Journal profile · Physiology
PFLUGERS ARCHIV-EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY
ISSN 0031-6768 · eISSN 1432-2013 · Springer Berlin Heidelberg · GERMANY · Monthly · Founded 1868
PFLUGERS ARCHIV-EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.23; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,390; median 100 days to acceptance (95 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly hard; 89 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
PFLUGERS ARCHIV-EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY is published by Springer Berlin Heidelberg 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 Ion channel regulation and function, Biomedical and Chemical Research and Cardiac electrophysiology and arrhythmias, together about 36.2% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Pflügers Archiv European Journal of Physiology publishes the results of high-quality original research covering the whole range of physiology and pathophysiology. It is the official journal of the German Physiological Society. Papers should give mechanistic insights into physiological functions at the molecular, cellular or organ level. The journal welcomes papers linking genomic and proteomic approaches to physiological functions, as well as articles describing work on the mechanistic phenotyping of transgenic animal models. In addition, Pflüger´s Archiv welcomes papers on methods when these facilitate the further investigation of physiological mechanisms. Priority will be given to manuscripts that provide conceptual novelty, but also papers reporting negative results of broad interest will be considered. The journal publishes Reviews and Commentaries by invitation only; if you would like to submit a Review or Commentary please contact the journal editorial office with a pre-submission enquiry.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Physiology
Editor-in-chief Carsten A. WagnerPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 4 in mainland China (about 5%); most named Germany 27, United States 9, Japan 5, South Korea 5, Denmark 5 (84 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Ion channel regulation and functionBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology17.6%
- Biomedical and Chemical ResearchMedicine10.9%
- Cardiac electrophysiology and arrhythmiasMedicine7.7%
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchNeuroscience7.3%
- Ion Transport and Channel RegulationBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology6.6%
- Neuroscience and Neural EngineeringNeuroscience6.3%
- Neuroscience of respiration and sleepNeuroscience3.5%
- Muscle activation and electromyography studiesEngineering2.9%
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 | Physiology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Physiology | 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 | Physiology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINEEmbaseCASCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
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
- 3.23LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.2Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.3LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.07LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.01LetPub ·
- h-index
- 120LetPub ·
- h-index
- 220OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 13,421OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.28OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 3.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 60.13%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 75LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 1,400,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 25,328 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 67 | 48 | 22 |
| 2025 | 89 | 53 | 355 |
| 2024 | 157 | 116 | 1,277 |
| 2023 | 116 | 78 | 1,010 |
| 2022 | 130 | 90 | 1,772 |
| 2021 | 151 | 103 | 2,430 |
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
100 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 68 days – 154 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 16 days (95 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 123 days
- Sample
- 95 articles with submission and acceptance dates (193 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)
- 4–8 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly hardLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 4 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 4,390 / EUR 3,390 / GBP 2,790 | — | — |
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)
Open calls for papers1, by deadline
- Acid-Sensing Ion ChannelsDeadline
What to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Article types accepted1, with length limits
- reviewate mechanisms with clear figures. Mini-review guidelines: Max 2,500 words N2–3 schematic illustrations ≤ 20 references Mini-reviews amain text ≤ 2,500 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship Policy
LLMs do not satisfy authorship criteria. Model summary
Authorship should incorporate and should be restricted to those who have contributed substantially to the work in one or more of the following categories. The extent of each individual’s contribution should be stated together with the statements at the end of the paper. • Conceived of or designed study • Performed research • Analyzed data • Contributed new methods or models • Wrote the paper” Cont…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
Data, materials, software, and code must support published claims and comply with field standards. Model summary
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
No simultaneous submission to multiple journals. Model summary
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Pflügers Archiv - European Journal of Physiology, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Review articles are by invitation only; non-invited reviews will be screened by the Editor-in-Chief. Model summary
Submission of review articles is by invitation only; non-invited reviews will be screened by the Editor-in-Chief.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Clinical Trial Registration
The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of 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". The WHO defines health interventions as “A health intervention is an act performed for, with or on behalf of a person or population whose purpose is to ass…
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
- Springer Berlin Heidelberg
- Country or region
- GERMANY
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1868
- ISSN
- 0031-6768
- Electronic ISSN
- 1432-2013
- Society / sponsor
- German Physiological Society
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about PFLUGERS ARCHIV-EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY
What CAS zone is PFLUGERS ARCHIV-EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, PFLUGERS ARCHIV-EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Physiology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of PFLUGERS ARCHIV-EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.23; CiteScore 6.3, h-index 220.
How long does peer review take at PFLUGERS ARCHIV-EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY?
Based on the dates recorded on 95 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 100 days (interquartile range 68–154 days); authors report an average review time of 4–8 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.
What are the manuscript requirements of PFLUGERS ARCHIV-EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; Suggested reviewers: Optional; 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 PFLUGERS ARCHIV-EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY based?
Of the 84 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 4 (about 5%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Germany (27), United States (9) and Japan (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index PFLUGERS ARCHIV-EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, PFLUGERS ARCHIV-EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, Embase, CAS and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is PFLUGERS ARCHIV-EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY open access, and what is the APC?
PFLUGERS ARCHIV-EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,390.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .