Journal profile · LITERATURE
English Studies in Africa
ISSN 0013-8398 · eISSN 1943-8117 · Taylor & Francis
English Studies in Africa: CAS Zone 3 · Literature (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.3 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; 8 articles in 2025; indexed in AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
English Studies in Africa is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 3 of Literature in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Postcolonial and Cultural Literary Studies, South African History and Culture and African history and culture studies, together about 38.9% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Since it was established in the Department of English at the University of the Witwatersrand in 1958, English Studies in Africa has published a number of key interventions in literary studies. The journal has emphasized, as its name attests, the study of world literature in English within African contexts, at the same time as it set about promoting the study of African literature worldwide. Its founding editors clearly wished to establish a conduit between Anglo-American and Southern African literary studies, and this ethos persists, though in a revised form. Despite this commitment to its context, however, English Studies in Africa is unique in its willingness to publish articles on any literary, educational or language topic that the editors adjudge will be of interest to its diverse readership. While articles regarding English-language education and the English language in its various African manifestations are welcomed, contributors should be apprised of the fact that literary studies remain the core concern of the journal. All articles are double-anonymized peer reviewed, and the journal is listed on both the Arts & Humanities Citation Index (A&HCI) and is accredited by the South African Department of Higher Education and Training. Guest editors are appointed for special editions of the journal, which alternate with general editions. In addition to the Editors, two Associate Editors and the Editorial Board are responsible for deciding on the themes of special editions and for arbitrating readers’ reports on submissions. The journal has been published by UNISA Press (South Africa) since 2008 and in collaboration with Taylor and Francis since 2009. English Studies in Africa appears biannually.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): LITERATURE
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 3%); most named South Africa 12, United States 7, United Kingdom 6, Sweden 3, Australia 2 (32 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Postcolonial and Cultural Literary StudiesArts and Humanities16.9%
- South African History and CultureSocial Sciences11.2%
- African history and culture studiesSocial Sciences10.9%
- Legal case studies and regulationsSocial Sciences6%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering5.8%
- Legal Cases and CommentaryMedicine4.4%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.4%
- Earthquake and Disaster Impact StudiesSocial Sciences4.1%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Literature Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Literature | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Literature Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Literature | Zone 1 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Literature Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Literature | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- 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
AHCIScopusLetPub
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 (publisher) 2025
- 0.3Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 1.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.12LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.12Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.95LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.95Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 23OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 74OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.79OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 12.96%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 12LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 3Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 34,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,141 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 24 | 9 | 1 |
| 2025 | 8 | 4 | 1 |
| 2024 | 26 | 17 | 44 |
| 2023 | 13 | 5 | 24 |
| 2022 | 29 | 10 | 59 |
| 2021 | 28 | 1 | 23 |
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
- Acceptance to publication
- 119 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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
English Studies in Africa 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. Why choose open access? Increase the discoverability a…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Double-anonymized peer review Model summary
All articles are double-anonymized peer reviewed
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
- 0013-8398
- Electronic ISSN
- 1943-8117
- Society / sponsor
- University of the Witwatersrand
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 69, Issue 2 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about English Studies in Africa
What CAS zone is English Studies in Africa in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, English Studies in Africa is in Zone 3 of Literature, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Literature. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Literature. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of English Studies in Africa?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 0.3 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 1.1, h-index 23.
Where are the editorial board members of English Studies in Africa based?
Of the 32 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 3%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are South Africa (12), United States (7) and United Kingdom (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index English Studies in Africa?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, English Studies in Africa is indexed in AHCI and Scopus.
Is English Studies in Africa open access, and what is the APC?
English Studies in Africa 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .