Journal profile · NURSING
Nurse Leader
ISSN 1541-4612 · eISSN 1541-4620 · Elsevier
Nurse Leader: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.7 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,840; review about 19 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 186 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Nurse Leader is published by Elsevier 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 Nursing Education, Practice, and Leadership, Nursing education and management and Nursing Roles and Practices, together about 36.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are General Health Professions. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The mission of Nurse Leader is to advance and reimagine nursing leadership by strengthening the specialty and demonstrating its critical role in improving workforce effectiveness and healthcare outcomes. The journal supports nurses across all levels of leadership by providing the vision, evidence, tools, and competencies needed to lead effectively within today’s complex healthcare environments.Published bimonthly, Nurse Leader offers practical, evidence-informed content in an accessible format. It highlights best practices, innovative approaches, and emerging trends across key areas such as thought leadership, workforce development, organizational excellence, health policy, and evidence-based practice and research.Nurse Leader is the official journal of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): NURSING
Editor-in-chief M. Lindell JosephPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 19 (19 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Nursing Education, Practice, and LeadershipNursing14.7%
- Nursing education and managementNursing14.2%
- Nursing Roles and PracticesHealth Professions8%
- Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnoutHealth Professions5.3%
- Global Health Workforce IssuesHealth Professions3.8%
- Healthcare Policy and ManagementEconomics, Econometrics and Finance3.7%
- Nursing Diagnosis and DocumentationNursing3.6%
- Interprofessional Education and CollaborationHealth Professions3.6%
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 | Nursing | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Nursing | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusLetPub
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 (publisher)
- 1.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 2.2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.49LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.82LetPub ·
- h-index
- 35OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 241OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.01OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 17.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 7.28%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 98LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,969 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 165 | 30 | 21 |
| 2025 | 186 | 37 | 167 |
| 2024 | 160 | 58 | 329 |
| 2023 | 164 | 50 | 506 |
| 2022 | 146 | 45 | 944 |
| 2021 | 125 | 42 | 837 |
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
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
19 dayssubmission to acceptance
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Submission to first decision
- 10 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 19 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 19 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 28 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single 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 2,840 / EUR 2,660 / GBP 2,270 / JPY 352,250 | — | — |
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
- ≤ 100 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 3,000 words
- Reference style
- AMA
- Highlights
- Optional
Article types accepted2
- articleArticle length should be between 2000 and 3000 words including references.Length not stated
- reviewWe seek manuscripts that feature best practices, policy changes impacting leaders and leadership innovations in an easy to read format with a focus on outcomes.…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
Single anonymized review process Model summary
This journal follows a single 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 one reviewer 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.Rea…
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
- Elsevier
- ISSN
- 1541-4612
- Electronic ISSN
- 1541-4620
- Society / sponsor
- American Organization for Nursing Leadership
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Nurse Leader
What CAS zone is Nurse Leader in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Nurse Leader is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Nursing. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Nurse Leader?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 1.7; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 2.2, h-index 35.
How long does peer review take at Nurse Leader?
The publisher reports about 19 days (submission to acceptance). 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 Nurse Leader?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 100 words; Keywords: 1–7; Manuscript length: ≤ 3,000 words; Reference style: AMA; Highlights: 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 Nurse Leader based?
Of the 19 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (19). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Nurse Leader?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Nurse Leader is indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Is Nurse Leader open access, and what is the APC?
Nurse Leader is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,840.
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: .