Last Updated on August 21, 2026 by Dr. Bhagat
Updated August 2026. PNAS has a 2025 Journal Impact Factor of 9.5 in the 2026 Journal Citation Reports cycle. It is a Q1 Multidisciplinary Sciences journal indexed in SCIE. This guide combines the corrected 2017–2025 JIF history with the journal’s scope, editorial process, access model and practical author guidance.
PNAS metrics at a glance
| 2025 Journal Impact Factor | 9.5 |
| JCR category / quartile | Multidisciplinary Sciences / Q1 |
| Web of Science edition | Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE) |
| Total citations in supplied 2025 JCR data | 766,549 |
| Publisher | National Academy of Sciences of the United States |
| Standard access model | Subscription access initially; articles become free to read within six months |
| Open-access option | Available under the journal’s current licence and charge terms |
| Print ISSN | 0027-8424 |
| Online ISSN | 1091-6490 |
PNAS publishes journal-level metrics on its official site. Different indicators and category ranks use different methods, so the JIF should be interpreted in context rather than as a universal measure of research quality.
What is the PNAS Impact Factor for 2025?
The PNAS Journal Impact Factor for 2025 is 9.5. The value belongs to the 2025 citation year and appears in the 2026 JCR release. It is calculated at journal level and does not mean that every PNAS paper receives approximately ten citations.
PNAS Impact Factor history, 2017–2025
| Impact Factor year | Journal Impact Factor |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 9.504 |
| 2018 | 9.580 |
| 2019 | 9.412 |
| 2020 | 11.205 |
| 2021 | 12.777 |
| 2022 | 11.1 |
| 2023 | 9.4 |
| 2024 | 9.1 |
| 2025 | 9.5 |
The series increased during 2020–2021, moved down in 2022–2024 and rose slightly from 9.1 to 9.5 in 2025. Citation windows, publication volume and topic mix can affect annual movement. The series does not show that every paper’s quality changed in parallel.
About PNAS
The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, usually abbreviated PNAS, is the multidisciplinary journal of the National Academy of Sciences. The journal reports publishing more than 3,500 research papers annually across the biological, physical and social sciences.
- Biological, biomedical and health sciences
- Physical sciences, mathematics and engineering
- Earth, environmental and climate sciences
- Social, behavioural and economic sciences
- Applied and interdisciplinary research of broad scientific interest
A suitable manuscript should present an important research contribution, use rigorous methods and communicate why the findings matter to readers in its field or across disciplines.
Q1 status and indexing
PNAS is Q1 in Multidisciplinary Sciences and indexed in SCIE. It is also widely covered in major scholarly databases. Its print ISSN is 0027-8424 and its online ISSN is 1091-6490. Quartile standing is specific to a category and should not be treated as a universal ranking of all science journals.
Editorial and peer-review process
Direct submissions are assessed for scope and suitability before external review. For reviewed papers, editors evaluate referee reports and make a recommendation to the responsible Editorial Board member, who makes the final decision. Authors may be asked to revise the work and respond point by point.
PNAS also has a defined contributed-submission route for eligible National Academy of Sciences members, with its own limits and requirements. It should not be confused with the standard direct-submission route used by most authors.
Access and publication charges
Under the standard PNAS access policy, articles become free to read within six months of publication, and the journal automatically deposits the appropriate version in PubMed Central. Authors may also select an immediate open-access option under the current licence and charge terms.
PNAS publication charges and institutional agreements can change and may depend on article length, licence, access route and author eligibility. To avoid publishing an outdated dollar amount, authors should use the official publication-charges page when planning a submission or budget.
Article types
PNAS publishes original research alongside formats such as Reviews, Perspectives, Commentaries and Letters. Requirements and invitation rules differ by format. Authors should choose the current article type in the PNAS author center and follow its length, abstract, significance statement, figure and reference instructions.
How to prepare a PNAS submission
- Confirm that the manuscript fits a current PNAS topic and article type.
- State the scientific advance and broader relevance without overstating the conclusions.
- Prepare a clear significance statement where required by the selected format.
- Provide sufficient methods, appropriate statistics and transparent reporting.
- Deposit data, code and research materials according to PNAS availability policies.
- Include ethics approvals, consent, trial registration and competing-interest declarations where applicable.
- Check the latest publication charges, licence terms and institutional agreements on the official author-center page.
PNAS acceptance rate and review time
The official public pages reviewed for this update do not provide one current acceptance-rate percentage or a single guaranteed review time for every submission route and article type. This guide therefore does not repeat unofficial estimates. Authors should treat any timeline as an indication rather than a promise and rely on the live author center for current process information.
Frequently asked questions
What is the latest PNAS Impact Factor?
The 2025 Journal Impact Factor is 9.5 in the 2026 JCR release.
What does PNAS stand for?
PNAS stands for Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
Is PNAS Q1?
Yes. It is Q1 in Multidisciplinary Sciences.
Is every PNAS article immediately open access?
No. Immediate open access is an author option under the applicable terms, while standard articles become free to read within six months under the journal’s policy.
Sources and data notes
- Official PNAS journal overview
- Official PNAS journal metrics
- PNAS author center
- Official submission guidance
- Official editorial and journal policies
- Official publication charges and access terms
- Clarivate Journal Citation Reports
Data checked: 22 August 2026. Policies and charges can change; verify the official author center before submission.
