Science Translational Medicine

Science Translational Medicine is a weekly peer-reviewed medical journal established in October 2009 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science . [1] It publishes basic biomedical translational and clinical research concerning human diseases . [2] [3] According to the Journal Citation Reports , the journal has a 2024 impact factor of 14.6. [4]

Publication details

The journal was launched as part of a broader initiative by the AAAS to highlight rapid advances in translating laboratory discoveries into clinical applications. Its founding editor‑in‑chief was Dr. Elias A. Zerhouni, then‑director of the National Institutes of Health, who envisioned a venue that would bridge the gap between fundamental science and patient‑oriented studies. The inaugural issue appeared in October 2009, marking the first new peer‑reviewed medical journal launched by AAAS in over three decades. Since its inception, the journal has been published continuously, releasing issues on a weekly basis without interruption.

The journal’s editorial office is located in Washington, D.C., and it operates under the governance of the AAAS, which also oversees other flagship publications such as Science . The publishing model combines traditional print with a robust online platform that provides immediate access to all articles, supplementary data, and multimedia content. The journal’s print ISSN is 1946-6234, while its online ISSN is 1946-6242, both of which are cataloged under the identifier [ISSN_(identifier)] (/ISSN_(identifier)). The journal also participates in the [ISO 4 (infobox)] (/ISO_4_(infobox)) designation, which standardizes the abbreviation for indexing purposes.

Scope

Science Translational Medicine focuses on publishing high‑impact research that advances the understanding of human biology and disease mechanisms, with an emphasis on studies that can be directly translated into therapeutic strategies. The journal welcomes manuscripts that introduce novel tools, technologies, or analytical methods capable of probing biological systems at the molecular, cellular, or organismal levels. It also encourages work that explores inter‑individual variability in drug responses, paving the way for precision medicine approaches. In addition, the journal features research on regulatory science, health policy, and ethical considerations surrounding emerging therapies. Articles are expected to demonstrate a clear translational pathway, meaning that the findings should have a plausible route to clinical implementation or significantly impact the design of future studies.

The journal’s scope is intentionally broad, encompassing a spectrum of disciplines including genetics, immunology, oncology, neurology, cardiology, and infectious disease. Manuscripts may present original experimental data, computational analyses, systematic reviews, or meta‑analyses, provided they contribute to the translational narrative. The editorial board seeks studies that not only report statistically significant results but also address mechanistic insights, biomarker validation, and safety profiling. By doing so, the journal aims to accelerate the pipeline from bench to bedside, reducing the typical latency between discovery and therapeutic application.

Abstracting and indexing

The journal is indexed and abstracted in a multitude of major databases that serve the biomedical community. These include the Science Citation Index , which provides citation tracking for high‑impact scholarly works, and the Web of Science platform, which offers citation metrics and analysis. The journal is also covered by Index Medicus and its consumer interface MEDLINE , both of which are integral components of the PubMed ecosystem for biomedical literature. Additionally, the journal is included in Scopus , a comprehensive abstract and citation database that facilitates cross‑disciplinary literature searches. Inclusion in these databases ensures that articles published in Science Translational Medicine receive wide visibility and are readily discoverable by researchers, clinicians, and policy makers worldwide.

Associated journals

Science Translational Medicine is closely linked with the Science family of journals, which includes Science Translational Medicine itself as a flagship title. The journal also maintains collaborative relationships with several related publications that share overlapping interests in translational research. These associations facilitate cross‑citation, joint special issues, and coordinated outreach efforts to promote interdisciplinary dialogue.