Journal of Pain Research
📚 Overview
- Title: Journal of Pain Research (JPR)
- Publisher: Dove Medical Press (Taylor & Francis Group)
- ISSN: 1178-7090
- Scope: Pain mechanisms, clinical pain research, anesthesiology, physical therapy, pharmacology
- Access: Open Access (CC BY-NC)
- Start Year: 2008
- Language: English
📊 Metrics
- Impact Factor: ≈ 2.6 (Clarivate)
- SCImago Journal Rank (SJR): ~0.78 (Q1 Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine)
- h-Index: 77
- Acceptance rate: Moderate (~30–40%, not officially disclosed)
- Time to First Decision: ~21 days
✅ Strengths
- Open Access: Facilitates global reach and clinical utility.
- Moderate Impact and h-index: Solid visibility within the pain research community.
- Fast Peer Review: Suitable for authors needing rapid publication.
- Interdisciplinary Coverage: Encompasses basic science, clinical studies, pharmacology, and rehabilitation.
⚠️ Weaknesses and Criticism
- Moderate Prestige: Lags behind flagship journals like *Pain* or *The Journal of Pain* in terms of academic reputation.
- Potential OA Bias: As a pay-to-publish model, it may raise concerns about publication quality control, although JPR is not classified as predatory.
- Limited Transparency: Peer-review process details are not publicly disclosed (e.g., no open peer review).
- Citation Quality Variability: Some published papers are cited frequently, but many receive few or no citations.
- Risk of Editorial Drift: Rapid acceptance timelines could compromise methodological rigor in borderline submissions.
🧩 Comparative Snapshot
| Feature | Journal of Pain Research | Top-tier Pain Journals ( | Pain | , | The Journal of Pain | ) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Impact Factor | ≈ 2.6 | 4.5 – 6.0+ | ||||
| Access Model | Fully Open Access | Mostly Hybrid / Subscription | ||||
| Review Time | ~21 days | 4–8 weeks | ||||
| Peer Review Type | Anonymous | Varies; some include open review | ||||
| Publication Fees | Yes (APC-based) | Often waived for invited articles | ||||
| Indexed in | Scopus, WoS, PubMed | Scopus, WoS, MEDLINE |
🧠 Who Should Publish Here?
- Early-career researchers or clinicians looking for a legitimate, open-access venue.
- Authors seeking quicker publication timelines than mainstream high-IF journals.
- Studies of regional or applied interest in pain management that might be overlooked by top-tier outlets.
❌ Who Might Avoid It?
- Researchers aiming for maximum academic prestige or career advancement in institutions that prioritize top-quartile journals.
- Authors sensitive to publication fees or critical of the open-access APC model.
🔍 Final Judgment
- Legitimate and useful in its domain, but not a leading journal in pain science.
- Offers fast and fair publication for appropriate studies but requires caution in study design, novelty, and depth.
- Ideal for practical or translational studies, less so for highly technical or groundbreaking work.