Journal profile · Multiple
Research in Developmental Disabilities
ISSN 0891-4222 · eISSN 1873-3379 · Elsevier
Research in Developmental Disabilities: CAS Zone 2 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.84; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,040; median 118 days to acceptance (101 articles, last 24 months); 212 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Research in Developmental Disabilities is published by Elsevier 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 Autism Spectrum Disorder Research, Family and Disability Support Research and Behavioral and Psychological Studies, together about 32.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Developmental and Educational Psychology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Research In Developmental Disabilities is an international journal aimed at publishing original research of an interdisciplinary nature that has a direct bearing on the understanding or remediation of problems associated with developmental disabilities. Articles will be primarily empirical studies, although an occasional position paper or review will be accepted. The aim of the journal will be to publish articles on all aspects of developmental difficulties using rigourous research methods. Our aim is to publish the best available and most current research possible.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Hugo Cogo-MoreiraPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Italy 6, Canada 4, Norway 4, United States 2, United Kingdom 2 (24 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Autism Spectrum Disorder ResearchNeuroscience13.8%
- Family and Disability Support ResearchPsychology11.4%
- Behavioral and Psychological StudiesPsychology7.6%
- Cerebral Palsy and Movement DisordersMedicine6.9%
- Down syndrome and intellectual disability researchMedicine6.4%
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity DisorderMedicine5.7%
- Infant Development and Preterm CareMedicine5.5%
- Children's Physical and Motor DevelopmentPsychology5.2%
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 | Education, Special | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Rehabilitation | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Education, Special | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Rehabilitation | 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 | Education, Special | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Rehabilitation | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
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
- 2.84LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 2.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 4.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.87LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.34LetPub ·
- h-index
- 159OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 3,764OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.34OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 10.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 40.34%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 190LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 5,286 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 129 | 66 | 44 |
| 2025 | 212 | 111 | 503 |
| 2024 | 159 | 108 | 1,121 |
| 2023 | 165 | 74 | 1,412 |
| 2022 | 175 | 89 | 2,186 |
| 2021 | 238 | 107 | 4,983 |
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
118 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 87 days – 170 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 6 days (101 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 125 days
- Sample
- 101 articles with submission and acceptance dates (369 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
- Submission to first decision
- 8 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 73 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 162 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 9 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 4,040 / EUR 3,780 / GBP 3,230 / JPY 501,080 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,640 | — | — |
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 papers2, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- APA
- Highlights
- Required
Article types accepted2, with length limits
- full articleand formatting The maximum length for a full article is 8000 words, and for a short paper it is 2500. Article structure Articlmain text ≤ 8,000 words
- short paperand for a short paper it is 2500.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, 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 ·- 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
Double anonymized peer review Model summary
This journal follows a double 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 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
- ISSN
- 0891-4222
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-3379
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Research in Developmental Disabilities
What CAS zone is Research in Developmental Disabilities in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Research in Developmental Disabilities is in Zone 2 of Medicine, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Education, Special / Rehabilitation. 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 Research in Developmental Disabilities?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.84; CiteScore 4.5, h-index 159.
How long does peer review take at Research in Developmental Disabilities?
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 118 days (interquartile range 87–170 days). 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 Research in Developmental Disabilities?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: APA; Highlights: 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 Research in Developmental Disabilities based?
Of the 24 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Italy (6), Canada (4) and Norway (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Research in Developmental Disabilities?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Research in Developmental Disabilities is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Research in Developmental Disabilities open access, and what is the APC?
Research in Developmental Disabilities is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,040.
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 2026-08-28). Last updated: .