Journal profile · Multiple
Journal of Historical Geography
ISSN 0305-7488 · eISSN 1095-8614 · Elsevier
Journal of Historical Geography: CAS Zone 2 · History (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 1.22; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,220; review about 64 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 138 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Historical Geography is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 2 of History in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Historical Economic and Social Studies, American Environmental and Regional History and Historical Geography and Geographical Thought, together about 26.5% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
As the benchmark sub-disciplinary quarterly, the Journal of Historical Geography publishes articles on all aspects of historical geography and cognate fields in the social sciences, arts, and humanities. As well as hosting original research papers and special issues of interest to a wide international and interdisciplinary readership, the journal encourages agenda-setting interventions into methodological and conceptual debates and new challenges facing researchers in the field. Each issue includes a substantial review section (of books, exhibitions, databases, and others), and there is a regular feature on 'Historical Geography at Large' devoted to engaged research, and its impact, beyond the academy. The journal is especially keen to expand its scholarship into those regions and academic communities beyond anglophone Europe and North America which have traditionally been underrepresented in the journal. We offer extra editorial support to students, early career researchers, underrepresented researchers, and those for whom English is not their first language: please contact jhg@elsevier.com.Questions commonly addressed in the journal include:How to describe, represent, and reconstruct past geographies (spaces, places, landscapes, environments, mobilities and networks)?How is the presentness of the past produced through landscapes, texts, memories and archives? How can we recognise diverse spatial and temporal imaginaries (for instance, ancestral, spiritual, religious, or environmental)? What has been the reach and influence of different models and institutional hubs of historical geography? How can the theories and methods used to study historical geography be applied to geography's disciplinary histories?
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Stephen LeggPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 5 in mainland China (about 9%); most named United Kingdom 22, United States 9, Mainland China 5, France 3, Italy 3 (58 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Historical Economic and Social StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance10.1%
- American Environmental and Regional HistoryEnvironmental Science8.3%
- Historical Geography and Geographical ThoughtSocial Sciences8.1%
- Scottish History and National IdentityArts and Humanities4.6%
- Archaeology and Natural HistorySocial Sciences4.3%
- Historical Studies and Socio-cultural AnalysisArts and Humanities4.3%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering4.2%
- Urbanization and City PlanningSocial Sciences4.1%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)History Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | History | Zone 2 |
| Minor | History of Social Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Geography | Zone 3 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)History Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | History | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Geography | Zone 3 |
| Minor | History of Social Sciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)History Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | History | Zone 2 |
| Minor | History of Social Sciences | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Geography | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
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.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 1.22LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 1.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.39LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0LetPub ·
- h-index
- 97OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,329OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.81OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 16.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 55.67%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 70LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 5,742 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 96 | 46 | 4 |
| 2025 | 138 | 61 | 80 |
| 2024 | 106 | 60 | 193 |
| 2023 | 79 | 41 | 195 |
| 2022 | 58 | 17 | 170 |
| 2021 | 52 | 13 | 176 |
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
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
64 dayssubmission to acceptance
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Submission to first decision
- 5 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 77 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 64 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 24 daysPublisher website ·
- 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 | USD 2,220 / EUR 2,080 / GBP 1,780 / JPY 275,350 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 2,500 | — | — |
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 prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 200 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 10,000 words
- Reference style
- APA
- Highlights
- Required
Article types accepted4, with length limits
- commentaryPlease carefully read the sections in this guide on references and Journal Specific Information for the journal citation and writing style.Standard articles sho…Length not stated
- conference reportPlease carefully read the sections in this guide on references and Journal Specific Information for the journal citation and writing style.Standard articles sho…Length not stated
- reviewPlease carefully read the sections in this guide on references and Journal Specific Information for the journal citation and writing style.Standard articles sho…Length not stated
- standard articlePlease carefully read the sections in this guide on references and Journal Specific Information for the journal citation and writing style.Standard articles sho…main text ≤ 10,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
This journal follows a double anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication.
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
- Elsevier
- ISSN
- 0305-7488
- Electronic ISSN
- 1095-8614
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Historical Geography
What CAS zone is Journal of Historical Geography in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Historical Geography is in Zone 2 of History, and in Zone 2 of the minor category History of Social Sciences / Geography; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of History. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Historical Geography?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.22; CiteScore 1.4, h-index 97.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Historical Geography?
The publisher reports about 64 days (submission to acceptance). 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 Historical Geography?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 200 words; Keywords: 1–7; Manuscript length: ≤ 10,000 words; Reference style: APA; Highlights: 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 Historical Geography based?
Of the 58 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 5 (about 9%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (22), United States (9) and Mainland China (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Historical Geography?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Historical Geography is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Journal of Historical Geography open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Historical Geography is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,220.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; 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: .