Journal rankings · indicator year 2021
Choose a field to open its ranking, or a journal to find its row in its subfield’s list.
Subfield ranking · 2021
Complementary and alternative medicine journal rankings 2021
50 ranked journals · Subfield in Medicine
Complementary and alternative medicine has 50 ranked journals in 2021. The median OJR rose 0.15 on 2020 to 0.39, below the world average of 1.00; Q1 starts at OJR 0.82. The top three are BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, and Journal of Chinese Integrative Medicine.
Ranks and citation indicators: 2021. Journal access status and listed APC: source snapshot September 23, 2026.
Journals whose main subfield sits in this category and that published at least 30 citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) in 2018–2020, the window the 2021 score is computed on.
The OpenJournalRank Indicator (OJR) is a free, publicly available metric of a journal’s field-normalized citation impact, computed from open OpenAlex citation data. It compares citations to a journal’s papers from the previous three years with the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so 1.00 is the world average and values can be compared across fields. It is computed with the NCI3 method.
The middle OJR among ranked journals in this category: half score higher, half lower. 1.00 is the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type.
The dot is this category, the solid tick is the median of all ranked journals and the dashed line is the world average.
Share of ranked journals in this category that are fully open access, so every paper is free to read. Hybrid journals, which sell subscriptions and open single papers for a fee, are not counted.
Median list price of the article processing charge, in US dollars, among ranked journals in this category that list a price above zero. Journals with a listed APC of $0 and journals with no known price are left out of this median. The At a glance table below gives a second median that includes the $0 prices.
Subfields of Medicine (42)
- Surgery985
- Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine362
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health303
- Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine297
- Oncology239
- Infectious Diseases234
- Epidemiology204
- Neurology172
- Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging170
- Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism163
- Physiology163
- Psychiatry and Mental health145
- Complementary and alternative medicine50
Show all 42 subfields
- Orthopedics and Sports Medicine124
- Ophthalmology103
- Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health101
- Dermatology99
- Hematology83
- Obstetrics and Gynecology83
- Rheumatology67
- Nephrology61
- Pharmacology54
- Reproductive Medicine49
- Emergency Medicine45
- Geriatrics and Gerontology39
- Rehabilitation37
- Otorhinolaryngology35
- Hepatology29
- Pathology and Forensic Medicine26
- Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine24
- Immunology and Allergy23
- Genetics20
- Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine14
- Urology14
- Gastroenterology6
- Health Informatics5
- Internal Medicine5
- Transplantation3
- Family Practice2
- Biochemistry1
- Anatomy0
- Microbiology0
50 ranked journals
Filters
Rank is the position by OJR within the list on screen; 1 is the highest. | OJR is field-normalized 3-year citation impact: 1.00 is the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so values compare across fields. The badge is the journal’s quartile in this list. | Citations per paper over a two-year window, counted from OpenAlex. It is not field-normalized, so compare it only between journals of the same field. ▲ or ▼ is the change from 2020. This is OpenJournalRank’s own count, not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. | Citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) published in 2018–2020, the window the 2021 OJR is computed on. A journal needs at least 30 to be ranked. | Share of the journal’s 2018–2020 papers that are free to read in any open-access form. The green OA tag next to a title marks a fully open-access journal. | List price of the article processing charge in US dollars. “$0 listed” means the listed price is zero; a dash means no price is listed. | The line is the journal’s OJR from 2012 to 2021. | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1BMC Complementary and Alternative MedicineOABioMed Central · United Kingdom | 1.83Q1 | 5.74 1.00 up from 2020 | 708 | — | $2,990 | ||
2Journal of Traditional and Complementary MedicineOAElsevier BV · Taiwan | 1.69Q1 | 4.31 0.99 up from 2020 | 189 | 100% | $0 listed | ||
3Journal of Chinese Integrative MedicineElsevier BV · China | 1.55Q1 | 4.89 1.25 up from 2020 | 196 | 25% | $1,800 | ||
4BMC Complementary Medicine and TherapiesOABioMed Central · United Kingdom | 1.33Q1 | 3.60no 2020 value | 377 | 100% | $2,195 | ||
5Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative MedicineOAElsevier BV · India | 1.28Q1 | 4.12 1.55 up from 2020 | 214 | 100% | $1,800 | ||
6Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative MedicineOASAGE Publishing · United States | 1.26Q1 | 4.39 0.90 up from 2020 | 96 | 100% | $2,000 | ||
7Complementary Therapies in Clinical PracticeElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 1.15Q1 | 4.50 0.84 up from 2020 | 451 | 20% | $3,530 | ||
8Integrative Medicine ResearchOAElsevier BV · Netherlands | 1.14Q1 | 3.79 1.19 up from 2020 | 217 | 100% | $1,700 | ||
9The Journal of Alternative and Complementary MedicineMary Ann Liebert, Inc. · United States | 1.04Q1 | 2.82 0.07 up from 2020 | 479 | 33% | — | ||
10Complementary Therapies in MedicineOAElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 1.00Q1 | 4.11 0.87 up from 2020 | 755 | 100% | $2,760 | ||
11Journal of Dietary SupplementsTaylor & Francis · United States | 0.84Q1 | 2.73 0.28 up from 2020 | 175 | 31% | — | ||
12Chinese Journal of Integrative MedicineSpringer Science+Business Media · China | 0.83Q1 | 3.19 1.38 up from 2020 | 383 | 17% | $4,190 | ||
13Journal of pharmacopunctureOAKorean Pharmacopuncture Institute · South Korea | 0.82Q1 | 2.83 0.85 up from 2020 | 99 | 100% | — | ||
14Journal of Acupuncture and Meridian StudiesElsevier BV · South Korea | 0.82Q2 | 1.48 0.38 down from 2020 | 93 | 97% | — | ||
15Oriental Pharmacy and Experimental MedicineSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 0.80Q2 | 2.32 0.42 up from 2020 | 224 | 12% | $4,090 | ||
16EXPLOREElsevier BV · United States | 0.70Q2 | 1.71 1.07 down from 2020 | 289 | 27% | $2,090 | ||
17Acupuncture in MedicineSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 0.67Q2 | 1.82 0.24 down from 2020 | 230 | 11% | $4,150 | ||
18European Journal of Integrative MedicineElsevier BV · Germany | 0.62Q2 | 2.28 0.61 up from 2020 | 404 | 18% | $2,430 | ||
19HomeopathyThieme Medical Publishers (Germany) · Germany | 0.59Q2 | 1.99 0.06 down from 2020 | 121 | 24% | — | ||
20Advances in Integrative MedicineElsevier BV | 0.57Q2 | 2.12 1.35 up from 2020 | 125 | 15% | $2,340 | ||
21Medical AcupunctureMary Ann Liebert, Inc. · United States | 0.53Q2 | 1.04 0.20 down from 2020 | 195 | 92% | — | ||
22Holistic Nursing PracticeLippincott Williams & Wilkins · United States | 0.52Q2 | 1.15 0.13 down from 2020 | 154 | 16% | — | ||
23Complementary Medicine ResearchKarger Publishers · Switzerland | 0.51Q2 | 1.40 0.24 up from 2020 | 163 | 37% | — | ||
24International Journal of Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork Research Education & PracticeOAMassage Therapy Foundation · Canada | 0.51Q2 | 0.89 2.36 down from 2020 | 50 | 100% | — | ||
25AYU (An International Quarterly Journal of Research in Ayurveda)Medknow · India | 0.42Q2 | 0.51 0.30 down from 2020 | 115 | 100% | — | ||
26World Journal of Traditional Chinese MedicineOAMedknow · India | 0.36Q3 | 1.32 0.69 up from 2020 | 110 | 100% | — | ||
27Digital Chinese MedicineOAElsevier BV · Netherlands | 0.34Q3 | 0.96 0.25 up from 2020 | 79 | 100% | $980 | ||
28Journal of Traditional Chinese Medical SciencesOAElsevier BV · China | 0.24Q3 | 0.98 0.37 up from 2020 | 135 | 100% | $1,400 | ||
29Current Traditional MedicineNetherlands | 0.22Q3 | 0.51 0.01 up from 2020 | 150 | 10% | — | ||
30Medicina dello SportEdizioni Minerva Medica · Italy | 0.21Q3 | 1.00 0.66 up from 2020 | 75 | 10% | — | ||
31Research in Health ScienceOAUnited States | 0.18Q3 | 0.42 0.29 up from 2020 | 82 | 100% | — | ||
32Journal of Clinical Exercise PhysiologyUnited States | 0.17Q3 | 0.45 0.04 down from 2020 | 66 | 26% | — | ||
33Journal of Natural RemediesOAInformatics Publishing Limited · India | 0.17Q3 | 0.19 0.42 down from 2020 | 214 | 100% | — | ||
34Chinese Medicine and CultureOALippincott Williams & Wilkins · United States | 0.15Q3 | 0.09 0.09 down from 2020 | 47 | 100% | — | ||
35Journal of Complementary Medicine & Alternative HealthcareOAUnited States | 0.11Q3 | 0.15 0.07 down from 2020 | 159 | 100% | — | ||
36Alternative Complementary & Integrative MedicineOAUnited States | 0.11Q3 | 0.33 0.08 up from 2020 | 72 | 100% | — | ||
37Traditional Medicine and Modern MedicineOAWorld Scientific · United States | 0.11Q3 | 0.27 0.12 down from 2020 | 75 | 100% | — | ||
38Alternative and Complementary TherapiesMary Ann Liebert, Inc. · United States | 0.09Q3 | 0.31 0.06 up from 2020 | 141 | 6% | — | ||
39Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina ScienceSpringer Science+Business Media · China | 0.08Q4 | 0.36 0.11 up from 2020 | 204 | 0% | $3,790 | ||
| 0.07Q4 | 0.24 0.24 up from 2020 | 58 | 93% | — | |||
41Open Access Journal of Complementary & Alternative MedicineOALupine Publishers · United States | 0.06Q4 | 0.17 0.03 up from 2020 | 38 | 100% | — | ||
41Journal of pharmacology & clinical researchOAUnited States | 0.06Q4 | 0.19 0.09 up from 2020 | 73 | 100% | — | ||
43Deutsche Zeitschrift für AkupunkturSpringer Science+Business Media · Germany | 0.04Q4 | 0.07no change | 151 | 24% | $3,390 | ||
44Revista Internacional de AcupunturaElsevier BV | 0.03Q4 | 0.23 0.15 up from 2020 | 62 | 15% | $1,870 | ||
45Herbal Medicine Open AccessUnited States | 0.03Q4 | 1.00 0.82 up from 2020 | 39 | — | — | ||
46Clinical Research CommunicationsTMR publishing group · New Zealand | 0.02Q4 | 0.07 0.07 up from 2020 | 51 | 100% | — | ||
47Journal of Clinical and Nursing ResearchAustralia | 0.01Q4 | 0.03 0.02 down from 2020 | 190 | 95% | — | ||
48Alternative & Integrative MedicineOMICS Publishing Group · United States | 0.01Q4 | 0.10 0.08 up from 2020 | 253 | 0% | — | ||
49Frontiers in Medical Science ResearchPublisher not listed | 0.01Q4 | 0.03 0.03 up from 2020 | 73 | 100% | — | ||
50Pakistan Journal of Pharmaceutical SciencesOAUniversity of Karachi · Pakistan | 0.01Q4 | 0.04 0.04 up from 2020 | 1,199 | 100% | — |
Subfields of Medicine, with Complementary and alternative medicine highlighted.
- Surgery985
- Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine362
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health303
- Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine297
- Oncology239
- Infectious Diseases234
- Epidemiology204
- Neurology172
- Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging170
- Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism163
- Physiology163
- Psychiatry and Mental health145
- Orthopedics and Sports Medicine124
- Ophthalmology103
- Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health101
- Dermatology99
- Hematology83
- Obstetrics and Gynecology83
- Rheumatology67
- Nephrology61
- Pharmacology54
- Complementary and alternative medicine50
- Reproductive Medicine49
- Emergency Medicine45
- Geriatrics and Gerontology39
- Rehabilitation37
- Otorhinolaryngology35
- Hepatology29
- Pathology and Forensic Medicine26
- Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine24
- Immunology and Allergy23
- Genetics20
- Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine14
- Urology14
- Gastroenterology6
- Health Informatics5
- Internal Medicine5
- Transplantation3
- Family Practice2
- Biochemistry1
- Anatomy0
- Microbiology0
Journals
Citations made in 2021. Corpus-wide, 87.7% of core-journal articles and reviews published that year have at least one matched reference; the share varies by journal and field.
24 additional Complementary and alternative medicine journals with metrics are unranked under this release’s eligibility rules: a journal needs at least 30 citable documents in 2018–2020, at least 80% of them with a subfield, and a positive world-average expectation. Ranks are within the whole category; filters hide rows without re-ranking. OJR excludes self-citations.
At a glance
Indicator year: 2021. Publication window: 2018–2020. How these summaries are calculated
- Ranked journals
- 50
- Window papers (baseline)
- 38,286 -25.8% from indicator year 2018
- Median OJR
- 0.391 +48.5% from indicator year 2018
- Rising journals (2025)
- 3
Window papers are the baseline paper population: citable papers (articles, reviews and conference papers) from 2018–2020 in all journals of the world-average baseline, including non-core journals, counted by each paper’s own subfield. They are not the papers of the ranked journals alone.
| Measure | Year series | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranked journals | 13 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 21 | 25 | 27 | 26 | 28 | 31 | 34 | 36 | 37 | 39 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 47 | 54 | 54 | 51 | 50 | 51 | 54 | 59 | 58 | |
| Window papers (baseline) | 10,081 | 12,572 | 16,878 | 21,623 | 26,753 | 31,706 | 37,684 | 43,890 | 50,771 | 57,287 | 63,712 | 70,340 | 76,880 | 82,138 | 84,954 | 84,743 | 79,392 | 67,381 | 51,618 | 40,222 | 35,638 | 38,286 | 44,112 | 53,446 | 58,255 | 63,352 | |
| Median OJR | 0.09 | 0.1623 | 0.303 | 0.302 | 0.17 | 0.256 | 0.242 | 0.21 | 0.1617 | 0.27 | 0.3159 | 0.31 | 0.390 | 0.40 | 0.53 | 0.59 | 0.43 | 0.42 | 0.263 | 0.25 | 0.238 | 0.391 | 0.408 | 0.407 | 0.3165 | 0.37 |
How to read these rankings
- OJR, the OpenJournalRank Indicator
- A field-normalized 3-year citation impact, computed from OpenAlex with the NCI3 method. It divides the citations a journal’s papers received by the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so 1.00 is the world average and 2.00 means twice as many citations as expected. Because it is normalized, it can be compared across fields. Read the methodology
- Quartiles
- Q1 to Q4 split the ranked journals of the list you are viewing into four equal groups by OJR. A journal’s quartile depends on the list: the same journal can be Q1 in its subfield and Q2 among all journals.
- Impact factor (2-year)
- Citations per paper over a two-year window, counted from OpenAlex. It is easy to compare with familiar impact factors but is not field-normalized, so compare it only within a field. It is not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. Why it differs from the Journal Impact Factor
- Rank ranges
- Each rank in the latest year carries a likely range from 1,000 resamples of the journal’s papers. Where two journals’ ranges overlap, the data cannot tell them apart, so treat neighbouring ranks as ties.