Journal profile · Psychiatry
Psychopharmacology
ISSN 0033-3158 · eISSN 1432-2072 · Springer Berlin Heidelberg · GERMANY · Semimonthly · Founded 1959
Psychopharmacology: CAS Zone 3 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.32; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,390; median 148 days to acceptance (107 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly hard; 260 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Psychopharmacology is published by Springer Berlin Heidelberg 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 Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior, Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research and Memory and Neural Mechanisms, together about 41.1% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Psychopharmacology is an international journal of research and scholarship, the aims of which are to cover the general area of elucidating the neurochemical mechanisms that affect behavior, all terms understood in the broadest sense. The scope of the Journal extends from clinical psychopharmacology (including trials), to experimental studies on the effects of drugs on cognition and behavior in humans and laboratory studies in experimental animals. The research methodologies (techniques covered) may range from neurochemical assays and electrophysiological recording to studies of functional neuroimaging, and the methods of experimental psychology and ethology, as well as clinical neurology and psychiatry. The journal is particularly interested in articles that integrate these levels of analysis.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Psychiatry
Editor-in-chief Patricia H. JanakPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 4%); most named United States 23, United Kingdom 6, Japan 3, Australia 3, Mainland China 2 (52 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on BehaviorNeuroscience24.8%
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology ResearchNeuroscience9.6%
- Memory and Neural MechanismsNeuroscience6.7%
- Stress Responses and CortisolNeuroscience5.6%
- Receptor Mechanisms and SignalingBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.6%
- Neuroendocrine regulation and behaviorPsychology3.9%
- Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors StudyBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology3.9%
- Forensic Toxicology and Drug AnalysisPharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics3.6%
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 | Neurosciences | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Psychiatry | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Neurosciences | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Psychiatry | 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 | Neurosciences | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Pharmacology & Pharmacy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Psychiatry | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINEEmbasePsycINFOCASCAB AbstractsERIH PLUSCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
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
- 3.32LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.3Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.8LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.15LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.11LetPub ·
- h-index
- 181LetPub ·
- h-index
- 289OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 14,888OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.19OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 44.36%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 241LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 2,300,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 18,569 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 184 | 115 | 45 |
| 2025 | 260 | 157 | 647 |
| 2024 | 220 | 126 | 1,427 |
| 2023 | 226 | 136 | 2,466 |
| 2022 | 270 | 156 | 4,738 |
| 2021 | 298 | 150 | 6,174 |
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
148 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 99 days – 191 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 14 days (107 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 164 days
- Sample
- 107 articles with submission and acceptance dates (484 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)
- 2–4 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly hardLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 10 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double 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 4,390 / EUR 3,290 / GBP 2,790 | — | — |
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 prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Templates
- Word
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted5
- correspondences and commentsCorrespondences and Comments are generally in the form of technical comments or points of controversy and should not exceed 3 pages of text.Length not stated
- editorialManuscripts should be prepared carefully in accordance with the following points. 1. Manuscripts should be submitted online using the link on the journal’s home…Length not stated
- research articlesResearch articles should not exceed 15 pages of text (excluding title page, abstract, references, tables, and figures). It should be noted that Psychopharmacolo…Length not stated
- reviewThe following types of articles may be submitted for publication in the journal: Review articlesshould not exceed 25 pages of text (excluding title page, abstra…Length not stated
- review articlesReview articles should not exceed 25 pages of text (excluding title page, abstract, references, tables, and figures).Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Preprints, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship
Psychopharmacology adheres to the following principles, as set out by The Society for Neuroscience in its guidelines on "Responsible Conduct Regarding Scientific Communication" (http://www.sfn.org/index.cfm?pagename=responsibleConduct): "Authorship should be based on a substantial intellectual contribution. Authorship must be reserved for individuals who have met each of the following conditions: …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
Data availability statement required for all original research. Model summary
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Psychopharmacology, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprint Publications
Preprint posting allowed and encouraged; details must be disclosed upon submission. Model summary
Springer Nature allows and encourages prior publication on recognized community preprint servers for review by other scientists before formal submission to a journal. Authors should disclose details of preprint posting, including DOI and licensing terms, upon submission of the manuscript or at any other point during consideration at a Nature Portfolio journal. Once the preprint is published, it is…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Clinical Trial Registration
The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of a clinical trial is "any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes". The WHO defines health interventions as “A health intervention is an act performed for, with or on behalf of a person or population whose purpose is to ass…
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
- Springer Berlin Heidelberg
- Country or region
- GERMANY
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Semimonthly
- Founded
- 1959
- ISSN
- 0033-3158
- Electronic ISSN
- 1432-2072
- Society / sponsor
- European Behavioural Pharmacology Society
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 243, Issue 8 (August 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Psychopharmacology
What CAS zone is Psychopharmacology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Psychopharmacology is in Zone 3 of Medicine, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Neurosciences / Pharmacology & Pharmacy / Psychiatry. 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 Psychopharmacology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.32; CiteScore 7.8, h-index 289.
How long does peer review take at Psychopharmacology?
Based on the dates recorded on 107 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 148 days (interquartile range 99–191 days); authors report an average review time of 2–4 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly hard”. 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 Psychopharmacology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Reference style: Author–date; Templates: Word; Suggested reviewers: 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 Psychopharmacology based?
Of the 52 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 4%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (23), United Kingdom (6) and Japan (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Psychopharmacology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Psychopharmacology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CAS, CAB Abstracts, ERIH PLUS and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Psychopharmacology open access, and what is the APC?
Psychopharmacology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,390.
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: .