Journal profile · Multiple
Critical Inquiry
ISSN 0093-1896 · eISSN 1539-7858 · University of Chicago Press
Critical Inquiry: CAS Zone 2 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.08; subscription journal; 60 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Critical Inquiry is published by University of Chicago Press and is in Zone 2 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Visual Culture and Art Theory, Poetry Analysis and Criticism and Shakespeare, Adaptation, and Literary Criticism, together about 20.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Literature and Literary Theory. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Visual Culture and Art TheoryArts and Humanities7%
- Poetry Analysis and CriticismArts and Humanities6.7%
- Shakespeare, Adaptation, and Literary CriticismArts and Humanities6.3%
- Postcolonial and Cultural Literary StudiesArts and Humanities6%
- Critical Theory and PhilosophySocial Sciences5.3%
- Themes in Literature AnalysisArts and Humanities5.1%
- Philosophy, Ethics, and ExistentialismArts and Humanities4.6%
- Art, Politics, and ModernismArts and Humanities4.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Cultural Studies | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Cultural Studies | Zone 1 |
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 | Cultural Studies | Zone 1 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIAHCIScopusLetPub
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
- 1.08LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.5LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.44LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.15LetPub ·
- h-index
- 149OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,157OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.68OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 30LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,769 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 87 | 4 | 9 |
| 2025 | 60 | 3 | 18 |
| 2024 | 95 | 6 | 137 |
| 2023 | 94 | 5 | 117 |
| 2022 | 85 | 0 | 158 |
| 2021 | 90 | 6 | 321 |
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.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Subscription journalLetPub
A subscription journal: articles are read by subscription or purchase, and authors usually pay no publication charge.
No source has fee information yet; check the journal's website.
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
- University of Chicago Press
- ISSN
- 0093-1896
- Electronic ISSN
- 1539-7858
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Critical Inquiry
What CAS zone is Critical Inquiry in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Critical Inquiry is in Zone 2 of Sociology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Cultural Studies. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Critical Inquiry?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.08; CiteScore 2.5, h-index 149.
Which databases index Critical Inquiry?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Critical Inquiry is indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus.
Is Critical Inquiry open access, and what is the APC?
Critical Inquiry is a subscription journal. Fee information is not available yet; check the journal's website.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, 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: .