Journal profile · PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY
British Journal of Psychology
ISSN 0007-1269 · eISSN 2044-8295 · Wiley-Blackwell
British Journal of Psychology: CAS Zone 2 · Psychology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.51; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,800; median 179 days to acceptance (90 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 14% (journal website); 96 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
British Journal of Psychology is published by Wiley-Blackwell and is in Zone 2 of Psychology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Face Recognition and Perception, Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies and Memory Processes and Influences, together about 21.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Cognitive Neuroscience. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The British Journal of Psychology publishes original research on all aspects of general psychology including cognition; health and clinical psychology; developmental, social and occupational psychology. For information on specific requirements, please view our Author Guidelines. We attract a large number of international submissions each year which make major contributions across the range of psychology, particularly where the work has the following characteristics: articles or groups of articles dealing with topics which are of interest to researchers from more than one specialism; section of psychology or which address topics or issues at the interface between different specialisms or sections of psychology; articles or groups of articles which take different or contrasting methodological or theoretical approaches to a single topic; articles or groups of articles dealing with novel areas, theories or methodologies; integrative reviews, particularly where the review offers new analysis (e.g. meta-analysis), new theory or new implications for practice; articles or groups of articles dealing with the history of psychology; interdisciplinary work, where the contribution from, or to, psychological theory or practice is clear. It enjoys a wide international readership and features reports of empirical studies, critical reviews of the literature and theoretical contributions which aim to further our understanding of psychology. The journal additionally publishes a small number of invited articles by people who lead their field on a topic that provokes discussion. These articles include a short peer commentary.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY
Editor-in-chief Janet HsiaoPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Hong Kong, China 1, United Kingdom 1, Australia 1, Israel 1 (4 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Face Recognition and PerceptionNeuroscience7.3%
- Neural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesNeuroscience7.1%
- Memory Processes and InfluencesNeuroscience6.9%
- Visual perception and processing mechanismsNeuroscience6.1%
- Evolutionary Psychology and Human BehaviorPsychology5.9%
- Reading and Literacy DevelopmentPsychology5.3%
- Child and Animal Learning DevelopmentPsychology4.9%
- Social and Intergroup PsychologySocial Sciences4.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Psychology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Psychology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Psychology, Multidisciplinary | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Psychology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Psychology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Psychology, Multidisciplinary | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Psychology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Psychology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Psychology, Multidisciplinary | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
AHCIMEDLINEPubMedPsycINFOCINAHLCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest, OCLC
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
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
- 3.51LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 3.6Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 7.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 7.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.46LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.7LetPub ·
- h-index
- 188OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,160OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.64OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 64.64%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 74LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 87Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 447,315Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 4,177 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 68 | 43 | 21 |
| 2025 | 96 | 69 | 219 |
| 2024 | 73 | 50 | 385 |
| 2023 | 71 | 58 | 719 |
| 2022 | 83 | 46 | 1,038 |
| 2021 | 69 | 32 | 1,223 |
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
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
179 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 131 days – 213 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 15 days (90 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 196 days
- Sample
- 90 articles with submission and acceptance dates (184 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 14%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 14%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 12 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 12 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 178 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 14 daysPublisher website ·
- 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 3,800 / EUR 3,170 / GBP 2,490 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare7 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 100–200 words
- Keywords
- ≤ 7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 8,000 words
- Reference style
- APA
- Templates
- LaTeX and Word
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted7
- integrative reviewsintegrative reviews, particularly where the review offers new analysis (e.g. meta-analysis), new theory or new implications for practiceLength not stated
- invited articlesThe journal additionally publishes a small number of invited articles by people who lead their field on a topic that provokes discussion. These articles include…Length not stated
- original researchThe British Journal of Psychology publishes original research on all aspects of general psychology including cognition; health and clinical psychology; developm…Length not stated
- registered reportAll papers should be no more than 8000 words (excluding the abstract, reference list, tables and figures). In exceptional cases the Editor retains discretion to…Length not stated
- registered reportsPlease refer to the separate guidelines for Registered Reports.Length not stated
- systematic reviewAll papers should be no more than 8000 words (excluding the abstract, reference list, tables and figures). In exceptional cases the Editor retains discretion to…Length not stated
- systematic reviewsAll systematic reviews must be pre-registered and an anonymous link to the pre-registration must be provided in the main document, so that it is available to re…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, Open access, Peer review, Plagiarism, Preprints, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- Authorship Authorship
All listed authors should have contributed to the manuscript substantially and have agreed to the final submitted version. Authorship is defined by the criteria set out in the APA Publication Manual: “Individuals should only take authorship credit for work they have actually performed or to which they have substantially contributed (APA Ethics Code Standard 8.12a, Publication Credit). Authorship e…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Conflict of Interest
The journal requires that all authors disclose any potential sources of conflict of interest. Any interest or relationship, financial or otherwise that might be perceived as influencing an author's objectivity is considered a potential source of conflict of interest. These must be disclosed when directly relevant or directly related to the work that the authors describe in their manuscript. Potent…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Sharing and Data Accessibility Policy
The British Journal of Psychology recognizes the many benefits of archiving data for scientific progress. Archived data provides an indispensable resource for the scientific community, making possible future replications and secondary analyses, in addition to the importance of verifying the dependability of published research findings. The journal expects that where possible all data supporting th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics 5. EDITORIAL POLICIES AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Refer & Transfer: journal participates in Wiley's Refer & Transfer program; if manuscript not accepted, may receive recommendation to transfer to another suitable Wiley journal. Model summary
Peer Review and Acceptance Except where otherwise stated, the journal operates a policy of anonymous (double-anonymous) peer review. Please ensure that any information which may reveal author identity is anonymized in your submission, such as institutional affiliations, geographical location or references to unpublished research. We also operate a triage process in which submissions that are out o…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access WALS + standard CTA/ELA and/or Open Access for hybrid titles
You may choose to publish under the terms of the journal’s standard copyright agreement, or Open Access under the terms of a Creative Commons License. Standard re-use and licensing rights vary by journal. Note that certain funders mandate a particular type of CC license be used. This journal uses the CC-BY/CC-BY-NC/CC-BY-NC-ND Creative Commons License.Self-Archiving Definitions and Policies: Note …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review and Acceptance
Peer review: anonymous (double-anonymous) peer review, except where otherwise stated. Model summary
Except where otherwise stated, the journal operates a policy of anonymous (double-anonymous) peer review. Please ensure that any information which may reveal author identity is anonymized in your submission, such as institutional affiliations, geographical location or references to unpublished research. We also operate a triage process in which submissions that are out of scope or otherwise inappr…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism
Plagiarism screening: journal uses iThenticate's CrossCheck software to detect overlapping and similar text in submitted manuscripts. Model summary
Note this journal uses iThenticate’s CrossCheck software to detect instances of overlapping and similar text in submitted manuscripts.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprint policy:
Preprint policy: journal considers preprints; authors may post submitted version to preprint server at any time; update pre-publication versions with link to final published article. Model summary
This journal will consider for review articles previously available as preprints. Authors may also post the submitted version of a manuscript to a preprint server at any time. Authors are requested to update any pre-publication versions with a link to the final published article.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines
Triage process: out-of-scope or otherwise inappropriate submissions rejected by editors without external peer review. Model summary
We also operate a triage process in which submissions that are out of scope or otherwise inappropriate will be rejected by the editors without external peer review.
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
- Wiley-Blackwell
- ISSN
- 0007-1269
- Electronic ISSN
- 2044-8295
- Society / sponsor
- British Psychological Society
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about British Journal of Psychology
What CAS zone is British Journal of Psychology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, British Journal of Psychology is in Zone 2 of Psychology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Psychology, Multidisciplinary. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Psychology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of British Journal of Psychology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.51; CiteScore 7.4, h-index 188.
How long does peer review take at British Journal of Psychology?
Based on the dates recorded on 90 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 179 days (interquartile range 131–213 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 14% (2025). 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.
What are the manuscript requirements of British Journal of Psychology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 100–200 words; Keywords: ≤ 7; Manuscript length: ≤ 8,000 words; Reference style: APA; Templates: LaTeX and Word; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Cover letter: Required. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of British Journal of Psychology based?
Of the 4 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Hong Kong, China (1), United Kingdom (1) and Australia (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index British Journal of Psychology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, British Journal of Psychology is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists AHCI, MEDLINE, PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is British Journal of Psychology open access, and what is the APC?
British Journal of Psychology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,800.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; 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: .