Journal profile · Multiple
JOURNAL OF AFRICAN HISTORY
ISSN 0021-8537 · eISSN 1469-5138 · Cambridge University Press
JOURNAL OF AFRICAN HISTORY: CAS Zone 1 · History (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 1.26; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,550; 29 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
JOURNAL OF AFRICAN HISTORY is published by Cambridge University Press 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 African history and culture studies, Global Maritime and Colonial Histories and African history and culture analysis, together about 56% of its articles. Its main subfields are Anthropology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of African History (JAH) is an open access journal in which all research content is published Gold Open Access. Articles, including the innovative "History Matters" shorter format, and book reviews range widely over the African past, from ancient times to the present. Historical approaches to all time periods are welcome. The thematic range is equally broad, covering social, economic, political, cultural, and intellectual history. Recent articles have explored diverse themes including: labour and class, gender and sexuality, health and medicine, ethnicity and race, migration and diaspora, nationalism and state politics, religion and ritual, and technology and the environment.Submit your paper here
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 27, Canada 6, United Kingdom 4, South Africa 4, Portugal 3 (51 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- African history and culture studiesSocial Sciences27.5%
- Global Maritime and Colonial HistoriesSocial Sciences15.3%
- African history and culture analysisSocial Sciences13.3%
- Colonialism, slavery, and tradeSocial Sciences7.7%
- African studies and sociopolitical issuesSocial Sciences5.3%
- South African History and CultureSocial Sciences5%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance3.9%
- Educational Robotics and EngineeringComputer Science3.1%
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 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | History | Zone 1 |
| Minor | History | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIAHCIScopusLetPub
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
- 1.26LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.2LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.32LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.28LetPub ·
- h-index
- 97OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,139OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.25OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 92.54%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 28LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 6,341 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 25 | 19 | 0 |
| 2025 | 29 | 23 | 11 |
| 2024 | 58 | 42 | 17 |
| 2023 | 71 | 33 | 75 |
| 2022 | 75 | 24 | 59 |
| 2021 | 73 | 22 | 129 |
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,550 / GBP 2,460 | — | — |
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.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- ISSN
- 0021-8537
- Electronic ISSN
- 1469-5138
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about JOURNAL OF AFRICAN HISTORY
What CAS zone is JOURNAL OF AFRICAN HISTORY in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, JOURNAL OF AFRICAN HISTORY 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 JOURNAL OF AFRICAN HISTORY?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.26; CiteScore 1.2, h-index 97.
Where are the editorial board members of JOURNAL OF AFRICAN HISTORY based?
Of the 51 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (27), Canada (6) and United Kingdom (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index JOURNAL OF AFRICAN HISTORY?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, JOURNAL OF AFRICAN HISTORY is indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus.
Is JOURNAL OF AFRICAN HISTORY open access, and what is the APC?
JOURNAL OF AFRICAN HISTORY is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,550.
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: .