Journal of Neurotrauma: Scope, Indexing & Submission

The Journal of Neurotrauma is the leading international peer-reviewed publication dedicated exclusively to laboratory and clinical investigations into traumatic central nervous system injury. Authors, clinician-scientists, and research administrators evaluating journal neurotrauma publication venues need to understand the journal’s scope, indexing criteria, peer-review standards, and submission workflows. This guide details the publication requirements, indexing coverage, submission stages, and comparative alternatives for researchers publishing on traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injury (SCI), and associated biomarker research such as GFAP protein pathobiology.

What it is

The Journal of Neurotrauma (ISO and NLM abbreviation: J Neurotrauma) is an established peer-reviewed scientific journal published monthly by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., an imprint of SAGE Publications. First launched in 1984, the serial serves as the flagship official journal for two major international bodies: the National Neurotrauma Society (NNS) and the International Neurotrauma Society (INTS).

The publication operates as a primary communication vehicle for investigators studying acute mechanical injury to the brain and spinal cord, as well as downstream cellular cascades, secondary injury pathways, and long-term functional recovery. The journal is identified by print ISSN 0897-7151 and electronic ISSN 1557-9042. In scholarly literature searches, researchers frequently reference both journal neurotrauma and the full serial title journal of neurotrauma to locate primary investigative reports, consensus guidelines, and clinical trial outcomes in the neurotrauma discipline.

Who runs it and what it covers

The Journal of Neurotrauma is published under the Mary Ann Liebert / SAGE publishing partnership. Editorial direction is led by an international Editor-in-Chief supported by associate editors and an active editorial board comprising prominent neurosurgeons, neurologists, neuropathologists, and neuroscientists specializing in central nervous system trauma.

The editorial scope covers the entire translational continuum from basic molecular mechanisms to clinical critical care and rehabilitation:

• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Studies examining acute mechanical damage, concussion, blast injury, diffuse axonal injury, intracranial pressure dynamics, cerebral blood flow regulation, and blood-brain barrier disruption.
• Spinal Cord Injury (SCI): Investigations into primary mechanical cord contusion, spinal shock, secondary ischemia, axonal regeneration, demyelination and remyelination, locomotor training, and neuromodulation.
• Cellular and Molecular Pathobiology: Mechanisms of glutamate excitotoxicity, free-radical generation, mitochondrial failure, calcium dysregulation, neuroinflammation, microglial activation, and apoptotic cascades.
• Neuroregeneration and Stem Cell Biology: Neural stem cell transplantation, scaffold biomaterials, neurotrophic factor delivery, and endogenous neurogenesis.
• Diagnostic Modalities and Biomarkers: Preclinical and clinical neuroimaging (diffusion tensor imaging, functional magnetic resonance imaging), electrophysiological monitoring, and fluid biomarker assays in cerebrospinal fluid and serum.
• Neurorehabilitation and Functional Outcomes: Long-term behavioral assessments, cognitive recovery protocols, physical therapy paradigms, and clinical trial outcome measures.

Accepted manuscript categories include Original Research Articles, Reviews, and Short Communications. Routine clinical case reports are generally excluded from publication unless they present extraordinary findings that substantially advance mechanistic understanding or clinical paradigms.

How to search or use it

Submitting research to or navigating the Journal of Neurotrauma follows a rigorous eight-step workflow through the journal’s official manuscript management infrastructure:

1. Confirm Scope Alignment and Article Category: Ensure your manuscript matches an eligible format (Original Article, Comprehensive Review, or Short Communication). Confirm that your study conforms to the recommendations of the ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors) on uniform biomedical manuscript requirements.
2. Format Manuscript Sections and Citations: Structure the manuscript with clear title, abstract, introduction, materials and methods, results, and discussion sections. Prepare the reference list using standard Vancouver style, citing references with superscript arabic numerals in the order they appear in the text, and using standard PubMed journal abbreviations.
3. Prepare Figures and Graphical Files: Generate artwork as separate, high-resolution TIFF or EPS files. Line art requires a minimum resolution of 600 to 1200 dpi, while photographic and radiological figures require at least 300 dpi. The journal generally limits submissions to a maximum of 10 figures.
4. Document Ethical Approvals and Disclosures: Explicitly state institutional review board (IRB) approval and informed consent documentation for clinical human studies, or institutional animal care and use committee (IACUC) compliance for animal models. Include data availability statements and complete author conflict-of-interest declarations.
5. Access the ScholarOne Manuscripts Portal: Navigate to the journal’s dedicated online submission portal at mc.manuscriptcentral.com/neurotrauma. Authors must register or log in using verified credentials linked to their ORCID identifiers.
6. Upload Manuscript Components and Metadata: Enter metadata including complete author rosters, institutional affiliations, structured abstracts, and relevant topic keywords. Upload the blinded main text document, separate figure files, and supplementary datasets.
7. Apply Society and Institutional Discount Tokens: Authors holding active memberships in the National Neurotrauma Society should provide their member identification token during the submission interface to claim submission fee waivers and discounted publication options. Corresponding authors affiliated with institutions covered by SAGE transformative open-access agreements should verify automatic APC coverage.
8. Review PDF Proof and Finalize Submission: Examine the system-assembled PDF proof for graphical fidelity, symbol integrity, and table alignment before completing final electronic submission to the editorial office.

Strengths and limits

Evaluating whether the Journal of Neurotrauma is the appropriate venue requires weighing its distinct strengths and operational limitations:

Strengths:

• Unmatched Field Focus: As the dedicated official organ of both NNS and INTS, the journal reaches the exact community of clinicians, neurosurgeons, and scientists investigating central nervous system injury.
• Authoritative Indexing: Fully indexed in MEDLINE, PubMed, Science Citation Index Expanded (Web of Science), Scopus, BIOSIS Previews, and Embase, guaranteeing maximal global discoverability.
• Recognized Citation Performance: Consistently reflects strong citation metrics, with a Journal Impact Factor (JIF) reflecting substantial academic prestige, and a consistent Q1 Scopus SJR ranking in neurology and neurosurgery categories.
• Translational Rigor: Welcomes both basic mechanistic bench science and large-scale multi-center clinical trials, bridging laboratory discovery with bedside trauma management.

Limits:

• Narrow Topical Boundaries: Research addressing non-traumatic neurodegenerative conditions (such as idiopathic Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, or primary brain tumors) is considered out of scope unless explicitly framed around secondary trauma mechanisms.
• Strict Asset Limits: Rigid limits on figure quantities (normally up to 10 figures) may require authors with extensive multipanel datasets to relegate figures to supplementary online repositories.
• Hybrid Publishing Model Costs: The journal operates as a hybrid journal. While publishing under traditional subscription access incurs no mandatory article fees, selecting Gold open access requires payment of an Article Processing Charge (APC), unless authors take advantage of institutional read-and-publish agreements. Authors can compare these financial models in our guide to Gold vs Green vs Diamond vs Hybrid Open Access.

Alternatives

Depending on study design, disciplinary emphasis, and target open-access funding models, researchers have several reputable alternative journals in neuroscience, neurology, and trauma medicine:

Journal Title	Publisher	Publishing Model	Scope Emphasis	Key Indexing
Journal of Neurotrauma	Mary Ann Liebert / SAGE	Hybrid (Optional OA)	Dedicated TBI and SCI pathobiology, clinical trauma care, and neurorehabilitation	MEDLINE, PubMed, SCIE, Scopus
Neurotrauma Reports	Mary Ann Liebert / SAGE	Gold Open Access	Official companion journal for open-access neurotrauma reports, preliminary findings, and methods	PubMed Central, Scopus, DOAJ
Experimental Neurology	Elsevier	Hybrid (Optional OA)	Mechanisms of nervous system development, regeneration, stroke, trauma, and disease models	MEDLINE, PubMed, SCIE, Scopus
Brain	Oxford University Press	Hybrid (Optional OA)	Broad clinical neurology, translational human neurobiology, and major disease paradigms	MEDLINE, PubMed, SCIE, Scopus
Neurobiology of Disease	Elsevier	Gold Open Access	Cellular and molecular basis of neurological disorders, injury responses, and neurotherapeutics	MEDLINE, PubMed, SCIE, Scopus

FAQ

Is the Journal of Neurotrauma a hybrid or open access journal?

The Journal of Neurotrauma operates under a hybrid publishing model. Authors can publish their accepted manuscripts under the traditional subscription model without paying article processing charges. Alternatively, authors may elect open access publishing by paying an APC, or utilize institutional transformative read-and-publish agreements administered through SAGE Publications.

What is the official citation abbreviation for the Journal of Neurotrauma?

The standardized title abbreviation established by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and ISO standards is J Neurotrauma. This abbreviation is used across MEDLINE, PubMed, and standard reference indexing systems.

Which indexing databases index the Journal of Neurotrauma?

The serial is indexed in MEDLINE, PubMed, Index Medicus, Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE / Web of Science), Scopus (Elsevier), BIOSIS Previews, Embase, and Current Contents / Clinical Medicine & Life Sciences.

Does the Journal of Neurotrauma publish routine clinical case reports?

No. The journal’s editorial policy generally excludes standard clinical case reports. Clinical submissions must report original interventional or observational trials, or describe truly exceptional cases that introduce novel cellular mechanisms or alter clinical management protocols in central nervous system trauma.

Sources

• Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. / SAGE Journals — Journal of Neurotrauma Official Portal and Instructions for Authors (https://home.liebertpub.com/publications/journal-of-neurotrauma/39/for-authors and https://journals.sagepub.com/home/nrt, verified 2026-11-10).
• National Library of Medicine (NLM) — NCBI Catalog Entry for Journal of Neurotrauma (NLM ID: 8811626, Print ISSN: 0897-7151, Electronic ISSN: 1557-9042, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog/8811626, verified 2026-11-10).
• National Neurotrauma Society (NNS) — Official Society Publications and Member Affiliations (https://www.neurotrauma.org, verified 2026-11-10).