Journal profile · MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL
South African Family Practice
ISSN 2078-6190 · eISSN 2078-6204 · AOSIS · South Africa
South African Family Practice: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); fully open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 94 days to acceptance (87 articles, last 24 months); 101 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
South African Family Practice is published by AOSIS and is in Zone 4 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Primary Care and Health Outcomes, Innovations in Medical Education and Global Health Workforce Issues, together about 28.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are General Health Professions. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
In 2025, the inclusion of AI policies became compulsory for all SciELO SA journals. Authors using AI-assisted technology must disclose their use in manuscripts to ensure transparency, accuracy, and trust. Guidance is available in the Plagiarism, Fabrication and Artificial Intelligence Policy page and the Submission Guidelines under 'AI-assisted technologies' in the formatting requirements. Not sure if this journal is indexed in SciELO SA? Please check our Indexing Services page.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): MEDICINE, GENERAL & INTERNAL
Editor-in-chief Klaus B. von PressentinPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named South Africa 23, United States 1, Canada 1, Australia 1, Belgium 1 (28 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Primary Care and Health OutcomesHealth Professions16.9%
- Innovations in Medical EducationMedicine5.9%
- Global Health Workforce IssuesHealth Professions5.7%
- Healthcare Policy and ManagementEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5.5%
- HIV/AIDS Research and InterventionsMedicine5.4%
- Child and Adolescent HealthHealth Professions5.2%
- HIV/AIDS Impact and ResponsesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5.1%
- Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive HealthHealth Professions5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Medicine, General & Internal | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Medicine, General & Internal | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceMEDLINEPMCEmbaseCAB AbstractsSciELOPublisher website
Other: Index Medicus, Google Scholar, EBSCO
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
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 1.2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.38LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.5LetPub ·
- h-index
- 43OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 465OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.34OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 8.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 99.56%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 76LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 5,595 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 70 | 70 | 8 |
| 2025 | 101 | 101 | 81 |
| 2024 | 101 | 101 | 276 |
| 2023 | 74 | 74 | 343 |
| 2022 | 89 | 89 | 489 |
| 2021 | 86 | 86 | 774 |
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
94 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 69 days – 131 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 49 days (87 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 160 days
- Sample
- 87 articles with submission and acceptance dates (161 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)
- about 25 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 25 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double 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 | ZAR 22,062 | No | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | ZAR 15,760 | — | — | |
| LetPub | ZAR 17,472 | No | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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 prepare2 items from the author guidelines
- Keywords
- 5–8
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted12
- book reviewA book review provides concise, critical insight into recently published books that are relevant to the journal’s research field.Length not stated
- correctionsCorrectionsLength not stated
- cpd articleCPD article contributions are by invitation only and are published as part of the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme of South African Family Pr…Length not stated
- editorialEditorials are by invitation only and are intended to provide expert comment on relevant topics within the focus and scope of the journal.Length not stated
- letterOverview These author guidelines outline the types of articles considered for publication and provide clear guidance on preparing a manuscript for submission. T…Length not stated
- letter to the editorA Letter to the Editor provides a concise and timely platform for scholarly engagement, allowing authors to respond to content published in the journal or to ad…Length not stated
- obituaryObituaryLength not stated
- open forumOpen ForumLength not stated
- original researchOriginal ResearchLength not stated
- reviewOverview These author guidelines outline the types of articles considered for publication and provide clear guidance on preparing a manuscript for submission. T…Length not stated
- saafp contributionSAAFP ContributionLength not stated
- scientific letterScientific LetterLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Preprints
- AI use Disclosure of AI-assisted technologies
Authors using AI-assisted technology must disclose their use in manuscripts. Model summary
The Acknowledgements section must include a clear statement disclosing any use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies (e.g., for data analysis, dataset or artefact creation) in conducting the research. This statement should: Be specific by naming the exact AI tool(s) used. State the purpose of the tool’s use, such as artefact creation or data analysis. Disclose human oversight by confirming …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Disclosure of contributors not qualifying for authorship
All authors must have an ORCID iD with current, publicly accessible profiles. Model summary
The acknowledgement section includes listing those who contributed to the work but did not meet authorship criteria, with the corresponding description of the contribution. Acknowledge anyone who provided intellectual assistance, technical help (incl. editing), or special equipment and/or materials. Authors are responsible for ensuring that anyone named in the Acknowledgements agrees to be named. …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures
Vancouver referencing style is required. Model summary
Authors are required to disclose any prior dissemination of the manuscript content. This includes, but is not limited to: Thesis-based work (e.g., master's or doctoral theses). Preprint versions that are published on open repositories. Refer to our Frequently Asked Questions: Questions from Authors - Preprints. Conference papers or presentations that were expanded into an article. Additionally, au…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statement
All research articles should have a data availability statement included in the manuscript in the form of a sentence under a separate heading entitled ‘Data availability statement’. The following are examples of a data availability statement. If you use one of the examples, you should modify it to fit your specific relationship. Availability of data Suggested data availability statements Example 1…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Ethical review by the Committee for Research Ethics & Integrity at the author’s organisation or affiliated institution is required. Model summary
All research is subject to ethical review by the Committee for Research Ethics & Integrity at the author’s organisation or affiliated institution.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright
Authors retain copyright unless specified otherwise. Model summary
The author(s) retain copyright on work published by AOSIS unless specified otherwise.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access OPEN ACCESS
All articles published in this journal are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license, unless otherwise stated.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Disclosure of preprint-based content
Scenario Suggested preprint-based disclosures Example 1 A preprint version of this work was previously published on [Preprint Server Name] ([DOI or link]), and we acknowledge its role in shaping the final article. Example 2 – preprint feedback incorporated in the final manuscript We acknowledge the initial version of this work published as a preprint on [Preprint Server Name] ([DOI or link]). Feed…
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
- AOSIS
- Country or region
- South Africa
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2078-6190
- Electronic ISSN
- 2078-6204
- Society / sponsor
- South African Academy of Family Physicians
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about South African Family Practice
What CAS zone is South African Family Practice in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, South African Family Practice is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Medicine, General & Internal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
How long does peer review take at South African Family Practice?
Based on the dates recorded on 87 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 94 days (interquartile range 69–131 days); authors report an average review time of about 25 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 South African Family Practice?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Keywords: 5–8; 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 South African Family Practice based?
Of the 28 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are South Africa (23), United States (1) and Canada (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index South African Family Practice?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, South African Family Practice is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, MEDLINE, PMC, Embase, CAB Abstracts and SciELO; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is South African Family Practice open access, and what is the APC?
South African Family Practice is a fully open-access journal. APC charged, amount not published.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website, 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .