Journal profile · Health Professions-Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation
Musculoskeletal Science and Practice
ISSN 2468-7812 · Elsevier BV · United Kingdom
Musculoskeletal Science and Practice: CAS Zone 3 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.18; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,500; median 111 days to acceptance (101 articles, last 24 months); 187 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Musculoskeletal Science and Practice is published by Elsevier BV 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 Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation, Spine and Intervertebral Disc Pathology and Shoulder Injury and Treatment, together about 43.6% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Musculoskeletal Science & Practice is a journal of musculoskeletal physiotherapy that aims to improve the clinical understanding of appropriate care processes for musculoskeletal disorders. The journal publishes articles that influence or add to the body of evidence on diagnostic and therapeutic processes, patient centered care, guidelines for musculoskeletal therapeutics and theoretical models that support developments in assessment, diagnosis, clinical reasoning and interventions.Papers published in Musculoskeletal Science & Practice have an applied clinical focus or serve to inform clinical approaches relevant to physiotherapy practice.The journal publishes papers focused on the evidence base relating to mechanisms of function/dysfunction; treatment methods; best clinical practice; clinical reasoning and decision making processes; assessment and clinical management of musculoskeletal disorders; exploration of relevant clinical interventions; multi modal approaches; psychosocial issues; and service user expectations, experiences and perspectives.Musculoskeletal Science & Practice welcomes research articles and reviews, as well as professional practice papers, measurement & clinimetrics papers and masterclasses papers.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Health Professions-Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation
Editor-in-chief Deborah FallaPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 1%); most named United Kingdom 17, Australia 17, Canada 7, Netherlands 4, United States 3 (75 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitationMedicine28.9%
- Spine and Intervertebral Disc PathologyMedicine8.9%
- Shoulder Injury and TreatmentMedicine5.8%
- Myofascial pain diagnosis and treatmentBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology5.1%
- Sports injuries and preventionMedicine3.5%
- Pain Mechanisms and TreatmentsMedicine3.3%
- Osteoarthritis Treatment and MechanismsMedicine3.1%
- Occupational Health and PerformanceHealth Professions3%
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 | Rehabilitation | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Rehabilitation | Zone 2 |
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 | Rehabilitation | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
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
- 2.18LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 2.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.8LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 3.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.71LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.04LetPub ·
- h-index
- 78LetPub ·
- h-index
- 57OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 519OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.12OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 9.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 47.26%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 157LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,593 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 151 | 95 | 57 |
| 2025 | 187 | 112 | 366 |
| 2024 | 173 | 94 | 658 |
| 2023 | 146 | 76 | 1,102 |
| 2022 | 163 | 52 | 1,475 |
| 2021 | 147 | 53 | 2,174 |
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
111 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 83 days – 175 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 1 days (101 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 116 days
- Sample
- 101 articles with submission and acceptance dates (395 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
- Submission to first decision
- 4 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 62 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 130 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 1 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 | — | — |
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 prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 1
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Highlights
- Required
Article types accepted4, with length limits
- letters to the editorMaximum 500 words (This word count includes the references contained within the article). A letter to the Editor should provide constructive advice and open dis…main text ≤ 500 words
- original research articletations in the reporting of your study: Original Research Articles using quantitative data Maximum 3500 words. Structured Abstract (up to 250 words) and Keyword…main text ≤ 3,500 words
- professional practiceProfessional Practice Maximum 2000 words. Structured Abstract (up to 250 words) and Keywords are not included in the word count. 'In-text' references are includ…Length not stated
- reviewcript submission. Systematic or Scoping Reviews Maximum 4000 words. Structured Abstract (up to 250 words) and Keywords are notmain text ≤ 4,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- 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 Authorship
By adhering to the authorship requirements stated above, authors meet the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria [updated version January 2024] on authorship.
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 allowed 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 ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines
Clinical trial registration required Model summary
Musculoskeletal Science & Practice has adopted the proposal from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), which require, as a condition of consideration for publication of clinical trials, registration in a public trials registry.
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 BV
- Country or region
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2468-7812
- Print ISSN
- 2468-8630
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Musculoskeletal Science and Practice
What CAS zone is Musculoskeletal Science and Practice in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Musculoskeletal Science and Practice is in Zone 3 of Medicine, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Rehabilitation. 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 Musculoskeletal Science and Practice?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.18; CiteScore 3.8, h-index 57.
How long does peer review take at Musculoskeletal Science and Practice?
Based on the dates recorded on 101 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 111 days (interquartile range 83–175 days). 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 Musculoskeletal Science and Practice?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: ≥ 1; Reference style: Author–date; Highlights: 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 Musculoskeletal Science and Practice based?
Of the 75 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 1%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (17), Australia (17) and Canada (7). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Musculoskeletal Science and Practice?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Musculoskeletal Science and Practice is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Musculoskeletal Science and Practice open access, and what is the APC?
Musculoskeletal Science and Practice 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .