Journal profile · RELIGION
International Journal of Childrens Spirituality
ISSN 1364-436X · eISSN 1469-8455 · Taylor & Francis
International Journal of Childrens Spirituality: CAS Zone 2 · Philosophy (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.6 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 183 days to acceptance (34 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 31% (journal website); 22 articles in 2025; indexed in AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
International Journal of Childrens Spirituality is published by Taylor & Francis 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 Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology, Religious Education and Schools and Diverse Education Studies and Reforms, together about 46.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Education. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
International Journal of Children’s Spirituality is a peer-reviewed journal that creates a unique interdisciplinary, inter-professional and intercultural forum. Within this forum, researchers, scholars, and reflective practitioners can share and discuss ideas and practices related to the expression and development of spirituality as well as life and values education in children and young people in a range of social and cultural contexts worldwide. The International Journal of Children's Spirituality defines the concept of spirituality as well as life and values education broadly and inclusively, recognizing that spirituality, life and spiritual values can be understood from religious and non-religious perspectives, and expressed and studied in secular contexts as well as within religious, philosophical, psychological and sociocultural perspectives and traditions. The journal is concerned with the contextual origins of diverse definitions of spirituality as well as life and values education and their practical implications for personal and school development, communal well-being, social policies and organizational practices. IJCS's commitment to respect all children and young people, as well as each other, means that we reject discrimination on the grounds of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, physical or mental ability or age. We therefore encourage contributions that reflect respectful perspectives and holistic approaches to children's and young people's spirituality and personal development as well as life and values education across a variety of disciplines, professions, traditions, organizations and communities. Particularly welcome are contributions that: Explore epistemological and methodological approaches to the study of children and young people's spirituality Give explicit attention to children and young people's voices, experiences and relationships and their implications for life and values education Examine critically the values and presuppositions underpinning different forms and practices of children and young people's spirituality under the globalized and transnational contexts Investigate sociocultural, philosophical, psychological and/or religious assumptions in ways that respect diverse perspectives of children and young people’s spirituality Use critical methodologies (qualitative and/or quantitative) to frame research and reflection Offer comparative perspectives drawn from different cultures, traditions,
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): RELIGION
Editor-in-chief John C.K. LeePublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Hong Kong, China 2, Norway 1 (3 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Religion, Spirituality, and PsychologySocial Sciences20.8%
- Religious Education and SchoolsSocial Sciences18.6%
- Diverse Education Studies and ReformsSocial Sciences7.2%
- Religion, Society, and DevelopmentSocial Sciences5.8%
- Education and Islamic StudiesSocial Sciences4.6%
- Education and Character DevelopmentSocial Sciences4.1%
- Theological Perspectives and PracticesSocial Sciences3.8%
- Contemporary Christian Leadership and EducationArts and Humanities2.6%
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 | Religion | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Philosophy Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Religion | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Philosophy Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Religion | Zone 2 |
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
Indexing the journal's website claims
ERICPublisher website
Other: ATLA Religion Database, Belief, Culture and Learning Information Gateway, British Education Index, EBSCOhost EJS, Educational Research Abstracts online (ERA), Religious and Theological 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 (publisher) 2025
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.3LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 2.3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.52LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.52Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.46LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.46Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 38OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 292OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.94OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 18.8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 14.29%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 19LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 40,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 930 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 15 | 6 | 1 |
| 2025 | 22 | 3 | 17 |
| 2024 | 17 | 5 | 33 |
| 2023 | 11 | 3 | 45 |
| 2022 | 20 | 2 | 72 |
| 2021 | 17 | 2 | 118 |
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 · to
183 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 130 days – 440 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 11 days (34 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 213 days
- Sample
- 34 articles with submission and acceptance dates (40 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 31%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 66 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 70 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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)
Article types accepted7
- conference reportsConference reports and calls for papers for the IACS biennial conference and other relevant eventsLength not stated
- critically reflective accountsCritically reflective accounts of spiritual nurture practices as well as life and values education within particular settings or across multiple settingsLength not stated
- editorials and essaysEditorials and essays designed to highlight current issues in children and young people's spirituality as well as life and values education and generate discuss…Length not stated
- research papersResearch papers based on completed studies, substantial work-in-progress, or groundbreaking pilot projectsLength not stated
- review essaysOccasional review essays focused on multiple texts or resources on children and young people's spirituality as well as life and values educationLength not stated
- reviews of recent publications and online resourcesReviews of recent publications and online resourcesLength not stated
- scholarly articlesScholarly articles exploring understandings of children and young people's spirituality and the implications of such knowledge for life and values educationLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
International Journal of Children's Spirituality 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? Increas…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Peer review policy: initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by at least two anonymous referees Model summary
All research articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by at least two anonymous referees.
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
- 1364-436X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1469-8455
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 31, Issue 1-2 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about International Journal of Childrens Spirituality
What CAS zone is International Journal of Childrens Spirituality in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, International Journal of Childrens Spirituality is in Zone 2 of Philosophy, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Religion. 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 International Journal of Childrens Spirituality?
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 2.3, h-index 38.
How long does peer review take at International Journal of Childrens Spirituality?
Based on the dates recorded on 34 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 183 days (interquartile range 130–440 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 31%. 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 International Journal of Childrens Spirituality based?
Of the 3 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Hong Kong, China (2) and Norway (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index International Journal of Childrens Spirituality?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, International Journal of Childrens Spirituality is indexed in AHCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists ERIC; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is International Journal of Childrens Spirituality open access, and what is the APC?
International Journal of Childrens Spirituality 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .