The Journal of Physiology

The Journal of Physiology
Title	The Journal of Physiology
Discipline	Physiology
Abbreviation	J. Physiol.
Publisher	The Physiological Society
Country	United Kingdom
History	1878–present
Frequency	Biweekly
Openaccess	Hybrid
Issn	0022-3751

The Journal of Physiology The Journal of Physiology is a long-established peer-reviewed scientific journal publishing experimental, theoretical, and translational research in physiological science. Founded in the late 19th century, the journal has chronicled advances linked to laboratories, universities, and hospitals across Europe, North America, and Australasia. It has been associated with leading figures and institutions in biomedical research and continues to influence clinical practice, basic research, and policy discussions.

History

The journal was launched in the Victorian era with connections to societies and institutions such as The Physiological Society, Royal Society, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University College London, and King's College London. Early contributors and editors included investigators affiliated with Royal Society of London, Guy's Hospital, St Thomas' Hospital, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, and University of Edinburgh. Throughout the 20th century, the journal published work by researchers from laboratories at Cambridge University Press-era authors, researchers tied to Pasteur Institute, Max Planck Society, Karolinska Institutet, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, and clinicians from Harvard Medical School. During periods of global upheaval involving events such as World War I, World War II, and postwar reconstruction efforts influenced by institutions like the League of Nations and United Nations, the journal reflected shifting research priorities at organizations including Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council (United Kingdom), and National Institutes of Health. Later decades saw contributions from centers such as Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Salk Institute, Imperial College London, University of California, Berkeley, University of Toronto, McGill University, University of Melbourne, Monash University, and University of Sydney.

Editorial Structure and Publication Details

Editorial governance has involved elected and appointed editors associated with universities and societies, including members from Royal Society, Academy of Medical Sciences (United Kingdom), National Academy of Sciences, European Molecular Biology Organization, and national academies like Académie des sciences and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft-funded groups. The publisher, The Physiological Society, coordinates production with commercial partners and platforms historically used by Cambridge University Press, Wiley-Blackwell, and contemporary digital providers. Publication cadence and peer review procedures draw on standards promoted by bodies such as Committee on Publication Ethics, International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, CrossRef, ORCID, and indexing collaborations with agencies like PubMed Central and Web of Science. The journal's editorial board has included scientists who hold appointments at institutions such as University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Harvard University, Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale University, Columbia University, Princeton University, University of California, San Francisco, King's College London, and University College London.

Scope and Content

The journal covers experimental physiology across systems and scales, publishing research relevant to laboratories and clinical settings at centers including Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hôpital de la Salpêtrière, Mount Sinai Hospital (New York), and biotechnology hubs such as Cambridge Biomedical Campus. Topics intersect with work from investigators at institutions like Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Wellcome Sanger Institute, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Fraunhofer Society, Kavli Institute, and university departments in physiology, neuroscience, cardiology, respiratory medicine, renal medicine, endocrinology, and vascular biology. The journal publishes original research, reviews, methods papers, and commentaries that complement findings from laboratories associated with NIH Clinical Center, Erasmus MC, Aarhus University, KU Leuven, University of Amsterdam, ETH Zurich, École Normale Supérieure, University of Tokyo, Seoul National University, Peking University, Tsinghua University, and National University of Singapore.

Abstracting, Indexing, and Impact

The journal is indexed in major services and citation databases historically used by researchers at National Center for Biotechnology Information, Clarivate Analytics, Scopus (Elsevier), EMBASE (Elsevier), BIOSIS Previews, Chemical Abstracts Service, and regionally by databases used in Europe, North America, and Asia. Its impact factor and citation metrics are reported alongside journals from publishers such as Nature Publishing Group, Cell Press, Elsevier, Springer Nature, and Wiley-Blackwell; metrics are tracked by organizations like Journal Citation Reports and repositories used by Plan S-affected funders such as European Research Council and national research councils including UK Research and Innovation. The journal's influence is evident in citations within landmark reports and guidelines by bodies such as World Health Organization, European Medicines Agency, Food and Drug Administration, and professional societies in cardiology, pulmonology, and neurology.

Notable Articles and Contributions

Over its run the journal published seminal articles and methods that informed research emerging from laboratories tied to figures and groups like Ernest Starling-era physiology, researchers connected to Bernard Katz, Alan Hodgkin, Andrew Huxley, Félix d'Herelle-adjacent scientists, and later contributors allied with Stephen Hawking-adjacent theoretical biology dialogues, investigators from Nobel Prize-winning teams, and clinical translational work influencing practice at institutions including Royal College of Physicians, American Heart Association, European Society of Cardiology, and specialty training programs at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. Specific methodologies and discoveries reported influenced subsequent work at Oxford University Press-associated authors, teams at Salk Institute for Biological Studies, and consortia involving Human Genome Project-era data and modern multiomics centers.

Access and Licensing

The journal operates a hybrid publishing model with options for subscription access and article-level open access consistent with policies pursued by funders such as Wellcome Trust, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, European Commission, and national agencies like National Institutes of Health. Licensing choices include Creative Commons options commonly used to meet mandates from initiatives such as Plan S and institutional repositories maintained by universities including University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, Harvard University, Yale University, and Stanford University. Archiving and preservation practices coordinate with services like Portico, CLOCKSS, and national libraries including British Library and Library of Congress.

Category:Physiology journals