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Anesthesiology is the American Society of Anesthesiologists’ (ASA) flagship peer-reviewed journal, published monthly since 1940 and indexed in MEDLINE and PubMed. This guide is for researchers, librarians and research administrators who need to identify the journal correctly, confirm how it is indexed, and tell it apart from the newer ASA title Anesthesiology Open and from other anesthesia journals. It describes the publication; it is not clinical guidance.
What the journal Anesthesiology is
The journal’s title is the single word Anesthesiology, so searches for an “anesthesiology journal” often mean this title but can also mean any journal in the field. The National Library of Medicine (NLM) Catalog record (NLM ID 1300217, read 2026-11-08) gives the following bibliographic identity:
- Title and MEDLINE abbreviation: Anesthesiology
- ISSN: 0003-3022 (print) and 1528-1175 (electronic)
- First published: 1940
- Frequency: monthly
- Country of publication: United States
The ASA’s 2024 annual report calls it “ASA’s flagship journal” and reports a journal impact factor of 9.3, ranking it first in the anesthesiology category (asahq.org/annualreport24/journal, read 2026-11-08). The report does not state which Journal Citation Reports year the figure comes from, so treat it as the society’s own statement and confirm the current value in Clarivate’s Journal Citation Reports before using it in any evaluation. For what the metric measures and its limits, see CiteScore vs impact factor and impact factor vs h-index.
Who publishes it
NLM records two imprints: the original publisher was the American Society of Anesthesiologists, Philadelphia, and the current imprint is Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, also Philadelphia. NLM imprint data can lag a publisher change, so use the journal’s own masthead for contractual or licensing questions.
Anesthesiology Open: the sibling title
On 1 October 2025 the ASA announced Anesthesiology Open, described as an online, peer-reviewed, open access journal published by Wolters Kluwer (ASA press release distributed via Newswise, read 2026-11-08). According to the release, it accepts original investigations, research letters, reviews, focal points, letters and editorials, plus an “Innovation in Practice” article type, and serves as a home for selected ASA statements and consensus documents. Its executive editor is Yandong Jiang, MD, PhD, who previously served eight years as editor of Anesthesiology. The release does not give fee information, so check the journal’s own author instructions for any charges.
In practice, cite and search the two as separate titles: they are different journals with separate records, even though the same society sponsors both.
How Anesthesiology is indexed
The NLM Catalog lists the indexing sources for Anesthesiology as MEDLINE, PubMed, OLDMEDLINE and Abridged Index Medicus (read 2026-11-08). MEDLINE indexing matters to authors and funders because it means articles receive MeSH subject indexing in PubMed. If you are deciding where to search for anesthesia literature, see PubMed vs Google Scholar and Embase vs MEDLINE.
Other anesthesia journals
The table lists peer titles from their NLM Catalog records, all read 2026-11-08. Imprints are the publishers NLM has recorded and may lag current arrangements. Inclusion is not a ranking or quality judgment.
| Journal | NLM ID | ISSN (print / electronic) | First year (NLM) | Recorded imprint | MEDLINE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anesthesiology | 1300217 | 0003-3022 / 1528-1175 | 1940 | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins | Yes |
| Anesthesia & Analgesia | 1310650 | 0003-2999 / 1526-7598 | 1957 | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins | Yes |
| British Journal of Anaesthesia | 372541 | 0007-0912 / 1471-6771 | 1923 | Elsevier | Yes |
| Anaesthesia | 370524 | 0003-2409 / 1365-2044 | 1946 | Wiley-Blackwell | Yes |
| Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine | 9804508 | 1098-7339 / 1532-8651 | 1998 | BMJ | Yes |
Strengths and limits of this record-based view
- Strength: NLM identifiers, ISSNs and indexing sources are stable, openly readable and let you match a citation to the right title, including disambiguating Anesthesiology from Anesthesiology Open and from similarly named journals.
- Limit: The NLM record does not give scope, editorial policy, article charges or peer-review model. Take those from the journal’s own author instructions.
- Limit: The impact factor above is the society’s statement, with no stated year. Metrics change annually.
- Limit: Spelling varies (anesthesiology, anaesthesiology, anaesthesia), and database searches should include the variants. For the field itself, see what anesthesiology is as a research field.
FAQ
What is the main anesthesiology journal?
Anesthesiology is the ASA’s flagship journal, published monthly since 1940. Other major titles include Anesthesia & Analgesia, the British Journal of Anaesthesia and Anaesthesia; which is “main” depends on your field and metric.
Is Anesthesiology indexed in PubMed?
Yes. The NLM Catalog lists MEDLINE and PubMed among its indexing sources (checked 2026-11-08).
Is Anesthesiology Open the same journal as Anesthesiology?
No. It is a separate, open access ASA title announced on 1 October 2025 and published by Wolters Kluwer, per the ASA release.
What is the ISSN of Anesthesiology?
0003-3022 for print and 1528-1175 for electronic, per the NLM Catalog.
Sources
- NLM Catalog records (NCBI E-utilities), IDs 1300217, 1310650, 372541, 370524, 9804508: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog, read 2026-11-08.
- American Society of Anesthesiologists, 2024 annual report, journal page: asahq.org/annualreport24/journal, read 2026-11-08.
- ASA press release on the launch of Anesthesiology Open, 1 October 2025: Newswise, read 2026-11-08.
