Journal profile · Arts and Humanities-Religious Studies
Journal of Global Buddhism
ISSN 1527-6457 · University of Lucerne · Switzerland
Journal of Global Buddhism: diamond open access (no APC); no APC; review about 12 weeks (community reports); 10 articles in 2025; indexed in Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Global Buddhism is published by University of Lucerne. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Indian and Buddhist Studies, Study and Philosophy of Religion and Religious Tourism and Spaces, together about 59.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Global Buddhism has been established to promote the study of the globalization of Buddhism, both historical and contemporary, and its transnational and transcontinental interrelatedness. We publish research articles, special issues (special focus sections), discussions, critical notes, review essays and book reviews, as detailed in our Author Guidelines. The JGB is published entirely online. In all other respects, it functions as a traditional scholarly journal. The Journal of Global Buddhism interprets "global" in a broad geographic and sociological sense, but with a particular focus on developments in industrialized, non-Asian countries. The primary subjects considered by the journal include: Historical Studies Transnational Studies Issues in the Development of Buddhist Traditions Case Studies and Biographical Studies Survey Results and Their Interpretation Research Bibliographies Theoretical and Methodological Studies Historical Studies Major historical investigations of Buddhist development with a focus on Western countries; developments within individual Buddhist traditions concentrating on historical trends in Western Buddhism. Transnational Studies Comparative studies in the development of Western Buddhism; area studies and their interconnectedness; concerns for de-territorialization of locality. Issues in the Development of Buddhist Traditions Investigation of membership determination; ethnicity; Buddhist practice(s); democratization; adaptation and acculturation; ecumenical movements; future trends. Case Studies and Biographical Studies Investigations of individual Buddhist groups(s); multiple studies of Buddhist communities within Buddhist traditions and sectarian divisions; studies of leading figures in modern Buddhism, reflecting both Asian immigrant and Western convert communities; studies of leading figures in modern Buddhism, reflecting both Asian immigrant and Western convert communities. Survey Results and Their Interpretation Empirical findings resulting from individual investigations; results from journal-sponsored surveys. Research Bibliographies Inclusive, broadly based, comprehensive bibliographies; case-specific tradition-based bibliographies; country-specific bibliographies; issue-oriented bibliographies. Theoretical and Methodological Studies Transcultural transplantation of Buddhist traditions: models and systematizations; images, projections, and idealizations of Buddhism; politics of representation; the impact of
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Arts and Humanities-Religious Studies
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 2, United Kingdom 2, Germany 1, Australia 1, Switzerland 1 (8 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Indian and Buddhist StudiesArts and Humanities36.9%
- Study and Philosophy of ReligionArts and Humanities16.4%
- Religious Tourism and SpacesSocial Sciences6.1%
- Religious Studies and Spiritual PracticesArts and Humanities6.1%
- Religion and Society InteractionsSocial Sciences5.1%
- Religion, Ecology, and EthicsSocial Sciences4.7%
- Chinese history and philosophySocial Sciences2.8%
- Military, Security, and Education StudiesSocial Sciences2.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CiteScore quartiles (Scopus, June 2026 release)
| Subject | Quartile | Rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| History | Q1 | 191/1936 | 90th |
| Religious Studies | Q1 | 103/760 | 86th |
| Cultural Studies | Q1 | 300/1434 | 79th |
| Sociology and Political Science | Q3 | 787/1530 | 48th |
Scopus ranks journals by CiteScore within each subject: the 75th percentile and above is Q1, then a quartile every 25 points. A different system from the CAS zones.LetPub
Database indexing
ScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
ERIH PLUSPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest, Wikidata, ATLA Religion Database, eGranary Digital Library, RelBib
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
- 1.4LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.33LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.92LetPub ·
- h-index
- 6OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 3OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.64OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 80 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 14 | 14 | 25 |
| 2025 | 10 | 10 | 20 |
| 2024 | 20 | 20 | 38 |
| 2023 | 15 | 15 | 58 |
| 2022 | 16 | 16 | 2 |
| 2021 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
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)
- about 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 12 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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
Diamond open access (no APC)DOAJ
Every article is open access and authors pay no article processing charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | No APC | No | CC BY | |
| Publisher website | No APC | — | — |
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 prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 150 words
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 8,000 words
- Reference style
- Chicago
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted8, with length limits
- book reviewReviewers are generally chosen by the editor. Scholars who are interested in reviewing a book that is listed on the book review page without a specified reviewe…main text ≤ 1,000 words
- book reviewsBook ReviewsLength not stated
- discussions and critical notesDiscussions and Critical Notes (2,000 words or less)Length not stated
- research articlerial in the following three categories: Research Articles (5,000–8,000 words) Discussions and Critical Notes (2,000 words or less) Bookmain text ≤ 8,000 words
- research articlesResearch Articles (5,000–8,000 words)Length not stated
- revieware at the sole discretion of the JGB. Reviews may be of any length, however, they will typically not be less than 1,000 words nor more than 5,000. Many reviewe…main text ≤ 1,000 words
- special focusWe also welcome submissions of "Special Focus" and "Symposium" concepts (see below).Length not stated
- symposiaWe also welcome submissions of "Special Focus" and "Symposium" concepts (see below).Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- Authorship Homepage photo credit
The Origins Centre, Balingup, Western Australia, photo by Saskia Abrahms-Kavunenko.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright Notice
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License Model summary
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms: Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access
No APCs or submission charges Model summary
This journal does not charge APCs or submission charges.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Double-blind peer review for research articles and critical notes/discussions Model summary
Research articles and critical notes/discussions are subject to double-blind peer review.
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
- University of Lucerne
- Country or region
- Switzerland
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 1527-6457
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 27, Issue 1 (2026)
- Official links
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Global Buddhism
How long does peer review take at Journal of Global Buddhism?
Authors report an average review time of about 12 weeks. 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 are the manuscript requirements of Journal of Global Buddhism?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 150 words; Manuscript length: ≤ 8,000 words; Reference style: Chicago; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; 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 Global Buddhism based?
Of the 8 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (2), United Kingdom (2) and Germany (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Global Buddhism?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Global Buddhism is indexed in Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists ERIH PLUS; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Global Buddhism open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Global Buddhism is a diamond open-access journal (no APC). It charges no article processing charge.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, DOAJ, 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: .