Journal profile · Clinical Neurology
Journal of Pain
ISSN 1526-5900 · eISSN 1528-8447 · Churchill Livingstone · UNITED STATES · Monthly · Founded 2000
Journal of Pain: CAS Zone 2 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 4.27; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,180; median 170 days to acceptance (122 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly hard; 817 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Pain is published by Churchill Livingstone 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 Pain Mechanisms and Treatments, Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation and Pain Management and Opioid Use, together about 44% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Official Journal of the U.S. Association for the Study of Pain The Journal of Pain publishes original articles, reviews, and focus articles related to all aspects of pain, including basic, translational, and clinical research, epidemiology, education, and health policy. The journal is the scientific publication of the United States Association for the Study of Pain (USASP), whose mission is to promote scientific advances that reduce the burden of pain.The Journal of Pain follows the ICMJE's Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Clinical Neurology
Editor-in-chief Tonya PalermoPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 114, United Kingdom 10, Australia 6, Spain 4, Sweden 2 (144 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Pain Mechanisms and TreatmentsMedicine18.4%
- Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitationMedicine17.8%
- Pain Management and Opioid UseMedicine7.8%
- Pediatric Pain Management TechniquesMedicine7%
- Pain Management and Placebo EffectNeuroscience6.1%
- Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ResearchMedicine5.2%
- Opioid Use Disorder TreatmentMedicine4.8%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance3.6%
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 | Clinical Neurology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Neurosciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Clinical Neurology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Neurosciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Clinical Neurology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Neurosciences | 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
MEDLINEPubMedPublisher 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
- 4.27LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 4.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 6.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.42LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.49LetPub ·
- h-index
- 109LetPub ·
- h-index
- 197OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,787OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.29OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 24.86%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 233LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 13,165 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 762 | 126 | 60 |
| 2025 | 817 | 761 | 625 |
| 2024 | 619 | 613 | 2,143 |
| 2023 | 572 | 572 | 3,014 |
| 2022 | 430 | 430 | 3,370 |
| 2021 | 327 | 327 | 4,785 |
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
170 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 124 days – 211 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 6 days (122 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 175 days
- Sample
- 122 articles with submission and acceptance dates (570 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)
- 4–8 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly hardLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 8 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 47 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 147 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 5 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single 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 4,180 / EUR 3,910 / GBP 3,350 / JPY 518,450 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 4,180 | — | — |
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 prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 5
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 4,500 words
- Templates
- Word
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional, 3
- Not considered
- case reports; studies that include open-label medication trials; uncontrolled studies; reports on the translation of established measures; meeting announcements/press releases
Article types accepted14
- commentaries3. Commentaries - serve as vehicles for brief presentations of new theories, hypotheses, points of view, or critiques of current research. These are typically i…Length not stated
- commentary1. Original Research Articles - are considered for publication provided that they describe significant, new and carefully confirmed findings and that adequate m…Length not stated
- editorial1. Original Research Articles - are considered for publication provided that they describe significant, new and carefully confirmed findings and that adequate m…Length not stated
- hypothesis1. Original Research Articles - are considered for publication provided that they describe significant, new and carefully confirmed findings and that adequate m…Length not stated
- letter1. Original Research Articles - are considered for publication provided that they describe significant, new and carefully confirmed findings and that adequate m…Length not stated
- letter to the editor1. Original Research Articles - are considered for publication provided that they describe significant, new and carefully confirmed findings and that adequate m…Length not stated
- letters to the editor1. Original Research Articles - are considered for publication provided that they describe significant, new and carefully confirmed findings and that adequate m…Length not stated
- meta-analysis1. Original Research Articles - are considered for publication provided that they describe significant, new and carefully confirmed findings and that adequate m…Length not stated
- original article1. Original Research Articles - are considered for publication provided that they describe significant, new and carefully confirmed findings and that adequate m…Length not stated
- original research article1. Original Research Articles - are considered for publication provided that they describe significant, new and carefully confirmed findings and that adequate m…Length not stated
- original research articles1. Original Research Articles - are considered for publication provided that they describe significant, new and carefully confirmed findings and that adequate m…Length not stated
- perspective1. Original Research Articles - are considered for publication provided that they describe significant, new and carefully confirmed findings and that adequate m…Length not stated
- review1. Original Research Articles - are considered for publication provided that they describe significant, new and carefully confirmed findings and that adequate m…Length not stated
- systematic review1. Original Research Articles - are considered for publication provided that they describe significant, new and carefully confirmed findings and that adequate m…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use Declaration of generative AI in scientific writing
Generative AI cannot be used to create Letter to the Editor content; only basic language editing is allowed and must be disclosed. Model summary
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 Requirements
The journal follows ICMJE recommendations on authorship. Model summary
The Journal follows ICJME recommendations on authorship, see https://www.icmje.org/. All authors should have made substantial contributions to all of the following: (1) the conception and design of the study, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data, (2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content, (3) final approval of the version to be …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of Interest
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence (bias) their work. Examples of potential competing interests include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations, and grants or other funding. This information should be presented in the Disclo…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability
Authors are required to state the availability of their data in their submission. Model summary
To foster transparency, we require you to state the availability of your data in your submission.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Upon acceptance, authors complete a Journal Publishing Agreement; for gold open access articles, a License Agreement is used. Model summary
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
Authors are encouraged to share components of the research methodology needed to reproduce reported procedures and analyses. Model summary
Article Publishing Charge (APC): USD 4,180 (excluding taxes). The amount you pay may be reduced during submission if applicable.Review this journal’s open access policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
This journal operates a single 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 ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprints can be shared anywhere at any time; sharing a preprint will not count as prior publication. Model summary
Please note that preprints can be shared anywhere at any time, in line with Elsevier's sharing policy. Sharing your preprints e.g. on a preprint server will not count as prior publication (see 'Multiple, redundant or concurrent publication' for more information).
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Checklists and Reporting Guidelines
The Journal of Pain requires the use of an appropriate reporting guideline when writing any manuscript. You must submit a completed checklist for the relevant guideline (and flow diagram if applicable) alongside your manuscript, indicating the manuscript page on which each checklist item is found. Checklists are not simply an administrative hurdle. We ask you to complete a checklist because this h…
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
- Churchill Livingstone
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 2000
- ISSN
- 1526-5900
- Electronic ISSN
- 1528-8447
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Pain
What CAS zone is Journal of Pain in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Pain is in Zone 2 of Medicine, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Clinical Neurology / Neurosciences. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Pain?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.27; CiteScore 6.7, h-index 197.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Pain?
Based on the dates recorded on 122 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 170 days (interquartile range 124–211 days); authors report an average review time of 4–8 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly hard”. 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 Pain?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 5; Manuscript length: ≤ 4,500 words; Templates: Word; Suggested reviewers: Optional, 3. 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 Pain based?
Of the 144 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (114), United Kingdom (10) and Australia (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Pain?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Pain is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE and PubMed; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Pain open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Pain is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,180.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .