Journal profile · NURSING
Nursing Philosophy
ISSN 1466-7681 · eISSN 1466-769X · Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd · United Kingdom · Quarterly · Founded 2000
Nursing Philosophy: CAS Zone 3 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.04; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,920; median 183 days to acceptance (87 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 55 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Nursing Philosophy is published by Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd 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 in medical practice, Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues and Patient Dignity and Privacy, together about 43.5% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Nursing Philosophy provides a forum for discussion of philosophical issues in nursing. These focus on questions relating to the nature of nursing and to the phenomena of key relevance to it. For example, any understanding of what nursing is presupposes some conception of just what nurses are trying to do when they nurse. But what are the ends of nursing? Are they to promote health, prevent disease, promote well-being, enhance autonomy, relieve suffering, or some combination of these? How are these ends are to be met? What kind of knowledge is needed in order to nurse? Practical, theoretical, aesthetic, moral, political, 'intuitive' or some other? Papers that explore other aspects of philosophical enquiry and analysis of relevance to nursing (and any other healthcare or social care activity) are also welcome and might include, but not be limited to, critical discussions of the work of nurse theorists who have advanced philosophical claims (e.g., Benner, Benner and Wrubel, Carper, Schrok, Watson, Parse and so on) as well as critical engagement with philosophers (e.g., Heidegger, Husserl, Kuhn, Polanyi, Taylor, MacIntyre and so on) whose work informs health care in general and nursing in particular. Empirical scholarship presenting research findings on significant nursing issues will be considered if there is a concomitant effort examining the research topic, methods, or findings philosophically. Examples include discussing the implications of the research results from a philosophical perspective or demonstrating how the results prompt philosophical inquiry. The philosophical content should be clearly organized within a titled section in the manuscript; for example a section within the discussion or implications labeled ‘philosophical relevance.’
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): NURSING
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 2, Canada 1, Australia 1, Türkiye 1 (5 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Ethics in medical practiceHealth Professions26%
- Palliative Care and End-of-Life IssuesMedicine8.9%
- Patient Dignity and PrivacyMedicine8.6%
- Nursing education and managementNursing7.2%
- Empathy and Medical EducationMedicine5.4%
- Mental Health and PsychiatryArts and Humanities4%
- Nursing Education, Practice, and LeadershipNursing3.7%
- Foucault, Power, and EthicsSocial Sciences2.8%
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 | Nursing | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Nursing | 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 | Nursing | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIESSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINEPubMedCINAHLCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO
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
- 2.04LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 2Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 4.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 4.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.68LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.24LetPub ·
- h-index
- 29LetPub ·
- h-index
- 70OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 457OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.93OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 25%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 57.14%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 43LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 44Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 256,689Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,315 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 65 | 47 | 15 |
| 2025 | 55 | 39 | 94 |
| 2024 | 51 | 39 | 221 |
| 2023 | 66 | 48 | 442 |
| 2022 | 41 | 19 | 478 |
| 2021 | 41 | 10 | 464 |
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
183 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 101 days – 315 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 13 days (90 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 200 days
- Sample
- 87 articles with submission and acceptance dates (126 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)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 17%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 17%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 22 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 22 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 208 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 15 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 3,920 / EUR 3,290 / GBP 2,620 | — | — |
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)
- Submission fee
- No submission fee
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
- ≤ 300 words
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 7,000 words
- Reference style
- APA
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Article types accepted2
- editorialArticle Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Other Requirements Original Article Reports of conceptual (and empirical) analyses that make a signific…Length not stated
- original articleArticle Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Other Requirements Original Article Reports of conceptual (and empirical) analyses that make a signific…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- Authorship Authorship
ORCID required. Model summary
All listed authors should have contributed to the manuscript substantially and have agreed to the final submitted version. Review editorial standards and scroll down for a description of authorship criteria.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Sharing and Data Availability
Data sharing expected. Model summary
This journal expects data sharing. Review Wiley’s Data Sharing policy where you will be able to see and select the data availability statement that is right for your submission.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Reproduction of Copyright Material
If excerpts from copyrighted works owned by third parties are included, credit must be shown in the contribution. It is your responsibility to also obtain written permission for reproduction from the copyright owners. For more information visit Wiley’s Copyright Terms & Conditions FAQ.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access
Subscription journal with open access option (hybrid). Model summary
This journal is a Subscription journal that offers an open access option. You’ll have the option to choose to make your article open access after acceptance, which will be subject to an APC. You can read more about APCs and whether you may be eligible for waivers or discounts, through your institution, funder, or a country waiver.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review 1. Submission and Peer Review Process
Double-blind peer review model. Model summary
Please check here to ensure that your proposed submission is in alignment with the Aims and Scope of this journal. New submissions should be made via the Research Exchange submission portal. For technical help with the submission system, please review our FAQs or contact submissionhelp@wiley.com. This journal does not charge submission fees. Article Preparation Support Wiley Editing Services offer…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints
Preprint policy: accepts preprints. Model summary
This journal accepts articles previously published on preprint servers. Nursing Philosophy will consider for review articles previously available as preprints. You may also post the submitted version of a manuscript to a preprint server at any time.
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
- Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd
- Country or region
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 2000
- ISSN
- 1466-7681
- Electronic ISSN
- 1466-769X
- Society / sponsor
- IPONS
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Nursing Philosophy
What CAS zone is Nursing Philosophy in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Nursing Philosophy is in Zone 3 of Medicine, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Nursing. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Nursing Philosophy?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.04; CiteScore 4.7, h-index 70.
How long does peer review take at Nursing Philosophy?
Based on the dates recorded on 87 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 183 days (interquartile range 101–315 days); authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 17% (2025). 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 Nursing Philosophy?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 300 words; Manuscript length: ≤ 7,000 words; Reference style: APA; Graphical abstract: 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 Nursing Philosophy based?
Of the 5 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (2), Canada (1) and Australia (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Nursing Philosophy?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Nursing Philosophy is indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, PubMed, CINAHL and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Nursing Philosophy open access, and what is the APC?
Nursing Philosophy is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,920.
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: .