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The Gerontologist is a peer-reviewed journal of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA), published by Oxford University Press through Oxford Academic. It carries applied, multidisciplinary research on social issues related to aging. This page is a fact sheet for researchers deciding whether to read, cite or submit to it; facts were taken from the journal’s own About and Instructions to Authors pages on 2026-11-08 and can change.
What it is
The Gerontologist is a scholarly journal, not a profession or a field: the word “gerontologist” also names a person who studies aging, and for that meaning see what gerontology is. The journal publishes research, review, measurement and forum articles, commissioned book and media reviews, International Spotlights and award lectures. It serves professions that study aging or care for older people.
Who runs it and what it covers
- Publisher: Oxford University Press, via Oxford Academic.
- Society: a publication of the Gerontological Society of America, which the journal page describes as founded in 1945 with about 5,500 members.
- Online ISSN: 1758-5341.
- Scope: applied, multidisciplinary research on social issues related to aging. Care-focused clinical medicine is the territory of geriatrics; see what geriatrics is and the geriatrics vs gerontology comparison.
- Metrics shown on the journal page (checked 2026-11-08): 2025 Clarivate Impact Factor 3.9; 2025 five-year Impact Factor 5.7; ranked 8 of 49 in Gerontology. Metrics are updated annually, so read the current figures on the journal page.
Where its articles are indexed
The journal page lists these abstracting and indexing services:
| Service | Listed by the journal |
|---|---|
| PubMed | Yes |
| CINAHL | Yes |
| EMBASE | Yes |
| Psychlit | Yes |
| Abstracts in Social Gerontology | Yes |
| General Science Index | Yes |
| Wilson OmniFile Full Text Mega Edition | Yes |
This list is the journal’s own statement, not an independent check of each service’s current coverage.
Article types and length limits
The Instructions to Authors set a limit for each article type. Limits cover the abstract, main text, references and the combined number of tables and figures.
| Article type | Abstract (words) | Text words | References | Tables + figures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research, quantitative | 250, structured | 6,000 | 50 | 5 |
| Research, qualitative or mixed methods | 250 | 7,000 | 50 | 5 |
| Humanities and Arts | 250, unstructured | 7,000 | 50 | 5 |
| Intervention Research | 250 | 7,000 | 50 | 5 |
| Forum | 200, unstructured | 5,000 | 50 | 5 |
| Measurement | 250 | 6,000 | 50 | 5 |
| Review | 250 | 8,000 | 75 | 10 |
Book reviews, On Film and Digital Media items and guest editorials are by invitation only. The journal does not publish obituaries, speeches, program announcements or product information.
Submission and review rules
- Review model: double-anonymized, with at least two independent referees; editors make the decision. Papers outside the journal’s scope may be rejected without review.
- System and format: submissions go through the ScholarOne site named in the instructions. Word files only, no PDF, and two files: an anonymous version and a non-anonymous version.
- Ethics: authorship follows ICMJE criteria (see ICMJE authorship criteria); human-subjects work needs institutional review board approval and its number; trials and systematic reviews must be pre-registered; the journal follows COPE guidance.
- AI tools: AI cannot be listed as an author, and AI use must be disclosed in the Methods section.
- Open access: after acceptance the author chooses a standard or an open access licence. Open access requires an article charge (the amount is on the journal’s charges page), some Read and Publish agreements apply, and GSA members receive 20% off the charge when they give a member number.
Strengths and limits
- Strength: explicit per-type length limits and a stated double-anonymized review model make planning a submission straightforward.
- Strength: indexing across health, nursing and psychology databases, as listed above.
- Limit: the journal’s About and author pages do not state publication frequency or a named editor; use the issue listing on Oxford Academic for current issue data.
- Limit: the scope is applied and social; purely biological aging research falls outside the stated scope.
Alternatives
To find work on aging beyond this one title, search the indexers above rather than one journal: PubMed, CINAHL and Psychlit are among the services the journal lists as indexing it.
FAQ
What is The Gerontologist?
A peer-reviewed Gerontological Society of America journal published by Oxford University Press, covering applied, multidisciplinary research on social issues related to aging.
Where do I find the sign-in or submission site?
On the journal’s Oxford Academic Instructions to Authors page, which names the ScholarOne submission site.
Is review anonymous?
Yes. The Instructions to Authors state double-anonymized review with at least two independent referees.
Does it charge for open access?
Yes, an article charge applies for open access; the amount is on the journal’s charges page, and GSA members get 20% off.
Sources
- The Gerontologist: About the journal, Oxford Academic, read 2026-11-08.
- The Gerontologist: Instructions to Authors, Oxford Academic, read 2026-11-08.
