Journal profile · PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY
PsyCh Journal
ISSN 2046-0252 · eISSN 2046-0260 · Wiley-Blackwell
PsyCh Journal: CAS Zone 4 · Psychology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.54; fully open access; APC about USD 1,920; median 156 days to acceptance (79 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 19% (journal website); 89 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
PsyCh Journal is published by Wiley-Blackwell and is in Zone 4 of Psychology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development, Mental Health Research Topics and Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies, together about 21.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Cognitive Neuroscience. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
PsyCh Journal, China's first international psychology journal, publishes peer‑reviewed research articles, research reports and integrated research reviews spanning the entire spectrum of scientific psychology and its applications. PsyCh Journal is the flagship journal of the Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences – the only national psychology research institute in China – and reflects the high research standards of the nation. Launched in 2012, PsyCh Journal is devoted to the publication of advanced research exploring basic mechanisms of the human mind and behavior, and delivering scientific knowledge to enhance understanding of culture and society. Towards that broader goal, the Journal will provide a forum for academic exchange and a “knowledge bridge” between China and the World by showcasing high-quality, cutting-edge research related to the science and practice of psychology both within and outside of China. PsyCh Journal features original articles of both empirical and theoretical research in scientific psychology and interdisciplinary sciences, across all levels, from molecular, cellular and system, to individual, group and society. The Journal also publishes evaluative and integrative review papers on any significant research contribution in any area of scientific psychology.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY
Editor-in-chief Jianxin ZhangPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 12 in mainland China (about 71%); most named Mainland China 12, Hong Kong, China 4, Macau, China 1 (17 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional DevelopmentPsychology7.6%
- Mental Health Research TopicsPsychology7.2%
- Neural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesNeuroscience6.7%
- Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesPsychology5.9%
- Behavioral Health and InterventionsPsychology5.2%
- Neuroscience and Music PerceptionNeuroscience4.5%
- Psychology of Moral and Emotional JudgmentNeuroscience4.2%
- Cultural Differences and ValuesPsychology4.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Psychology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Psychology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Psychology, Multidisciplinary | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Psychology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Psychology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Psychology, Multidisciplinary | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Psychology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Psychology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Psychology, Multidisciplinary | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceMEDLINEPMCPsycINFOCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: 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
- 1.54LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.5Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 2.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 2.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.54LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.63LetPub ·
- h-index
- 41OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 259OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.48OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 84.19%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 74LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2Publisher website ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 75Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 198,411Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 997 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 51 | 51 | 15 |
| 2025 | 89 | 89 | 129 |
| 2024 | 99 | 99 | 448 |
| 2023 | 106 | 78 | 404 |
| 2022 | 121 | 25 | 818 |
| 2021 | 99 | 24 | 869 |
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
156 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 106 days – 244 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 28 days (79 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 196 days
- Sample
- 79 articles with submission and acceptance dates (152 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)
- 19%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 19%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 158 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 23 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 25 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 1,920 / GBP 1,480 / EUR 1,650 | Yes | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | USD 1,750 / EUR 1,500 / GBP 1,350 | — | — |
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 prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 300 words
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted4
- editorialThe acceptance criteria for all papers are the quality and originality of the research and its significance to our readership. Except where otherwise stated, ma…Length not stated
- original articleThe journal accepts full length Original Articles, Review and Short Communications.Length not stated
- reviewThe journal accepts full length Original Articles, Review and Short Communications.Length not stated
- short communicationThe following elements of Short Communications are subject to the limits as noted on length (if these are not followed, the ensuing main text word length will b…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteConflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- Conflicts of interest Conflict of interest
Authors must declare any financial support or relationships that may pose conflict of interest by disclosing at the time of submission any financial arrangements they have with a company whose product figures prominently in the submitted manuscript or with a company making a competing product. Such information will be held in confidence while the paper is under review and will not influence the ed…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Ethical Approval Statement
We require that studies involving human subjects contain declarations that the procedure received ethical approval from the appropriate review board of the author's institution, and that written informed consent was obtained from the participants, or statements explaining why these measures were not considered necessary.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Reproduction of Copyright Material
If excerpts from copyrighted works owned by third parties are included, credit must be shown in the contribution. It is the author's responsibility to also obtain written permission for reproduction from the copyright owners. For more information visit Wiley's Copyright Terms & Conditions FAQ at http://exchanges.wiley.com/authors/faqs---copyright-terms--conditions_301.html
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Clinical trial registration
PsyCh Journal requires that the clinical trials submitted for its consideration are registered in a publicly accessible database. Authors should include the name of the trial register and their clinical trial registration number in the Acknowledgments section of their manuscript. If you wish the editor[s] to consider an unregistered trial, please explain briefly why the trial has not been register…
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
- 2046-0252
- Electronic ISSN
- 2046-0260
- Society / sponsor
- Institute of Psychology
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 15, Issue 5 (October 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- 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 PsyCh Journal
What CAS zone is PsyCh Journal in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, PsyCh Journal is in Zone 4 of Psychology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Psychology, Multidisciplinary. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Psychology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of PsyCh Journal?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.54; CiteScore 2.9, h-index 41.
How long does peer review take at PsyCh Journal?
Based on the dates recorded on 79 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 156 days (interquartile range 106–244 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 19% (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.
What are the manuscript requirements of PsyCh Journal?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 300 words; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: Optional; 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 PsyCh Journal based?
Of the 17 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 12 (about 71%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (12), Hong Kong, China (4) and Macau, China (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index PsyCh Journal?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, PsyCh Journal is indexed in SSCI, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, MEDLINE, PMC, PsycINFO and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is PsyCh Journal open access, and what is the APC?
PsyCh Journal is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 1,920.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .