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,870 | — | — |
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 prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 1
- Reference style
- AMA
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted10
- book reviewThe following types of articles will be considered for publication:Research Paper : new research, previously unpublished.Review article: detailed review of spec…Length not stated
- clinical practiceClinical Practice: review backed up by relevant literature of specific aspects of clinical practice.Length not stated
- editorialThe following types of articles will be considered for publication:Research Paper : new research, previously unpublished.Review article: detailed review of spec…Length not stated
- leading articleLeading Article: invited article by an authority on a particular issue.Length not stated
- letterThe following types of articles will be considered for publication:Research Paper : new research, previously unpublished.Review article: detailed review of spec…Length not stated
- letter to the editorThe following types of articles will be considered for publication:Research Paper : new research, previously unpublished.Review article: detailed review of spec…Length not stated
- research paperThe following types of articles will be considered for publication:Research Paper : new research, previously unpublished.Review article: detailed review of spec…Length not stated
- reviewThe following types of articles will be considered for publication:Research Paper : new research, previously unpublished.Review article: detailed review of spec…Length not stated
- review articleThe following types of articles will be considered for publication:Research Paper : new research, previously unpublished.Review article: detailed review of spec…Length not stated
- short communicationThe following types of articles will be considered for publication:Research Paper : new research, previously unpublished.Review article: detailed review of spec…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
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
Double anonymized peer review Model summary
This journal follows a double 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
- Churchill Livingstone
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Founded
- 2007
- ISSN
- 1752-928X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1878-7487
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine
What CAS zone is Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Medicine, Legal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.7; CiteScore 2.4, h-index 72.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine?
Based on the dates recorded on 116 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 149 days (interquartile range 94–232 days); authors report an average review time of 4–8 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 30%. 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 Forensic and Legal Medicine?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: ≥ 1; Reference style: AMA; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: Required; 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 Forensic and Legal Medicine based?
Of the 53 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 2%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (14), Australia (10) and Italy (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,870.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .