Journal profile · Multiple
HISTORICAL METHODS
ISSN 0161-5440 · eISSN 1940-1906 · Taylor & Francis
HISTORICAL METHODS: CAS Zone 1 · History (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 1.48; JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,195; review about 12 days (submission to first decision, publisher); acceptance rate 23% (journal website); 25 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
HISTORICAL METHODS is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 1 of History in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Historical Economic and Social Studies, Census and Population Estimation and Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies, together about 36.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Historical Methods reaches an international audience of historians and other social scientists concerned with history. It explores the development of new data sources, new methods to investigate older questions and material, and practical discussions of computational, spatial and statistical methodologies. Articles published in Historical Methods are often intended to offer insights on a new source of historical data with analysis of how others can emulate the methodological innovations with similar data. In addition to its longtime interest in quantitative approaches to historical questions, Historical Methods also encourages submission of articles which address innovative methods developed in the digital humanities. We invite submission of full-length articles which are approximately 7,000 to 10,000 words of text (not including reference list, footnotes, tables & figures and any supplements). We prefer to receive fully developed articles rather than research notes. Manuscripts need to focus on historical methods; we do not publish research articles that use established computational, spatial and statistical methods. The mission of Historical Methods is to unpack the “black box” of materials and methods used in social science history and digital history. For replicability, authors should include code in the supplemental files not for review and we strongly encourage authors to provide access to data underlying their project in open data repositories, and to provide a link to these data. Peer Review Policy: All articles have undergone anonymous double anonymized review.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 1, Germany 1, Canada 1, Norway 1 (4 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Historical Economic and Social StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance20.1%
- Census and Population EstimationMathematics9%
- Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation StudiesSocial Sciences7.4%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5.2%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering4.9%
- American History and CultureBusiness, Management and Accounting4.5%
- Race, History, and American SocietySocial Sciences3.3%
- demographic modeling and climate adaptationDecision Sciences3.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)History Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | History | Zone 1 |
| Minor | History | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)History Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | History | Zone 1 |
| Minor | History | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)History Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | History | Zone 2 |
| Minor | History | Zone 2 |
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
SCIEERICCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Historical Abstracts
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
- 1.48LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.4Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.3LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 3.3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.06LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 1.06Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.27LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 2.27Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 44OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 289OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 14.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 36.73%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 20LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 55,000Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2024
- 55,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 898 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 13 | 6 | 3 |
| 2025 | 25 | 13 | 48 |
| 2024 | 19 | 13 | 63 |
| 2023 | 14 | 13 | 78 |
| 2022 | 14 | 7 | 82 |
| 2021 | 9 | 4 | 169 |
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 rate (publisher)
- 23%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2024
- 23%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 12 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2024
- 12 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 | USD 3,195 | — | — |
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 websiteData availability, Open access, Peer review
- Data availability
Code and data should be provided in supplemental files and open repositories for replicability Model summary
For replicability, authors should include code in the supplemental files not for review and we strongly encourage authors to provide access to data underlying their project in open data repositories, and to provide a link to these data.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
Historical Methods: A Journal of Quantitative and Interdisciplinary History 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 …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Double anonymized peer review Model summary
Peer Review Policy: All articles have undergone anonymous double anonymized review.
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
- 0161-5440
- Electronic ISSN
- 1940-1906
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 59, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about HISTORICAL METHODS
What CAS zone is HISTORICAL METHODS in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, HISTORICAL METHODS is in Zone 1 of History, and in Zone 1 of the minor category History; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of History. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of HISTORICAL METHODS?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.48; CiteScore 3.3, h-index 44.
How long does peer review take at HISTORICAL METHODS?
The publisher reports about 12 days (submission to first decision); first decisions include desk rejections; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 23% (2024). 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 HISTORICAL METHODS 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 1 of History.
Where are the editorial board members of HISTORICAL METHODS based?
Of the 4 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (1), Germany (1) and Canada (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index HISTORICAL METHODS?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, HISTORICAL METHODS is indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists SCIE, ERIC and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is HISTORICAL METHODS open access, and what is the APC?
HISTORICAL METHODS is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,195.
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: .