DC

Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience is the official journal of the Flux Society for Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience. It publishes theoretical and research papers as well as meta-analyses on human neurocognitive brain development from infancy through adulthood, with a focus on developmental change in neurocognition across age, including typical and atypical brain development. The journal does not accept animal studies.

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Subject Neurosciences
Impact Factor 4.9
Quartile Q1
Open Access Type Open
ISSN 1878-9293
eISSN 1878-9307
Invitation Only No
Cost Range Article Publishing Charge: USD 3910 excluding taxes for all articles.

Submission Instructions

Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience accepts the following article types. Click on an article type to view submission instructions.

Research Papers

Cover Letter Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract Abstract must not exceed 250 words.
Manuscript Research Papers are limited to up to 6 printed journal pages or about 6,000 words. Manuscripts must be divided into clearly defined and numbered sections and include a methods subsection titled 'Design Considerations and Sample Size'. Manuscripts must include 1 to 7 English keywords, submit 3 to 5 highlights as a separate editable file, provide a graphical abstract as a separate file, and add an AI declaration section before the references if generative AI was used in manuscript preparation.
References Text citations must use author name and year of publication. References may be submitted in any consistent style, but the reference list must be arranged alphabetically and then chronologically if needed.
Figures & Tables Tables must be submitted as editable text and figures must be supplied as separate files along with the manuscript. Tables must be numbered consecutively, cited in the text, and include captions, and figures must be numbered in sequence, cited in the text, and include captions.
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Meta-Analyses

Cover Letter Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract Abstract must not exceed 250 words.
Manuscript Manuscript is limited to 6 printed journal pages or about 6,000 words. Manuscript must be divided into clearly defined and numbered sections. Manuscript must include 1 to 7 English keywords, article highlights, a graphical abstract, and an AI declaration statement before the references if generative AI was used in manuscript preparation.
References References may be submitted in any consistent style, with in-text citations using author name and year. Reference list must be arranged alphabetically and then chronologically if needed, with same-author same-year entries distinguished by a, b, c, etc.
Figures & Tables Figures must be supplied as separate files along with the manuscript, and tables and figures must be uploaded with their titles, captions, and footnotes. Tables must be editable text with captions and figures must each have a caption including a brief title and description.
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Reviews

Cover Letter Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract Abstract must not exceed 250 words.
Manuscript Reviews are limited to 10,000 words. Manuscripts must be divided into clearly defined and numbered sections. Manuscripts must include 1 to 7 keywords in English, required article highlights submitted as a separate editable file with 3 to 5 bullet points of no more than 85 characters each, a required graphical abstract submitted as a separate file, and an AI declaration statement before the references if AI tools were used in manuscript preparation.
References Citations must use author name and year. References may be in any consistent style at submission and must be listed alphabetically, then chronologically if needed, with multiple same-year entries distinguished by letters.
Figures & Tables Tables must be submitted as editable text and figures must be supplied as separate files along with the manuscript. Tables must be cited in the text, numbered consecutively, and include captions, and figures must be cited in the text, numbered in sequence, and include captions.
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Registered Reports (Rrs)

Cover Letter Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract Abstract must not exceed 250 words.
Manuscript Manuscript must be divided into clearly defined and numbered sections and include a methods subsection titled 'Design Considerations and Sample Size'. Manuscript must include 1 to 7 English keywords, required article highlights submitted separately as 3 to 5 bullet points of no more than 85 characters each, a graphical abstract submitted separately, and an AI declaration statement before the references if AI tools were used in manuscript preparation.
References Citations must use author name and year in the text, while references may be submitted in any consistent style or format. Reference list must be arranged alphabetically and then chronologically if needed, include complete bibliographic details, and distinguish same-author same-year entries with letters.
Figures & Tables Figures must be supplied as separate files, and tables must be submitted as editable text. All figures and tables must be cited in the text, numbered consecutively, and include captions.
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Primary Rrs

Cover Letter Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract An abstract is required. Abstract must not exceed 250 words. Abstract must be unstructured and able to stand alone.
Manuscript Manuscript must be divided into clearly defined and numbered sections and include a methods section subsection titled 'Design Considerations and Sample Size'. Manuscript must include 1 to 7 English keywords, required article highlights submitted separately as 3 to 5 bullet points, a required graphical abstract submitted separately, and an AI declaration section before the references if generative AI was used in manuscript preparation.
References Citations must use author names and year in the text. References may be in any consistent style at submission, but the reference list must be arranged alphabetically and then chronologically if needed.
Figures & Tables Tables must be provided as editable text, and figures and other graphical media must be uploaded as separate files along with the manuscript. All tables and figures must be cited in the text, numbered in order of appearance, and accompanied by captions.
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Secondary Rrs

Cover Letter Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract Abstract must not exceed 250 words. Abstract must be unstructured and able to stand alone.
Manuscript Manuscript must be divided into clearly defined and numbered sections and include a methods subsection titled 'Design Considerations and Sample Size'. Manuscript must include 1 to 7 English keywords, 3 to 5 highlights submitted as a separate editable file, a graphical abstract submitted separately, and an AI declaration section before the references if generative AI was used in manuscript preparation.
References Text citations must use author name and year, and the reference list must be arranged alphabetically and then chronologically if needed. Reference entries must include author names, source title information, year, and volume, article number, or pagination where applicable, with same-year works by the same author distinguished by a, b, c, etc.
Figures & Tables Tables must be provided as editable text and figures must be uploaded as separate files, with all tables and figures cited in the manuscript text. Tables must be numbered consecutively and include captions, and figures must be numbered in sequence and include captions with a brief title and description.
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Registered Replication Reports (Rrrs)

Cover Letter Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract An abstract is required. Abstract must not exceed 250 words.
Manuscript Manuscript must be divided into clearly defined and numbered sections and must include a methods subsection titled 'Design Considerations and Sample Size'. Manuscript must include 1 to 7 English keywords, required article highlights submitted separately as 3 to 5 bullet points, a required graphical abstract submitted separately, and an AI declaration section before the references if AI tools were used in manuscript preparation.
References References may be submitted in any consistent style, with in-text citations using author name and year. Reference list must be arranged alphabetically and then chronologically if necessary, and entries must include core bibliographic details such as authors, title, year, and journal or book source information.
Figures & Tables Tables must be submitted as editable text, and figures and other graphical media must be supplied as separate files along with the manuscript. Tables must be numbered consecutively, cited in the text, and include captions, and figures must be numbered in sequence, cited in the text, and include captions.
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Recent Publications

Prenatal neural network organization and later executive function development

Alice Massera, Iris Menu, Lanxin Ji, Christina Lee, Maya Sacasa, Christopher J. Trentacosta, Moriah E. Thomason

10.1016/j.dcn.2026.101745
View Publication

Linking temporal dynamics of children’s natural behavior to brain development

Andrew E. Koepp, Monami Nishio, Allyson P. Mackey

10.1016/j.dcn.2026.101742
View Publication

From school climate to brain development: What the ABCD study reveals about the educational context of adolescence

Erin L. Thompson, Oliver M. Sawi, Ethan A. Roy, Shermaine Abad, Christine M. Kaiver, Sarah M. Lehman, Jolene Tay, Marybel R. Gonzalez, Amandine Van Rinsveld, Gayathri J. Dowling, Sandra A. Brown, Terry L. Jernigan, Bruce D. McCandliss, Elizabeth A. Hoffman

10.1016/j.dcn.2026.101746
View Publication

Prenatal and early-life determinants of neurodevelopment: A decade of discoveries and new directions in ABCD

Iris Menu, Arnaud Cachia, Moriah E. Thomason

10.1016/j.dcn.2026.101747
View Publication

When little brain goes to school: Impact of pedagogy on cerebellar peduncles’ development

Gabriel Girard, Mathilde Gaujard, Camille Grosjean, Elda Fischi-Gomez, Solange Denervaud

10.1016/j.dcn.2026.101748
View Publication

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to publish?

6 days from submission to first decision; 68 days from submission to decision after review; 176 days from submission to acceptance; 3 days from acceptance to online publication.

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Is a cover letter required?

Appeal requests must be submitted in writing to the journal by the corresponding author with an appeal letter explaining the reasons for the appeal, point-by-point responses to editors’ or reviewers’ comments, and supporting evidence where relevant. Appeals must be submitted within 1 month of the editorial decision.

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What are the publication costs?

Article Publishing Charge: USD 3910 excluding taxes for all articles.

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Research Topics

Functional Brain Connectivity Studies Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development Neural dynamics and brain function Reading and Literacy Development EEG and Brain-Computer Interfaces Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Child and Animal Learning Development Memory and Neural Mechanisms Advanced Neuroimaging Techniques and Applications Neonatal and fetal brain pathology Stress Responses and Cortisol Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes Cognitive Abilities and Testing Autism Spectrum Disorder Research Diverse Scientific and Economic Studies Human auditory perception and evaluation Educational Robotics and Engineering Infant Development and Preterm Care Language Development and Disorders Mental Health Research Topics Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills Neuroscience and Music Perception

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