Clinical Case Reports

• Publisher: Wiley
• ISSN: 2050-0904 (Online)
• Scope: Broad-spectrum open-access journal focused on the publication of clinical case reports across all areas of medicine.
• Impact Factor: Not indexed in Journal Citation Reports (JCR); relies on alternative metrics such as CiteScore (Scopus: ~0.8 as of 2024).

• Wide Accessibility:
  • Open access model facilitates global dissemination.
  • Useful for clinicians in low-resource settings.
• Inclusive Scope:
  • Accepts submissions from all specialties.
  • Encourages interdisciplinary and early-career submissions.
• Rapid Publication:
  • Turnaround time ~4–6 weeks.
  • Emphasis on dissemination over prestige.
• Educational Utility:
  • Real-world cases useful for clinical training and teaching.

• Low Scientific Rigor:
  • Mostly anecdotal reports with limited generalizability.
  • Sparse discussion of differential diagnoses or mechanisms.
• Editorial Selectivity:
  • Low threshold for acceptance.
  • Potential for case inflation and publication volume over quality.
  • APC ($1,800 USD) may bias acceptance policy.
• Not Indexed in Major Rankings:
  • Not listed in Web of Science (SCIE).
  • Limited value for academic CVs or research grants.
• Reproducibility and Ethical Oversight:
  • Often lacks imaging, diagnostic work-up, or explicit consent.
  • Ethical review rarely mentioned.

Clinical Case Reports serves a niche role in:

• Showcasing rare or illustrative clinical cases
• Offering publication opportunity for early-career authors
• Providing educational material for teaching rounds

However, its:

• Low impact
• Lack of indexing
• Minimal critical review

…limit its use in high-level evidence synthesis or academic advancement.

Recommendation:

• ✅ Suitable for:
  • Unique or instructive cases
  • Didactic sharing within departments
  • First-time clinical authors

• ❌ Not suitable for:
  • Impactful academic CV building
  • Meta-analyses or guideline citation
  • Competitive research funding portfolios