Epilepsy & Behavior Reports

About Epilepsy & Behavior Reports

Overview

Epilepsy & Behavior Reports is a peer-reviewed, fully open-access medical journal published by Elsevier and devoted to epilepsy and its behavioral dimensions. The journal serves clinicians, researchers, and allied health professionals who work at the intersection of neurology, neuroscience, neuropsychology, and behavioral science, providing a venue for original research, case reports, short communications, and correspondence on seizures, epilepsy, and their psychological and behavioral correlates.

The journal's electronic ISSN is 2589-9864. It is the open-access continuation of Epilepsy & Behavior Case Reports (electronic ISSN 2213-3232), which published from 2013 through 2019; the title was relaunched as Epilepsy & Behavior Reports with fully open-access publishing beginning in 2019, according to the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ). It is also the open-access companion to the long-established subscription journal Epilepsy & Behavior (print ISSN 1525-5050, web ISSN 1525-5069), founded in 2000 and edited by Steven Schachter of Harvard University. Together, the journals form an ecosystem for publishing on the behavioral aspects of seizures and epilepsy: the flagship journal covers the full breadth of laboratory and clinical research, while Epilepsy & Behavior Reports provides a rapid, open-access outlet that is especially welcoming to case reports and shorter communications.

The journal's content reflects the clinical realities of epilepsy care. Recent published articles have addressed topics such as the association of oxcarbazepine concentration with seizure frequency in pregnant women with epilepsy, the management of epilepsy in pregnancy, the role of genetic testing in evaluating surgical outcomes for pediatric focal cortical dysplasia, vagus nerve stimulation for developmental and epileptic encephalopathy, and stereo-EEG-associated autoimmune encephalitis. Correspondence and commentaries engage with topics such as epileptiform discharges in memory-clinic patients. This mix of case reports, short communications, research articles, and correspondence gives the journal a distinctive character: it is a place where individual clinical observations with broader significance can reach an international audience quickly.

Because every article is open access, the journal's content is immediately and permanently free to read, download, and share worldwide. Articles are published on ScienceDirect with persistent digital object identifiers (DOIs) and are archived in CLOCKSS, PubMed Central (PMC), and Portico, according to DOAJ. The journal accepts manuscripts in English, uses anonymous peer review, and reports an average of about 11 weeks from submission to publication, reflecting its commitment to rapid dissemination of clinically relevant findings.

Aims and Scope

The aim of Epilepsy & Behavior Reports is to advance knowledge of epilepsy and its behavioral, cognitive, psychiatric, and psychosocial aspects by publishing high-quality, peer-reviewed research in open-access form. The journal is particularly oriented toward work that connects the clinical management of epilepsy with the lived experience and behavioral health of people with epilepsy.

The scope of the journal encompasses a wide range of topics within epilepsy and behavioral neuroscience. Drawing on the scope of its companion journal family, it covers localization of ictal and postictal behaviors; neuroendocrine aspects of epilepsy; psychiatric and psychosocial aspects of epilepsy; behavioral aspects of epilepsy surgery; cognitive and affective effects of seizure treatment; functional imaging; and animal models. Subject areas span clinical neurology, neurosurgery, neuropsychiatry, neuropsychology, neurophysiology, neuropharmacology, and neuroimaging. DOAJ's subject classification places the journal under medicine — internal medicine, neurosciences, neuropsychiatry, neurology, and diseases of the nervous system — and under science — physiology, neurophysiology, and neuropsychology. Its keyword profile includes epilepsy, status epilepticus, seizures, brain function, and neurostimulation.

A signature article type for the journal is the case report: detailed, well-documented accounts of individual patients or small series whose presentation, treatment response, or outcome carries lessons for the field. Examples include cases of responsive neurostimulation during pregnancy and vagus nerve stimulation in rare genetic encephalopathies. Alongside case reports, the journal publishes full-length research articles (up to about 5,000 words with up to 6 tables and figures), reviews, short communications (up to about 1,400 words), and letters and correspondence. This format mix makes the journal accessible to clinicians who may not have the resources for large studies but can contribute valuable observations, as well as to researchers reporting focused findings.

The journal explicitly welcomes work that bridges disciplines. Epilepsy is a condition whose burden is substantially behavioral and psychosocial — encompassing cognitive side effects of antiseizure medications, psychiatric comorbidity, stigma, employment, driving, pregnancy, and quality of life — and the journal's scope is designed to give these dimensions the same scholarly attention as seizure control itself.

Publication Details

Epilepsy & Behavior Reports is published by Elsevier Inc., United States. Its electronic ISSN is 2589-9864. It is an online-only journal publishing in English, and all of its articles are open access. The journal succeeded Epilepsy & Behavior Case Reports (2013–2019, ISSN 2213-3232) and began publishing under its current title as a fully open-access journal in 2019, according to DOAJ.

Open access policy and licenses. The journal is a gold open-access journal: there are no subscription charges, and publication costs are covered by article publishing charges paid by authors, their institutions, or funders. Articles are published under Creative Commons licenses — CC BY, CC BY-NC, or CC BY-NC-ND — according to DOAJ and the journal's open-access information page. Under the standard CC BY-NC-ND option, users may distribute and copy the article and include it in collective works such as anthologies for non-commercial purposes, provided they give appropriate credit to the authors (with a link to the formal publication through the DOI), provide a link to the license, and do not alter or modify the article. Authors whose funding bodies require CC BY licensing can apply for a CC BY license after manuscript acceptance.

Article publishing charges (APCs). According to the journal's official open-access page on ScienceDirect, the article publishing charges, excluding taxes, are: USD 3,010 for full-length articles (maximum about 5,000 words, 6 tables and figures) and reviews (maximum about 8,000 words, 10 tables and figures); USD 1,100 for short communications (maximum about 1,400 words, 2 tables and figures); and USD 940 for letters to the editor and correspondence (maximum about 1,000 words, 1 table or figure). DOAJ notes that a waiver policy exists for these charges. Authors should confirm current charges on the journal's official page before submitting, as APCs can change.

Review process and timeline. The journal uses anonymous peer review and checks submissions for plagiarism, according to DOAJ. The average reported time from submission to publication is about 11 weeks, consistent with the journal's mission of rapid dissemination.

Editorial Information

Epilepsy & Behavior Reports is part of Elsevier's epilepsy journal portfolio alongside Epilepsy & Behavior (established 2000, editor-in-chief Steven Schachter of Harvard University, bimonthly). As an Elsevier journal, its editorial operations follow the publisher's standard policies on peer review, publication ethics, plagiarism screening, and conflict-of-interest disclosure.

The journal's editorial workflow begins with an initial assessment by the editorial team to determine whether a manuscript falls within the journal's scope and meets basic quality standards. Manuscripts that pass this screening are sent for anonymous peer review to experts in the relevant clinical or scientific area. Editorial decisions — accept, revise, or reject — are based on reviewer reports and the handling editor's judgment. The journal's guide for authors and editorial board are listed on its official ScienceDirect and Elsevier pages; prospective authors should consult those pages for the current editorial team, since board membership can change.

Publication ethics expectations follow standard Elsevier and COPE-aligned practice: authors must present original work, disclose conflicts of interest, obtain appropriate ethical approvals and informed consent for studies involving human participants, and avoid plagiarism, duplicate publication, and data fabrication. The journal's plagiarism screening at submission provides an additional quality safeguard.

Indexing and Abstracting

Epilepsy & Behavior Reports is indexed and abstracted in several major services. According to independent journal databases, the journal is covered by Scopus (with coverage from 2019), the Web of Science, Embase, and the UGC CARE list. It is also listed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and its articles are digitally archived in CLOCKSS, PubMed Central (PMC), and Portico with DOI-based permanent identifiers, according to DOAJ. Archiving in PubMed Central additionally makes the journal's full text discoverable through PubMed-linked discovery systems.

This indexing profile means that articles published in the journal are discoverable through the principal biomedical and multidisciplinary literature databases used by clinicians and researchers worldwide, and that the journal's citation performance is tracked by both Scopus and the Web of Science.

Metrics and Rankings

Because the journal is tracked in both Scopus and the Web of Science, several citation-based metrics are reported for it by independent journal databases. These figures come from third-party aggregators and should be checked against the primary sources (Journal Citation Reports, Scopus, and Scimago) for the most current values, but they provide a useful picture of the journal's standing.

Independent journal databases report the following: a Journal Impact Factor of 1.9 (updated in the June 2026 Journal Citation Reports release); a Scopus CiteScore of 2.6; an SJR (SCImago Journal Rank) of 0.488; and an H-index of 26. Scopus subject-category quartiles place the journal in Q3 for Behavioral Neuroscience, Q3 for Neurology, and Q3 for Neurology (clinical). Another analytics service reported a 2024 Journal Impact Factor of 1.8 with a Journal Citation Indicator (JCI) of 0.47 and roughly 398 Web of Science citations. The journal's impact factor history reflects its relatively recent launch under the current title in 2019 and its growth as an open-access venue for epilepsy case reports and short communications.

For context, the journal's parent title, Epilepsy & Behavior, has a longer citation history and a higher impact factor, which is typical for an established subscription journal versus a newer open-access companion. Authors choosing between the two should weigh the flagship journal's larger readership and citation profile against the Reports title's open-access visibility, rapid publication, and welcoming stance toward case reports and brief communications.

Submission Guidelines

Manuscripts are submitted through Elsevier's online editorial system, accessible from the journal's homepage on ScienceDirect. Authors should first consult the journal's Guide for Authors on the official site for current formatting requirements, article-type definitions, and submission mechanics, since these details are updated periodically.

Key points for prospective authors: manuscripts must be in English and should fit one of the journal's article types — full-length article (about 5,000 words maximum, up to 6 tables and figures), review (about 8,000 words maximum, up to 10 tables and figures), short communication (about 1,400 words maximum, 2 tables and figures), or letter/correspondence (about 1,000 words maximum, 1 table or figure). Case reports with broader clinical or scientific significance are particularly welcome. Authors should prepare a structured manuscript with an abstract, keywords, and clearly labeled sections, and should follow the journal's reference style.

On acceptance, authors (or their institutions/funders) pay the applicable article publishing charge — USD 3,010 for full-length articles and reviews, USD 1,100 for short communications, USD 940 for letters, excluding taxes — unless a waiver applies. Authors choose among the offered Creative Commons licenses (CC BY available for funder compliance). Studies involving human participants must include statements of ethical approval and informed consent. Given the reported average of about 11 weeks from submission to publication, authors can expect a relatively rapid editorial process, though individual timelines vary with the extent of revision required.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the ISSN of Epilepsy & Behavior Reports?
The electronic ISSN is 2589-9864. Its predecessor, Epilepsy & Behavior Case Reports (2013–2019), carried ISSN 2213-3232.

Who publishes Epilepsy & Behavior Reports?
Elsevier Inc., United States. It is the open-access companion to the journal Epilepsy & Behavior (established 2000).

Is the journal fully open access?
Yes. It has published as a fully open-access journal since 2019, with all articles free to read under Creative Commons licenses (CC BY, CC BY-NC, or CC BY-NC-ND).

What are the article processing charges?
Per the journal's official open-access page: USD 3,010 for full-length articles and reviews, USD 1,100 for short communications, and USD 940 for letters/correspondence, excluding taxes. A waiver policy exists.

Is the journal indexed in Scopus and Web of Science?
Yes — independent journal databases list coverage in Scopus (from 2019), the Web of Science, Embase, and DOAJ, with archiving in CLOCKSS, PubMed Central, and Portico.

What is the journal's impact factor?
Independent journal databases report a Journal Impact Factor of 1.9 (June 2026 JCR release) and a CiteScore of 2.6; verify current values in Journal Citation Reports and Scopus.

What article types does it publish?
Full-length research articles, reviews, short communications, case reports, and letters/correspondence on epilepsy and its behavioral, cognitive, and psychosocial dimensions.

The Journal's Role in Epilepsy Publishing

To understand the place of Epilepsy & Behavior Reports in the scholarly landscape, it helps to see it within the broader ecology of epilepsy journals. Epilepsy research is served by several major titles: the flagship general journals that publish large clinical trials and basic-science studies, specialty journals in epileptology and clinical neurophysiology, and the Epilepsy & Behavior family, which is distinguished by its explicit focus on the behavioral dimensions of seizures and epilepsy. Within that family, the Reports title occupies a specific niche: it is the open-access, rapid-publication venue that welcomes the shorter, observation-driven contributions — case reports, short communications, correspondence — that advance clinical knowledge even when they do not take the form of large studies.

This niche matters because much of what clinicians learn about epilepsy comes from careful observation of individual patients: an unusual seizure semiology, an unexpected response to a medication change, a behavioral side effect not captured in trials, a successful surgical outcome in a complex case. Case reports have sometimes been dismissed as low in the hierarchy of evidence, but in epilepsy — a condition with enormous heterogeneity in etiology, presentation, and treatment response — well-documented cases continue to generate hypotheses, alert the community to rare phenomena, and illustrate the application of new technologies such as responsive neurostimulation and stereo-EEG. By giving these contributions a peer-reviewed, indexed, open-access home, the journal ensures that clinical observation remains part of the scholarly record rather than being confined to conference corridors.

The journal's open-access model amplifies this function. Clinicians in low- and middle-income countries, where the epilepsy treatment gap is largest, can read every article without subscription barriers. Trainees and early-career researchers can publish without needing their institution to hold an expensive journal subscription for their work to be read. And because articles are archived in PubMed Central, they surface in the discovery systems that clinicians actually use at the point of care. The combination of open access, rapid turnaround (about 11 weeks on average), and a welcoming stance toward brief contributions makes the journal a genuinely useful instrument for the global epilepsy community rather than merely another line on a publisher's list.

Guidance for Readers and Citers

Readers new to the journal should know that its content is organized by article type — research articles, short communications, case reports, correspondence — and by volume on ScienceDirect, where the latest issues (recent volumes have included Volume 32 in late 2025 and Volume 34 in mid-2026) are freely browsable. Each article page offers open-access PDF download, and articles can be followed through citation alerts. The journal's special issues, which gather contributions on focused clinical or scientific topics, are worth watching for concentrated coverage of emerging areas.

For citation purposes, the standard elements are author names, article title, the journal title (Epilepsy & Behavior Reports), year, volume, and article number (the journal uses article numbers rather than page ranges, e.g., "Article 100640"), plus the DOI and the electronic ISSN 2589-9864. Authors citing the journal should note its correct title history: work published from 2013 through 2019 appeared under Epilepsy & Behavior Case Reports (ISSN 2213-3232), while work from 2019 onward appears under Epilepsy & Behavior Reports (ISSN 2589-9864).