Journal profile · NURSING
Journal of Nursing Regulation
ISSN 2155-8256 · eISSN 2155-8264 · Elsevier
Journal of Nursing Regulation: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 7.38; subscription journal; APC about USD 2,850; review about 51 days (first decision after review, publisher); 66 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Nursing Regulation is published by Elsevier 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 Nursing Education, Practice, and Leadership, Nursing Roles and Practices and Nursing education and management, together about 25.6% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Journal of Nursing Regulation (JNR), the official journal of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN®), is a quarterly, peer-reviewed, academic, and professional journal. It publishes scholarly articles that advance the science of nursing regulation, promote the mission and vision of NCSBN, and enhance communication and collaboration among nurse regulators, educators, practitioners, and the scientific community. The journal supports evidence-based regulation, addresses issues related to patient safety and public protection, and integrates nursing regulation with evolving global realities in healthcare. In publishing JNR, NCSBN's goal is to develop and share knowledge related to nursing and other healthcare regulation to disseminate thought leadership in nursing regulation and public protection to inform health policy, and to promote a greater awareness of regulatory issues among all nurses.Submitting your Manuscript Before submitting your manuscript, please review the instructions in JNR's "Guide for Authors."
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): NURSING
Editor-in-chief Carol TimmingsPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 21, Canada 3 (24 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Nursing Education, Practice, and LeadershipNursing10%
- Nursing Roles and PracticesHealth Professions8.4%
- Nursing education and managementNursing7.2%
- Global Health Workforce IssuesHealth Professions7.1%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance7.1%
- Medical Malpractice and Liability IssuesHealth Professions6.3%
- Patient Safety and Medication ErrorsHealth Professions5.9%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering5.8%
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 | Nursing | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Nursing | 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 | Nursing | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIESSCIScopusLetPub
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
- 7.38LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 7.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 7.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.69LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.63LetPub ·
- h-index
- 40OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 204OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.82OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 10.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 3.37%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 36LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 929 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 39 | 14 | 7 |
| 2025 | 66 | 20 | 225 |
| 2024 | 37 | 13 | 168 |
| 2023 | 58 | 24 | 992 |
| 2022 | 44 | 14 | 389 |
| 2021 | 48 | 10 | 633 |
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
Too few articlesOnly 1 articles from the last 24 months carry both submission and acceptance dates, too few for a median
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".
Figures by source
- First decision after review
- 51 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double-anonymous peer reviewPublisher website · model-extracted
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.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 2,850 / EUR 2,670 / GBP 2,280 / JPY 353,490 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,560 | — | — |
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Submission fee
- No submission fee
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 prepare10 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 3–6
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 8,000 words
- Reference style
- APA
- Templates
- Word
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted10, with length limits
- case studiesCase Studies (Approximately 1,500-3,000 words)Length not stated
- case studyionales will be developed by JNR staff. Case Studies (Approximately 1,500-3,000 words) Case studies (sometimes referred to as "Case-in-Point" casmain text ≤ 3,000 words
- continuing education articlesContinuing Education Articles (Approximately 4,000-5,500 words)Length not stated
- innovation research reportsInnovation Research Reports (Approximately 3,000-3,500 words)Length not stated
- literature review//doi.org/10.1016/S2155-8256(18)30150-9 Literature Reviews, Analyses, and Criticisms (Approximately 5,000-8,000 words) Literature reviews such as argumentative …main text ≤ 8,000 words · abstract ≤ 250 words
- literature reviews, analyses, and criticismsLiterature Reviews, Analyses, and Criticisms (Approximately 5,000-8,000 words)Length not stated
- original research articletion and retention Types of Submissions Original Research Articles (Approximately 5,000-8,000 words) Original research manuscripts are written by scholars or pmain text ≤ 8,000 words
- original research articlesOriginal Research Articles (Approximately 5,000-8,000 words)Length not stated
- research reportuthors' academic discipline. Innovation Research Reports (Approximately 3,000-3,500 words) "Innovation" research reports describe original approachesmain text ≤ 3,500 words
- reviewSubmissions are reviewed by at least two experts in the manuscript's topic area.You will receive a confirmation of receipt generally within 72 hours of submissi…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access
- Open access Open Access
Article Publishing Charge (APC): USD 3,560 (excluding taxes). The amount you pay may be reduced during submission if applicable.Review this journal’s open access policy.
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
- Elsevier
- ISSN
- 2155-8256
- Electronic ISSN
- 2155-8264
- Society / sponsor
- National Council of State Boards of Nursing
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Nursing Regulation
What CAS zone is Journal of Nursing Regulation in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Nursing Regulation is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Nursing. 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 Nursing Regulation?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 7.38; CiteScore 7.9, h-index 40.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Nursing Regulation?
The publisher reports about 51 days (first decision after review). 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 Nursing Regulation?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 3–6; Manuscript length: ≤ 8,000 words; Reference style: APA; Templates: Word; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: Optional; 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 Nursing Regulation based?
Of the 24 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (21) and Canada (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Nursing Regulation?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Nursing Regulation is indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus.
Is Journal of Nursing Regulation open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Nursing Regulation is a subscription journal. APC about USD 2,850.
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: .