Journal profile · ART
Journal of Design History
ISSN 0952-4649 · eISSN 1741-7279 · Oxford University Press
Journal of Design History: CAS Zone 2 · Arts (2025 upgraded edition); hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,615; 60 articles in 2025; indexed in AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Design History is published by Oxford University Press and is in Zone 2 of Arts in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Fashion and Cultural Textiles, Crafts, Textile, and Design and Art, Politics, and Modernism, together about 41.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Museology and Visual Arts and Performing Arts. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Design History (JDH): A Mission Statement In publication since 1988, the research-focused mouthpiece of the Design History Society (DHS), the Journal of Design History (JDH) embraces the history of a range of design-related subjects, from furniture to product design, graphic design, craft, fashion, textiles, architectural interiors and exhibitions. Its orientation and reach are global. The Journal addresses the history of design from a humanities perspective primarily, but it also borrows methods from related fields including the social sciences, material culture studies and cultural studies. Having established design history as a discrete discipline, the JDH also aims to be of interest to historically aware and critically engaged design practitioners and educators. In-depth case-studies with a level of general appeal, as well as shorter pieces addressing museums and archives, and book reviews, are welcomed. In addition to the general issues, special issues focus on selected themes. Abstracting and Indexing Services Journal of Design History is covered by the following abstracting/indexing services: Web of Science Indexes Arts and Humanities Citation Index ® Current Contents ® - Arts & Humanities Further Indexes America: History and Life Art Index Bibliography History of Art British Humanities Index Design & Applied Arts Index (DAAI) Historical Abstracts IBSS International Bibliography of Book Reviews (IBR) International Bibliography of Periodical Literature (IBZ) International Bibliography of the Social Sciences Periodicals Index Online (PIO) Scopus Highlights and Features Thematic special issues and virtual issues Archives, collections and curatorship Disclaimer Statements of fact and opinion in the articles in Journal Of Design History are those of the respective authors and contributors and not of the Journal, The Members of the Design History Society, or Oxford University Press, unless otherwise expressly indicated. Neither Oxford University Press, The Members of the Design History Society, nor the Journal make any representation, express or implied, in respect of the accuracy of the material in the Journal and cannot accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions that may be made. Readers should make their own evaluation as to the appropriateness or otherwise of the information included.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): ART
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 6%); most named United Kingdom 5, Austria 2, Mainland China 1, United States 1, Spain 1 (18 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Fashion and Cultural TextilesArts and Humanities18.3%
- Crafts, Textile, and DesignArts and Humanities12.2%
- Art, Politics, and ModernismArts and Humanities10.6%
- Architecture, Design, and Social HistoryArts and Humanities8.9%
- Cultural Industries and Urban DevelopmentSocial Sciences8.7%
- Historical Art and Culture StudiesArts and Humanities4.7%
- Architecture, Modernity, and DesignEngineering4.4%
- Visual Culture and Art TheoryArts and Humanities3.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Arts Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Arts | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Art | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Arts Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Arts | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Art | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Arts Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Arts | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Art | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
AHCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceCurrent ContentsPublisher website
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
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 0.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.17LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.88LetPub ·
- h-index
- 62OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 417OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.17OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 34.38%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 27LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,014 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 29 | 9 | 0 |
| 2025 | 60 | 15 | 5 |
| 2024 | 36 | 6 | 16 |
| 2023 | 60 | 14 | 62 |
| 2022 | 51 | 8 | 133 |
| 2021 | 58 | 9 | 116 |
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
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | GBP 2,741 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare8 items from the author guidelines
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 8,000 words
- Reference style
- Chicago
- Templates
- Word
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Required
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted2, with length limits
- book reviewinformation can be downloaded as a pdf. Book Reviews : A) Short Review: 1,200 words; B) Comparative review: 2,000 words C) Review essay: 4,000main text ≤ 1,200 words
- reviewort Review: 1,200 words; B) Comparative review: 2,000 words C) Review essay: 4,000 words. Title, name of author, publismain text ≤ 2,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteData availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- Data availability Availability of Data and Materials
Where ethically feasible, Journal of Design History strongly encourages authors to make all data and software code on which the conclusions of the paper rely available to readers. We suggest that data be presented in the main manuscript or additional supporting files, or deposited in a public repository whenever possible. For information on general repositories for all data types, and a list of re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
It is a condition of publication that authors grant an exclusive licence to Oxford University Press. This ensures that requests from third parties to reproduce articles are handled efficiently and consistently and will also allow the article to be as widely disseminated as possible. As part of the licence agreement, authors may use their own material in other publications provided that the Journal…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access
Journal of Design History offers the option of publishing under either a standard licence or an open access licence. Please note that some funders require open access publication as a condition of funding. If you are unsure whether you are required to publish open access, please do clarify any such requirements with your funder or institution. Should you wish to publish your article open access, y…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review policy
All papers published in the journal are subject to peer review. Papers that are outside the scope of the journal, that do not comply with the guidelines below or are otherwise judged to be unsuitable by the editor will be rejected without peer review. Appropriate papers are sent to at least two independent referees for evaluation. Referees advise on the originality and merit of the paper; the edit…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprint policy
Authors retain the right to make an Author’s Original Version (preprint) available through various channels, and this does not prevent submission to the journal. For further information see our Online Licensing, Copyright and Permissions policies. If accepted, the authors are required to update the status of any preprint, including your published paper’s DOI, as described on our Author Self-Archiv…
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
- Oxford University Press
- ISSN
- 0952-4649
- Electronic ISSN
- 1741-7279
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 39, Issue 2 (June 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Design History
What CAS zone is Journal of Design History in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Design History is in Zone 2 of Arts, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Art. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Arts. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What are the manuscript requirements of Journal of Design History?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Manuscript length: ≤ 8,000 words; Reference style: Chicago; Templates: Word; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Required; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: Optional; Cover letter: Required. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Journal of Design History based?
Of the 18 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 6%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (5), Austria (2) and Mainland China (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Design History?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Design History is indexed in AHCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Design History open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Design History is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,615.
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: .