Journal profile · History & Philosophy Of Science
Isis
ISSN 0021-1753 · eISSN 1545-6994 · University of Chicago · UNITED STATES · Quarterly · Founded 1913
Isis: CAS Zone 2 · Philosophy (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 0.81; subscription journal; review over 12 weeks (community reports); community-reported acceptance: easy; 175 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE, SSCI, AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Isis is published by University of Chicago and is in Zone 2 of Philosophy in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are History of Science and Natural History, Australian Indigenous Culture and History and History of Science and Medicine, together about 45% of its articles. Its main subfields are History and Philosophy of Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Frequency: 4 issues/yearISSN: 0021-1753 E-ISSN: 1545-6994 2025 CiteScore*: 1.6 Ranked #153 out of 1,936 “History” journals Since its inception in 1912, Isis has featured scholarly articles, research notes, and commentary on the history of science, medicine, and technology and their cultural influences. Review essays and book reviews on new contributions to the discipline are also included. An official publication of the History of Science Society, Isis is the oldest English-language journal in the field. Individual and student membership in the History of Science Society includes a subscription to both Isis and the annual thematic journal Osiris. HSS membership is based on the calendar year. HSS memberships also help support the IsisCB Explore, an open-access discovery service based on over 50 years of bibliographic data collected in the Isis Bibliography of the History of Science. To learn more about the benefits of membership, visit the History of Science Society website. View content coverage periods and institutional full-run subscription rates for Isis. Press ReleasesMedia University of Chicago Press journals earn top rankings in 2025 indices August 27, 2026 Busseiron and the formation of a discipline in Japanese physics May 18, 2026 Colonialism and the role of science in the history of Lake Malawi’s fisheries May 5, 2026 All press releases The Netherlands tried to recreate prehistoric Europe on reclaimed land. The result sparked one of conservation's biggest debates Read the Isis: A Journal of the History of Science in Society article cited in Times of India September 3, 2026 Science has always been marketed, from 18th-century coffeehouse demos of Newton’s ideas to today’s TikTok explainers Read the Isis: A Journal of the History of Science in Society article cited in The Conversation January 13, 2026 How the first Bible to include a map helped spread the idea of countries with borders Read the Isis: A Journal of the History of Science in Society article cited in The Conversation December 11, 2025 All media
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): History & Philosophy Of Science
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named India 4, United States 3, Canada 2, Netherlands 1, Türkiye 1 (11 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- History of Science and Natural HistoryArts and Humanities21.9%
- Australian Indigenous Culture and HistorySocial Sciences11.7%
- History of Science and MedicineArts and Humanities11.4%
- Diverse Historical and Scientific StudiesArts and Humanities7%
- Science and Climate StudiesEnvironmental Science6.8%
- Historical and Literary StudiesSocial Sciences4.8%
- Philosophy and History of ScienceArts and Humanities4.7%
- Evolution and Science EducationArts and Humanities4%
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 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Philosophy Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | History & Philosophy Of Science | 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 | History & Philosophy Of Science | Zone 3 |
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
- 0.81LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.33LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.96LetPub ·
- h-index
- 37LetPub ·
- h-index
- 94OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,340OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.18OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0.64%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 43LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 23,025 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 170 | 3 | 5 |
| 2025 | 175 | 17 | 21 |
| 2024 | 202 | 23 | 72 |
| 2023 | 208 | 21 | 278 |
| 2022 | 199 | 18 | 373 |
| 2021 | 206 | 22 | 286 |
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 Chicago
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1913
- ISSN
- 0021-1753
- Electronic ISSN
- 1545-6994
- Society / sponsor
- History of Science Society
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Isis
What CAS zone is Isis in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Isis is in Zone 2 of Philosophy, and in Zone 2 of the minor category History & Philosophy Of Science; it is a Top journal. 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 Isis?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0.81; CiteScore 1.6, h-index 94.
How long does peer review take at Isis?
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.
Where are the editorial board members of Isis based?
Of the 11 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are India (4), United States (3) and Canada (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Isis?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Isis is indexed in SCIE, SSCI, AHCI and Scopus.
Is Isis open access, and what is the APC?
Isis 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, Publisher website; 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: .