Neuroendo Celebrate | Journal of Neuroendocrinology today – Impact Factor 5!
To mark a key turning point for both the British Society for Neuroendocrinology (BSN) and our official journal, Journal of Neuroendocrinology (JNE ) this year, 2026, we are sharing the story of our Society and Journal with a series of Neuroendo Celebrate blogs charting their origins and journey through to the present day. In this final blog of the series, we celebrate how far our Journal has come since its first issue.
It’s been over 35 years since the first issue of JNE was published and what was once a small, niche journal is now a Journal with an Impact Factor of 5 and a Citescore of 9
Today, JNE is a fully online journal and in the last five years downloads have increased from 161,196 in 2020 to 461,046 in 2025 (a 186% increase), regularly publishing successful Special Issues, such as the Insulin and Cushings Special Issues.
A celebration of 30 years of JNE was held in Glasgow in 2019 bringing together early career researchers and senior academics, including past Editors-in-Chief for a celebratory dinner in our Societies’ true welcoming and supportive style.
Image: Former JNE Edtiors-in-Chief Julian Mercer, Julia Buckingham, Dave Grattan, Stafford Lightman and Gareth Leng (R-L) cutting the JNE30 Celebration cake in 2019.
In November 2020 JNE expanded its remit to include translational and clinical neuroendocrine research – a strategic decision that has had a hugely positive influence on our Journal’s Impact Factor. At the time, then Editor-in-Chief of the Translational and Clinical Strand Professor Bob Millar said:
"The opportunity to join JNE at the launch of the new Translational and Clinical Neuroendocrinology strand fulfils a long-held ambition to create a single not-for-profit neuroendocrine journal catering for the full spectrum of fundamental and clinical neuroendocrinology. I am confident that the editorial boards across the two strands, Translational and Clinical, and Fundamental and Mechanistic, will see the emergence of JNE as the global leader in the field.”
Continuing both the BSN’s and JNE’s commitment to supporting up-and-coming researchers, the JNE Early Career Editorial Board was established in 2025 to equip emerging scientists with the tools to excel in their field. Speaking on the formation of the new Editorial Board, Professor Mike Lehman, Editor-in-Chief Fundamental and Mechanistic Strand, said:
“We wanted to pull back the curtain on the often-mysterious process of scientific publishing and to train up-and-coming neuroendocrinologists as future reviewers and editors for what is a thriving, rigorous and leading journal owned and run by our community for the benefit of our community.”
Speaking on their experience in the Editorial Board the first cohort of early career researchers commented on how the training has given them an insight into how to give constructive reviews, helped them improve their own manuscripts as well as find a network of emerging and senior scientists.
Today JNE is the official journal for multiple international scientific societies including European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society, the Pan American Neuroendocrine Society, Hypothalamic Neuroscience and Neuroendocrinology Australasia, International Regulatory Peptides Society, European Neuroendocrine Association, Société de Neuroendocrinologie and the International Neuroendocrine Federation. Though owned and managed by the BSN, our Journal remains true to its initial remit: a journal owned by our community, run by our community for our community.
Our Journal’s success is thanks to all the editors, reviewers and authors who have contributed towards JNE’s rigour and excellence.
When Professor Mike Lehman was interviewed by BSN’s Dr Rebecca Dumbell on his vision for our Journal in 2025 he highlighted three focus areas: to expand its topical and geographical reach, to bring the two strands – Fundamental & Mechanistic and Translational & Clinical – more closely together and to continue to support early career researchers through the Early Career Editorial Board.
