Journal profile · Surgery
JOURNAL OF HAND SURGERY-AMERICAN VOLUME
ISSN 0363-5023 · eISSN 1531-6564 · W.B. Saunders Ltd · UNITED STATES · Bimonthly · Founded 1976
JOURNAL OF HAND SURGERY-AMERICAN VOLUME: CAS Zone 2 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.18; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,450; median 125 days to acceptance (113 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 346 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
JOURNAL OF HAND SURGERY-AMERICAN VOLUME is published by W.B. Saunders Ltd and is in Zone 2 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, Elbow and Forearm Trauma Treatment and Peripheral Nerve Disorders, together about 46.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Surgery. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Hand Surgery, Official Journal of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH), publishes articles related to the diagnosis, treatment, and pathophysiology of diseases and conditions of the hand, wrist, and upper extremity. Features include Full-Length scientific articles, Current Concept reviews, the Hand Surgery Landscape, and Surgical Technique articles that provide an overview of hand surgery, technical aspects of surgery, and controversial topics. The journal provides additional insights into the published papers through editor videos, podcasts of interviews with authors, visual abstracts, and a monthly online journal club. ASSH offers monthly CME credit through exams connected to specific articles. Authors have the option to publish their work as open access articles.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Surgery
Editor-in-chief Greg A. MerrellPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 4%); most named United States 6, Australia 4, Canada 3, Mexico 2, Mainland China 1 (26 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Orthopedic Surgery and RehabilitationMedicine27.5%
- Elbow and Forearm Trauma TreatmentMedicine11.4%
- Peripheral Nerve DisordersMedicine7.9%
- Congenital limb and hand anomaliesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.1%
- Nerve Injury and RehabilitationMedicine4.7%
- Shoulder Injury and TreatmentMedicine4.5%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.4%
- Bone fractures and treatmentsMedicine4.2%
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 | Orthopedics | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Surgery | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Orthopedics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Surgery | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Orthopedics | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Surgery | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
PubMedPublisher website
Other: Crossref
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
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
- 2.18LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 2.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 3.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.07LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.64LetPub ·
- h-index
- 103LetPub ·
- h-index
- 211OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 7,984OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.69OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 16.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 8.08%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 277LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 16,355 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 238 | 53 | 46 |
| 2025 | 346 | 53 | 369 |
| 2024 | 267 | 55 | 1,019 |
| 2023 | 306 | 68 | 1,996 |
| 2022 | 347 | 75 | 2,260 |
| 2021 | 396 | 93 | 3,671 |
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
125 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 84 days – 211 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 44 days (105 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 176 days
- Sample
- 113 articles with submission and acceptance dates (683 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)
- 2–4 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 196 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 3,450 / EUR 3,230 / GBP 2,760 / JPY 427,900 | — | — |
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 prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 300 words
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 3,000 words
- Reference style
- AMA
Article types accepted1, with length limits
- review article** If you wish to submit a review article to The Journal of Hand Surgery but have not explicitly received an invitation to do so, submit your full manuscript th…main text ≤ 3,000 words · references ≤ 20
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Plagiarism, Preprints, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use Declaration of generative AI in scientific writing
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 Changes to authorship
Authors are expected to consider carefully the list and order of authors before submitting their manuscript and provide the definitive list of authors at the time of the original submission. Any addition, deletion or rearrangement of author names in the authorship list should be made only before the manuscript has been accepted and only if approved by the journal Editor. To request such a change, …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Conflict of interest
Each author is required to submit a Conflict of Interest Statement upon submission of the manuscript. This form requires disclosure from each author indicating that (a) no financial conflict of interest exists with any commercial entity whose products are described, reviewed, evaluated, or compared in the manuscript, except for that disclosed under “Acknowledgments” or (b) a potential conflict of …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Signed informed consent release required for photographs of identifiable persons. Model summary
Photographs of identifiable persons must be accompanied by a signed release that indicates informed consent.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Copyright vested in the American Society for Surgery of the Hand; copyright transfer form required at submission, effective upon acceptance. Model summary
All material published in the Journal of Hand Surgery is vested in the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. The corresponding author of each manuscript will be required to complete a Copyright Transfer Form when the manuscript is submitted, which will only go into effect once the manuscript is accepted. When submitting a paper the author(s) must make a full statement to the Editor about all s…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
Open access publishing options available; details on Open Access page. Model summary
Please visit our Open Access page for more information about open access publishing in this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Double anonymized peer review; editor assesses suitability, typically a minimum of two independent expert reviewers; Editor makes final decision. Model summary
This journal operates a double anonymized review process. All contributions will be initially assessed by the editor for suitability for the journal. Papers deemed suitable are then typically sent to a minimum of two independent expert reviewers to assess the scientific quality of the paper. The Editor is responsible for the final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of articles. The Editor'…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism
Submissions may be checked with Crossref Similarity Check and other originality software. Model summary
To verify compliance, your article may be checked by Crossref Similarity Check and other originality or duplicate checking software.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprint references
Preprint posting must be disclosed in cover letter with DOI. Model summary
Where a preprint has subsequently become available as a peer-reviewed publication, the formal publication should be used as the reference. If there are preprints that are central to your work or that cover crucial developments in the topic, but are not yet formally published, these may be referenced. Preprints should be clearly marked as such, for example by including the word preprint, or the nam…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Standardized reporting guidelines
The Journal is committed to standardized reporting of clinical trials, meta-analyses, and other studies:Cohort studies and patient series: Authors should adhere to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines (www.strobe-statement.org) and indicate in the manuscript that they have done so.Diagnostic measure research: Authors should adhere to the Stan…
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
- W.B. Saunders Ltd
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1976
- ISSN
- 0363-5023
- Electronic ISSN
- 1531-6564
- Society / sponsor
- American Society for Surgery of the Hand
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about JOURNAL OF HAND SURGERY-AMERICAN VOLUME
What CAS zone is JOURNAL OF HAND SURGERY-AMERICAN VOLUME in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, JOURNAL OF HAND SURGERY-AMERICAN VOLUME is in Zone 2 of Medicine, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Orthopedics / Surgery. 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 HAND SURGERY-AMERICAN VOLUME?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.18; CiteScore 3.4, h-index 211.
How long does peer review take at JOURNAL OF HAND SURGERY-AMERICAN VOLUME?
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 125 days (interquartile range 84–211 days); authors report an average review time of 2–4 weeks; 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 HAND SURGERY-AMERICAN VOLUME?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 300 words; Manuscript length: ≤ 3,000 words; Reference style: AMA. 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 HAND SURGERY-AMERICAN VOLUME based?
Of the 26 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 4%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (6), Australia (4) and Canada (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index JOURNAL OF HAND SURGERY-AMERICAN VOLUME?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, JOURNAL OF HAND SURGERY-AMERICAN VOLUME is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists PubMed; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is JOURNAL OF HAND SURGERY-AMERICAN VOLUME open access, and what is the APC?
JOURNAL OF HAND SURGERY-AMERICAN VOLUME is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,450.
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: .