Journal profile · Medicine-Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
Pain Reports
ISSN 2471-2531 · Wolters Kluwer Health · United States
Pain Reports: CAS Zone 3 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 4.3 (journal website); JCR Q1 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 2,500; median 154 days to acceptance (81 articles, last 24 months); 149 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Pain Reports is published by Wolters Kluwer Health 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 Pain Mechanisms and Treatments, Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation and Pediatric Pain Management Techniques, together about 48.3% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
PAIN Reports is an official publication of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). An open access multidisciplinary journal, PAIN Reports promotes a global, rapid, and readily accessible forum that advances clinical, applied, and basic research on pain. This online journal publishes full-length articles as well as brief reports, reviews, meta-analyses, meeting proceedings, and selected case reports. PAIN Reports gives special attention to submissions reporting the results of enterprising and high-risk research and pilot studies as well as locally developed clinical guidelines from scientists and clinicians in developing countries.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Medicine-Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
Editor-in-chief David YarnitskyPublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Pain Mechanisms and TreatmentsMedicine21.8%
- Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitationMedicine16.2%
- Pediatric Pain Management TechniquesMedicine10.4%
- Pain Management and Opioid UseMedicine8.2%
- Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ResearchMedicine6.4%
- Pain Management and Placebo EffectNeuroscience5.4%
- Pain Management and TreatmentMedicine5.3%
- Anesthesia and Pain ManagementMedicine3.7%
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 | Neurosciences | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Neurosciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q1 · ANESTHESIOLOGY · rank 10/72
- JCR Q1 · CLINICAL NEUROLOGY · rank 57/296
- JCR Q2 · NEUROSCIENCES · rank 98/330
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePMCPublisher 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 (publisher)
- 4.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.7LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.16LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.35LetPub ·
- h-index
- 63OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 403OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.96OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 2.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 142LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 924 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 111 | 111 | 44 |
| 2025 | 149 | 149 | 259 |
| 2024 | 109 | 109 | 789 |
| 2023 | 65 | 65 | 911 |
| 2022 | 69 | 69 | 978 |
| 2021 | 112 | 112 | 3,119 |
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
154 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 107 days – 204 days
- Acceptance to online
- —
- Submission to online
- —
- Sample
- 81 articles with submission and acceptance dates (305 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)
- about 8 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 8 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | USD 2,500 | Yes | CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 2,500 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 2,500 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 1,950 / USD 2,500 | — | — |
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
- ≤ 250 words
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted18
- brief reportType Word Count (manuscript only--does NOT include abstract, references, figure legends) Article Processing Charge, excluding tax/VAT (IASP members) Article Pro…Length not stated
- brief reportsBrief Reports 1,500 $1,600 USD $2,000 USD Yes Structured introduction, methods, results, discussionLength not stated
- case reportType Word Count (manuscript only--does NOT include abstract, references, figure legends) Article Processing Charge, excluding tax/VAT (IASP members) Article Pro…Length not stated
- case reportsCase Reports 1,500 $1,600 USD $2,000 USD Yes Structured introduction, methods, results, discussion.Length not stated
- commentaries*Commentaries* 500 No charge to author No charge to author yes Not required no specific headings requiredLength not stated
- commentaryType Word Count (manuscript only--does NOT include abstract, references, figure legends) Article Processing Charge, excluding tax/VAT (IASP members) Article Pro…Length not stated
- guidelinesGuidelines 8,000 $1,950 USD $2,500 USD Yes Structured no specific headings requiredLength not stated
- letters to the editorType Word Count (manuscript only--does NOT include abstract, references, figure legends) Article Processing Charge, excluding tax/VAT (IASP members) Article Pro…Length not stated
- meeting proceedingsMeeting Proceedings 8,000/>8,000 $1,950/2,450 USD $2,500/3,000 USD No Either Structured or not Introduction followed by abstracts of 250-word limit each, listin…Length not stated
- pain: clinical updates*PAIN: Clinical Updates* 4,000 No charge to author No charge to author Yes Structured introduction, methods, results, discussionLength not stated
- perspectiveType Word Count (manuscript only--does NOT include abstract, references, figure legends) Article Processing Charge, excluding tax/VAT (IASP members) Article Pro…Length not stated
- perspectivesPerspectives 1,500 $520 USD $650 USD Yes Not required no specific headings requiredLength not stated
- protocolType Word Count (manuscript only--does NOT include abstract, references, figure legends) Article Processing Charge, excluding tax/VAT (IASP members) Article Pro…Length not stated
- research articleType Word Count (manuscript only--does NOT include abstract, references, figure legends) Article Processing Charge, excluding tax/VAT (IASP members) Article Pro…Length not stated
- research articlesResearch Articles 4,000 $1,950 USD $2,500 USD Yes Structured introduction, methods, results, discussionLength not stated
- research protocolsResearch Protocols 4,000 $1,950 USD $2,500 USD Yes Structured introduction, methods, discussionLength not stated
- reviewType Word Count (manuscript only--does NOT include abstract, references, figure legends) Article Processing Charge, excluding tax/VAT (IASP members) Article Pro…Length not stated
- reviewsReviews 8,000 $1,950 USD $2,500 USD Yes Either Structured or not no specific headings requiredLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Publication ethics, Open access, Peer review, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- Authorship
As of 1 January 2025, meeting proceedings and research protocols will no longer be considered for publication. Model summary
PAIN Reports will implement revised author guidelines on 1 January 2025. Please note that as of that date, meeting proceedings and research protocols will no longer be considered for publication.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Ethical considerations
Animal studies must conform to NIH guidelines; paralytic agents are not acceptable alternatives to anesthetics. Model summary
Originality and validity of manuscript: A submitted manuscript must not have been previously published (except as an abstract or in a registry) or be under consideration for publication elsewhere and, if accepted, may not be published elsewhere in a similar form, in any language, without the consent of Wolters Kluwer.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access
Journal is compliant with the NIH Public Access Policy. Model summary
The Journal is compliant with the NIH Public Access Policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
PAIN Reports is indexed in Web of Science's Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), PubMed Central, Scopus, and Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). Model summary
PAIN Reports is now indexed in Web of Science's Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), PubMed Central, Scopus, and Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines
Clinical trials must be registered at or before first patient enrollment in a WHO ICTRP primary registry or ClinicalTrials.gov; registry name and number must be provided in cover letter and methods; CONSORT adherence required. Model summary
PAIN Reports follows the World Health Organization's (WHO) definition of a clinical trial: A clinical trial is any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes.
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
- Wolters Kluwer Health
- Country or region
- United States
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2471-2531
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Pain Reports
What CAS zone is Pain Reports in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Pain Reports is in Zone 3 of Medicine, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Neurosciences. 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 Pain Reports?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 4.3; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 4.7, h-index 63.
How long does peer review take at Pain Reports?
Based on the dates recorded on 81 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 154 days (interquartile range 107–204 days); authors report an average review time of about 8 weeks. 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 JCR quartile is Pain Reports in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q1; by category, ANESTHESIOLOGY Q1 (10/72), CLINICAL NEUROLOGY Q1 (57/296), NEUROSCIENCES Q2 (98/330). JCR quartiles are Clarivate's to confirm and a different system from the CAS zones; in the CAS ranking the journal is in Zone 3 of Medicine.
What are the manuscript requirements of Pain Reports?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: Required; Cover letter: 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.
Which databases index Pain Reports?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Pain Reports is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science and PMC; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Pain Reports open access, and what is the APC?
Pain Reports is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 2,500.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, DOAJ, 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 2026-08-30). Last updated: .