Journal profile · NUTRITION & DIETETICS
South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition
ISSN 1607-0658 · eISSN 2221-1268 · Taylor & Francis · United Kingdom
South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.4 (journal website); fully open access; APC about USD 1,590; median 147 days to acceptance (56 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 57% (journal website); 39 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition is published by Taylor & Francis 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 Child Nutrition and Water Access, Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet and Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues, together about 35% of its articles. Its main subfields are Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition (SAJCN) accepts articles from all basic and applied areas of dietetics and human nutrition, including clinical nutrition, public health nutrition, food science, food policy, food service management and nutrition policy. The Journal has a broad interpretation of the field of nutrition. The Journal recognizes that there are many factors that determine nutritional status which need to be the subject of scientific investigation and reported in the Journal. The Journal seeks to serve a broad readership and to provide information that will be useful to the scientific community, the academic community, government and non-government stakeholders in the nutrition field, policy makers and industry. The Journal encourages articles from all investigators in the field of dietetics, food, nutrition and related areas. In particular, young researchers will be encouraged and supported to submit their research work for publication. Although the Journal is based in South Africa, it actively encourages articles from other African countries to act as a forum for the discussion of African nutritional issues. The Journal is committed to high scientific, professional and ethical standards. The Journal will accept letters for publication, which are relevant to the Journal. The Journal provides a forum for publication of congress abstracts, supplements, short communications and policy statements with their technical support papers. The views expressed in the Journal are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Editorial Board. The Journal is managed by an Editor and Editorial Board with the following responsibilities: Maintenance of scientific standards of the articles published and appointment of a review Panel of experts for the peer review process Maintenance of ethical standards of the articles published Encouragement and support of authors Promotion of the readership Ensuring the dissemination of articles published CPD Questionnaire and CEUs Authors can earn CEUs for published articles. CPD accredited articles will appear in each journal volume. The CPD questionnaires and CPD certificates can be found at https://www.mpconsulting.co.za. Authors, co-authors and all SAJCN peer reviewers can earn CEUs for published articles/reviews performed. The number of CEUs are according to the HPCSA CPD guidelines. Authors, co-authors and all SAJCN peer reviewers are requested to add their HPCSA registration number to their SAJCN Ed
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): NUTRITION & DIETETICS
Editor-in-chief Renée BlaauwPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named South Africa 14 (14 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Child Nutrition and Water AccessNursing16.1%
- Obesity, Physical Activity, DietMedicine12.3%
- Child Nutrition and Feeding IssuesMedicine6.5%
- Nutrition and Health in AgingMedicine6.2%
- Food Security and Health in Diverse PopulationsHealth Professions5.8%
- Clinical Nutrition and GastroenterologyNursing5.3%
- Diet and metabolism studiesMedicine5.2%
- Nutritional Studies and DietMedicine5.1%
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 | Nutrition & Dietetics | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Nutrition & Dietetics | Zone 4 |
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
EmbasePublisher website
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 (publisher) 2025
- 1.4Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.8LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 1.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.35LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.35Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.6LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.6Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 40OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 241OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.75OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 34LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 113,000Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 113,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 897 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 24 | 24 | 7 |
| 2025 | 39 | 39 | 30 |
| 2024 | 22 | 22 | 27 |
| 2023 | 19 | 19 | 82 |
| 2022 | 27 | 27 | 92 |
| 2021 | 39 | 39 | 152 |
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
147 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 107 days – 202 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 32 days (56 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 188 days
- Sample
- 56 articles with submission and acceptance dates (73 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 29 weeksLetPub ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 57%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 57%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 63 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 63 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 120 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review 2025
- 120 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 35 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 35 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 29 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 | GBP 1,250 / USD 1,590 / EUR 1,450 / ZAR 12,000 / AUD 2,170 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC | |
| OpenAlex | GBP 1,250 / USD 1,590 / EUR 1,450 / ZAR 12,000 / AUD 2,170 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 1,500 | — | — |
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)
Article types accepted3
- editorialEditorial | Published online: 9 Sep 2026Length not stated
- research articleResearch Article | Published online: 14 Jul 2026Length not stated
- review articleReview Article | Published online: 9 Sep 2026Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websitePublication ethics, Open access, Peer review
- Publication ethics
Original work only; no prior publication or simultaneous submission. Model summary
Articles submitted for consideration by the Editor should not have been published before, either in total or in part, nor be currently submitted to any other publisher.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
APC waivers available for authors without research support. Model summary
South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition is an open access journal and only publishes open access articles. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the discoverability and readership of your article Make an impact and reach new rea…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review Process
All manuscripts will be subject to double anonymised peer-review by two independent, expert referees and the decision of the Editor will be final. Model summary
All manuscripts will be subject to double anonymised peer-review by two independent, expert referees and the decision of the Editor will be final. The anonymised peer-review process is also applied to the SASPEN Case studies. Articles submitted for consideration by the Editor should not have been published before, either in total or in part, nor be currently submitted to any other publisher. The E…
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
- Taylor & Francis
- Country or region
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 1607-0658
- Electronic ISSN
- 2221-1268
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 39, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- 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 South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition
What CAS zone is South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Nutrition & Dietetics. 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.
What is the impact factor of South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 1.4 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 1.8, h-index 40.
How long does peer review take at South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition?
Based on the dates recorded on 56 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 147 days (interquartile range 107–202 days); authors report an average review time of about 29 weeks; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 57% (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.
Where are the editorial board members of South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition based?
Of the 14 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are South Africa (14). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Embase; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition open access, and what is the APC?
South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 1,590.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .