Journal profile · HUMANITIES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY
Journal of Medical Humanities
ISSN 1041-3545 · eISSN 1573-3645 · Springer Nature · 4 issues per year
Journal of Medical Humanities: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,190; median 138 days to acceptance (35 articles, last 24 months); 79 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Medical Humanities is published by Springer Nature 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 Empathy and Medical Education, Ethics in medical practice and Innovations in Medical Education, together about 42.8% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Medical Humanities is a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal that publishes innovative research, creative scholarship, poetry, essays, reviews, and short reports in the health humanities. Please see the list of “what we publish” for more information about specific genres for submission and information about their length and format. We welcome innovative submissions from scholars who seek to define what health humanities means in the 21st century. We understand health humanities to comprise scholarly inquiry employing humanities or arts-based methods and/or content and focusing on the experience of health and illness, embodiment, engagement with medicine or therapeutics, and/or technologies of bodily remedy or enhancement. Attention can be aimed at individual experience, broader public health and associated structural determinants of health and illness, or both. Health humanities scholarship acknowledges the interdisciplinary nature of its readership and, while providing nuanced and sophisticated interpretations, offers readers clear explanations of discipline-specific concepts, terms, and theoretical frameworks. Health humanities scholarship can be disciplinary or interdisciplinary (or even transdisciplinary), but its target audience includes a wide range of readers whose interest is the interplay among culture and medicine, health, illness, and embodiment. Readers expect scholarship that is inclusive and attentive to social justice issues, broadly construed. We invite scholarship that elaborates critical medical humanities as an approach aligned with critical theory and cultural studies, as well as scholarship that explores what we might call clinical medical humanities, with attention to the enactment of humanistic medicine, health care, and the experience of illness, health, and the body. We are also looking for articles that elucidate what and how knowledge is made and valued in medicine and how that knowledge is expressed and transmitted. Additionally, we are looking for innovative scholarship that challenges conventional academic wisdom, eschews received ideas, and creatively engages the affective domains of scholarly endeavor as we pursue a health humanities for the future. We accept proposals for themed special issues; please contact the editor, Nathan Carlin (nathan.carlin@uth.tmc.edu), directly with a proposed topic and schedule for submission. Please refer to what we publish on the Journal Updates page.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): HUMANITIES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY
Editor-in-chief Nathan CarlinPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 46, United Kingdom 2, Canada 2, Ireland 1 (51 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Empathy and Medical EducationMedicine27.2%
- Ethics in medical practiceHealth Professions8.1%
- Innovations in Medical EducationMedicine7.5%
- Historical Psychiatry and Medical PracticesPsychology5.8%
- Mental Health and PsychiatryArts and Humanities5.8%
- Historical Studies on Reproduction, Gender, Health, and Societal ChangesArts and Humanities4.1%
- Film in Education and TherapyHealth Professions3.7%
- Ethics and Legal Issues in Pediatric HealthcareMedicine3.6%
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 | Humanities, Multidisciplinary | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Humanities, Multidisciplinary | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINEPsycINFOPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
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 (publisher) 2025
- 1Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.8LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.26LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.98LetPub ·
- h-index
- 48OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 288OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.48OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 10%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 42.31%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 47LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 292,300Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,628 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 64 | 22 | 2 |
| 2025 | 79 | 39 | 34 |
| 2024 | 88 | 39 | 76 |
| 2023 | 58 | 23 | 158 |
| 2022 | 44 | 27 | 387 |
| 2021 | 50 | 32 | 232 |
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
138 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 27 days – 222 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 25 days (85 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 167 days
- Sample
- 35 articles with submission and acceptance dates (169 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
- Submission to first decision
- 3 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 3,190 / EUR 2,590 / GBP 2,290 | — | — |
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)
Open calls for papers1, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted9
- book or media reviewBook or Media ReviewLength not stated
- editorialEditorialOriginal Scholarly ArticleReview EssayEducational Research ArticleForum EssaysPoetryBook or Media ReviewErratum For more information click here: https:…Length not stated
- educational research articleEducational Research ArticleLength not stated
- erratumErratumLength not stated
- forum essaysForum EssaysLength not stated
- original scholarly articleOriginal Scholarly ArticleLength not stated
- poetryPoetryLength not stated
- reviewEditorialOriginal Scholarly ArticleReview EssayEducational Research ArticleForum EssaysPoetryBook or Media ReviewErratum For more information click here: https:…Length not stated
- review essayReview EssayLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use Generative AI Images
LLMs do not satisfy authorship criteria; use must be documented. Model summary
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship principles
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
Competing interests must be disclosed. Model summary
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
Data and code transparency expected. Model summary
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Journal of Medical Humanities, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Reviewer suggestions/exclusions allowed. Model summary
Authors are welcome to suggest suitable reviewers and/or request the exclusion of certain individuals when they submit their manuscripts.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Clinical Trial Registration
The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of a clinical trial is "any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes". The WHO defines health interventions as “A health intervention is an act performed for, with or on behalf of a person or population whose purpose is to ass…
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
- Springer Nature
- Frequency
- 4 issues per year
- ISSN
- 1041-3545
- Electronic ISSN
- 1573-3645
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 47, Issue 3 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Medical Humanities
What CAS zone is Journal of Medical Humanities in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Medical Humanities is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Humanities, Multidisciplinary. 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 Medical Humanities?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 1 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 1.8, h-index 48.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Medical Humanities?
Based on the dates recorded on 35 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 138 days (interquartile range 27–222 days). 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 Medical Humanities?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: 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 Medical Humanities based?
Of the 51 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (46), United Kingdom (2) and Canada (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Medical Humanities?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Medical Humanities is indexed in ESCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE and PsycINFO; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Medical Humanities open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Medical Humanities is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,190.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; 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: .