Journal profile · Clinical Neurology
Neurology
ISSN 0028-3878 · eISSN 1526-632X · Lippincott Williams and Wilkins Ltd. · UNITED STATES · 48 issues/year · Founded 1951
Neurology: CAS Zone 1 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 8.23; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,600; median 97 days to acceptance (55 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly hard; 4,139 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Neurology is published by Lippincott Williams and Wilkins Ltd. and is in Zone 1 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Epilepsy research and treatment, Multiple Sclerosis Research Studies and Acute Ischemic Stroke Management, together about 22.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Neurology and Psychiatry and Mental health. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The most widely read and highly cited peer-reviewed neurology journal. Neurology is the official journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Vision: Neurology will be the premier peer-reviewed journal for clinical neurology research. Mission: Neurology will publish outstanding peer-reviewed original research articles, editorials, and reviews to enhance patient care, education, clinical research, and professionalism. As the leading clinical neurology journal worldwide, Neurology is directed to physicians concerned with diseases and conditions of the nervous system. The journal's purpose is to advance the field by presenting new basic and clinical research with an emphasis on knowledge that will influence the way neurology is practiced. The journal is at the forefront in disseminating cutting-edge, peer-reviewed information to the neurology community worldwide. Editorial content includes Research, Clinical/Scientific Notes, Views, Historical Neurology, NeuroImages, Humanities, Letters, and position papers from the American Academy of Neurology. Contents appearing solely online include specialty sections, topic collections, CME Quizzes, Podcasts, and play-in-place video. The online version is considered the canonical version of the journal because it includes all content available to the reader.
Source: LetPub
Research area (LetPub): Clinical Neurology
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Epilepsy research and treatmentMedicine8.2%
- Multiple Sclerosis Research StudiesMedicine7.5%
- Acute Ischemic Stroke ManagementMedicine7.2%
- Parkinson's Disease Mechanisms and TreatmentsMedicine6.5%
- Neurological disorders and treatmentsMedicine6.2%
- Genetic Neurodegenerative DiseasesNeuroscience5%
- Peripheral Neuropathies and DisordersMedicine4.8%
- Dementia and Cognitive Impairment ResearchMedicine4.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Clinical Neurology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Clinical Neurology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Clinical Neurology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
PubMedPublisher 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
- 8.23LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 9.5LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.05LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.93LetPub ·
- h-index
- 331LetPub ·
- h-index
- 529OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 32,318OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.27OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 25.42%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 584LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 97,112 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 4,028 | 247 | 535 |
| 2025 | 4,139 | 469 | 4,649 |
| 2024 | 3,932 | 647 | 10,131 |
| 2023 | 3,629 | 823 | 15,401 |
| 2022 | 3,785 | 841 | 22,799 |
| 2021 | 3,593 | 744 | 31,228 |
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 Crossref · to
97 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 53 days – 134 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 83 days (55 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 183 days
- Sample
- 55 articles with submission and acceptance dates (8,847 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)
- 2–3 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly hardLetPub ·
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | USD 3,600 / USD 1,100 / USD 3,900 / USD 1,250 / USD 1,000 / USD 2,300 / USD 650 / USD 4,600 / USD 5,000 / USD 3,800 | — | — |
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)
Article types accepted4
- clinical/scientific noteArticle Type Clinical/Scientific Note Characteristics Papers in this category include reports of new research as well as case series and case reports that open …Length not stated
- research articleThe editors reserve the right to choose whether manuscripts will publish in print or online-only. Manuscripts published “online-only” will not appear in print b…Length not stated
- reviewReviews, Research Methods in Neurology, Contemporary Issues in Practice, Education, & Research, and Historical Neurology should include an unstructured abstract…Length not stated
- viewpointType ViewpointLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, Open access, Preprints, Self-archiving, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use 5.5.1 Use of AI by Authors
Authorship AI systems cannot be listed as authors of papers submitted to any of the Neurology journals because they do not meet the journals’ authorship criteria as they cannot make a substantial intellectual contribution to the work, cannot approve the final manuscript, and cannot be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any par…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship 5.1 Authorship
5.1.1 Definitions Author The Neurology® journals define an author as a person who has made a substantive intellectual contribution to the submitted manuscript. Authors should be aware that this definition differs from that used by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). A substantive contribution includes 1 or more of the following: Design or conceptualization of the study …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest 5.2 Conflicts of Interest and Disclosure
Conflicts of interest and disclosure policy Model summary
The Neurology® journals comply with the position of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) on "Conflict of Interest." Conflict of interest (COI) for authors is defined as "financial and other conflicts of interest that might bias their work." At upload of submission, the corresponding author will be prompted to disclose all authors' financial relationships deemed relevant t…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability 5.6 Data Availability and Access
5.6.1 Full Data Access and Statements The Neurology® journals require that the Principal Author has full access to the data used in the analyses in the manuscript. The Neurology® journals require the Principal Author or Guarantor to declare in the Authorship Agreement form that they take full responsibility for the data, the analyses and interpretation, and the conduct of the research; that they h…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics 5.3 Scientific Misconduct and Breaches of Publication Ethics
Scientific misconduct and publication ethics policy Model summary
The Neurology® journals are members of, and subscribe to the principles of, the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Scientific misconduct includes fabrication, falsification, and plagiarism by the authors. Breaches of publication ethics include failure to reveal financial conflicts of interest, omitting a deserving author or adding a non-contributing author, misrepresenting publication status …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access 5.7 Open Access
The mechanism of Open Access (OA) allows unrestricted access to online readers; dependent on the license applied, it also dictates the terms of use after publication. Neurology® and Neurology® Clinical Practice are subscription journals with hybrid (optional) open access; if open access is pursued, payment or qualified waiver of an article processing charge (APC) is required. Neurology® Genetics, …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints 5.10.1 Preprints
Neurology® journals will consider articles that are posted to preprint servers (e.g., medRxiv), but this fact must be disclosed in the cover letter at submission. If the manuscript is accepted, the corresponding author is responsible for reporting the publication details to the preprint server administrators. Authors cannot make changes to the preprint version based on Neurology® journal reviewer …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Self-archiving 4.4.1 Embargo
Your paper and its findings are embargoed. News media must not publicize the paper until 4PM EST the day of publication. This includes processes that your institutional public relations department must follow to release any article information. The consequences for embargo break are serious, see policy here. If you or a co-author are contacted by the AAN's Neurology Today or Brain & Life before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines 2.1.2 Reporting Guidelines
Consult the EQUATOR Network website to identify the most recent and relevant guidelines and extensions. Use the appropriate reporting guideline when drafting the manuscript and in the cover letter, explain if any extensions were used. Include a copy of the completed checklist indicating where in the manuscript each item was addressed. Upload checklists as Supplemental Files. You may also get assis…
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
- Lippincott Williams and Wilkins Ltd.
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- 48 issues/year
- Founded
- 1951
- ISSN
- 0028-3878
- Electronic ISSN
- 1526-632X
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Neurology
What CAS zone is Neurology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Neurology is in Zone 1 of Medicine, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Clinical Neurology; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Neurology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 8.23; CiteScore 9.5, h-index 529.
How long does peer review take at Neurology?
Based on the dates recorded on 55 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 97 days (interquartile range 53–134 days); authors report an average review time of 2–3 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.
Which databases index Neurology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Neurology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists PubMed; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Neurology open access, and what is the APC?
Neurology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,600.
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: .