Journal profile · Rehabilitation
Physiotherapy
ISSN 0031-9406 · eISSN 1873-1465 · Elsevier · ENGLAND · Quarterly · Founded 1948
Physiotherapy: CAS Zone 3 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.76; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,480; median 247 days to acceptance (95 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 369 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Physiotherapy is published by Elsevier 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 Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation, Occupational Therapy Practice and Research and Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery, together about 30.8% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Physiotherapy aims to publish original research and facilitate continuing professional development for physiotherapists and other health professions worldwide. Dedicated to the advancement of physiotherapy through publication of research and scholarly work concerned with, but not limited to, its scientific basis and clinical application, education of practitioners, management of services and policy.We are pleased to receive articles reporting original scientific research, systematic reviews or meta-analyses, theoretical or debate articles, brief reports and technical reports. All papers should demonstrate methodological rigour.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Rehabilitation
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 2%); most named United Kingdom 22, Australia 13, United States 5, Canada 2, South Africa 2 (52 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitationMedicine13.3%
- Occupational Therapy Practice and ResearchHealth Professions10.4%
- Stroke Rehabilitation and RecoveryMedicine7.1%
- Cerebral Palsy and Movement DisordersMedicine7.1%
- Nursing Roles and PracticesHealth Professions5.2%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering4.6%
- Musculoskeletal Disorders and RehabilitationMedicine4.5%
- Shoulder Injury and TreatmentMedicine4.5%
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 | Rehabilitation | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Rehabilitation | Zone 3 |
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 | Rehabilitation | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
PubMedPublisher website
Other: Crossref
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
- 2.76LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 3.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 4.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.88LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.18LetPub ·
- h-index
- 47LetPub ·
- h-index
- 132OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,930OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.38OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 12.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 51.06%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 44LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 13,370 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 466 | 35 | 14 |
| 2025 | 369 | 52 | 107 |
| 2024 | 416 | 59 | 358 |
| 2023 | 50 | 31 | 370 |
| 2022 | 375 | 90 | 746 |
| 2021 | 350 | 60 | 1,602 |
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
247 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 87 days – 313 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 7 days (95 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 258 days
- Sample
- 95 articles with submission and acceptance dates (157 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)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
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 3,480 / EUR 3,260 / GBP 2,790 / JPY 431,620 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,480 | — | — |
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)
Article types accepted2, with length limits
- editoriale Editor (400 words). While most of our editorials are commissioned, we also welcome editorials that deal with current or controversial topics (1000 words). Ple…main text ≤ 1,000 words
- original researchtes papers in the following categories: Original research, systematic and scoping reviews or meta-analysis, theoretical or debate articles (aim for 3000 words e…main text ≤ 3,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use Declaration of generative AI in scientific writing
Generative AI use must be declared; AI tools cannot be listed as authors. Model summary
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 Authorship
All authors should have made substantial contributions to all of the following: (1) the conception and design of the study, or acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data, (2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content, (3) final approval of the version to be submitted.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of interest
Declaration of competing interests required. Model summary
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence (bias) their work. Examples of potential competing interests include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations, and grants or other funding. Authors must disclose any interests in two places:…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability
Data availability statement encouraged. Model summary
To foster transparency, we encourage you to state the availability of your data in your submission.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Supports COPE principles. Model summary
Physiotherapy supports the principles of the Committee of Publication Ethics (COPE), which oblige the highest standards of practice on all participants in scientific research and publishing.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Copyright via Journal Publishing Agreement; gold open access uses License Agreement. Model summary
Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to complete a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' (see more information on this). An e-mail will be sent to the corresponding author confirming receipt of the manuscript together with a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' form or a link to the online version of this agreement.Subscribers may reproduce tables of contents or prepare lists of articles includ…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
Please visit our Open Access page for more information about open access publishing in this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Double-anonymized peer review; identities of authors and reviewers concealed from each other. Model summary
This journal uses double-anonymized review, which means that both the reviewer and author name(s) are not allowed to be revealed to one another for a manuscript under review.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprint references
Where a preprint has subsequently become available as a peer-reviewed publication, the formal publication should be used as the reference. If there are preprints that are central to your work or that cover crucial developments in the topic, but are not yet formally published, these may be referenced. Preprints should be clearly marked as such, for example by including the word preprint, or the nam…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Reporting Guidelines
Clinical trials must be registered in a public registry; systematic reviews should be registered on PROSPERO. Model summary
To facilitate the accurate, complete, and transparent improve the quality of reporting of research, Physiotherapy supports the initiatives available through the EQUATOR Network (Enhancing the QUality and Transparency Of health Research) which houses a database of all reporting guidelines for health research (http://www.equator-network.org/).To assist authors and reviewers, the following guidelines…
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
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1948
- ISSN
- 0031-9406
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-1465
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Physiotherapy
What CAS zone is Physiotherapy in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Physiotherapy is in Zone 3 of Medicine, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Rehabilitation. 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 Physiotherapy?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.76; CiteScore 4.9, h-index 132.
How long does peer review take at Physiotherapy?
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 247 days (interquartile range 87–313 days); authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly 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 Physiotherapy based?
Of the 52 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 2%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (22), Australia (13) and United States (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Physiotherapy?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Physiotherapy is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists PubMed; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Physiotherapy open access, and what is the APC?
Physiotherapy is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,480.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .