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Selecting a publication venue in clinical medicine requires balancing peer-review rigor, indexing speed, and open-access mandates. For authors in anesthesiology research, BMC Anesthesiology is an established international forum. Part of BioMed Central under Springer Nature, the journal offers broad perioperative coverage with a transparent open-access model.
This operational guide details the journal’s governance, scope, submission steps, fee structure, and comparative standing, based on official publisher documentation, NLM records, and DOAJ metadata as of November 10, 2026.
What it is
BMC Anesthesiology is an open-access, peer-reviewed medical periodical covering clinical and laboratory investigations in anesthesia, perioperative care, critical illness, and pain medicine. Founded in 2001, it is indexed under NLM ID 100968535, LCCN 2001243457, and electronic ISSN 1471-2253 (NLM abbreviation: BMC Anesthesiol).
The journal operates under a full Gold open access model: all articles are freely accessible online immediately upon release under Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) terms. Instead of assembling periodic print issues, BMC Anesthesiology employs continuous publication within an annual volume, assigning individual Crossref DOIs to each accepted article upon digital publication.
Who runs it and what it covers
BMC Anesthesiology is published by BioMed Central Ltd. (London, United Kingdom), an imprint of Springer Nature. Scientific direction is managed by internal Senior Editors supported by an international editorial board of academic clinicians, investigators, and biostatisticians.
The journal’s scope spans clinical trials, observational studies, health services research, and laboratory investigations across perioperative medicine:
- General & Regional Anesthesia: Anesthetic pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, neuromuscular blockade, regional nerve blocks, and ultrasound guidance.
- Airway Management: Preoperative risk assessment, supraglottic airways, video laryngoscopy devices, and management of difficult airways.
- Critical Care & Perioperative Medicine: Hemodynamic monitoring, goal-directed fluid therapy, organ preservation, sepsis protocols, and intensive care management.
- Pain Medicine: Multimodal postoperative analgesia, continuous regional infusions, and interventional approaches for chronic pain.
- Patient Safety & Outcomes: Postoperative cognitive dysfunction, quality improvement, clinical informatics, and perioperative health economics.
Bibliographic indexing is comprehensive. The journal has been indexed in PubMed since 2001 (volume 1) and in MEDLINE (Index Medicus) since 2014 (volume 14). Over 4,500 full-text articles are deposited in PubMed Central (PMC). The journal is indexed in Clarivate’s Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE), Scopus, and DOAJ, with a Journal Impact Factor between 2.8 and 3.2 (Quartile 2 in Anesthesiology).
How to search or use it
Readers and authors interact with BMC Anesthesiology through standard electronic workflows:
- Literature Discovery & Search: Search published articles via the journal portal or PubMed Central using keywords, author names, or MeSH terms. The portal allows filtering by article category, such as Research Articles, Study Protocols, or Systematic Reviews.
- Scope & Format Verification: Authors verify manuscript alignment with accepted formats, including original research, registered protocols, technical advances, and structured case reports.
- Trial Pre-Registration & Checklists: Prospective human trials must be registered in an ICMJE-approved registry (such as ClinicalTrials.gov or ISRCTN) prior to patient enrollment. Authors must submit appropriate EQUATOR Network reporting checklists (CONSORT, PRISMA, or STROBE).
- Manuscript Preparation & Data Availability: Drafts must follow Springer Nature structure (Background, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions). Authors must include an explicit Data Availability Statement identifying repository deposits or access conditions.
- Portal Submission & ORCID Authentication: Authors submit through the online portal integrated with standard manuscript submission systems, authenticating via ORCID. Submissions must satisfy ICMJE authorship standards.
- Peer Review & Production: Manuscripts undergo editorial triage and peer review. Authors submit point-by-point revisions through the portal. Accepted papers proceed to typesetting, author proofing, and PMC archiving.
Strengths and limits
Researchers evaluating BMC Anesthesiology should weigh its operational attributes:
Strengths:
- Transparent Open Peer Review: The journal uses open peer review, publishing signed reviewer reports and author responses alongside accepted papers to support accountability.
- Global Accessibility: Immediate CC BY open access ensures barrier-free worldwide dissemination without subscription paywalls.
- Archival Preservation: Mandatory archiving in PubMed Central, MEDLINE, DOAJ, and digital dark archives (CLOCKSS/Portico) secures long-term preservation.
- Publisher Infrastructure: Submissions benefit from automated Crossref Similarity Check screening and COPE ethical oversight.
Limits:
- Publication Fees: A mandatory Article Processing Charge ($3,290 USD) applies unless covered by institutional agreements or waivers.
- Turnaround Timeline: Average publication duration from submission to final release is approximately 24 weeks.
- Impact Tiering: As a Quartile 2 journal, its citation metrics are lower than top-tier society flagship titles, which may impact selective institutional benchmarks.
- Online Only: Lacks print editions for clinical libraries requiring hard-copy distribution.
Alternatives
Authors evaluating perioperative journals can consider several peer publications depending on access model, review format, and budget:
| Journal | Publisher & Society | Access Model | Review Model | APC / Cost | Indexing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMC Anesthesiology | BioMed Central / Springer Nature | Gold Open Access (CC BY) | Open peer review | $3,290 USD / £2,590 GBP / €2,890 EUR | MEDLINE, PMC, SCIE, Scopus (Q2) |
| Anesthesiology | Wolters Kluwer / ASA | Hybrid (Subscription + Gold OA) | Single-blind review | No charge for subscription; ~$4,500+ OA | MEDLINE, PubMed, SCIE, Scopus (Q1) |
| British Journal of Anaesthesia | Elsevier / RCoA | Hybrid (Subscription + Gold OA) | Single-blind review | No charge for subscription; ~$4,380 OA | MEDLINE, PubMed, SCIE, Scopus (Q1) |
| Anesthesia & Analgesia | Wolters Kluwer / IARS | Hybrid (Subscription + Gold OA) | Single-blind review | No charge for subscription; ~$4,150 OA | MEDLINE, PubMed, SCIE, Scopus (Q1/Q2) |
| Frontiers in Medicine (Anesthesiology) | Frontiers Media | Gold Open Access (CC BY) | Collaborative interactive review | ~$2,490–$3,290 USD | MEDLINE, PMC, SCIE, Scopus (Q2) |
FAQ
What is the Article Processing Charge (APC) for BMC Anesthesiology?
The standard APC is $3,290 USD (£2,590 GBP / €2,890 EUR), plus local taxes. Authors affiliated with institutions holding Springer Nature open-access agreements may receive full coverage or discounts. Corresponding authors in eligible low-income countries receive full waivers under Research4Life.
How does open peer review operate at BMC Anesthesiology?
Reviewer names, signed reports, and author revision letters are published online alongside the accepted manuscript as public editorial documentation.
Is BMC Anesthesiology indexed in MEDLINE and PubMed Central?
Yes. The journal is indexed in PubMed from inception in 2001 and in MEDLINE (Index Medicus) since 2014. All articles are deposited in PubMed Central (PMC).
Does the journal mandate clinical trial pre-registration?
Yes. Under ICMJE policy, prospective clinical trials must be registered in ClinicalTrials.gov or a WHO primary registry before enrolling the first patient. Registration details must appear in the abstract.
Under what copyright license are papers released?
Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0), allowing redistribution and reuse with proper attribution.
Does BMC Anesthesiology accept clinical case reports?
Yes. The journal publishes structured case reports describing novel diagnostic challenges, rare adverse events, or significant technical innovations adhering to CARE guidelines.
Sources
- BioMed Central / Springer Nature. “BMC Anesthesiology Journal Overview.” Accessed November 10, 2026. https://bmcanesthesiol.biomedcentral.com/about
- National Library of Medicine. “NLM Catalog: BMC anesthesiology (NLM ID: 100968535).” National Center for Biotechnology Information. Accessed November 10, 2026. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog/100968535
- Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). “BMC Anesthesiology (ISSN: 1471-2253).” Accessed November 10, 2026. https://doaj.org/api/v2/search/journals/issn:1471-2253
- Crossref. “Journal Metadata for ISSN 1471-2253 (BioMed Central / Springer Nature).” Accessed November 10, 2026. https://api.crossref.org/journals/1471-2253
- PubMed Central (PMC). “BMC Anesthesiology Full-Text Archive.” National Center for Biotechnology Information. Accessed November 10, 2026. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/journals/?term=100968535
