Journal profile · Neurosciences
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
ISSN 1749-5016 · eISSN 1749-5024 · Oxford University Press · ENGLAND · Quarterly · Founded 2006
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience: CAS Zone 2 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.48; fully open access; APC about USD 2,265; median 207 days to acceptance (101 articles, last 24 months); 126 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience is published by Oxford University Press 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 Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies, Functional Brain Connectivity Studies and Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes, together about 34.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Cognitive Neuroscience. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
SCAN will consider research that uses neuroimaging (fMRI, MRI, PET, EEG, MEG), neuropsychological patient studies, animal lesion studies, single-cell recording, pharmacological perturbation, and transcranial magnetic stimulation. SCAN will also consider submissions that examine the mediational role of neural processes in linking social phenomena to physiological, neuroendocrine, immunological, developmental, and genetic processes. Additionally, SCAN will publish papers that address issues of mental and physical health as they relate to social and affective processes (e.g., autism, anxiety disorders, depression, stress, effects of child rearing) as long as cognitive neuroscience methods are used. Finally, although SCAN aims to publish the best cutting edge research, its goal is also to be accessible to social scientists who do not themselves use neuroscience techniques. To this end, studies should be described in language that makes their implications for the social sciences clear. Additionally, short reviews will precede some articles in each issue to link the research conceptually to the broader social science issues to which they are relevant. Journal metrics Citation metrics Clarivate 2025 Impact Factor 3.6 2025 5 Year Impact Factor 4.5 Psychology, Experimental (Rank by Impact Factor) 15/104 Psychology (Rank by Impact Factor) 16/93 Neurosciences (Rank by Impact Factor) 132/330 2025 Cited Half-Life 9.2 years 2025 Immediacy Index 0.5 2025 Eigenfactor Score 0.00596 2025 Article Influence Score 1.499 Scopus 2025 CiteScore 6.0 Experimental And Cognitive Psychology (Rank by CiteScore) 20/169 Cognitive Neuroscience (Rank by CiteScore) 35/129 2025 Source Normalized Impact per Paper (SNIP) 1.147 Readership 2025 Full Text Usage 991,405 Peer Review and Production 2025 Median days from submission to first decision 18.5 days 2025 Median days from submission to final decision 19 days About metrics Abstracting and Indexing The journal is covered by the following services: EMBASE Journal Citation Reports /Science Edition MEDLINE/PubMed Neuroscience Citation Index® PROQUEST DATABASE : PsycINFO Database with Full Text Psychlit PubMed Central Science Citation Index Expanded (SciSearch®) Scopus The Standard Periodical Directory
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Neurosciences
Editor-in-chief Ajay SatputePublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 5, Austria 1 (6 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Neural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesNeuroscience17.2%
- Functional Brain Connectivity StudiesNeuroscience9%
- Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive ProcessesPsychology7.9%
- Face Recognition and PerceptionNeuroscience7.5%
- Action Observation and SynchronizationPsychology6.7%
- Psychology of Moral and Emotional JudgmentNeuroscience5.8%
- Neuroendocrine regulation and behaviorPsychology4.8%
- Mental Health Research TopicsPsychology4.1%
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 | Neurosciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Psychology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Psychology, Experimental | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Neurosciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Psychology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Psychology, Experimental | 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 | Neurosciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Psychology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Psychology, Experimental | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIESSCIScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINEPMCEmbasePsycINFOPublisher 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
- 3.48LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.6Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.25LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.15LetPub ·
- h-index
- 87LetPub ·
- h-index
- 167OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,882OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.29OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 119LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 991,405Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,376 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 80 | 80 | 16 |
| 2025 | 126 | 126 | 300 |
| 2024 | 98 | 98 | 683 |
| 2023 | 82 | 82 | 1,074 |
| 2022 | 64 | 64 | 1,040 |
| 2021 | 137 | 137 | 2,828 |
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
207 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 143 days – 268 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 5 days (14 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 228 days
- Sample
- 101 articles with submission and acceptance dates (243 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)
- 4–8 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 18.5 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to final decision 2025
- 19 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 20 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 2,265 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 2,379 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 2,265 | Yes | — |
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Submission fee
- USD 3,625
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 prepare7 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 200 words
- Keywords
- ≤ 6
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 10,000 words
- Reference style
- APA
- Highlights
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted6
- editorialFor more detail on SCAN’s scope, please refer to the about the journal page. SCAN publishes several article types. Original research – neuroscience A full artic…Length not stated
- full articleFor more detail on SCAN’s scope, please refer to the about the journal page. SCAN publishes several article types. Original research – neuroscience A full artic…Length not stated
- letter to the editorFor more detail on SCAN’s scope, please refer to the about the journal page. SCAN publishes several article types. Original research – neuroscience A full artic…Length not stated
- meta-analysisFor more detail on SCAN’s scope, please refer to the about the journal page. SCAN publishes several article types. Original research – neuroscience A full artic…Length not stated
- original researchFor more detail on SCAN’s scope, please refer to the about the journal page. SCAN publishes several article types. Original research – neuroscience A full artic…Length not stated
- reviewFor more detail on SCAN’s scope, please refer to the about the journal page. SCAN publishes several article types. Original research – neuroscience A full artic…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, Open access, Peer review, Preprints, Self-archiving, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- Authorship Authorship
Authorship is limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the design and execution of the work described. Any contributors whose participation does not meet the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged but not listed as an author. For a detailed definition of authorship, please see the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) definitions of authors and cont…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest
Authors The Journal requires all authors to disclose any potential conflict of interest at the point of submission. It is the responsibility of the corresponding author to ensure that conflicts of interest of all authors are declared to the Journal. A conflict of interest exists when the position, activities, or relationships of an individual, whether direct or indirect, financial or non-financial…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Availability of data and materials
Where ethically feasible, the Journal strongly encourages authors to make all data and software code on which the conclusions of the paper rely available to readers. Authors are required to include a data availability statement in their paper. When data and software underlying the research article are available in an online source, authors should include a full citation in their reference list. Fo…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Screening for misconduct
Manuscripts may be screened using iThenticate to help detect publication misconduct including plagiarism and redundant publication. Manuscripts may also be screened, including with services provided by third parties, to help detect integrity issues such as inappropriate image alteration and papermill activity.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access charges
Please see the details of open access licences and charges. As the Journal is fully open access, you must pay the open access charge or request to use an institutional agreement to pay the open access charge through our licencing and payment portal, SciPris. Please note that prices are subject to change. All stated charges are exclusive of any applicable value added tax, goods and services tax and…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review process
The Journal uses the ANSI/NISO Standard Terminology for Peer Review. If you would like further description of the peer review terms used here, please refer to the most recent standard definitions. If further clarification is needed, please contact the editorial office at socafn.editorialoffice@paeditorial.co.uk . The Journal operates single-anonymized peer review, meaning that the identity of the …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
As an author, you retain the right to make an Author’s Original Version (preprint) available through various channels and this does not prevent submission to the Journal. If accepted, you are required to update the status of any preprint, including adding your published paper’s DOI. For full details on allowed channels and updating your preprint, please see our Author self-archiving policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Self-archiving Self-archiving
Self-archiving refers to posting a copy of your work on a publicly accessible website or repository. Under certain circumstances, you may self-archive versions of your work on your own webpages, on institutional webpages, and in other repositories. For information about the Journal's policy, and to learn which version(s) of your paper are acceptable for self-archiving, please see our Author self-a…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines PRISMA reporting guidelines
Articles describing meta-analyses must follow the PRISMA reporting guidelines. A formal PRISMA flowchart must be uploaded as a figure in the main manuscript, and the PRISMA 2020 checklist must be uploaded as a supplementary document.
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
- Oxford University Press
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 2006
- ISSN
- 1749-5016
- Electronic ISSN
- 1749-5024
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience
What CAS zone is Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience is in Zone 2 of Medicine, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Neurosciences / Psychology / Psychology, Experimental. 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 Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.48; CiteScore 6, h-index 167.
How long does peer review take at Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience?
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 207 days (interquartile range 143–268 days); authors report an average review time of 4–8 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 Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 200 words; Keywords: ≤ 6; Manuscript length: ≤ 10,000 words; Reference style: APA; Highlights: Optional; 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 Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience based?
Of the 6 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (5) and Austria (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience is indexed in SCIE, SSCI, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, PMC, Embase and PsycINFO; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience open access, and what is the APC?
Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 2,265.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, DOAJ, 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: .