Journal profile · EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
International Journal of Lifelong Education
ISSN 0260-1370 · eISSN 1464-519X · Taylor & Francis
International Journal of Lifelong Education: CAS Zone 4 · Education (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.2 (journal website); JCR Q2 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 218 days to acceptance (73 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 25% (journal website); 82 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
International Journal of Lifelong Education is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 4 of Education in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Global Educational Policies and Reforms, Adult and Continuing Education Topics and Higher Education Learning Practices, together about 40.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Education. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The International Journal of Lifelong Education provides a forum for debate on the principles and practice of lifelong, adult, continuing, recurrent and initial education and learning, whether in formal, institutional or informal settings. Common themes include social purpose in lifelong education, and sociological, policy and political studies of lifelong education. The journal recognises that research into lifelong learning needs to focus on the relationships between schooling, later learning, active citizenship and personal fulfilment, as well as the relationship between schooling, employability and economic development. With this in mind, International Journal of Lifelong Education provides the context for an informed debate on the theory and practice of lifelong education in a variety of countries and settings. Peer Review Policy: 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. Readership: Practitioners and researchers in adult, continuing, lifelong, distance and non-formal education.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
Editor-in-chief Marcella MilanaPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 13%); most named United Kingdom 2, Mainland China 1, Germany 1, Italy 1, Australia 1 (8 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Global Educational Policies and ReformsSocial Sciences17%
- Adult and Continuing Education TopicsSocial Sciences12.4%
- Higher Education Learning PracticesSocial Sciences11.1%
- Education Systems and PolicySocial Sciences10.6%
- Youth Education and Societal DynamicsSocial Sciences7.7%
- Innovative Education and Learning PracticesSocial Sciences6.1%
- Global Education and MulticulturalismSocial Sciences4.4%
- Higher Education and EmployabilitySocial Sciences4.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Education Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Education & Educational Research | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Education Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Education & Educational Research | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q2 · best quartile · 2025
- CiteScore Q2 · 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
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
ERICPublisher website
Other: Australian Education Index (AEI), Australian Research Council (ARC) Ranked Journal List, British Education Index, Educational Research Abstracts online (ERA), Education Index, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), Language and Linguistics Behavior Abstracts, VOCEDplus
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
- 2.2Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 3.6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.54LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.54Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.08LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.08Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 84OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 851OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.49OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 13.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 28.86%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 64LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 250,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,257 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 50 | 26 | 10 |
| 2025 | 82 | 43 | 146 |
| 2024 | 70 | 42 | 346 |
| 2023 | 40 | 21 | 313 |
| 2022 | 51 | 24 | 560 |
| 2021 | 51 | 16 | 1,133 |
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
218 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 147 days – 294 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 10 days (73 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 227 days
- Sample
- 73 articles with submission and acceptance dates (148 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)
- 25%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 28 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 84 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 8 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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
International Journal of Lifelong Education 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…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Peer review policy: rigorous peer review based on 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
- 0260-1370
- Electronic ISSN
- 1464-519X
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 45, Issue 5 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about International Journal of Lifelong Education
What CAS zone is International Journal of Lifelong Education in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, International Journal of Lifelong Education is in Zone 4 of Education, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Education & Educational Research. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Education. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of International Journal of Lifelong Education?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 2.2 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 3.6, h-index 84.
How long does peer review take at International Journal of Lifelong Education?
Based on the dates recorded on 73 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 218 days (interquartile range 147–294 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 25%. 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 International Journal of Lifelong Education in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q2 (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 4 of Education.
Where are the editorial board members of International Journal of Lifelong Education based?
Of the 8 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 13%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (2), Mainland China (1) and Germany (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index International Journal of Lifelong Education?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, International Journal of Lifelong Education is indexed in ESCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists ERIC; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is International Journal of Lifelong Education open access, and what is the APC?
International Journal of Lifelong Education 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: .