Journal profile · REHABILITATION
Physiotherapy Research International
ISSN 1358-2267 · eISSN 1471-2865 · Wiley-Blackwell
Physiotherapy Research International: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.7 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,240; median 168 days to acceptance (105 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 17% (journal website); 146 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Physiotherapy Research International is published by Wiley-Blackwell 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 Balance, Gait, and Falls Prevention, Stroke Rehabilitation and Recovery and Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation, together about 33.5% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Physiotherapy Research International is an international peer reviewed journal dedicated to the exchange of knowledge that is directly relevant to specialist areas of physiotherapy theory, practice, and research. Our aim is to promote a high level of scholarship and build on the current evidence base to inform the advancement of the physiotherapy profession. We publish original research on a wide range of topics e.g. Primary research testing new physiotherapy treatments; methodological research; measurement and outcome research and qualitative research of interest to researchers, clinicians and educators. Further, we aim to publish high quality papers that represent the range of cultures and settings where physiotherapy services are delivered. We attract a wide readership from physiotherapists and others working in diverse clinical and academic settings. We aim to promote an international debate amongst the profession about current best evidence based practice. Papers are directed primarily towards the physiotherapy profession, but can be relevant to a wide range of professional groups. The growth of interdisciplinary research is also key to our aims and scope, and we encourage relevant submissions from other professional groups. The journal actively encourages submissions which utilise a breadth of different methodologies and research designs to facilitate addressing key questions related to the physiotherapy practice. PRI seeks to encourage good quality topical debates on a range of relevant issues and promote critical reflection on decision making and implementation of physiotherapy interventions. Physiotherapy Research International publishes Experimental and Clinical Research Papers, Systematic Reviews, and Case Reports. We also accept papers addressing relevant Clinical and Professional Dilemmas. PRI encourages authors to use of standardised nomenclature such as the WHO International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health and use of person-first language.. Manuscripts that focus on the topics mentioned below are also accepted in PRI: Health Economics (Focused on Physiotherapy, Physical Rehabilitation, Athletic Training) Exercise Medicine Geriatric Rehabilitation Acute and Chronic Injury Management Post-Surgical Rehabilitation Weight Management and Loss Nutrition and Athletic Training Keywords Physiotherapy. Abstracting and Indexing Information Academic Search (EBSCO Publishing) Academic Search Alumni Edition (EBSCO Publishing) Academic S
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): REHABILITATION
Editorial board by country: 12 in mainland China (about 46%); most named Mainland China 12, United Kingdom 3, Australia 2, Egypt 2, Pakistan 2 (26 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Balance, Gait, and Falls PreventionHealth Professions11.7%
- Stroke Rehabilitation and RecoveryMedicine11.1%
- Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitationMedicine10.7%
- Cerebral Palsy and Movement DisordersMedicine9.4%
- Occupational Therapy Practice and ResearchHealth Professions9%
- Cardiovascular and exercise physiologyMedicine3.9%
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) ResearchMedicine3.7%
- Sports injuries and preventionMedicine2.8%
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 | Rehabilitation | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Rehabilitation | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceMEDLINEPubMedCINAHLPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest
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)
- 1.7Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 2.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 2.6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.56LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.7LetPub ·
- h-index
- 75OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 620OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.54OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 29.47%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 132LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 137Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 135,000Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 216,641Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,644 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 198 | 121 | 39 |
| 2025 | 146 | 87 | 222 |
| 2024 | 96 | 50 | 416 |
| 2023 | 77 | 47 | 432 |
| 2022 | 62 | 27 | 601 |
| 2021 | 45 | 23 | 377 |
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
168 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 98 days – 251 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 11 days (105 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 177 days
- Sample
- 105 articles with submission and acceptance dates (362 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
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 17%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 17%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 7 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 7 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 202 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 9 daysPublisher 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 3,240 / EUR 2,660 / GBP 2,160 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare1 items from the author guidelines
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
Article types accepted9, with length limits
- case reportArticle Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Other Requirements Research Article Reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make a…main text ≤ 1,500 words
- editorialArticle Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Other Requirements Research Article Reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make a…main text ≤ 2,000 words
- letterArticle Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Other Requirements Research Article Reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make a…Length not stated
- letter to the editorArticle Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Other Requirements Research Article Reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make a…main text ≤ 1,000 words
- meta-analysisArticle Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Other Requirements Research Article Reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make a…Length not stated
- research articleArticle Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Other Requirements Research Article Reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make a…main text ≤ 4,000 words
- reviewArticle Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Other Requirements Research Article Reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make a…main text ≤ 5,000 words
- short reportShort Report Preliminary findings of research in progress or a case report of particular interest 1500 limit Yes, structured Data Availability Statement IRB Sta…main text ≤ 1,500 words
- systematic reviewArticle Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Other Requirements Research Article Reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make a…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- Authorship Correction to Authorship
In accordance with Wiley’s Best Practice Guidelines on Research Integrity and Publishing Ethics and the Committee on Publication Ethics’ guidance, Physiotherapy Research International will allow authors to correct authorship on a submitted, accepted, or published article if a valid reason exists to do so. All authors – including those to be added or removed – must agree to any proposed change. To …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics 6. Ethical Considerations
Journal aims to foster inclusive research reflecting diversity. Model summary
Ethical ApprovalAuthors should always state that the study was approved by the relevant research ethics committee or institutional review board. Manuscripts must be accompanied by a statement that any experiments on participants were undertaken with the understanding and appropriate informed consent.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright 4. Copyright
Copyright Transfer Agreement required from corresponding author. Model summary
If your paper is accepted, the author identified as the formal corresponding author for the paper will receive an email prompting them to login into Author Services; where via the Wiley Author Licensing Service (WALS) they will be able to complete the license agreement on behalf of all authors on the paper. The corresponding author MUST submit the CTA as it is a requirement for publication.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access
Online-only publication since 2014 volume. Model summary
Effective with the 2014 volume, Physiotherapy Research International will be published in an online-only format. No printed edition will be published.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review 7. Review Process
Original work only; no simultaneous submission. Model summary
Authors will be notified within one month where the screening process identifies manuscripts appropriate for peer referral.
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
- ISSN
- 1358-2267
- Electronic ISSN
- 1471-2865
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 31, Issue 4 (October 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Physiotherapy Research International
What CAS zone is Physiotherapy Research International in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Physiotherapy Research International is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Rehabilitation. 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 Physiotherapy Research International?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 1.7 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 2.6, h-index 75.
How long does peer review take at Physiotherapy Research International?
Based on the dates recorded on 105 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 168 days (interquartile range 98–251 days); 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Physiotherapy Research International based?
Of the 26 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 12 (about 46%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (12), United Kingdom (3) and Australia (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Physiotherapy Research International?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Physiotherapy Research International is indexed in ESCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, MEDLINE, PubMed and CINAHL; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Physiotherapy Research International open access, and what is the APC?
Physiotherapy Research International is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,240.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .