The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) holds an official Journal Impact Factor (JIF) of 9.5 in the latest Clarivate Journal Citation Reports (JCR) release, placing it firmly in the Q1 tier (rank 14 of 135) within Multidisciplinary Sciences. With an Elsevier CiteScore of 21.5 and an SJR of 3.414, PNAS represents one of the most widely cited and prestigious multidisciplinary venues globally alongside Nature and Science.
Citation Profile & Long-Tail Half-Life
While newer open-access multidisciplinary megajournals exhibit fast citation spikes followed by rapid decay, PNAS demonstrates an exceptionally long cited half-life of 11.3 years. This indicates that papers published in PNAS sustain active citation attention for more than a decade. The 5-Year Impact Factor of 10.6 further confirms that its scholarly influence expands significantly beyond the standard two-year JIF calculation window.
Acceptance Rates and Review Speed
PNAS operates a selective editorial process with an overall acceptance rate of approximately 13% to 15% for direct submissions. The typical time from submission to first decision averages 6 to 8 weeks. Authors aiming for PNAS should ensure their research demonstrates broad interdisciplinary significance rather than narrow, subdiscipline-specific findings.
Compare PNAS side by side with other top multidisciplinary journals using our Journal Comparison Tool to review acceptance rates, APC policies, and turnaround times.