Journal profile · Surgery
Surgery
ISSN 0039-6060 · eISSN 1532-7361 · Mosby Inc. · UNITED STATES · Monthly · Founded 1937
Surgery: CAS Zone 2 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.1; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,130; median 100 days to acceptance (130 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: fairly hard; 767 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Surgery is published by Mosby Inc. 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 Pancreatic and Hepatic Oncology Research, Thyroid and Parathyroid Surgery and Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treatment and Prognosis, together about 22.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Surgery. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The journal Surgery is a premier, international source of clinically practical, and innovative educational content which advances surgical science and patient care.It publishes original research papers, special topic series, editorials, and invited commentaries.The scope of the journal is broad, and includes: Acute Care/Critical Care/Trauma AppendixArtificial IntelligenceBariatricsBiliaryBreastCardiacColon/Rectum/AnusEducationEndocrineEsophagusGastricGlobal MedicineHealthcareHepaticHerniaHistoryImmunologyInfection/InflammationInnovation/New TechnologyNutrition/MetabolismOncologyOutcomesPancreasPediatricsPlastics/Wound HealingQualitative ResearchSmall BowelThoracicTransplantationVascularSurgery also publishes papers from the meetings of the Society of University Surgeons, the Central Surgical Association, the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons, the International Society for Fluorescence Guided Surgery and the Western Surgical Association.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Surgery
Editor-in-chief Caitlin W. HicksPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 9 in mainland China (about 6%); most named United States 94, Mainland China 9, Italy 7, Japan 4, Spain 4 (140 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Pancreatic and Hepatic Oncology ResearchMedicine8.5%
- Thyroid and Parathyroid SurgeryMedicine8.1%
- Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treatment and PrognosisMedicine5.7%
- Thyroid Cancer Diagnosis and TreatmentMedicine5.4%
- Gallbladder and Bile Duct DisordersMedicine5.2%
- Organ Transplantation Techniques and OutcomesMedicine4.7%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.5%
- Parathyroid Disorders and TreatmentsMedicine4.5%
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 | Surgery | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Surgery | 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 | Surgery | 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
- 3.1LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 3.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 4.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.04LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.17LetPub ·
- h-index
- 148LetPub ·
- h-index
- 215OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 7,454OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.22OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 15.01%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 513LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 15,342 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 553 | 157 | 85 |
| 2025 | 767 | 188 | 1,534 |
| 2024 | 743 | 193 | 2,952 |
| 2023 | 621 | 176 | 4,036 |
| 2022 | 679 | 192 | 5,006 |
| 2021 | 740 | 158 | 9,066 |
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
100 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 79 days – 126 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 9 days (142 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 121 days
- Sample
- 130 articles with submission and acceptance dates (1,550 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 3 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly hardLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 11 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 38 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 95 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 32 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single 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 4,130 / EUR 3,860 / GBP 3,310 / JPY 512,240 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 4,060 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
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)
Open calls for papers1, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 3,500 words
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Article types accepted8, with length limits
- best in surgeryThe Editors and Editors-in-Chief will select high impact manuscripts submitted as original communications as works of distinction, which will be published as fe…Length not stated
- commentaryrs is strongly recommended. The invited commentaries should be concise (not to exceed 1000 words) and should express the personal opinion of the author. Anmain text ≤ 1,000 words
- invited commentariesAll invited commentaries are solicited by the Editors-in-Chief. Unsolicited commentaries may be considered, but pre-approval by the Editors is strongly recommen…Length not stated
- letterSurgery is no longer accepting Images in Surgery submissions. Authors may consider submitting their images to Surgery Open Science SOPEN. Cover Letter (Mandator…main text ≤ 1,000 words
- letters to the editorSurgery no longer routinely publishes letters to the editors. Special individual consideration may be given rarely in unique circumstances. Letters to the edito…main text ≤ 500 words
- randomized controlled trialsAuthors submitting randomized controlled trials must follow the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement.Length not stated
- societal papersScientific work presented at annual meetings of the Academic Surgical Congress (ASC) under the auspices of the Society of University Surgeons (SUS), Central Sur…Length not stated
- special series articlesSpecial series are a collection of articles on the same theme. Articles included in these collections can be made up of Original Communications, Clinical Review…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, 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 ·- Publication ethics
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses encouraged to follow PRISMA reporting guidelines. Model summary
For systematic reviews and meta-analyses you are encouraged to follow the PRISMA reporting guidelines.
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
Single anonymized review process; submissions initially assessed by editors; if suitable, sent to a minimum of two reviewers; decision made by editors. Model summary
This journal follows a single 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 per Elsevier's article sharing policy; preprints do not count as prior publication. 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
- Mosby Inc.
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1937
- ISSN
- 0039-6060
- Electronic ISSN
- 1532-7361
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Surgery
What CAS zone is Surgery in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Surgery is in Zone 2 of Medicine, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Surgery. 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 Surgery?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.1; CiteScore 4.7, h-index 215.
How long does peer review take at Surgery?
Based on the dates recorded on 130 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 100 days (interquartile range 79–126 days); authors report an average review time of about 3 months; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly hard”. 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 Surgery?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Manuscript length: ≤ 3,500 words; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; 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 Surgery based?
Of the 140 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 9 (about 6%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (94), Mainland China (9) and Italy (7). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Surgery?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Surgery is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Surgery open access, and what is the APC?
Surgery is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,130.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .