Journal profile · PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
SSM-Population Health
ISSN 2352-8273 · Elsevier · United Kingdom
SSM-Population Health: CAS Zone 2 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.72; fully open access; APC about USD 3,610; median 126 days to acceptance (104 articles, last 24 months); 152 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
SSM-Population Health is published by Elsevier 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 Health disparities and outcomes, Employment and Welfare Studies and Global Health Care Issues, together about 40.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are General Health Professions. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
SSM - Population HealthThe online only, open access, peer reviewed journal covering all areas relating Social Science research to population health.SSM - Population Health shares the same general approach to manuscripts as its companion title, Social Science & Medicine. The journal takes a broad approach to the field especially welcoming interdisciplinary papers from across the Social Sciences and allied areasSSM - Population Health offers an alternative outlet for work which might not be considered, or is classed as 'out of scope' elsewhere, and prioritizes fast peer review and publication to the benefit of authors and readers.The journal welcomes all types of paper from traditional primary research articles, replication studies, methodological studies, instrument validation, opinion pieces, literature reviews, etc. SSM - Population Health also offers the opportunity to publish special issues or sections to reflect current interest and research in topical or developing areas. The journal fully supports authors wanting to present their research in an innovative fashion though the use of multimedia formats.SSM - Population Health is indexed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), Scopus, PubMed Central and Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI).
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
Editor-in-chief Mauricio AvendanoPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 3%); most named United States 17, United Kingdom 13, Australia 5, Canada 4, Japan 3 (60 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Health disparities and outcomesSocial Sciences25%
- Employment and Welfare StudiesHealth Professions9%
- Global Health Care IssuesHealth Professions6.5%
- Global Maternal and Child HealthMedicine4.7%
- Food Security and Health in Diverse PopulationsHealth Professions4.4%
- Obesity, Physical Activity, DietMedicine4.3%
- Migration, Health and TraumaPsychology4%
- Racial and Ethnic Identity ResearchSocial Sciences3.5%
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 | Public, Environmental & Occupational Health | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Public, Environmental & Occupational Health | 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 | Public, Environmental & Occupational Health | 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
ESCIPMCPublisher 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
- 3.72LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 3.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.5LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.46LetPub ·
- h-index
- 90OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,152OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.98OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 2.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 142LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,955 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 77 | 77 | 20 |
| 2025 | 152 | 152 | 379 |
| 2024 | 149 | 149 | 1,104 |
| 2023 | 255 | 255 | 2,814 |
| 2022 | 312 | 312 | 4,941 |
| 2021 | 293 | 293 | 10,711 |
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 99 days – 177 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 1 days (104 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 127 days
- Sample
- 104 articles with submission and acceptance dates (256 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 16 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 35 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 114 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 18 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 | USD 3,610 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 2,930 / EUR 2,740 / GBP 2,350 / JPY 363,410 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 3,610 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,680 | — | — |
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
- 1–7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 9,000 words
- Reference style
- APA
- Highlights
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Article types accepted5, with length limits
- meta-analysisThis journal publishes the following types of papersPeer-reviewed original research articles (including methodological, theoretical and conceptual papers) and c…Length not stated
- original research articleThis journal publishes the following types of papersPeer-reviewed original research articles (including methodological, theoretical and conceptual papers) and c…Length not stated
- peer-reviewed original research articlesPeer-reviewed original research articles (including methodological, theoretical and conceptual papers) and critical analytical reviews in any area of social sci…Length not stated
- reviewThis journal publishes the following types of papersPeer-reviewed original research articles (including methodological, theoretical and conceptual papers) and c…main text ≤ 12,000 words
- systematic and scoping reviews (including meta-analyses)Systematic and Scoping reviews (including Meta-analyses) of up to 12000 words including abstract, tables, figures, and references as well as the main text. Revi…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 Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
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
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 sharing allowed Model summary
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
- Country or region
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2352-8273
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- 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 SSM-Population Health
What CAS zone is SSM-Population Health in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, SSM-Population Health is in Zone 2 of Medicine, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Public, Environmental & Occupational Health. 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 SSM-Population Health?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.72; CiteScore 7, h-index 90.
How long does peer review take at SSM-Population Health?
Based on the dates recorded on 104 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 126 days (interquartile range 99–177 days); authors report an average review time of about 16 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 SSM-Population Health?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Manuscript length: ≤ 9,000 words; Reference style: APA; Highlights: Optional; Graphical abstract: 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 SSM-Population Health based?
Of the 60 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 3%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (17), United Kingdom (13) and Australia (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index SSM-Population Health?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, SSM-Population Health is indexed in SCIE, SSCI, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists ESCI and PMC; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is SSM-Population Health open access, and what is the APC?
SSM-Population Health is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 3,610.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .