Journal profile · EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
Critical Studies in Education
ISSN 1750-8487 · eISSN 1750-8495 · Taylor & Francis
Critical Studies in Education: CAS Zone 2 · Education (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.83; JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 323 days to acceptance (88 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 10% (journal website); 55 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Critical Studies in Education is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 2 of Education in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Global Educational Policies and Reforms, Global Education and Multiculturalism and Education Systems and Policy, together about 34% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science and Education. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
This journal is part of our Collective Pathway to Open Publishing pilot. If the journal reaches the required revenue threshold, all articles accepted during the current calendar year will be published open access at no cost to authors. Critical Studies in Education Authors should also consult our Instructions to Authors and comply with its instructions before submitting their manuscript. Aims and Scope Critical Studies in Education is a leading international journal devoted to publishing critical theoretical, methodological and empirical contributions to education research. The journal is anchored in the critical sociology of education, yet we welcome contributions from other disciplines that seek to critically examine the social relations of education (e.g., history, philosophy, critical geography, politics and public policy studies). Critical Studies in Education is a key global forum for advancing original research that addresses the implications of intensifying social, political and economic challenges and how these shape education. It has a central concern with examining and disrupting unequal power relations, including but not limited to class, gender, race, sexuality, disability and coloniality. The journal adopts a broad definition of education, meaning submissions may focus on diverse education systems, policies, practices, knowledge and evidence. These may be related to a variety of settings, from schools, vocational and higher education to more informal forms of education, including the educational dynamics of popular and digital culture. Through publishing diverse forms of critical research in education, the journal does not assume that ‘critical research’ has a fixed meaning. It aims instead to generate conversations and debates about what it means to be critical in shifting theoretical, empirical and methodological contexts of education. What is constant is our commitment to a critical ontology and epistemology. The journal therefore rejects positivist approaches that presume reality is ‘out there’ to be objectively documented or ‘revealed’ by researchers. As such, it does not publish articles that refer to ‘findings’ or data ‘collection’, as if data and their interpretation exist independently of the research and researcher. Details concerning methods and design should be sufficient to assure research rigour and high ethical standards, and are expected to be underpinned by strong theoretical foundations. Submission Requirements and Review Pr
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 20%); most named Australia 3, Mainland China 1, Cyprus 1 (5 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Global Educational Policies and ReformsSocial Sciences15.1%
- Global Education and MulticulturalismSocial Sciences9.9%
- Education Systems and PolicySocial Sciences9%
- Educator Training and Historical PedagogySocial Sciences6.8%
- Teacher Education and Leadership StudiesSocial Sciences5.9%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering5.4%
- Australian History and SocietySocial Sciences5%
- Youth Education and Societal DynamicsSocial Sciences4.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Education Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Education & Educational Research | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Education Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Education & Educational Research | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Education Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Education & Educational Research | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q1 · best quartile · 2025
- CiteScore Q1 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
ERICPublisher website
Other: Australian Education Index (Online), Cabell's, Database of Research on International Education, EBSCOhost, Education Research Index, Periodicals Index Online, Swets Information Services
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
- 2.83LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.9Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 6.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.95LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.95Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.15LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 2.15Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 71OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 429OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.28OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 10.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 30.53%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 49LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 231,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,321 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 24 | 24 | 7 |
| 2025 | 55 | 51 | 125 |
| 2024 | 51 | 42 | 294 |
| 2023 | 35 | 18 | 381 |
| 2022 | 21 | 8 | 258 |
| 2021 | 26 | 11 | 687 |
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
323 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 243 days – 405 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 10 days (88 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 339 days
- Sample
- 88 articles with submission and acceptance dates (96 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)
- 10%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 41 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 115 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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)
Article types accepted1
- research articleResearch Article | Published online: 9 Sep 2026 Open AccessLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Fully open access journal. Model summary
Critical Studies in Education is an open access journal and only publishes open access articles. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the discoverability and readership of your article Make an impact and reach new readers, not just…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Submission Requirements and Review Process
Double-anonymous peer review with initial editor screening. Model summary
Submissions to Critical Studies in Education undergo rigorous, double-anonymous peer review, based on initial editor screening. Reviewers make recommendations to the journal’s Editors, who make recommendations to the Editors-in-Chief. The Editors-in-Chief make the final decision about publication. Editors may ‘desk reject’ manuscripts outright (without sending them to review) when they are demonst…
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
- Taylor & Francis
- ISSN
- 1750-8487
- Electronic ISSN
- 1750-8495
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 67, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Critical Studies in Education
What CAS zone is Critical Studies in Education in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Critical Studies in Education is in Zone 2 of Education, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Education & Educational Research. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Education. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Critical Studies in Education?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.83; CiteScore 6.9, h-index 71.
How long does peer review take at Critical Studies in Education?
Based on the dates recorded on 88 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 323 days (interquartile range 243–405 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 10%. 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 JCR quartile is Critical Studies in Education in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q1 (best quartile). JCR quartiles are Clarivate's to confirm and a different system from the CAS zones; in the CAS ranking the journal is in Zone 2 of Education.
Where are the editorial board members of Critical Studies in Education based?
Of the 5 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 20%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Australia (3), Mainland China (1) and Cyprus (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Critical Studies in Education?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Critical Studies in Education is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists ERIC; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Critical Studies in Education open access, and what is the APC?
Critical Studies in Education is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC charged, amount not published.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .