BA

Brain and Language

Brain and Language is an interdisciplinary journal that publishes articles elucidating the complex relationships among language, brain, and behavior. It covers modern techniques in cognitive neuroscience, including functional and structural brain imaging, electrophysiology, cellular and molecular neurobiology, genetics, lesion-based approaches, and computational modeling. Articles must relate to human language and be relevant to understanding its neurobiological and neurocognitive bases, with significant theoretical novelty and/or practical implications using perspectives and methods from psychology, linguistics, and neuroscience along with brain data and brain measures.

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Subject Audiology & Speech-language Pathology, Neurosciences
Impact Factor 2.3
Quartile Q1
Open Access Type Hybrid
ISSN 0093-934X
eISSN 1090-2155
Invitation Only No
Cost Range Open Access APC: USD 3,320 (excluding taxes). Subscription: No publication fee charged to authors.

Submission Instructions

Brain and Language accepts the following article types. Click on an article type to view submission instructions.

Regular Article

Cover Letter A cover letter is required only for Regular Articles that exceed the typical length. The cover letter must justify the need for additional length and obtain the Editor's permission.
Abstract An abstract is required. Abstract must not exceed 250 words.
Manuscript Regular Articles typically occupy 6 to 12 journal pages and usually contain fewer than 10,000 words including figure legends and references. The article must be divided into clearly defined and numbered sections. The manuscript must include 1 to 7 English keywords, submission highlights of 3 to 5 bullet points in a separate editable file, and an AI-use declaration section before the references if generative AI was used in manuscript preparation.
References Citations must follow the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition (2020) style. The reference list must be arranged alphabetically and then chronologically, with same-author same-year works distinguished by letters after the year.
Figures & Tables Regular Articles may include up to 6 figures and tables combined, occupying at most 2 full journal pages. Figures and other graphical media must be supplied as separate files, while tables must be submitted as editable text. All figures and tables must be cited in the text, numbered in order of appearance, and provided with captions.
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Review Article

Cover Letter Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract Abstract must not exceed 250 words.
Manuscript Review Article is typically up to 15 pages. Article must be divided into clearly defined and numbered sections. Manuscript must include 1 to 7 English keywords, 3 to 5 article highlights submitted as a separate editable file, and an AI-use declaration section before the references if generative AI was used in manuscript preparation.
References Citations in the text must follow APA 7th edition style. Reference list must be arranged alphabetically and then chronologically, with same-author same-year works distinguished by letters after the year.
Figures & Tables Tables must be submitted as editable text and figures must be supplied as separate files along with the manuscript. All tables and figures must be cited in the text, numbered consecutively in order of appearance, and provided with captions.
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Short Communication

Cover Letter Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract Abstract must not exceed 250 words.
Manuscript Short Communications usually contain fewer than 6 published pages and fewer than 5,000 words including figure legends and references. Short Communications typically include Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. The manuscript must include 1 to 7 English keywords, submission highlights of 3 to 5 bullet points in a separate editable file, and an AI-use declaration section before the references if generative AI was used in manuscript preparation.
References Citations must follow the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition (2020), style. The reference list must be arranged alphabetically and then chronologically, with same-year works by the same author distinguished as a, b, c, and so on.
Figures & Tables Short Communications may include up to 3 figures and/or tables. Figures must be uploaded as separate files, and tables must be submitted as editable text. Short Communication figures and tables together may take up at most 1 full journal page.
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Opinion Article

Cover Letter Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract Abstract must not exceed 250 words.
Manuscript Opinion Article should usually contain fewer than 6 published pages and fewer than 5,000 words including figure legends but excluding references. Article must be divided into clearly defined and numbered sections. Manuscript must include 1 to 7 English keywords, article highlights as a separate editable file with 3 to 5 bullet points of no more than 85 characters each, and an AI-use declaration section before the references if generative AI was used in manuscript preparation.
References Citations must follow the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition (2020) style. Reference list must be arranged alphabetically and then chronologically, with same-year works by the same author distinguished by letters after the year.
Figures & Tables Tables must be submitted as editable text and figures and images must be supplied as separate files along with the manuscript. All tables and figures must be cited in the text, numbered consecutively, and include captions, with table notes placed below the table body.
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Keynote Article

Cover Letter Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract Abstract must not exceed 250 words.
Manuscript Manuscript is limited to 12,000 words excluding references, tables, and figures. Article must be divided into clearly defined and numbered sections. Manuscript must include 1 to 7 English keywords, 3 to 5 highlights submitted as a separate editable file, and an AI-use declaration section before the references if generative AI was used in manuscript preparation.
References Citations and references must follow American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition (2020) style. Reference list must be arranged alphabetically and then chronologically, with same-author same-year works distinguished by letters after the year.
Figures & Tables Tables must be submitted as editable text and figures must be supplied as separate files along with the manuscript. All tables and figures must be cited in the text, numbered consecutively in order of appearance, and provided with captions.
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Recent Publications

Hierarchical processing of continuous natural language: From monologue to conversation

Mengping Wang, Chunming Lu

10.1016/j.bandl.2026.105815
View Publication

Irony is more cognitively taxing than literalness in the second language and more effective in the first: Evidence from event-related potentials

Paweł Chełminiak, Rafał Jończyk, Guillaume Thierry, Katarzyna Bromberek-Dyzman

10.1016/j.bandl.2026.105805
View Publication

Processing newly learned L2 emotional words in contexts: the influence of emotional resonance on N400 and LPC congruency effects

Beixian Gu, Yang Li, Yue Qin, Wei Tang, Yang Fu, David Beltrán

10.1016/j.bandl.2026.105814
View Publication

Voice as relational orientation cue: neural dynamics underlying the decoding of listener- and content-oriented vocal communication

Xiaoming Jiang, Qingyi Song, Yanbing Hu, Linyi Lu

10.1016/j.bandl.2026.105803
View Publication

Language is a factor in the identification and processing of number words

Rémy Lachelin, Christine Schiltz, Mila Marinova

10.1016/j.bandl.2026.105800
View Publication

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to publish?

3 days from submission to first decision; 80 days from submission to decision after review; 222 days from submission to acceptance; 10 days from acceptance to first online publication.

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Is a cover letter required?

A cover letter is required only to justify regular articles longer than 10,000 words and obtain editor permission for additional length.

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What are the publication costs?

Open Access APC: USD 3,320 (excluding taxes). Subscription: No publication fee charged to authors.

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Research Topics

Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism Reading and Literacy Development Language Development and Disorders Diverse Scientific and Economic Studies Human auditory perception and evaluation Educational Robotics and Engineering Phonetics and Phonology Research Hemispheric Asymmetry in Neuroscience Action Observation and Synchronization EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies Language, Metaphor, and Cognition Neuroscience and Music Perception Multisensory perception and integration Spatial Neglect and Hemispheric Dysfunction Hearing Impairment and Communication Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation Child and Animal Learning Development Second Language Acquisition and Learning Earthquake and Disaster Impact Studies Categorization, perception, and language Hearing Loss and Rehabilitation Legal case studies and regulations Writing and Handwriting Education

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