Journal profile · AREA STUDIES
African Studies Review
ISSN 0002-0206 · eISSN 1555-2462 · Cambridge University Press
African Studies Review: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.85; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,550; 229 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
African Studies Review is published by Cambridge University Press and is in Zone 3 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are African history and culture studies, African history and culture analysis and Global Maritime and Colonial Histories, together about 39.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Political Science and International Relations. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
African Studies Review (ASR) is the flagship scholarly journal of the African Studies Association (ASA). ASR publishes the highest quality interdisciplinary scholarship that is of interest to a broad African studies audience using a double-blind peer review process. Committed to publishing work across the multidisciplinary areas represented in the ASA, the journal seeks to contribute to the growth of African studies in a global comparative context.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): AREA STUDIES
Editor-in-chief Cajetan IhekaPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 45, United Kingdom 6, Nigeria 3, Brazil 2, France 1 (63 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- African history and culture studiesSocial Sciences23.1%
- African history and culture analysisSocial Sciences9%
- Global Maritime and Colonial HistoriesSocial Sciences7.5%
- African studies and sociopolitical issuesSocial Sciences6%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5.3%
- Legal case studies and regulationsSocial Sciences5%
- International Development and AidSocial Sciences4.1%
- African cultural and philosophical studiesSocial Sciences4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Area Studies | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Area Studies | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Area Studies | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 0.85LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.28LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.94LetPub ·
- h-index
- 111OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,259OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.13OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 74.74%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 35LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2,001Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 6,691 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 164 | 154 | 4 |
| 2025 | 229 | 215 | 19 |
| 2024 | 231 | 228 | 56 |
| 2023 | 123 | 112 | 125 |
| 2022 | 180 | 153 | 288 |
| 2021 | 149 | 128 | 277 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,550 / GBP 2,460 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- ISSN
- 0002-0206
- Electronic ISSN
- 1555-2462
- Society / sponsor
- African Studies Association
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about African Studies Review
What CAS zone is African Studies Review in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, African Studies Review is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Area Studies. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of African Studies Review?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0.85; CiteScore 1.6, h-index 111.
Where are the editorial board members of African Studies Review based?
Of the 63 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (45), United Kingdom (6) and Nigeria (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index African Studies Review?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, African Studies Review is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is African Studies Review open access, and what is the APC?
African Studies Review is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,550.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .