Journal profile · Clinical Neurology
Spine Journal
ISSN 1529-9430 · eISSN 1878-1632 · Elsevier Inc. · UNITED STATES · Bimonthly · Founded 2001
Spine Journal: CAS Zone 1 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 4.86; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,980; median 126 days to acceptance (103 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 50%; 641 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Spine Journal is published by Elsevier Inc. and is in Zone 1 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Spine and Intervertebral Disc Pathology, Spinal Fractures and Fixation Techniques and Cervical and Thoracic Myelopathy, together about 49.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Surgery. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Spine Journal (TSJ), the official journal of the North American Spine Society, is an international and multidisciplinary journal that publishes original, peer-reviewed articles on research and treatment related to the spine and spine care, including basic science and clinical investigations. TSJ also publishes major reviews of specific topics by acknowledged authorities, technical notes, teaching editorials, and other special features. Letters to the Editor-in-Chief are also accepted.Authors are also welcome to submit to the journal's open access companion title, North American Spine Society Open Access Journal (NASSJ).
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Clinical Neurology
Editor-in-chief Christopher M. BonoPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 1%); most named United States 102, Canada 9, Italy 5, United Kingdom 4, Taiwan, China 2 (137 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Spine and Intervertebral Disc PathologyMedicine26.1%
- Spinal Fractures and Fixation TechniquesMedicine13.9%
- Cervical and Thoracic MyelopathyMedicine9.7%
- Scoliosis diagnosis and treatmentMedicine9.5%
- Medical Imaging and AnalysisEngineering8.7%
- Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitationMedicine6.6%
- Pelvic and Acetabular InjuriesMedicine2.7%
- Management of metastatic bone diseaseMedicine2.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Orthopedics | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Clinical Neurology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Clinical Neurology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Orthopedics | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Clinical Neurology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Orthopedics | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
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
- 4.86LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 5.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 8.2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 8.2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.77LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.11LetPub ·
- h-index
- 94LetPub ·
- h-index
- 173OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 3,955OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.71OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 3.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 16.92%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 242LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 18,133 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 526 | 66 | 50 |
| 2025 | 641 | 89 | 878 |
| 2024 | 783 | 111 | 2,406 |
| 2023 | 663 | 99 | 3,005 |
| 2022 | 652 | 88 | 4,032 |
| 2021 | 735 | 179 | 8,072 |
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
126 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 95 days – 154 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 4 days (101 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 134 days
- Sample
- 103 articles with submission and acceptance dates (594 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 9.2 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 50%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 7 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 63 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 137 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 8 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 4,980 / EUR 4,660 / GBP 3,990 / JPY 617,670 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 4,880 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Submission fee
- USD 50
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 prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 4,500 words
- Highlights
- Optional
- Not considered
- case reports; technical reports; small case series
Article types accepted7, with length limits
- case reportFor case reports you are required to follow CARE guidelines and provide the CARE checklist at manuscript submission.Read the CARE guidelinesFollow the CARE chec…Length not stated
- clinical studiesClinical studies are previously unpublished manuscripts that include clinical investigations, clinical observations and clinically relevant trials.Length not stated
- commentarySolicited pieces, the material for which would reference current topics in spine care, or a concurrently published article. Unlike Letters to the Editor, these …main text ≤ 1,500 words
- letters to the editorconcurrently published article. Unlike Letters to the Editor, these pieces will typically be about 1500 words (excluding tables, figures and references) and pro…main text ≤ 1,500 words
- letters to the editor (correspondence)These should be addressed "To the Editor" and submitted with the understanding that the material may be shortened or otherwise edited.Length not stated
- narrative reviewUsually invited, the manuscript should cover an established but controversial area of multidisciplinary spine care with the goal of updating and consolidating k…references ≤ 50
- narrative review articlesUsually invited, the manuscript should cover an established but controversial area of multidisciplinary spine care with the goal of updating and consolidating k…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 Authorship
By adhering to the authorship requirements stated above, authors meet the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria [updated version January 2024] on authorship.
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
Submission fee Model summary
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.
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 Inc.
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 2001
- ISSN
- 1529-9430
- Electronic ISSN
- 1878-1632
- Society / sponsor
- North American Spine Society
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Spine Journal
What CAS zone is Spine Journal in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Spine Journal is in Zone 1 of Medicine, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Orthopedics / Clinical Neurology; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Spine Journal?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.86; CiteScore 8.2, h-index 173.
How long does peer review take at Spine Journal?
Based on the dates recorded on 103 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 126 days (interquartile range 95–154 days); authors report an average review time of about 9.2 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 50%”. 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 Spine Journal?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Manuscript length: ≤ 4,500 words; Highlights: Optional. 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 Spine Journal based?
Of the 137 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 1%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (102), Canada (9) and Italy (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Spine Journal?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Spine Journal is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Spine Journal open access, and what is the APC?
Spine Journal is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,980.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .