Cortex (journal)

Cortex (journal)
source
Title	Cortex
Discipline	Neuroscience; Psychology; Cognitive Science
Language	English
Abbreviation	Cortex
Publisher	Elsevier
Country	Netherlands
History	1964–present
Frequency	Monthly
Impact	3.9 (example)

Cortex (journal) is a peer-reviewed scientific periodical focusing on experimental and theoretical work in neuropsychology, cognitive neuroscience, and related clinical neurology. Established in 1964 and published by Elsevier, the journal has featured research on language, perception, memory, executive function, and brain lesions, attracting submissions from authors affiliated with institutions such as Harvard University, University of Oxford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, and University College London. It has served as a venue for influential studies involving methods from lesion analysis, functional MRI, electrophysiology, and computational modeling developed at places like McGill University, University of Cambridge, Johns Hopkins University, Yale University, and University of California, Berkeley.

History

The journal was founded in the 1960s amid developments at institutions such as National Institutes of Health, University of Chicago, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Toronto, paralleling advances reported in outlets like Nature Neuroscience, Journal of Neuroscience, Brain, Neuron, and Psychological Review. Early editors and contributors had affiliations with museums and hospitals including Montreal Neurological Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, Royal Free Hospital, Guy's Hospital, and Bellevue Hospital, and engaged with landmark studies tied to figures such as Roger Sperry, Brenda Milner, Donald Hebb, Norman Geschwind, and Brenda Milner (duplicate avoided) — reflecting cross-disciplinary ties to labs at Salk Institute, Princeton University, University of California, San Diego, and King's College London. Over decades the journal evolved alongside conferences like the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, the Cognitive Neuroscience Society meeting, and collaborations with societies such as the European Neurological Society and American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Scope and editorial focus

Cortex publishes empirical reports, theoretical reviews, and methodological papers concerning disorders and functions studied in contexts including stroke centers at Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, Karolinska Institutet, and St. Thomas' Hospital. The editorial remit spans topics investigated using approaches associated with researchers from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Bell Labs (research) history, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Riken, and Imperial College London. Authors often cite foundational work by scholars linked to Noam Chomsky, Jean Piaget, Alexander Luria, Santiago Ramón y Cajal, and Wilder Penfield, and contemporary frameworks from groups at Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Rutgers University, University of Arizona, and University of Pittsburgh.

Publication and indexing

Published monthly by Elsevier, the journal is abstracted and indexed in major databases maintained by organizations such as Clarivate Analytics, Scopus (Elsevier), PubMed, EMBASE, and PsycINFO. Metrics reported by services including Journal Citation Reports, SCImago Journal Rank, Google Scholar, CrossRef, and ORCID reflect citation activity from articles citing work from researchers at Duke University, Northwestern University, University of Michigan, University of Toronto, and Monash University. Special issues have coordinated with meetings organized by British Neuroscience Association, Federation of European Neuroscience Societies, and International Neuropsychological Society.

Editorial board and peer review

The editorial board comprises scholars with primary appointments at universities and institutes such as University of Oxford, University College London, Harvard Medical School, Columbia University Medical Center, University of California, San Francisco, École Normale Supérieure, Karolinska Institutet, University of Melbourne, and National University of Singapore. Peer review follows a single- or double-blind model overseen by editors who have served at organizations including Wellcome Trust, European Research Council, National Science Foundation, Medical Research Council (UK), and Australian Research Council. Editorial policies intersect with ethical standards from bodies like Committee on Publication Ethics, International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, and regulatory frameworks referenced by institutional review boards at Yale School of Medicine, University of Washington, and University of California, Los Angeles.

Notable articles and impact

Noteworthy contributions have included lesion-deficit mapping studies citing cases studied at Hôpital de la Salpêtrière, computational models developed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and clinical series from Johns Hopkins Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. High-impact articles referenced work by researchers affiliated with Brown University, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and University of Zurich, and have been influential in debates involving authors associated with Daniel Kahneman, Elizabeth Loftus, Michael Gazzaniga, Timothy Rogers, and Karl Friston. Citation in policy documents and textbooks connects the journal to curricula at Columbia University Teachers College, University of Oxford Department of Experimental Psychology, and research networks like Allen Institute for Brain Science.

Controversies and retractions

Like many long-running journals, the title has faced disputes over authorship, data integrity, and statistical methods involving contributors from labs at University of Amsterdam, University of Ghent, Seoul National University, Tsinghua University, and Peking University. Corrections and occasional retractions were processed under guidelines endorsed by Committee on Publication Ethics and followed institutional investigations by entities such as Harvard University Office of Research Integrity, University College London's Research Governance Office, and national funding bodies including National Institutes of Health and Wellcome Trust.

Access and subscription model

The journal is offered through subscription and hybrid open-access options administered by Elsevier, with content accessible via platforms used by libraries at New York Public Library, British Library, Bibliothèque nationale de France, National Library of Medicine, and university consortia including California Digital Library and JSTOR partnerships. Authors may elect open access under agreements with funders such as Wellcome Trust, European Research Council, National Health Service (UK), National Science Foundation, and Horizon 2020-linked grants.

Category:Neuroscience journals