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Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open

Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open is the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma’s open access journal dedicated to the rapid publication of peer-reviewed, high-quality trauma and acute care research. It provides an interdisciplinary forum for global issues in trauma and acute care surgery and covers epidemiological, educational, and socioeconomic facets of trauma management and injury prevention.

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Subject Critical Care Medicine, Surgery
Impact Factor 2.2
Quartile Q2
Open Access Type Open
eISSN 2397-5776
Invitation Only No
Cost Range Article Processing Charge (APC) of $3,180; APC for Challenges in Acute Care Surgery of $960; discounted APC of $1,895 for eligible affiliated society members; no submission, color, or page charges

Submission Instructions

Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open accepts the following article types. Click on an article type to view submission instructions.

Original Research And Plenary Paper

Cover Letter No cover letter is specified as required for this article type.
Abstract A structured abstract is required, and it must state the level of evidence and study type; abstract word limit is not specified.
Manuscript Maximum manuscript length is 4,000 words (excluding title page, abstract, tables, acknowledgements, contributions and references), and no specific section structure is specified in the submission guidelines for this journal.
References Include up to 50 references; specific citation style and formatting are not specified.
Figures & Tables Include up to six tables and/or illustrations; specific file formats, resolution and placement instructions are not specified.
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Systematic Review

Abstract A structured abstract is required, including the following headings: background; objectives; data sources; study eligibility criteria, participants and interventions; study appraisal and synthesis methods; results; limitations; conclusions and implications of key findings; and systematic review registration number.
Manuscript Maximum main text length is 4,000 words, excluding the title page, abstract, tables, acknowledgements, contributions and references, and no specific overall section structure is specified for the manuscript.
References Up to 80 references are allowed; specific reference formatting style is not specified.
Figures & Tables Include no more than six tables and/or illustrations in total; the PRISMA checklist must be included as a figure, and no specific file formats or resolution requirements are specified.
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Review

Cover Letter No specific cover letter requirements are specified, and a cover letter is not explicitly required.
Abstract A summary abstract is required, but abstract structure and word limit are not specified.
Manuscript Maximum main text length is 5,000 words (excluding title page, abstract, tables, acknowledgements, contributions and references); no specific section structure is specified.
References Include up to 100 references; specific citation style and formatting are not specified.
Figures & Tables Include up to eight tables and/or illustrations; no specific file formats, resolution, or placement instructions are specified.
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Guidelines/Algorithm

Cover Letter No cover letter requirements are specified.
Abstract No abstract is required for Guidelines/Algorithm articles.
Manuscript Manuscript word count must not exceed 5,000 words, excluding title page, abstract, tables, acknowledgements, contributions and references; no specific section structure is specified in the submission guidelines for this journal.
References Include up to 100 references; no specific reference style is specified.
Figures & Tables Include up to eight tables and/or illustrations; no specific placement or file format requirements are specified.
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Brief Report

Cover Letter No specific cover letter requirements are specified.
Abstract A structured abstract is required; word limit is not specified.
Manuscript Maximum manuscript length is 2,000 words (excluding title page, abstract, tables, acknowledgements, contributions and references); no specific section structure is specified.
References Include up to 20 references; specific citation style is not indicated.
Figures & Tables Include up to a total of six tables and/or illustrations; no specific file formats or resolution requirements are indicated.
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Challenge In Trauma And Acute Care Surgery

Cover Letter No specific cover letter requirements are specified, beyond standard submission via ScholarOne.
Abstract No abstract is required for this article type.
Manuscript Manuscript must include a case presentation plus sample answers to “What would you do?” (max 300 words) and a section titled “What we did and why” with clinical management description (max 500 words), with a total word count up to 800 words (excluding title page, tables, acknowledgements, contributions and references).
References References are not permitted for this article type; no specific citation style or reference count applies.
Figures & Tables Include up to three tables and/or illustrations; no specific file formats or resolution requirements are specified.
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Current Opinion

Cover Letter No cover letter is explicitly required for this article type.
Abstract A summary abstract is optional for this article type; no specific word limit or structure is specified.
Manuscript Maximum manuscript length is 3,000 words, excluding title page, abstract, tables, acknowledgements, contributions and references, and no specific section structure is specified.
References Include up to 40 references; no specific reference style is specified.
Figures & Tables Include up to six tables and/or illustrations; no specific placement, format, or resolution requirements are specified.
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Editorial

Cover Letter No cover letter requirements are specified for this article type.
Abstract No abstract is required for editorials.
Manuscript Editorials must not exceed 350 words, and this word count excludes the title page, abstract, tables, acknowledgements, contributions and references; no specific section structure is specified.
References Do not include references in editorials.
Figures & Tables Do not include tables or illustrations in editorials.
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Recent Publications

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation improves survival for trauma patients: fact, fiction, or the future?

Zachary Obinna Enumah, Emily C Esposito, Brandon Masi Parker

10.1136/tsaco-2025-002026
View Publication

Do tourniquets for extremity injuries save lives?

Taylor Miller, Travis Polk, Sharon M Henry

10.1136/tsaco-2026-002341
View Publication

Mentoring Trauma Nurses: A Global Perspective on Leadership and Resilience in Conflict Zones

Kathleen Martin, Zakk Arciaga

10.1136/tsaco-2025-001997
View Publication

Abdominal computed tomography prior to trauma laparotomy: a roadmap or detour? A pro-con debate

Eftikhar Akam, Taylor Miller, Melike Harfouche, Matthew Vasquez, Jill Richman Streams

10.1136/tsaco-2025-001981
View Publication

TCCACS and MDR 2026 introduction

Mary Allen, Purvi Pravinchandra Patel, Kenneth L Mattox

10.1136/tsaco-2026-002312
View Publication

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to publish?

The journal reports a median time to first decision without review of 4 days, a median time to first decision with review of 36 days, and a median time from acceptance to publication of 24 days.

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What are the publication costs?

Open Access fees are charged for publication in the journal, reflecting an article processing charge model for authors.

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Research Topics

Trauma and Emergency Care Studies Trauma Management and Diagnosis Trauma, Hemostasis, Coagulopathy, Resuscitation Emergency and Acute Care Studies Abdominal Trauma and Injuries

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