Journal profile · Multiple
Cultural Studies
ISSN 0950-2386 · eISSN 1466-4348 · Taylor & Francis
Cultural Studies: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.18; JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 26 days (submission to first decision, publisher); acceptance rate 4% (journal website); 62 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Cultural Studies is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 3 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Music History and Culture, Cultural Industries and Urban Development and Gender, Feminism, and Media, together about 21.2% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Cultural Studies examines how cultural practices relate to everyday life, history, structures of power, affect, ideology, economy, politics, knowledge, technology, and the environment. Since its inception in 1987, Cultural Studies has understood the term “culture” as ever-evolving and inclusive—rather than exclusive. As such, the Journal continues to support the field on a global scale by sharing contemporary, diverse perspectives on popular artifacts and practices. Cultural Studies publishes articles, reviews, critiques, artwork, and other forms of cultural and intellectual production from across the humanities and social sciences. Cultural Studies welcomes empirically-rich, politically-engaged research that critically engages: Techniques, institutions, and systems of power Formations of resistance, activism, and intervention The history, politics, and philosophy of media/technology Feminist, gender, and sexuality studies Theories and practices of globalization The histories and long-term effects of colonialism Race theory and ethnic studies The cultural politics of language/communication/keywords Science, technology, and environmental studies Cultural traditions and creative industries The histories and definitions of the word “culture” The histories, politics, and global formations of cultural studies All research in Cultural Studies is validated with our double-anonymized peer review process. Learn more about preparing your manuscript by visiting the Instructions for Authors. You will benefit from publishing in Cultural Studies by: Having your work featured in one of the most well-established and highly regarded journals in cultural studies Evaluating your work by the experienced members of our Editorial Board Receiving 50 free e-prints and tips on promoting your article courtesy of Author Services Increasing the discoverability of your research with Scopus listings and more Tracking downloads, citations, and the Altmetric Score of your article on My Authored Works Gaining recognition from an international audience Increasing your opportunities for future collaboration
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Nabil EchchaibiPublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Music History and CultureArts and Humanities7.2%
- Cultural Industries and Urban DevelopmentSocial Sciences7%
- Gender, Feminism, and MediaSocial Sciences6.9%
- Social and Cultural DynamicsSocial Sciences6.2%
- Anthropological Studies and InsightsSocial Sciences5.9%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering5.9%
- Media Studies and CommunicationSocial Sciences5.4%
- Asian Culture and Media StudiesSocial Sciences4.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Cultural Studies | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Anthropology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Anthropology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Cultural Studies | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Cultural Studies | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Anthropology | Zone 3 |
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
SSCIAHCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Current ContentsPublisher website
Other: 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
- 1.18LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.3Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.3LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 3.3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.52LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.52Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.36LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.36Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 95OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 770OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.02OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 20.56%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 41LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 312,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,075 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 52 | 19 | 13 |
| 2025 | 62 | 17 | 71 |
| 2024 | 60 | 20 | 93 |
| 2023 | 41 | 12 | 115 |
| 2022 | 56 | 18 | 361 |
| 2021 | 122 | 19 | 1,165 |
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
Not usableThis publisher's "received" date is mostly when the revised manuscript arrived (27% of articles were "accepted" within 3 days), so it cannot measure review time
Figures by source
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 4%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 26 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 19 daysPublisher 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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Cultural Studies is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. 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.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Double-anonymized peer review process Model summary
All research in Cultural Studies is validated with our double-anonymized peer review process.
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
- 0950-2386
- Electronic ISSN
- 1466-4348
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 40, Issue 5 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Cultural Studies
What CAS zone is Cultural Studies in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Cultural Studies is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Cultural Studies / Anthropology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Cultural Studies?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.18; CiteScore 3.3, h-index 95.
How long does peer review take at Cultural Studies?
The publisher reports about 26 days (submission to first decision); first decisions include desk rejections; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 4%. 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 Cultural Studies 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 3 of Sociology.
Which databases index Cultural Studies?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Cultural Studies is indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Cultural Studies open access, and what is the APC?
Cultural Studies 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: .