Journal profile
Arc
ISSN 0229-2807 · eISSN 2817-1799 · McGill University Library · Canada
Arc: diamond open access (no APC); no APC; review about 32 weeks (community reports); 4 articles in 2025.
The latest issue on the journal's website is from 2024 (Volume 52, Issue 1): the journal may have stopped publishing or moved platform in the last two years. Check its website before submitting.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Arc is published by McGill University Library. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Study and Philosophy of Religion, Biblical Studies and Interpretation and Karl Barth and Christian Theology, together about 40.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Arc is an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal published annually by the School of Religious Studies (formerly Faculty of Religious Studies), McGill University. Founded in 1973, the journal was restructured into a formal scholarly journal in 1990. In 2022 Arc shifted to a fully open-access format with the support of the McGill library. Accordingly, there are no fees associated with reading or publishing in Arc, and authors retain copyright over their articles (see the more detailed statements on these points below). Scope: Arc offers a space for innovative and original scholarly work that engages with: theology; comparative studies in religion; theory and method in the study of religion/ theology; philosophy of religion; religion, law and politics; history of religions; sociology of religion; anthropology of religion; religious ethics; religion and literature; religion and art; religion and linuistics; studies of sacred texts; religion and health, interreligious studies. Peer Review Process: After submission, all articles are evaluated by appropriate members of the editorial team to decide on whether they will be sent for review. Articles selected for review are evaluated by two experts in the subject area of the submission (reviewers must have a PhD, and must have recent, peer-reviewed publications in the area of the submission). In the case of a substantial disagreement between the first two reviewers, a third review is undertaken. The review process is double blind, so neither the reviewer nor the author know each other's identity. The final acceptance or rejection decision on reviewed and revised manuscripts can be made by the Editor-in-Chief, Guest Editor, or an appropriate Editorial Board Member. After the acceptance of the article, the Publishing Team prepares the manuscript for publication, including all copy-editing and production tasks related to the final upload. Publication Frequency: Annual Open Access Policy: This journal provides immediate open access to its content. **Arc does not charge any subscription fees or article processing fees.** Copyright: All content (articles/book reviews/editorial introductions) is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. For content published between 1973–2018, copyright rests with Arc. For content published between 2019–Present, the copyright remains with its author(s). For the Arc Supplements the copyright lies with the compiling editor, Edwar
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Study and Philosophy of ReligionArts and Humanities16.9%
- Biblical Studies and InterpretationArts and Humanities14.1%
- Karl Barth and Christian TheologyArts and Humanities9.1%
- Religious and Theological StudiesSocial Sciences7%
- Religion and Society InteractionsSocial Sciences6.2%
- Indian and Buddhist StudiesArts and Humanities5%
- Religion, Theology, History, Judaism, ChristianitySocial Sciences4.4%
- Reformation and Early Modern ChristianityArts and Humanities4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
DOAJLetPub
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
- h-index
- 5OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 3OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.16OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 722 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0 | 0 | 40 |
| 2025 | 4 | 4 | 12 |
| 2024 | 15 | 15 | 8 |
| 2023 | 8 | 8 | 15 |
| 2022 | 12 | 12 | 5 |
| 2021 | 13 | 13 | 6 |
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 32 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 32 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Unspecified peer reviewDOAJ
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
Diamond open access (no APC)DOAJ
Every article is open access and authors pay no article processing charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | No APC | No | CC BY-NC-ND | |
| LetPub | No APC | No | — | |
| Publisher website | No APC | — | — |
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Article types accepted3, with length limits
- articlesArticles. Article submissions should provide original contributions to any of the areas suggested in the journal’s scope / the most recent call for papers. Arti…Length not stated
- book reviewcal context worth commenting on, etc.). Book review submissions should not exceed 1,500 words. Submissions are welcome from any area within the study ofmain text ≤ 1,500 words
- book reviewsBook Reviews. Book review submissions should address recently published works that fall within the interests of the journal’s scope or the most recent call for …Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteLicense & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- License & copyright Copyright Notice
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license for published works; copyright retained by authors. Model summary
This agreement takes effect upon acceptance of the Submission entitled, [Submission] (“Submission”) for publication. By submitting this agreement, the undersigned author hereby grants, first publication right to publish and display electronically the Submission (including the abstract) to Arc (“Publisher”). You also agree: That the Publisher may make and retain more than one copy for the purpose o…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access
Open access Model summary
In 2022 Arc shifted to a fully open-access format with the support of the McGill library.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Peer review Model summary
Arc is an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal published annually by the School of Religious Studies (formerly Faculty of Religious Studies), McGill University.
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- McGill University Library
- Country or region
- Canada
- Language
- French, English
- ISSN
- 0229-2807
- Electronic ISSN
- 2817-1799
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 52, Issue 1 (2024)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Arc
How long does peer review take at Arc?
Authors report an average review time of about 32 weeks. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
Which databases index Arc?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Arc is indexed in DOAJ.
Is Arc open access, and what is the APC?
Arc is a diamond open-access journal (no APC). It charges no article processing charge.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, DOAJ, 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .