Last Updated on August 27, 2026 by Dr. Bhagat
Nature Neuroscience Impact Factor 2025: The official Journal Impact Factor is 20.3 in the 2026 Journal Citation Reports release, based on 2025 citation data. The journal is in Q1 in its leading subject area. This page brings together the current JIF, five-year JIF, historical trend, publisher-reported decision times, scope and practical submission guidance.
The figures below were checked against the publisher’s current journal-metrics page. Journal metrics can change with each annual release, so the year attached to a value matters. A 2025 JIF is the metric calculated from 2025 citations and released in 2026.
Nature Neuroscience Impact Factor and Key Metrics
| Metric | Current value | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Journal Impact Factor (2025) | 20.3 | Clarivate two-year citation metric |
| Five-year Journal Impact Factor | 24.9 | Citation impact over a longer window |
| JCR quartile | Q1 | Top quartile in the journal’s leading category |
| Median submission to first editorial decision | 9 days | Includes manuscripts declined before external peer review |
| Median submission to acceptance | 399 days | Includes peer review and author revision time |
| Publisher | Springer Nature / Nature Portfolio | Official journal publisher |
These measures answer different questions. The two-year JIF emphasizes recent citations, while the five-year JIF smooths short-term variation. Editorial speed statistics describe the recent workflow at the journal; they do not predict the outcome or timing of an individual submission.
About Nature Neuroscience
Nature Neuroscience is a selective peer-reviewed Nature Portfolio journal covering research that advances understanding of the nervous system across molecular, cellular, systems, cognitive and computational levels. Its editorial remit includes neural circuits, behaviour, cognition, development, sensory systems, neurotechnology, computation, glia, neurodegeneration, psychiatric disease and brain-wide measurement.
The best fit is work that answers a significant neuroscience question with rigorous causal evidence or a clearly enabling technology. Authors should justify behavioural and statistical design, distinguish exploratory from confirmatory analyses and show that the interpretation is supported across relevant levels of analysis.
Nature Neuroscience Impact Factor History (2017–2025)
| JCR data year | Journal Impact Factor |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 19.912 |
| 2018 | 21.126 |
| 2019 | 20.071 |
| 2020 | 24.884 |
| 2021 | 28.771 |
| 2022 | 25.0 |
| 2023 | 21.2 |
| 2024 | 20.0 |
| 2025 | 20.3 |
The historical table uses the JCR data year, not the calendar year in which the metric was announced. This distinction prevents the common one-year labeling error found on many journal-metric websites.
Impact Factor Trend and Interpretation
The 2025 JIF of 20.3 represents an increase of 0.3 points from the 2024 value of 20.0. The longer history also shows why one annual figure should not be treated as a permanent score. Citation patterns can move when publication volume, article mix and field-wide citation behavior change.
A JIF is a journal-level citation ratio, not a quality score for every article. A small number of highly cited papers can materially affect the average. Read it alongside subject fit, editorial standards, article-level evidence, transparency, access options and the five-year trend.
How the Journal Impact Factor Is Calculated
Clarivate calculates the annual JIF by dividing citations received in the JCR year to eligible items published during the previous two years by the number of citable items published in those two years. The 2025 JIF uses citations recorded in 2025 to content published in 2023 and 2024.
The calculation is useful for comparing journals within a related field, but comparisons across disciplines can be misleading because citation practices and publication speeds differ substantially.
Peer Review and Publication Speed
Nature Portfolio reports a median of 9 days from submission to the first editorial decision and 399 days from submission to acceptance for Nature Neuroscience. The first figure includes rapid editorial decisions on papers that are not sent for external review. The second includes reviewer assessment and time spent by authors revising the manuscript.
These are medians rather than promises. Study complexity, reviewer availability, revision requirements and editorial queries can make an individual manuscript faster or slower.
Scope and Topics Covered
The journal publishes work involving neural circuits, behaviour, cognition, development, sensory systems, neurotechnology, computation, glia, neurodegeneration, psychiatric disease and brain-wide measurement. Authors should read several recent research articles and the official aims-and-scope page before submission. A technically sound paper can still be declined if its advance is too specialized for the journal’s broad readership.
Is Nature Neuroscience a Q1 Journal?
Yes. Nature Neuroscience is a Q1 journal in its leading Journal Citation Reports category. Quartiles are category-specific and can be recalculated each year, so a journal can have different positions across multiple subject categories.
Acceptance Rate and Selectivity
Nature Neuroscience does not publish a current official acceptance-rate percentage on its public metrics page. Any precise rate shown by an unaffiliated website should therefore be treated as an estimate unless it links to a dated publisher statement.
Selectivity is better assessed through the journal’s editorial criteria: significance of the advance, strength of evidence, relevance to the readership, methodological rigor and clarity of presentation. The short first-decision median also reflects editorial screening and should not be interpreted as the duration of external peer review.
Publishing Model and Open Access
Nature Neuroscience uses Nature Portfolio’s publishing options. Authors should consult the journal’s current publishing-model and open-access pages for the article type, licence, institutional agreement and fee that apply to their submission. Charges and funding arrangements can change, so this page does not present an unverified or undated APC as a fixed price.
Before submission, check whether a funder requires immediate open access, whether the author’s institution has a Springer Nature agreement and whether the selected article type is eligible under that agreement.
Submission Checklist for Authors
- Confirm that the central advance fits the journal’s aims and broad readership.
- State the research question and main conclusion clearly in the title, abstract and cover letter.
- Use appropriate controls, sample sizes, statistical methods and independent validation.
- Report limitations honestly and avoid claims that extend beyond the evidence.
- Prepare data, code, protocols and reporting checklists required by the journal.
- Check figure integrity, image processing, reference accuracy and author contributions.
- Review ethics approvals, consent, competing interests and data-availability statements.
- Read the current submission guidelines immediately before uploading the manuscript.
What editors are likely to assess first
Editors initially consider scope, novelty, potential significance and whether the evidence appears capable of supporting the main claim. A concise cover letter should explain the advance and its relevance without repeating the abstract or relying on the Impact Factor as a reason for publication.
Indexing and Journal Identity
Nature Neuroscience is a Nature Portfolio journal and is covered by major scholarly discovery and citation systems used in its field. Authors should verify the journal identity through the official Nature website and use the journal’s own submission link. This helps avoid similarly named publications and misleading third-party submission services.
How to Use These Metrics Responsibly
- Compare the journal with titles in the same discipline and JCR category.
- Use the five-year JIF to add context to a volatile two-year value.
- Do not use the JIF to judge the reliability or importance of a single paper.
- Consider scope, review standards, access, audience and research integrity alongside citations.
- Verify the metric year whenever quoting a value in a report, CV or evaluation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Nature Neuroscience Impact Factor for 2025?
The official 2025 Journal Impact Factor is 20.3, published with the 2026 JCR update.
What is the five-year Impact Factor?
The current five-year Journal Impact Factor is 24.9. It uses a longer citation window and can provide useful context for fields in which citations accumulate more slowly.
How fast is the first editorial decision?
The publisher reports a median of 9 days from submission to the first editorial decision. This includes papers that are not sent for external peer review.
How long does acceptance take?
The reported median from submission to acceptance is 399 days, including peer review and revision time.
Does the journal publish an official acceptance rate?
No current official percentage is displayed on the public journal-metrics page. A precise third-party figure should not be treated as confirmed without a dated publisher source.
Should I submit based only on the Impact Factor?
No. The most important first test is whether the manuscript fits the journal’s scope and editorial threshold. Methodological rigor, audience, access requirements and the suitability of the review process are also important.
Authoritative Sources
- Official Nature Neuroscience journal metrics
- Official Nature Neuroscience website
- Nature Portfolio journal metrics directory
- Clarivate Journal Citation Reports help
Last fact-check: August 2026. Metrics are annual and should be rechecked after each new JCR release.
