Journal profile · Virology
Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine
ISSN 1608-9693 · eISSN 2078-6751 · AOSIS (Pty) Ltd · SOUTH AFRICA · Quarterly · Founded 2000
Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.81; fully open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 69 days to acceptance (62 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 46 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine is published by AOSIS (Pty) Ltd 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 HIV/AIDS Research and Interventions, HIV/AIDS Impact and Responses and HIV/AIDS drug development and treatment, together about 49.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Infectious Diseases. (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): Virology
Editor-in-chief Gary MaartensPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named South Africa 15, United States 2 (17 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- HIV/AIDS Research and InterventionsMedicine28.1%
- HIV/AIDS Impact and ResponsesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance11.9%
- HIV/AIDS drug development and treatmentMedicine9.6%
- Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive HealthHealth Professions8.6%
- HIV-related health complications and treatmentsMedicine7.1%
- HIV Research and TreatmentImmunology and Microbiology6.3%
- Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia detection and treatmentMedicine5.1%
- HIV, Drug Use, Sexual RiskMedicine2.6%
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 | Infectious Diseases | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Virology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Infectious Diseases | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Virology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Infectious Diseases | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Virology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePMCEmbaseSciELOPublisher website
Other: Index Medicus, Google Scholar, EBSCO, 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
- 1.81LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 1.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.65LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.64LetPub ·
- h-index
- 13LetPub ·
- h-index
- 36OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 214OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.89OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 11.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 38LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,348 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 30 | 30 | 3 |
| 2025 | 46 | 46 | 109 |
| 2024 | 32 | 32 | 92 |
| 2023 | 26 | 26 | 165 |
| 2022 | 46 | 46 | 315 |
| 2021 | 56 | 56 | 458 |
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
69 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 51 days – 90 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 90 days (62 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 161 days
- Sample
- 62 articles with submission and acceptance dates (72 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)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 30 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 13,637 | No | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | ZAR 11,152 | — | — | |
| LetPub | ZAR 10,850 | No | — |
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 prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 8
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 5,000 words
- Reference style
- Vancouver
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted12
- case reportCase Report Case reports of exceptional interest and that contribute to scientific knowledge are considered by the journal.Length not stated
- clinical imagesClinical Images The aim is to show a classic, rare or unusual manifestation of HIV or HIV-related conditions.Length not stated
- conference abstractsConference AbstractsLength not stated
- correctionsCorrectionsLength not stated
- editorialEditorial Editorials are by invitation only and are intended to provide expert comments on relevant topics within the focus and scope of the journal.Length not stated
- guidelinesGuidelinesLength not stated
- letters to the editorLetters to the EditorLength not stated
- obituariesObituariesLength not stated
- opinion papersOpinion PapersLength not stated
- original research articleOriginal Research Article Original research articles should be focused on HIV treatment, prevention and related topics relevant to clinical and public health pr…Length not stated
- review articleReview ArticleLength not stated
- scientific letterScientific LetterLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Disclosure of AI-assisted technologies
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
Authors retain copyright unless specified otherwise. 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
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 ·- License & copyright
Open access; articles licensed under CC BY 4.0 unless otherwise stated. Model summary
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 ·- 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 ·- Peer review
Double-blinded peer review; authors must anonymise manuscripts. Model summary
The journal follows a double-blinded peer-review process, and you need to make your manuscript anonymous.
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 (Pty) Ltd
- Country or region
- SOUTH AFRICA
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 2000
- ISSN
- 1608-9693
- Electronic ISSN
- 2078-6751
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine
What CAS zone is Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Infectious Diseases / Virology. 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 Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.81; CiteScore 2.7, h-index 36.
How long does peer review take at Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine?
Based on the dates recorded on 62 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 69 days (interquartile range 51–90 days); authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”. 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 Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 8; Manuscript length: ≤ 5,000 words; Reference style: Vancouver; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; 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 Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine based?
Of the 17 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are South Africa (15) and United States (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, PMC, Embase and SciELO; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine open access, and what is the APC?
Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .