Journal profile · EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
Educational Theory
ISSN 0013-2004 · eISSN 1741-5446 · Wiley-Blackwell
Educational Theory: CAS Zone 4 · Education (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.6 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,760; review about 126 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); acceptance rate 27% (journal website); 93 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Educational Theory is published by Wiley-Blackwell and is in Zone 4 of Education in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Pragmatism in Philosophy and Education, Education and Critical Thinking Development and Diverse Education Studies and Reforms, together about 40.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Education. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
First published in 1951, Educational Theory has long served as an important forum for scholarship and debate in the foundations of education. The purpose of the journal is twofold: to foster the continuing development of educational theory and to stimulate discussion of educational concepts and aims among educators. Sponsored by the John Dewey Society and the Philosophy of Education Society, and supported by several other scholarly associations, Educational Theory has always had a central concern with issues in the philosophy of education. But its scope of theoretical work is much broader than that and it has always been a venue where philosophers and theoretically inclined scholars from other educational disciplines engage in a shared conversation about educational ideas, values, and policy issues.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 5%); most named Canada 5, United Kingdom 3, Ireland 2, Mainland China 1, Hong Kong, China 1 (22 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Pragmatism in Philosophy and EducationArts and Humanities18.2%
- Education and Critical Thinking DevelopmentSocial Sciences13%
- Diverse Education Studies and ReformsSocial Sciences9.7%
- Religious Education and SchoolsSocial Sciences7.5%
- Teacher Education and Leadership StudiesSocial Sciences5.5%
- Educational Philosophies and PedagogiesSocial Sciences5.1%
- Educator Training and Historical PedagogySocial Sciences4.7%
- Philosophy, Ethics, and ExistentialismArts and Humanities4.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Education Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Education & Educational Research | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Education Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Education & Educational Research | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceERICPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest
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 (publisher)
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.8LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 1.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 1.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.58LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0LetPub ·
- h-index
- 78OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 761OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.69OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 63.33%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 76LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 86Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 210,724Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,530 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 38 | 19 | 2 |
| 2025 | 93 | 61 | 183 |
| 2024 | 68 | 48 | 151 |
| 2023 | 65 | 50 | 305 |
| 2022 | 57 | 26 | 223 |
| 2021 | 55 | 11 | 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
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref
Not usableThis publisher's "received" date is mostly when the revised manuscript arrived (39% of articles were "accepted" within 3 days), so it cannot measure review time
Figures by source
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 27%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 27%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 13 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 13 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 126 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 2,760 / EUR 2,330 / GBP 1,840 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare2 items from the author guidelines
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 9,000 words
- Reference style
- Chicago
Article types accepted3, with length limits
- book reviewpublication. We prefer shorter, single book reviews (2,500-3,500 words). The journal values reviews that critically engage with amain text ≤ 3,500 words
- original articleal and theoretical issues in education. Original articles are typically 7,000–9,000 words (including references and notes); shorter or longer manuscrmain text ≤ 9,000 words
- reviewNo editorial consideration will be given to manuscripts that have been published elsewhere or are under review for publication elsewhere. (Rare exceptions may b…Length not stated
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
- Wiley-Blackwell
- ISSN
- 0013-2004
- Electronic ISSN
- 1741-5446
- Society / sponsor
- University of Illinois
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 76, Issue 5 (October 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Educational Theory
What CAS zone is Educational Theory in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Educational Theory is in Zone 4 of Education, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Education & Educational Research. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Education. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Educational Theory?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 1.6 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 1.8, h-index 78.
How long does peer review take at Educational Theory?
The publisher reports about 126 days (submission to acceptance); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 27% (2025). 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 are the manuscript requirements of Educational Theory?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Manuscript length: ≤ 9,000 words; Reference style: Chicago. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Educational Theory based?
Of the 22 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 5%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Canada (5), United Kingdom (3) and Ireland (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Educational Theory?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Educational Theory is indexed in ESCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science and ERIC; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Educational Theory open access, and what is the APC?
Educational Theory is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,760.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .