Journal profile · COMMUNICATION
Discourse Studies
ISSN 1461-4456 · eISSN 1461-7080 · SAGE
Discourse Studies: CAS Zone 2 · Literature (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 1.9; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,650; 77 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Discourse Studies is published by SAGE and is in Zone 2 of Literature in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies, Discourse Analysis in Language Studies and Language, Metaphor, and Cognition, together about 64.2% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Discourse Studies is a multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journal for the study of text and talk. Publishing outstanding work on the structures and st...
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): COMMUNICATION
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Language, Discourse, Communication StrategiesArts and Humanities28.5%
- Discourse Analysis in Language StudiesArts and Humanities20.3%
- Language, Metaphor, and CognitionPsychology15.4%
- Multilingual Education and PolicySocial Sciences4.3%
- Digital Communication and LanguageComputer Science3.6%
- EFL/ESL Teaching and LearningArts and Humanities2.9%
- Linguistic Variation and MorphologySocial Sciences2.5%
- Interpreting and Communication in HealthcareHealth Professions2.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Literature Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Communication | Zone 3 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Literature Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Communication | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Literature Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Communication | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
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
- 1.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.6LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.82LetPub ·
- h-index
- 102OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 607OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.98OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 41.5%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 44LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,790 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 42 | 10 | 3 |
| 2025 | 77 | 34 | 28 |
| 2024 | 89 | 40 | 172 |
| 2023 | 65 | 24 | 444 |
| 2022 | 73 | 19 | 192 |
| 2021 | 61 | 10 | 381 |
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
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 3,650 / GBP 2,676 | — | — |
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.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- SAGE
- ISSN
- 1461-4456
- Electronic ISSN
- 1461-7080
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Discourse Studies
What CAS zone is Discourse Studies in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Discourse Studies is in Zone 2 of Literature, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Communication; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Literature. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Discourse Studies?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.9; CiteScore 3, h-index 102.
Which databases index Discourse Studies?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Discourse Studies is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Discourse Studies open access, and what is the APC?
Discourse Studies is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,650.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .