The Lancet is medicine's most recognisable journal brand. Founded in London in 1823 by the surgeon and reformer Thomas Wakley - who named it after the surgical instrument - it has grown from a single weekly general medical journal into The Lancet Group: 25+ titles covering every major clinical specialty, global health, public health, and a growing regional-health series. Elsevier has published The Lancet since acquiring it in 1991, so Elsevier-wide policies (open-access agreements, fee waivers, Editorial Manager submission) apply across the family.

This guide covers how to choose between Lancet titles, what each publishes, open-access routes and real APC numbers, the peer-review workflow, and how to submit.

The Lancet Group ranges from the ultra-selective flagship weekly to fully open-access global-health and regional titles. Use the table below to pick a realistic first target.

All Lancet titles publish clinical medicine and health research - the group does not span other disciplines. The main strands:

• The flagship: The Lancet, the weekly general medical journal publishing major trials, seminars, global-health series (e.g., Global Burden of Disease), comment, and correspondence.
• Specialty titles: The Lancet Oncology, The Lancet Neurology, The Lancet Infectious Diseases, The Lancet Psychiatry, The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, The Lancet Haematology, The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology, The Lancet Rheumatology, The Lancet HIV, The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, and newer launches such as The Lancet Primary Care.
• Fully open-access titles: The Lancet Global Health, The Lancet Public Health, The Lancet Planetary Health, The Lancet Digital Health, The Lancet Microbe, The Lancet Healthy Longevity - 11 titles listed in DOAJ.
• The Lancet Regional Health series: regional OA journals for Europe, the Americas, Western Pacific, and Southeast Asia.

The Lancet Group offers three OA routes:

• Gold OA (fully-OA journals) - 11 titles, default licences CC BY or CC BY-NC-ND.
• Hybrid OA - the flagship and subscription specialty titles offer a per-article OA option; check Elsevier's current APC price list for the exact fee.
• Green OA (self-archiving) - permitted under Elsevier's sharing policy, with per-title embargoes (check Sherpa Romeo).

APCs below are 2026 figures (USD, before tax) as listed in DOAJ; Elsevier revises prices annually, so always confirm on the journal's homepage before submitting.

Authors from Research4Life Group A countries receive a full APC waiver and Group B countries a 50% discount under Elsevier's policy, and authors at institutions with an Elsevier transformative (Read & Publish) agreement may have the fee covered - check the ESAC registry or your library.

• Model: single-anonymized peer review is the default across the group; statistical review is standard for trials.
• Fast-track: The Lancet offers expedited handling for randomised controlled trials with major clinical implications.
• Editorial triage: all Lancet titles are highly selective; most rejections happen at the editor stage within days to a few weeks.
• Turnaround: varies by title and article type - check the journal's information-for-authors page for current expectations.

1. Pick the title. Match your paper's scope and evidence level to a specific Lancet journal - transferring down the family after rejection is common and often editor-suggested.
2. Read the information for authors. Each title has its own requirements at thelancet.com; trials must be registered and reported to CONSORT.
3. Prepare your manuscript. Lancet journals use Vancouver-style numbered references; templates for Lancet titles are available on SciSpace.
4. Submit via Editorial Manager. The Lancet Group runs on Elsevier's Editorial Manager system, with a separate site per journal.
5. Respond quickly at revision. Clinical relevance and timeliness weigh heavily in final decisions.

The Lancet Group follows Elsevier's publishing-ethics framework and COPE guidance, requires ICMJE-conformant authorship and disclosure statements, and mandates clinical-trial registration. Research-data sharing follows Elsevier's tiered data policy, with data-sharing statements required for trials.