Journal profile · LITERATURE
EXPLICATOR
ISSN 0014-4940 · eISSN 1939-926X · Taylor & Francis
EXPLICATOR: CAS Zone 3 · Literature (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.1 (journal website); subscription journal; APC charged, amount not published; review about 43 days (first decision after review, publisher); acceptance rate 22% (journal website); 88 articles in 2025; indexed in AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
EXPLICATOR 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 Poetry Analysis and Criticism, American and British Literature Analysis and Shakespeare, Adaptation, and Literary Criticism, together about 30.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Literature and Literary Theory. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Concentrating on works that are frequently anthologized and studied in college classrooms, The Explicator, with its yearly index of titles, is a must for college and university libraries and teachers of literature. Text-based criticism thrives in The Explicator. One of few in its class, the journal publishes concise notes on passages of prose and poetry. Each issue contains between 25 and 30 notes on works of literature, ranging from ancient Greek and Roman times to our own, from throughout the world. Students rely on The Explicator for insight into works they are studying. Read the Instructions for Authors.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): LITERATURE
Editor-in-chief Leonard NeidorfPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 67%); most named Mainland China 2, United States 1 (3 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Poetry Analysis and CriticismArts and Humanities12%
- American and British Literature AnalysisArts and Humanities10.6%
- Shakespeare, Adaptation, and Literary CriticismArts and Humanities7.6%
- Modernist Literature and CriticismArts and Humanities5.6%
- Contemporary Literature and CriticismArts and Humanities4.3%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.1%
- Literature: history, themes, analysisArts and Humanities3.9%
- Themes in Literature AnalysisArts and Humanities3.7%
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 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Literature Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Literature | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Literature Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Literature | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
AHCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Current ContentsPublisher website
Other: ProQuest, OCLC, Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature, Dietrich's Index Philosophicus, EBSCOhost Online Research Databases, Wilson OmniFile: Full Text Select, International Bibliography of Periodical Literature (IBZ), MLA International Bibliography
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) 2025
- 0.1Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 0.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 0.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.12LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.12Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.33LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.33Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 16OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 34OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.08OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 1.64%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 66LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 75,000Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 75,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 6,681 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 102 | 8 | 2 |
| 2025 | 88 | 12 | 7 |
| 2024 | 90 | 12 | 12 |
| 2023 | 36 | 0 | 4 |
| 2022 | 35 | 2 | 9 |
| 2021 | 42 | 3 | 26 |
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
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
43 daysfirst decision after review
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 22%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 22%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 22 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 22 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 43 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review 2025
- 43 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 13 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 13 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
Subscription journalLetPub
A subscription journal: articles are read by subscription or purchase, and authors usually pay no publication charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access
- Open access Open access
Hybrid open access journal, part of Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program. Model summary
The Explicator 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 and readersh…
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
- 0014-4940
- Electronic ISSN
- 1939-926X
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 84, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about EXPLICATOR
What CAS zone is EXPLICATOR in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, EXPLICATOR is in Zone 3 of Literature, and in Zone 3 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 EXPLICATOR?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 0.1 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 0.1, h-index 16.
How long does peer review take at EXPLICATOR?
The publisher reports about 43 days (first decision after review); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 22% (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.
Where are the editorial board members of EXPLICATOR based?
Of the 3 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 67%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (2) and United States (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index EXPLICATOR?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, EXPLICATOR is indexed in AHCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is EXPLICATOR open access, and what is the APC?
EXPLICATOR is a subscription journal. 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: .