Journal profile · INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE
JOURNAL OF THE MEDICAL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
ISSN 1536-5050 · eISSN 1558-9439 · University Library System, University of Pittsburgh · United States
JOURNAL OF THE MEDICAL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.68; diamond open access (no APC); no APC; review about 26 weeks (community reports); 58 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
JOURNAL OF THE MEDICAL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION is published by University Library System, University of Pittsburgh 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 Health Sciences Research and Education, Health Literacy and Information Accessibility and Library Science and Information Literacy, together about 40.7% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
JMLA welcomes the submission of any original manuscript that seeks to improve the practice of health sciences librarianship; to extend the knowledgebase on the organization, delivery, use, and impact of information on health care, biomedical research, and health professionals’ education; or to describe important developments in or the history of the health sciences library profession and related fields. As part of JMLA’s Equity Initiative, we issue a continuing call for manuscripts that address social injustices; speak to diversity, equity, and inclusion in our workforce and among our user communities; share critical perspectives on health sciences librarianship; or are authored by individuals who are Black, Indigenous, or People of Color. Manuscripts are reviewed for possible publication with the understanding that they have not been published, submitted, or accepted for publication by another peer-reviewed journal. Presentation of a paper at a conference or inclusion of a preliminary report in published proceedings is not considered prior publication provided that the submitted manuscript is substantially more complete than the initial report and any duplicative material is kept to a minimum. Specific cases should be referred to the editor. Material published on the JMLA site and issues prior to 2016 are also available through PubMed Central (PMC).
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 53, Canada 4 (57 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Health Sciences Research and EducationHealth Professions26.4%
- Health Literacy and Information AccessibilityHealth Professions7.8%
- Library Science and Information LiteracySocial Sciences6.5%
- Meta-analysis and systematic reviewsDecision Sciences6.5%
- Library Science and AdministrationSocial Sciences5.8%
- Academic Writing and PublishingArts and Humanities3.9%
- scientometrics and bibliometrics researchDecision Sciences3.9%
- Web and Library ServicesComputer Science3.8%
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 | Information Science & Library Science | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Information Science & Library Science | 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 | Information Science & Library Science | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceMEDLINEPubMedEmbaseCINAHLPublisher 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
- 1.68LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.2LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.14LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.42LetPub ·
- h-index
- 76OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 621OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.2OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 11.8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 98.33%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 46LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,799 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 44 | 44 | 14 |
| 2025 | 58 | 58 | 73 |
| 2024 | 56 | 56 | 102 |
| 2023 | 65 | 65 | 398 |
| 2022 | 58 | 58 | 1,752 |
| 2021 | 127 | 127 | 2,123 |
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 26 weeksLetPub ·
- 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
Diamond open access (no APC)DOAJ
Every article is open access and authors pay no article processing charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | No APC | No | CC BY | |
| LetPub | No APC | No | — | |
| Publisher website | No APC | — | — |
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
- ≤ 250 words
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 5,000 words
- Reference style
- MLA
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional, 5
Article types accepted13, with length limits
- book reviewBook Reviews provide critical appraisals of new books and serials that assist readers in selecting works for their own professional use or for addition to their…Length not stated
- case reportCase Reports are peer-reviewed articles describing the development, implementation, and evaluation of a new service, program, or initiative, typically in a sing…main text ≤ 250 words · abstract ≤ 250 words · figures and tables ≤ 3
- commentaryCommentaries may be solicited by a JMLA editor, or prospective authors of a commentary may submit a pre-submission inquiry to an editor. Commentaries present vi…main text ≤ 250 words · abstract ≤ 250 words · figures and tables ≤ 3
- history mattersHistory Matters are short articles on historical topics that are relevant to health sciences librarianship.Length not stated
- in memoriamThe “In Memoriam” column honors deceased MLA members and staff.Length not stated
- knowledge synthesisKnowledge Syntheses are peer-reviewed review articles, including systematic reviews, scoping reviews, and narrative reviews.Length not stated
- lectures and awardsLectures and Awards are published versions of MLA lectures delivered at annual meetings, such as the Janet Doe Lecture, and awarded essays, such as the Erich Me…Length not stated
- letter to the editorLetters to the Editor comment on recent JMLA articles. Letters should be respectful in tone. Letters are sent to the authors of the original article to invite a…main text ≤ 500 words · references ≤ 5
- original investigationOriginal Investigations are peer-reviewed articles describing research that employs any type of quantitative or qualitative method of analysis.Length not stated
- president's pagePresident's PageLength not stated
- resource reviewResource Reviews provide critical appraisals of electronic resources, software, web services, and other technology tools that assist health sciences library sta…Length not stated
- special paperSpecial Papers are peer-reviewed articles of particular importance to the field of health sciences librarianship that do not fit one of the above submission cat…Length not stated
- virtual projectVirtual Projects are brief articles highlighting current, innovative, and notable virtual projects in health sciences libraries.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Self-archiving
- Authorship Author Contributions Statement
Author Contributions Statement using CRediT taxonomy required for Knowledge Synthesis, Original Investigation, Case Report, Special Paper, and Virtual Projects manuscripts. Model summary
Knowledge Synthesis, Original Investigation, Case Report, Special Paper, and Virtual Projects manuscripts must include an Author Contributions Statement at the end of the main text that uses the CRediT taxonomy to specify the role(s) played by each author. Example Author Contributions Statement: "Brittany Eagleton: Methodology; investigation; writing—review and editing. John Tramos: Conceptualizat…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest
References formatted according to MLA Style Manual. Model summary
References are formatted according to the Medical Library Association Style Manual.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Availability Statement
Data Availability Statement required for Original Investigation, Case Reports, and Special Paper manuscripts. Model summary
Original Investigation, Case Reports, and Special Paper manuscripts must include a Data Availability Statement at the end of the main text describing where and how the data can be accessed in accordance with the JMLA Data Sharing Policy. An example Data Availability Statement is as follows: Example Data Availability Statement: “Data associated with this article are available in the Open Science Fr…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
IRB approval or exemption required for research involving human participants; board/committee must be named in Methods section. Model summary
All research projects involving human participants must have been approved or exempted by an institutional review board (IRB) or equivalent ethics committee prior to the initiation of the project.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright Notice
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms: The Author shall grant to the Publisher and its agents the nonexclusive perpetual right and license to publish, archive, and make accessible the Work in whole or in part in all forms of media now or hereafter known under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License or its equivalent, which, for the Author retains copyright in the Wo…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access Policy
This journal provides immediate open access to its content. Our publisher, the University Library System at the University of Pittsburgh, abides by the Budapest Open Access Initiative definition of Open Access. It is our mission to support a greater global exchange of knowledge by making the research published in this journal open to the public and reusable under the terms of a Creative Commons CC…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer-review evaluation
Blind review requirements for peer-reviewed categories. Model summary
JMLA uses a double-anonymous peer review process in which the names of authors are not revealed to reviewers and the names of reviewers are not revealed to authors. Authors may suggest up to five reviewers who are well qualified to comment on the work and would not have a conflict of interest (e.g., not direct collegues or recent co-authors). Authors may also identify specific individuals who shou…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Self-archiving Self-Archiving Policy
JMLA fully embraces the freedom of authors to share their work as widely as they desire to meet their own objectives—whether to obtain pre-submission feedback, increase their readership, enhance the potential impact of their work, achieve professional recognition, or support the principles of research transparency and open science. More information can be found on our self-archiving policy page.
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
- University Library System, University of Pittsburgh
- Country or region
- United States
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 1536-5050
- Electronic ISSN
- 1558-9439
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 114, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗DOAJ
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about JOURNAL OF THE MEDICAL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION
What CAS zone is JOURNAL OF THE MEDICAL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, JOURNAL OF THE MEDICAL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Information Science & Library Science. 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 THE MEDICAL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.68; CiteScore 7.2, h-index 76.
How long does peer review take at JOURNAL OF THE MEDICAL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION?
Authors report an average review time of about 26 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 THE MEDICAL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Manuscript length: ≤ 5,000 words; Reference style: MLA; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Optional, 5. 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 THE MEDICAL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION based?
Of the 57 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (53) and Canada (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index JOURNAL OF THE MEDICAL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, JOURNAL OF THE MEDICAL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION is indexed in SSCI, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase and CINAHL; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is JOURNAL OF THE MEDICAL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION open access, and what is the APC?
JOURNAL OF THE MEDICAL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION is a diamond open-access journal (no APC). It charges no article processing charge.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, DOAJ, 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .