Journal profile · MEDICAL ETHICS
Medical Law Review
ISSN 0967-0742 · eISSN 1464-3790 · Oxford University Press · ENGLAND · Founded 1993
Medical Law Review: CAS Zone 3 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.8; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,045; review over 12 weeks (community reports); community-reported acceptance: easy; 45 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Medical Law Review is published by Oxford University Press and is in Zone 3 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Ethics and Legal Issues in Pediatric Healthcare, Medical Malpractice and Liability Issues and Reproductive Health and Technologies, together about 36.7% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Medical Law Review is established as an authoritative source of reference for academics, lawyers, legal and medical practitioners, law students, and anyone interested in healthcare and the law. The journal presents articles of international interest which provide thorough analyses and comment on the wide range of topical issues that are fundamental to this expanding area of law. In addition, commentary sections provide in depth explorations of topical aspects of the field. Abstracting and indexing services Medical Law Review is covered by the following abstracting/indexing services: Current Law Index Index to Legal Periodicals & Books Infotrac Legal Journals Index Legal Trac Legal Trek LexisNexis PROQUEST DATABASE : Magazines PROQUEST DATABASE : ProQuest 5000 PROQUEST DATABASE : ProQuest 5000 International PROQUEST DATABASE : ProQuest Central PROQUEST DATABASE : ProQuest Discovery PROQUEST DATABASE : ProQuest Health & Medical Complete PROQUEST DATABASE : ProQuest Health Management PROQUEST DATABASE : ProQuest International Academic Research Library PROQUEST DATABASE : ProQuest News & Magazines PROQUEST DATABASE : ProQuest Pharma Collection PROQUEST DATABASE : ProQuest Research Library Science Citation Index (SCI) Scopus Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) Social Science Research Network (SSRN) Wilson OmniFile Full Text Mega Edition Journal metrics Citation metrics Clarivate 2025 Impact Factor 3.1 2025 5 Year Impact Factor 2.4 Law (Rank by Impact Factor) 18/443 Medicine, Legal (Rank by Impact Factor) 5/24 2025 Cited Half-Life 5.9 years 2025 Immediacy Index 0.9 2025 Eigenfactor Score 0.0007 2025 Article Influence Score 0.655 Scopus 2025 CiteScore 4.3 Law (Rank by CiteScore) 114/1162 Medicine (Miscellaneous) (Rank by CiteScore) 144/466 2025 Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP) 1.543 Readership 2025 Full Text Usage 210,811 About metrics Disclaimer Statements of fact and opinion in the articles in Medical Law Review are those of the respective authors and contributors and not of the Journal or Oxford University Press. Neither Oxford University Press nor the Journal make any representation, express or implied, in respect of the accuracy of the material in the Journal and cannot accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions that may be made. Readers should make their own evaluation as to the appropriateness or otherwise of the information included.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): MEDICAL ETHICS
Editor-in-chief Rob HeywoodPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United Kingdom 15, Australia 2, Hong Kong, China 1, Netherlands 1, Singapore 1 (23 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Ethics and Legal Issues in Pediatric HealthcareMedicine16.2%
- Medical Malpractice and Liability IssuesHealth Professions12.7%
- Reproductive Health and TechnologiesMedicine7.8%
- Patient Dignity and PrivacyMedicine7.7%
- Ethics in medical practiceHealth Professions7.3%
- Healthcare Decision-Making and RestraintsPsychology7.2%
- Biomedical Ethics and RegulationMedicine5.3%
- Legal principles and applicationsSocial Sciences5.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Medicine, Legal | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Law | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Law | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Medicine, Legal | 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 | Medicine, Legal | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Law | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIESSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
ProQuestPublisher 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
- 2.8LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.3Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.3LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 4.3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.81LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.54LetPub ·
- h-index
- 25LetPub ·
- h-index
- 44OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 342OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.93OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 80.28%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 31LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 210,811Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,203 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 30 | 11 | 5 |
| 2025 | 45 | 28 | 84 |
| 2024 | 47 | 23 | 146 |
| 2023 | 45 | 21 | 263 |
| 2022 | 53 | 26 | 305 |
| 2021 | 53 | 22 | 255 |
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)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- 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 | GBP 3,067 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | No APC | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Colour charges
- No colour charges
- Page charges
- No page charges
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
- ≤ 200 words
- Keywords
- 6
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 12,000 words
- Reference style
- Vancouver
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Not considered
- author-suggested reviewers
Article types accepted7, with length limits
- book reviewMedical Law Review publishes Original Articles (12,000 words); Commentaries (3,000 words); and Book Reviews (2,000-4,000 words); If you would like to write a re…main text ≤ 4,000 words
- book reviewsMedical Law Review publishes Original Articles (12,000 words); Commentaries (3,000 words); and Book Reviews (2,000-4,000 words);Length not stated
- commentariesMedical Law Review publishes Original Articles (12,000 words); Commentaries (3,000 words); and Book Reviews (2,000-4,000 words);Length not stated
- commentaryMedical Law Review publishes Original Articles (12,000 words); Commentaries (3,000 words); and Book Reviews (2,000-4,000 words); If you would like to write a re…main text ≤ 3,000 words
- original articleMedical Law Review publishes Original Articles (12,000 words); Commentaries (3,000 words); and Book Reviews (2,000-4,000 words); If you would like to write a re…main text ≤ 8,000 words
- original articlesMedical Law Review publishes Original Articles (12,000 words); Commentaries (3,000 words); and Book Reviews (2,000-4,000 words);Length not stated
- reviewMedical Law Review publishes Original Articles (12,000 words); Commentaries (3,000 words); and Book Reviews (2,000-4,000 words); If you would like to write a re…main text ≤ 12,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Self-archiving
- Authorship Authorship
Authorship is limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the design and execution of the work described. Any contributors whose participation does not meet the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged but not listed as an author. The Journal will contact all listed authors at the point of submission to confirm their role. For a detailed definition of authorship, please see …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest
Authors The Journal requires all authors to disclose any potential conflict of interest at the point of submission. It is the responsibility of the corresponding author to ensure that conflicts of interest of all authors are declared to the Journal. A conflict of interest exists when the position, activities, or relationships of an individual, whether direct or indirect, financial or non-financial…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Availability of data and materials
Where ethically feasible, the Journal strongly encourages authors to make all data and software code on which the conclusions of the paper rely available to readers. Whenever possible, data should be presented in the main manuscript or additional supporting files or deposited in a public repository. Visit our Research data page for information on general repositories for all data types, and resour…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Screening for misconduct
iThenticate screening Model summary
Manuscripts may be screened using iThenticate to help detect publication misconduct including plagiarism and redundant publication. Manuscripts may also be screened, including with services provided by third parties, to help detect integrity issues such as inappropriate image alteration and papermill activity.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Exclusive licence to OUP Model summary
It is a condition of publication in the Journal that authors grant an exclusive licence to Oxford University Press. This ensures that requests from third parties to reproduce articles are handled efficiently and consistently and will also allow the article to be as widely disseminated as possible. As part of the licence agreement, authors may use their own material in other publications provided t…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access charges
Please see the details of open access licences and charges. If you select an open access licence, you must pay the open access charge or request to use an institutional agreement to pay the open access charge through our licencing and payment portal, SciPris. Please note that prices are subject to change. All stated charges are exclusive of any applicable value added tax, goods and services tax an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review process
Peer review terminology standard Model summary
The Journal uses the ANSI/NISO Standard Terminology for Peer Review. If you would like further description of the peer review terms used here, please refer to the most recent standard definitions. If further clarification is needed, please contact the editorial office at medlaw.editorialoffice@paeditorial.co.uk. Peer review summary: Identity transparency: double anonymized Reviewer interacts with:…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Self-archiving Self-archiving
Self-archiving refers to posting a copy of your work on a publicly accessible website or repository. Under certain circumstances, you may self-archive versions of your work on your own webpages, on institutional webpages, and in other repositories. For information about the Journal's policy, and to learn which version(s) of your paper are acceptable for self-archiving, please see our Author self-a…
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
- Oxford University Press
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Founded
- 1993
- ISSN
- 0967-0742
- Electronic ISSN
- 1464-3790
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 34, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Medical Law Review
What CAS zone is Medical Law Review in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Medical Law Review is in Zone 3 of Medicine, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Medicine, Legal / Law. 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 Medical Law Review?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.8; CiteScore 4.3, h-index 44.
How long does peer review take at Medical Law Review?
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 Medical Law Review?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 200 words; Keywords: 6; Manuscript length: ≤ 12,000 words; Reference style: Vancouver; Suggested reviewers: Optional. 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 Medical Law Review based?
Of the 23 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (15), Australia (2) and Hong Kong, China (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Medical Law Review?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Medical Law Review is indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus.
Is Medical Law Review open access, and what is the APC?
Medical Law Review is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,045.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .