Journal profile · Surgery
Journal of Hand Therapy
ISSN 0894-1130 · eISSN 1545-004X · Hanley and Belfus Inc. · UNITED STATES · Quarterly · Founded 1987
Journal of Hand Therapy: CAS Zone 3 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.71; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,670; median 231 days to acceptance (124 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 200 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Hand Therapy is published by Hanley and Belfus Inc. 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 Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, Peripheral Nerve Disorders and Diverse Scientific and Economic Studies, together about 36.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Surgery. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Hand Therapy is designed to support and advance evidence-based hand therapy, which is a speciality of rehabilitation that focuses on the upper limb. Hand therapists can come from either parent discipline physical therapy or occupational therapy and become hand therapists after advanced training and in some countries this speciality requires certification. As a hand therapy journal, we publish scientific papers, clinical papers, brief reports, and editorials that inform hand therapy. We require that the implications to hand therapy practice are clearly stated, and prefer the interventions be provided by hand therapists. Whether hand therapists, physical therapists or occupational therapists provided “hand therapy” interventions should be stated in methods, and the nature of the intervention should be clearly described (to support reader implementation). However, the discussion should focus on hand therapy, not just the parent discipline or the medical implications, to fit within the scope of the journal. Early work that is more basic or innovation development will be considered, if the implications for future hand therapy practice are clear. Papers that do not inform hand therapy should be submitted to another more relevant journal.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Surgery
Editor-in-chief J MacDermidPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 13, Canada 4 (17 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Orthopedic Surgery and RehabilitationMedicine23.7%
- Peripheral Nerve DisordersMedicine6.6%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance6.5%
- Shoulder Injury and TreatmentMedicine6.4%
- Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitationMedicine6.2%
- Elbow and Forearm Trauma TreatmentMedicine6.1%
- Nerve Injury and RehabilitationMedicine4.4%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering4.3%
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 | Rehabilitation | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Orthopedics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Surgery | Zone 3 |
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 | Rehabilitation | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Surgery | 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 | Rehabilitation | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Orthopedics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Surgery | Zone 4 |
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
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
- 1.71LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 3.2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.51LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.14LetPub ·
- h-index
- 56LetPub ·
- h-index
- 97OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,082OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.2OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 16.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 17.05%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 87LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,629 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 87 | 21 | 8 |
| 2025 | 200 | 49 | 214 |
| 2024 | 76 | 29 | 214 |
| 2023 | 119 | 16 | 508 |
| 2022 | 67 | 13 | 390 |
| 2021 | 89 | 25 | 929 |
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
231 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 158 days – 313 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 61 days (124 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 299 days
- Sample
- 124 articles with submission and acceptance dates (233 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)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 13 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 75 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 197 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 59 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 3,670 / EUR 3,430 / GBP 2,940 / JPY 455,190 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,910 | — | — |
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 prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 300 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 1
- Reference style
- AMA
- Suggested reviewers
- Required
- Highlights
- Optional
Article types accepted7
- case reportCase Report: A detailed description of the clinical reasoning involved in management of a unique clinical case(s), problem or implementation.Length not stated
- cross-cultural translation reportCross-cultural Translation Report: The Journal of Hand Therapy accepts cross-cultural translation, - if the outcome measures are relevant to upper extremity reh…Length not stated
- expert reviewExpert Review (by invitation only): A comprehensive and analytical review of the literature, addressing a topic of interest and relevance to hand therapists.Length not stated
- letters to the editorLetters to the Editor: All letters and/or relevant comments regarding the content of the Journal of Hand Therapy must be submitted like all new manuscripts via …Length not stated
- practice forumPractice Forum: This short report presents novel or timely ideas of clinical relevance.Length not stated
- scientific/clinical research reportsScientific/Clinical Research Reports: A full-length report of an original basic, clinical or implementation/knowledge translation research investigation that ad…Length not stated
- technical reportTechnical Report: A brief report (limit 700 words) with a limited scope like reliability of a measurement, or very brief survey.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- 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 Authorship
By adhering to the authorship requirements stated above, authors meet the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria [updated version January 2024] on authorship.
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 ·- Data availability
Data statement Model summary
To foster transparency, you are encouraged to state the availability of any data at submission.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Ethics in publishing Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to complete a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' (see more information on this). An e-mail will be sent to the corresponding author confirming receipt of the manuscript together with a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' form or a link to the online version of this agreement.Subscribers may reproduce tables of contents or prepare lists of articles includ…
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 ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Design Reporting Guidelines
Systematic reviews (with or without meta-analysis) should consult the PRISMA statement, include the checklist with their initial submission and include the flow diagram as a figure in their manuscript. If the review has been registered in a database such as PROSPERO, this number should be included in the study design section of the abstract and methods section. For evidence synthesis that do fit w…
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
- Hanley and Belfus Inc.
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1987
- ISSN
- 0894-1130
- Electronic ISSN
- 1545-004X
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Hand Therapy
What CAS zone is Journal of Hand Therapy in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Hand Therapy is in Zone 3 of Medicine, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Rehabilitation / 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 Therapy?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.71; CiteScore 3.2, h-index 97.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Hand Therapy?
Based on the dates recorded on 124 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 231 days (interquartile range 158–313 days); authors report an average review time of over 12 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 Therapy?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 300 words; Keywords: ≥ 1; Reference style: AMA; Suggested reviewers: Required; Highlights: Optional. 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 Therapy based?
Of the 17 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (13) and Canada (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Hand Therapy?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Hand Therapy 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 Therapy open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Hand Therapy is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,670.
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: .