Journal of Child Language

Journal of Child Language is published by Cambridge University Press and is in Zone 2 of Literature in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Language Development and Disorders, Reading and Literacy Development and Child and Animal Learning Development, together about 49.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Developmental and Educational Psychology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)

A key publication in the field, Journal of Child Language publishes articles on all aspects of the scientific study of language behaviour in children, the principles which underlie it, and the theories which may account for it.The international range of authors and breadth of coverage allow the journal to forge links between many different areas of research including psychology, linguistics, cognitive science, and anthropology. This interdisciplinary approach spans a wide range of interests: phonology, phonetics, morphology, syntax, vocabulary, semantics, pragmatics, sociolinguistics, and any other recognised facet of language study. Research involving reading development will only be considered when the primary theoretical focus is child language. Research examining methodological approaches and/or interventions must have explicit relevance to the understanding of child language, and make a substantive empirical or theoretical contribution.The journal normally publishes full-length empirical studies or Research Articles as well as shorter Brief Research Reports, and occasionally publishes Review Articles. To be appropriate for this journal, Research Articles and Brief Research Reports should include some quantitative data analyses, and articles based on case studies need to have a convincing rationale for this design. The journal publishes thematic special issues on occasion, the topic and format of which are determined by the editorial team.

From the journal's Aims & Scope

Research area (LetPub): Multiple

Editor-in-chief Elma BlomPublisher website

Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 9, United Kingdom 4, Germany 4, Canada 3, Australia 3 (35 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website · 2026-09-29

CAS Journal Ranking

Database indexing

SSCIScopusLetPub

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.

Impact

Impact factor

2.24LetPub · 2026-09-13

Impact factor (publisher) 2025

77Publisher website · 2026-09-29

CiteScore 2026-06

5LetPub · 2026-09-13

SJR 2026-06

0.91LetPub · 2026-09-13

SNIP 2026-06

1.5LetPub · 2026-09-13

h-index

169OpenAlex · 2026-10-01

i10-index

1,728OpenAlex · 2026-10-01

2-year mean citedness

1.81OpenAlex · 2026-10-01

Self-citation rate

4.8%LetPub · 2026-09-13

Share of gold OA articles

88.61%LetPub · 2026-09-13

Volume

Articles per year

78LetPub · 2026-09-13

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.

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.

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

ISSN

0305-0009

Electronic ISSN

1469-7602

Official links

• Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
• Submission system ↗Publisher website
• Special issues ↗Publisher website