Journal profile · Social Sciences-Sociology and Political Science
Critical Studies in Teaching and Learning
ISSN 2310-7103 · University of the Western Cape · South Africa
Critical Studies in Teaching and Learning: fully open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 20 weeks (community reports); 51 articles in 2025; indexed in Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Critical Studies in Teaching and Learning is published by University of the Western Cape. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Evaluation of Teaching Practices, Critical and Liberation Pedagogy and Higher Education Governance and Development, together about 24.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Education. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Critical Studies in Teaching and Learning (CriSTaL) is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes critical scholarly articles and essays that make interesting and distinctive contributions to the scholarship of teaching and learning in higher (university) education. Contributions that address challenging problems and issues from theoretical, ethical, practice-based, empirical, strategic, or analytical angles are welcome, as are contributions that focus on innovative and creative approaches to teaching and learning.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Social Sciences-Sociology and Political Science
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named South Africa 23, United Kingdom 6, Australia 5, United States 3, Spain 1 (39 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Evaluation of Teaching PracticesSocial Sciences9%
- Critical and Liberation PedagogySocial Sciences8.8%
- Higher Education Governance and DevelopmentSocial Sciences6.5%
- African cultural and philosophical studiesSocial Sciences6.5%
- University Challenges and ReformsSocial Sciences6.3%
- Higher Education Practises and EngagementSocial Sciences6.2%
- Educational Theory and Curriculum StudiesSocial Sciences6.1%
- Posthumanist Ethics and ActivismSocial Sciences5.1%
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.
CiteScore quartiles (Scopus, June 2026 release)
| Subject | Quartile | Rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sociology and Political Science | Q2 | 695/1530 | 54th |
| Education | Q3 | 976/1698 | 42nd |
Scopus ranks journals by CiteScore within each subject: the 75th percentile and above is Q1, then a quartile every 25 points. A different system from the CAS zones.LetPub
Database indexing
ScopusDOAJLetPub
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
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.7LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.3LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.59LetPub ·
- h-index
- 17OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 51OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.57OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 508 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 20 | 20 | 158 |
| 2025 | 51 | 51 | 205 |
| 2024 | 32 | 32 | 298 |
| 2023 | 50 | 50 | 293 |
| 2022 | 52 | 52 | 209 |
| 2021 | 68 | 68 | 232 |
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 20 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 20 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous 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
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | ZAR 5,000 | No | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | ZAR 3,200 | — | — | |
| LetPub | ZAR 3,200 | No | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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 accepted7, with length limits
- articleArticle submissions must be original research and must be between 6000 and 8000 words, excluding references and endnotes.Length not stated
- book revieweparing your manuscript for submission. Book reviews must be between 800 and 1000 words, and can include references to additional texts, although tmain text ≤ 1,000 words
- book reviewsBook reviews must be between 800 and 1000 words, and can include references to additional texts, although these should be kept to a minimum.Length not stated
- original researchr reviewed. Article submissions must be original research and must be between 6000 and 8000 words, excluding references and endnotes. This self-assessment gumain text ≤ 8,000 words
- reviewpports its contribution to scholarship. Review essays should be 2000 - 3000 words in length, and should make use of at least three connectedmain text ≤ 3,000 words
- review essaysReview essays should be 2000 - 3000 words in length, and should make use of at least three connected books to make an original argument that extends on our book…Length not stated
- special issueSpecial Issue Submissions that should be considered for a special issue. These are full articles that will be subject to the normal peer review process.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- Authorship
Submissions must follow the journal's house style and must not be under consideration elsewhere. Model summary
All article submissions must be house-styled in accordance with the Journal's style guide, and must not be under consideration at any other journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Authors must disclose the use of AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process. Model summary
Authors have disclosed in their manuscript the use of AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright Policy
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusiv…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access Policy
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Submissions are screened by the editorial panel; accepted ones undergo blind peer review managed by an associate editor. Model summary
All submissions are screened by the editorial panel, and if accepted for further consideration, are subject to a blind peer review process managed by an associate editor.
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
- University of the Western Cape
- Country or region
- South Africa
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2310-7103
- Official links
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Critical Studies in Teaching and Learning
How long does peer review take at Critical Studies in Teaching and Learning?
Authors report an average review time of about 20 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Critical Studies in Teaching and Learning based?
Of the 39 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are South Africa (23), United Kingdom (6) and Australia (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Critical Studies in Teaching and Learning?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Critical Studies in Teaching and Learning is indexed in Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Critical Studies in Teaching and Learning open access, and what is the APC?
Critical Studies in Teaching and Learning is a fully open-access journal. APC charged, amount not published.
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: .