Journal profile · History & Philosophy Of Science
Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences
ISSN 1939-1811 · eISSN 1939-182X · University of California Press · UNITED STATES · Quarterly · Founded 2008
Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences: CAS Zone 2 · Philosophy (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.85; subscription journal; review over 12 weeks (community reports); community-reported acceptance: easy; 25 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE, SSCI, AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences is published by University of California Press and is in Zone 2 of Philosophy in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are History of Science and Natural History, History of Science and Medicine and Twentieth Century Scientific Developments, together about 34.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are History and Philosophy of Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Explore the fascinating world of Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences, a journal that reveals the history of science as it has developed since the 18th century. HSNS offers in-depth articles on a wide range of scientific fields, their social and cultural histories and supporting institutions, including astronomy, geology, physics, genetics, natural history, chemistry, meteorology, and molecular biology. Widely regarded as a leading journal in the historiography of science and technology, HSNS increased its publication to five times per year in 2012 to expand its roster of pioneering articles and notable reviews by the most influential writers in the field.
Source: LetPub
Research area (LetPub): History & Philosophy Of Science
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- History of Science and Natural HistoryArts and Humanities14.2%
- History of Science and MedicineArts and Humanities13.1%
- Twentieth Century Scientific DevelopmentsArts and Humanities7.4%
- Philosophy and History of ScienceArts and Humanities6.4%
- Historical Studies and Socio-cultural AnalysisArts and Humanities6.2%
- History and Developments in AstronomyPhysics and Astronomy5.3%
- Ferroelectric and Negative Capacitance DevicesEngineering4.5%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Philosophy Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 2 |
| Minor | History & Philosophy Of Science | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Philosophy Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | History & Philosophy Of Science | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Philosophy Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | History & Philosophy Of Science | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIESSCIAHCIScopusLetPub
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
- 0.85LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 0.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.22LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.76LetPub ·
- h-index
- 18LetPub ·
- h-index
- 27OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 89OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.57OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 11.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 1.92%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 11LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 631 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 21 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 25 | 14 | 18 |
| 2024 | 41 | 10 | 31 |
| 2023 | 31 | 18 | 32 |
| 2022 | 27 | 7 | 72 |
| 2021 | 31 | 5 | 82 |
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
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.
No source has fee information yet; check the journal's website.
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
- University of California Press
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 2008
- ISSN
- 1939-1811
- Electronic ISSN
- 1939-182X
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences
What CAS zone is Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences is in Zone 2 of Philosophy, and in Zone 3 of the minor category History & Philosophy Of Science. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Philosophy. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0.85; CiteScore 0.6, h-index 27.
How long does peer review take at Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences?
Authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”. 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.
Which databases index Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences is indexed in SCIE, SSCI, AHCI and Scopus.
Is Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences open access, and what is the APC?
Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences is a subscription journal. Fee information is not available yet; check the journal's website.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, 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: .