Journal profile · Nursing
Journal of Professional Nursing
ISSN 8755-7223 · eISSN 1532-8481 · W.B. Saunders Ltd · UNITED STATES · Bimonthly · Founded 1985
Journal of Professional Nursing: CAS Zone 2 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.78; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,500; median 206 days to acceptance (98 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 158 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Professional Nursing is published by W.B. Saunders Ltd 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 Nursing education and management, Nursing Education, Practice, and Leadership and Diverse Scientific and Economic Studies, together about 33.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are General Health Professions. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Professional Nursing (JPN) is the official journal of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and advances AACN’s mission to shape the future of academic nursing and improve healthcare through excellence in nursing education, research, leadership, practice, and policy.JPN publishes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship that informs and advances baccalaureate, master’s, doctoral, and post-doctoral nursing education and the professional formation of nurses. The journal serves academic leaders, faculty, researchers, practice partners, and policy influencers committed to preparing nurses to meet the evolving needs of patients, communities, and health systems.JPN welcomes manuscripts that:Present original research (quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, and implementation science) that advances knowledge in nursing education and academic leadership relevant to U.S. schools of nursingExamine curricular innovation, competency-based education, clinical experiences, and teaching-learning strategies, including simulation, technology-enhanced learning, and emerging pedagogiesAddress faculty development, workforce trends, leadership preparation, and academic-practice partnershipsAnalyze policy, accreditation, regulation, and funding issues that influence nursing education and the nursing workforceExplore strategies for ensuring access to all within academic and clinical learning environmentsEvaluate outcomes related to professional formation, clinical readiness, population health, systems leadership, and interprofessional educationProvide evidence syntheses, state-of-the-science reviews, and policy analyses relevant to AACN prioritiesJPN particularly encourages submissions that demonstrate methodological rigor, measurable outcomes, and implications for national nursing education policy and practice.As AACN’s scholarly platform, JPN supports innovation and thought leadership aligned with AACN initiatives, including competency-based education, advanced nursing practice, leadership development, and strengthening the academic nursing workforce.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Nursing
Editor-in-chief Mary BondmassPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 6 (6 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Nursing education and managementNursing17.2%
- Nursing Education, Practice, and LeadershipNursing9.4%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance6.6%
- Health Sciences Research and EducationHealth Professions6.1%
- Innovations in Medical EducationMedicine5.4%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering5.4%
- Interprofessional Education and CollaborationHealth Professions4.8%
- Cultural Competency in Health CareSocial Sciences4.7%
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 | Nursing | Zone 1 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Nursing | Zone 1 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Nursing | Zone 2 |
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
- 2.78LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 2.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 5.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.99LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.48LetPub ·
- h-index
- 47LetPub ·
- h-index
- 99OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,608OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.54OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 10.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 16.14%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 126LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 4,376 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 174 | 49 | 42 |
| 2025 | 158 | 39 | 361 |
| 2024 | 155 | 30 | 834 |
| 2023 | 145 | 31 | 1,374 |
| 2022 | 148 | 37 | 2,080 |
| 2021 | 147 | 37 | 3,031 |
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
206 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 151 days – 230 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 5 days (98 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 208 days
- Sample
- 98 articles with submission and acceptance dates (292 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
- 29 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 171 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 220 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 4 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 3,500 / EUR 3,270 / GBP 2,800 / JPY 434,110 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,630 | — | — |
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
- ≤ 200 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 1
- Reference style
- APA
- Highlights
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted5
- letterReports of original work, research, high-impact reviews, methodologically impactful studies, and policy papers focusing on baccalaureate and graduate nursing ed…Length not stated
- letter to the editorReports of original work, research, high-impact reviews, methodologically impactful studies, and policy papers focusing on baccalaureate and graduate nursing ed…Length not stated
- letters to the editorLetters to the Editor are published at the Editor's discretion.Length not stated
- original contributionsOriginal contributions that have never been published and are not under simultaneous consideration by another publication may be submitted.Length not stated
- reviewReports of original work, research, high-impact reviews, methodologically impactful studies, and policy papers focusing on baccalaureate and graduate nursing ed…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 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
- W.B. Saunders Ltd
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1985
- ISSN
- 8755-7223
- Electronic ISSN
- 1532-8481
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Professional Nursing
What CAS zone is Journal of Professional Nursing in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Professional Nursing is in Zone 2 of Medicine, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Nursing. 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 Professional Nursing?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.78; CiteScore 5.4, h-index 99.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Professional Nursing?
Based on the dates recorded on 98 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 206 days (interquartile range 151–230 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 Professional Nursing?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 200 words; Keywords: ≥ 1; Reference style: APA; Highlights: Required; 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 Professional Nursing based?
Of the 6 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Professional Nursing?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Professional Nursing is indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus.
Is Journal of Professional Nursing open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Professional Nursing is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,500.
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: .