Journal profile · Medicine, General & Internal
Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences
ISSN 1682-024X · eISSN 1681-715X · Professional Medical Publications · PAKISTAN · Quarterly · Founded 2000
Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.54; fully open access; APC about USD 650; median 145 days to acceptance (158 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 542 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences is published by Professional Medical Publications 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 Innovations in Medical Education, Pregnancy and preeclampsia studies and Diabetes, Cardiovascular Risks, and Lipoproteins, together about 19.2% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences (PJMS) previous title "SPECIALIST" till December 31st 1999 is a peer-reviewed, fully Open Access biomedical journal published regularly since 1984. Aims and ScopeThe journal aims to disseminate scientifically sound, ethically conducted, and clinically relevant research that contributes to the improvement of healthcare practice, medical education, and public health.PJMS publishes original research articles, systematic and narrative reviews, short communications, case reports, and articles on current clinical practice across the medical and health sciences. The journal covers a broad range of disciplines, including clinical medicine and surgery, medical and surgical subspecialties, public health, epidemiology, medical education, health services research, and allied health sciences.The journal prioritizes manuscripts that: Demonstrate methodological rigor and ethical compliance Address clinically relevant questions or healthcare challenges Contribute evidence applicable to regional and global health contexts Adhere to international reporting and publication standards While PJMS has a strong focus on healthcare issues relevant to Pakistan and other low- and middle-income countries, it welcomes submissions from researchers worldwide and serves an international readership.All submitted manuscripts undergo independent peer review. The journal maintains editorial independence and is committed to transparency, academic integrity, and the timely publication of valid and reproducible research.Journal License Policy:All articles published in Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences are Open Access and are freely available online immediately upon publication. Open Access publication is supported through an Article Processing Charge (APC), which covers editorial management, manuscript processing, article production, online hosting, indexing and abstracting services, and customer support.The APC is payable after editorial acceptance and prior to publication.This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, sharing, adaptation, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. Editor-in-Chief Mr. Shaukat Ali JawaidChief Editor, Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences Mr. Shaukat Ali Jawaid is a senior medical journ
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Medicine, General & Internal
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Pakistan 7, Iran 2, United Kingdom 1, Saudi Arabia 1 (11 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Innovations in Medical EducationMedicine7.3%
- Pregnancy and preeclampsia studiesMedicine6.7%
- Diabetes, Cardiovascular Risks, and LipoproteinsMedicine5.2%
- Sepsis Diagnosis and TreatmentMedicine4.8%
- Inflammatory Biomarkers in Disease PrognosisMedicine4.7%
- Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnoutHealth Professions4.4%
- Gestational Diabetes Research and ManagementMedicine4%
- Retinal Diseases and TreatmentsMedicine4%
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 | Medicine, General & Internal | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Medicine, General & Internal | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Medicine, General & Internal | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceEmbaseCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Index Medicus, Index Copernicus Poland, INIS Database, CAB Abstract and Global Health UK, Pakistan Science Abstract, International Serials Data System of France, PM&DC, Pakmedinet, Open-J gate India, emrmedex.com Iran
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
- 1.54LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher)
- 1.89Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 2.3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.41LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.72LetPub ·
- h-index
- 26LetPub ·
- h-index
- 69OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,649OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.95OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 18.8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 99.44%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 574LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 113Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 6,017 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 483 | 483 | 36 |
| 2025 | 542 | 542 | 576 |
| 2024 | 489 | 489 | 826 |
| 2023 | 437 | 437 | 2,403 |
| 2022 | 404 | 404 | 2,322 |
| 2021 | 409 | 409 | 3,072 |
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
145 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 100 days – 214 days
- Acceptance to online
- —
- Submission to online
- —
- Sample
- 158 articles with submission and acceptance dates (1,168 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)
- 3–6 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 24 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Open 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 650 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | USD 400 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 650 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 100 / USD 500 / USD 300 / USD 1,500 / USD 700 / USD 600 / USD 200 | — | — |
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 prepare1 items from the author guidelines
- Not considered
- KAP studies; animal studies; Survey reports
Article types accepted8, with length limits
- case reportustrations, maximum references upto 25. Case Reports/Brief Communications: 1500 words, 10 References, maximum of two illustrations. Review Articlmain text ≤ 1,500 words
- case reportsCase ReportsLength not stated
- letterInstruction to Authors in PDF format Important Check List Specimen of Title Page(Note: To download Specimen of Title Page, right click on the link and in menu c…Length not stated
- original articleum length of the manuscripts should be: Original Articles: 2500 words, maximum of four tables, illustrations, maximum referencesmain text ≤ 2,500 words
- original articlesOriginal ArticlesLength not stated
- review articlepto 3500 words may be accommodated. For review article 4000 words. Any term which is mentioned in the text quite frequently mmain text ≤ 4,000 words
- special communicationsSpecial CommunicationsLength not stated
- systematic reviewSystematic ReviewLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteLicense & copyright
- License & copyright
Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 3.0) applies to all published articles. Model summary
All articles published in Pak J Med Sci under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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
- Professional Medical Publications
- Country or region
- PAKISTAN
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 2000
- ISSN
- 1682-024X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1681-715X
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 42, Issue 9 (2026)
- Official links
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences
What CAS zone is Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Medicine, General & Internal. 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 Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.54; CiteScore 2.4, h-index 69.
How long does peer review take at Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences?
Based on the dates recorded on 158 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 145 days (interquartile range 100–214 days); authors report an average review time of 3–6 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”. 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences based?
Of the 11 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Pakistan (7), Iran (2) and United Kingdom (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, Embase and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences open access, and what is the APC?
Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 650.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .