Journal profile · Medicine-Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
Journal of Orthopaedic Translation
ISSN 2214-031X · eISSN 2214-0328 · Elsevier (Singapore) Pte Ltd · Singapore
Journal of Orthopaedic Translation: CAS Zone 1 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 9.76; fully open access; APC about USD 2,500; median 143 days to acceptance (88 articles, last 24 months); 185 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Orthopaedic Translation is published by Elsevier (Singapore) Pte Ltd and is in Zone 1 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Osteoarthritis Treatment and Mechanisms, Bone Metabolism and Diseases and Bone health and osteoporosis research, together about 27.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Official journal of CSOS and ICMRSThe Journal of Orthopaedic Translation (JOT) is the official peer-reviewed, open access journal of the Chinese Speaking Orthopaedic Society (CSOS) and the International Chinese Musculoskeletal Research Society (ICMRS). It is published bimonthly, in January, March, May, July, September and November, by Elsevier.The Journal focuses on the rapidly growing field of orthopaedic translational research. While there are a number of high quality orthopaedic journals, none are solely dedicated to the field of orthopaedic translational research. The importance of translational research is quickly being recognized by all spectrums of the scientific community, from clinicians to basic science researchers. To truly improve the health of people, scientific research on the cellular and molecular level must be utilized and applied appropriately in the clinical setting. A journal that is purely dedicated to the art of translational research is a monumental step in the advancement of musculoskeletal care by bringing cutting edge knowledge to the forefront and allowing pioneers of orthopaedic translation to exchange and mutually enhance expertise. JOT aims to be that linking factor and welcomes high quality manuscripts that will advance the field of orthopaedic translation.JOT is devoted to research and issues of strong interest in translational medicine on musculoskeletal and related themes. Material that are considered include any original research findings, discussions or analyses that will move the field closer to the goal of improving musculoskeletal health, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders or injuries. Multidisciplinary approaches are particularly encouraged. We accept original research papers, review articles, editorials, perspectives, case reports and letters to the Editor.The main goal of JOT is to publish papers that identify and fill scientific knowledge gaps at the junction of basic research and clinical application (from bench to bedside) or community application (from bench to community). In this vein, original research should report significant progress toward the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders and serve as templates for future exploration and investments in translational orthopaedics.Original papers are categorized into the following topics:Animal modelsBiomaterialsBiophysical stimulationClinical trialsDiagnosticsHealth promotionIndustries and marketsMedical devices and implantsNutrition and drugsRegenerative medicineRegulations and policiesRehabilitation
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Medicine-Orthopedics and Sports Medicine
Editor-in-chief Regis O'KeefePublisher website
Editorial board by country: 221 in mainland China (about 67%); most named Mainland China 221, Hong Kong, China 34, United States 30, Australia 8, Germany 7 (329 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Osteoarthritis Treatment and MechanismsMedicine12.3%
- Bone Metabolism and DiseasesBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology7.8%
- Bone health and osteoporosis researchMedicine7.1%
- Bone Tissue Engineering MaterialsEngineering7%
- Spine and Intervertebral Disc PathologyMedicine6.4%
- Orthopaedic implants and arthroplastyMedicine6.2%
- Bone fractures and treatmentsMedicine4.9%
- Tendon Structure and TreatmentMedicine4.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Orthopedics | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Orthopedics | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Orthopedics | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
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
- 9.76LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 9.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 14.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 14.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.94LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.17LetPub ·
- h-index
- 15LetPub ·
- h-index
- 73OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 649OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 7.47OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 156LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,491 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 174 | 174 | 146 |
| 2025 | 185 | 185 | 1,538 |
| 2024 | 118 | 118 | 1,877 |
| 2023 | 65 | 65 | 1,733 |
| 2022 | 117 | 117 | 3,634 |
| 2021 | 88 | 88 | 3,175 |
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
143 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 115 days – 178 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 20 days (88 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 164 days
- Sample
- 88 articles with submission and acceptance dates (375 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)
- about 18 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 7 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 50 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 137 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication
- 77 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 26 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | USD 2,500 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 2,500 / EUR 2,340 / GBP 2,000 / JPY 310,080 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 2,000 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 2,500 | — | — |
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 prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 1
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Not considered
- case reports and case series
Article types accepted11, with length limits
- editorials or articles published in the journal. Editorials should be no longer than 2000 words with no more than 50 references. Perspectives Perspectivesmain text ≤ 2,000 words · references ≤ 50
- editorialsEditorials Editorials are short and invited opinion(s) that discuss an issue of immediate importance to the translational orthopaedic community.Length not stated
- letterve on the previously published article. Letters should be less than 1000 words, with no more than 10 references and 2 figures/tables. Lettmain text ≤ 1,000 words
- letters to the editorLetters provide readers with an opportunity to raise issues of interest to the translational medicine community or to respond to an article previously published…main text ≤ 1,000 words · figures and tables ≤ 2 · references ≤ 10
- original articleThese articles typically include randomized trials, intervention studies, studies of screening and diagnostic tests, laboratory and animal studies, cohort studi…figures and tables ≤ 10 · references ≤ 80
- original articlesOriginal articles These articles typically include randomized trials, intervention studies, studies of screening and diagnostic tests, laboratory and animal stu…Length not stated
- perspectivetions of the research for patient care. Perspectives are limited to 5000 words (including abstract, main text, references and figure legenmain text ≤ 5,000 words · abstract ≤ 100 words · figures and tables ≤ 4 · references ≤ 50
- perspectivesPerspectives Perspectives discuss one or several papers recently published in the JOT or other journals that present key findings in translational research rele…Length not stated
- reviewfor ways to overcome these challenges. Reviews can be up to 10,000 words in length. They should have a short pithy title, an abstracmain text ≤ 10,000 words
- review articleThese should provide a balanced synthesis of current knowledge on translational research in musculoskeletal and related themes. These articles have the specific…main text ≤ 10,000 words · abstract ≤ 500 words · figures and tables ≤ 8 · references ≤ 200
- review articlesReview articles These should provide a balanced synthesis of current knowledge on translational research in musculoskeletal and related themes.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 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
- Elsevier (Singapore) Pte Ltd
- Country or region
- Singapore
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2214-031X
- Electronic ISSN
- 2214-0328
- Society / sponsor
- CSOS and ICMRS
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗DOAJ
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗DOAJ
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Orthopaedic Translation
What CAS zone is Journal of Orthopaedic Translation in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Orthopaedic Translation is in Zone 1 of Medicine, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Orthopedics; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Orthopaedic Translation?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 9.76; CiteScore 14.5, h-index 73.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Orthopaedic Translation?
Based on the dates recorded on 88 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 143 days (interquartile range 115–178 days); authors report an average review time of about 18 weeks. 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 Orthopaedic Translation?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: ≥ 1; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation. 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 Orthopaedic Translation based?
Of the 329 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 221 (about 67%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (221), Hong Kong, China (34) and United States (30). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Orthopaedic Translation?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Orthopaedic Translation is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Journal of Orthopaedic Translation open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Orthopaedic Translation is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 2,500.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex, DOAJ; 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: .