Journal profile · Health Professions-Radiological and Ultrasound Technology
Practical Laboratory Medicine
ISSN 2352-5517 · Elsevier · Netherlands
Practical Laboratory Medicine: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.8 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 2,520; median 74 days to acceptance (101 articles, last 24 months); 69 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Practical Laboratory Medicine is published by Elsevier 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 Clinical Laboratory Practices and Quality Control, Bacterial Identification and Susceptibility Testing and Biosensors and Analytical Detection, together about 37.8% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Practical Laboratory Medicine is a high-quality, peer-reviewed, international open-access journal publishing original research, new methods and critical evaluations, case reports and short papers in the fields of clinical chemistry and laboratory medicine.The objective of the journal is to provide practical information of immediate relevance to workers in clinical laboratories. The primary scope of the journal covers clinical chemistry, hematology, molecular biology and genetics relevant to laboratory medicine, microbiology, immunology, therapeutic drug monitoring and toxicology, laboratory management and informatics.We welcome papers which describe critical evaluations of biomarkers and their role in the diagnosis and treatment of clinically significant disease, validation of commercial and in-house IVD methods, method comparisons, interference reports, the development of new reagents and reference materials, reference range studies and regulatory compliance reports. Manuscripts describing the development of new methods applicable to laboratory medicine (including point-of-care testing) are particularly encouraged, even if preliminary or small scale.While novel or innovative work is preferred, papers of a confirmatory nature will also be considered if they are scientifically and technically valid and relevant to important topics.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Health Professions-Radiological and Ultrasound Technology
Editor-in-chief Ching-Wan LamPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 2%); most named United States 12, Canada 6, Australia 6, United Kingdom 2, South Korea 2 (41 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Clinical Laboratory Practices and Quality ControlMedicine23.6%
- Bacterial Identification and Susceptibility TestingBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology8.3%
- Biosensors and Analytical DetectionEngineering5.9%
- Diabetes, Cardiovascular Risks, and LipoproteinsMedicine4.8%
- Sepsis Diagnosis and TreatmentMedicine3.7%
- SARS-CoV-2 detection and testingMedicine3.7%
- Chronic Kidney Disease and DiabetesMedicine3.5%
- Blood groups and transfusionMedicine3.5%
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 | Medical Laboratory Technology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Medical Laboratory Technology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
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)
- 1.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 2.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.38LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.65LetPub ·
- h-index
- 30OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 148OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.21OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 63LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 562 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 38 | 38 | 8 |
| 2025 | 69 | 69 | 87 |
| 2024 | 93 | 93 | 347 |
| 2023 | 45 | 45 | 178 |
| 2022 | 43 | 43 | 306 |
| 2021 | 61 | 61 | 763 |
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
74 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 45 days – 140 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 2 days (101 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 77 days
- Sample
- 101 articles with submission and acceptance dates (122 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 7 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 5 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 39 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 76 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 12 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 2,520 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 2,140 / EUR 1,950 / GBP 1,710 / JPY 252,480 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 2,000 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 2,520 | — | — |
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 prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Article types accepted9, with length limits
- case reportal details and provide conclusions. The case report should be a maximum of 2000 words, excluding the abstract and associated references. No moremain text ≤ 2,000 words
- case reportsArticle types Full-length articles Short communications Reviews/Mini-Reviews Case reportsLength not stated
- full-length articlesArticle types Full-length articles Short communications Reviews/Mini-Reviews Case reportsLength not stated
- registered reportThis journal supports Registered Reports as article type, allowing you to have your research reviewed and pre-registered prior to conducting your experiments. P…Length not stated
- registered reportsThis journal supports Registered Reports as article type, allowing you to have your research reviewed and pre-registered prior to conducting your experiments.Length not stated
- reviewy table(s) of relevant literature. Mini-reviews should not exceed 6,000 words (excluding references and figure legends), include an abstrmain text ≤ 6,000 words
- reviews/mini-reviewsArticle types Full-length articles Short communications Reviews/Mini-Reviews Case reportsLength not stated
- short communicationpportive information where appropriate. Short communications: These concise research articles have a maximum length of 2000 words excluding graphical abstract, …main text ≤ 2,000 words
- short communicationsArticle types Full-length articles Short communications Reviews/Mini-Reviews Case reportsLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
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 Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Ethics in publishing Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
Open access journal Model summary
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Single anonymized review process Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
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
- Netherlands
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2352-5517
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗DOAJ
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗DOAJ
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Practical Laboratory Medicine
What CAS zone is Practical Laboratory Medicine in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Practical Laboratory Medicine is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Medical Laboratory Technology. 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 Practical Laboratory Medicine?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 1.8; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 2.4, h-index 30.
How long does peer review take at Practical Laboratory Medicine?
Based on the dates recorded on 101 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 74 days (interquartile range 45–140 days); authors report an average review time of about 7 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 are the manuscript requirements of Practical Laboratory Medicine?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; Highlights: Required; 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 Practical Laboratory Medicine based?
Of the 41 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 2%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (12), Canada (6) and Australia (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Practical Laboratory Medicine?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Practical Laboratory Medicine is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Practical Laboratory Medicine open access, and what is the APC?
Practical Laboratory Medicine is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 2,520.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex, DOAJ; 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: .