Journal profile · Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Preventive Medicine
ISSN 0091-7435 · eISSN 1096-0260 · Academic Press Inc. · UNITED STATES · Bimonthly · Founded 1972
Preventive Medicine: CAS Zone 2 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.13; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,650; median 97 days to acceptance (104 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 172 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Preventive Medicine is published by Academic Press Inc. and is in Zone 2 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet, Smoking Behavior and Cessation and Physical Activity and Health, together about 34.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Founded in 1972 by Ernst Wynder, Preventive Medicine is an international scholarly journal that publishes original articles on the science, research, and practice of disease prevention, health promotion, and public health policymaking with a social determinants of health lens. Preventive Medicine aims to reward innovation. It will favor insightful observational studies, thoughtful explorations focusing on studies that use recent health data (within the last five years), unsuspected new angles for existing hypotheses, robust randomized controlled trials, and impartial systematic reviews. Preventive Medicine's ultimate goal is to publish research that will have an impact on the work of practitioners of disease prevention and health promotion, as well as public health and related disciplines.Preventive Medicine is the companion title to the open access journal Preventive Medicine Reports, which publishes articles that form the building blocks of research in disease prevention and health promotion.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Editor-in-chief Luisa N. BorrellPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 8 in mainland China (about 14%); most named United States 28, Mainland China 8, Canada 8, Spain 3, Taiwan, China 2 (56 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Obesity, Physical Activity, DietMedicine13.6%
- Smoking Behavior and CessationMedicine12.2%
- Physical Activity and HealthMedicine8.6%
- Global Cancer Incidence and ScreeningMedicine6.6%
- Health disparities and outcomesSocial Sciences5.5%
- Nutritional Studies and DietMedicine4.5%
- Substance Abuse Treatment and OutcomesMedicine4%
- Urban Transport and AccessibilitySocial Sciences3.9%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Medicine, General & Internal | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Public, Environmental & Occupational Health | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Public, Environmental & Occupational Health | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Medicine, General & Internal | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Medicine, General & Internal | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Public, Environmental & Occupational Health | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
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
- 3.13LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 3.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 7.2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.42LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.23LetPub ·
- h-index
- 154LetPub ·
- h-index
- 261OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 6,929OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.78OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 30.22%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 147LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 10,861 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 113 | 56 | 24 |
| 2025 | 172 | 102 | 396 |
| 2024 | 284 | 172 | 1,732 |
| 2023 | 335 | 194 | 3,229 |
| 2022 | 370 | 246 | 5,778 |
| 2021 | 443 | 267 | 13,021 |
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
97 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 68 days – 130 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 2 days (104 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 104 days
- Sample
- 104 articles with submission and acceptance dates (330 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)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 40 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 99 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single 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 3,650 / EUR 3,410 / GBP 2,920 / JPY 452,710 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 4,000 | — | — |
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
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 200 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 4,000 words
- Templates
- LaTeX and Word
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted13, with length limits
- book reviewKey requirements for authors to take into account when preparing a submission:Original Research Paper: no more than 3000 words in the main text, no more than 4 …Length not stated
- commentaryKey requirements for authors to take into account when preparing a submission:Original Research Paper: no more than 3000 words in the main text, no more than 4 …Length not stated
- commentary (or guest editorial)Commentary (or Guest Editorial): are intended to provide an opportunity for authors to offer a perspective on important or emerging issues falling within the jo…Length not stated
- correspondenceKey requirements for authors to take into account when preparing a submission:Original Research Paper: no more than 3000 words in the main text, no more than 4 …Length not stated
- editorialKey requirements for authors to take into account when preparing a submission:Original Research Paper: no more than 3000 words in the main text, no more than 4 …Length not stated
- meta-analysisKey requirements for authors to take into account when preparing a submission:Original Research Paper: no more than 3000 words in the main text, no more than 4 …Length not stated
- narrative reviewKey requirements for authors to take into account when preparing a submission:Original Research Paper: no more than 3000 words in the main text, no more than 4 …Length not stated
- original research paperKey requirements for authors to take into account when preparing a submission:Original Research Paper: no more than 3000 words in the main text, no more than 4 …main text ≤ 3,000 words
- perspectiveKey requirements for authors to take into account when preparing a submission:Original Research Paper: no more than 3000 words in the main text, no more than 4 …Length not stated
- reviewKey requirements for authors to take into account when preparing a submission:Original Research Paper: no more than 3000 words in the main text, no more than 4 …Length not stated
- review articleKey requirements for authors to take into account when preparing a submission:Original Research Paper: no more than 3000 words in the main text, no more than 4 …main text ≤ 4,000 words
- short communicationKey requirements for authors to take into account when preparing a submission:Original Research Paper: no more than 3000 words in the main text, no more than 4 …Length not stated
- systematic reviewKey requirements for authors to take into account when preparing a submission:Original Research Paper: no more than 3000 words in the main text, no more than 4 …Length 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
Elsevier Publishing Ethics Policy 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
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 allowed 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
- Academic Press Inc.
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1972
- ISSN
- 0091-7435
- Electronic ISSN
- 1096-0260
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Preventive Medicine
What CAS zone is Preventive Medicine in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Preventive Medicine is in Zone 2 of Medicine, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Medicine, General & Internal / Public, Environmental & Occupational Health. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Preventive Medicine?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.13; CiteScore 7.2, h-index 261.
How long does peer review take at Preventive Medicine?
Based on the dates recorded on 104 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 97 days (interquartile range 68–130 days); authors report an average review time of 3–6 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.
What are the manuscript requirements of Preventive Medicine?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 200 words; Keywords: 1–7; Manuscript length: ≤ 4,000 words; Templates: LaTeX and Word; Cover letter: Required. 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 Preventive Medicine based?
Of the 56 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 8 (about 14%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (28), Mainland China (8) and Canada (8). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Preventive Medicine?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Preventive Medicine is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Preventive Medicine open access, and what is the APC?
Preventive Medicine is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,650.
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: .