Journal profile · HISTORY
JOURNAL OF IMPERIAL AND COMMONWEALTH HISTORY
ISSN 0308-6534 · eISSN 1743-9329 · Taylor & Francis
JOURNAL OF IMPERIAL AND COMMONWEALTH HISTORY: CAS Zone 2 · History (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 0.9 (journal website); JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 69 days (first decision after review, publisher); acceptance rate 57% (journal website); 138 articles in 2025; indexed in AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
JOURNAL OF IMPERIAL AND COMMONWEALTH HISTORY is published by Taylor & Francis 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 Australian History and Society, African history and culture studies and Colonialism, slavery, and trade, together about 34.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Anthropology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Imperial & Commonwealth History is an internationally respected forum for the publication of original research on the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth and on comparative European empires and colonial and post-colonial experiences from across the globe. Particular attention is given to: imperial policy, practices and rivalries; methods of imperial control and colonial rule, and local responses; the rise of nationalism and national liberation; the impact of colonialism on the colonised; the process of decolonization and the transfer of power and institutions; the evolution of the Imperial and Commonwealth association in general; and the expansion and transformation of imperial culture. Every journal issue also features a ‘current debates’ section as well as a substantial review section of recent books and edited collections. Peer Review Policy: All research articles published in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review which involves initial editor screening and independent assessment by two anonymous referees.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): HISTORY
Editor-in-chief Andrekos VarnavaPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United Kingdom 14, Australia 7, United States 4, Canada 2, South Africa 2 (38 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Australian History and SocietySocial Sciences17.3%
- African history and culture studiesSocial Sciences9.9%
- Colonialism, slavery, and tradeSocial Sciences7.7%
- Global Maritime and Colonial HistoriesSocial Sciences5.9%
- Historical and Contemporary Political DynamicsArts and Humanities5.5%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering4.2%
- World Wars: History, Literature, and ImpactSocial Sciences3.8%
- Historical Economic and Social StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance3.7%
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 | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)History Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | History | Zone 2 |
| Minor | History | 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 | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q1 · best quartile · 2025
- CiteScore Q1 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
AHCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Current ContentsPublisher website
Other: OCLC, America: History and Life, British Humanities Index, Current Abstracts, Historical Abstracts, Humanities International Index, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, Periodicals Index Online, Sociological Abstracts
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
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.9Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 1.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.44LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.44Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.83LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.83Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 56OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 553OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.41OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 25%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 95LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 259,000Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 259,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,109 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 107 | 34 | 3 |
| 2025 | 138 | 43 | 91 |
| 2024 | 33 | 21 | 21 |
| 2023 | 46 | 31 | 92 |
| 2022 | 43 | 20 | 94 |
| 2021 | 42 | 11 | 134 |
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
69 daysfirst decision after review
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
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 57%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 57%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 31 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 31 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 69 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review 2025
- 69 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 22 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 22 daysPublisher 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
The Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increas…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review Policy:
Peer review policy Model summary
All research articles published in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review which involves initial editor screening and independent assessment by two anonymous referees.
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
- Taylor & Francis
- ISSN
- 0308-6534
- Electronic ISSN
- 1743-9329
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 54, Issue 4 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about JOURNAL OF IMPERIAL AND COMMONWEALTH HISTORY
What CAS zone is JOURNAL OF IMPERIAL AND COMMONWEALTH HISTORY in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, JOURNAL OF IMPERIAL AND COMMONWEALTH HISTORY is in Zone 2 of History, and in Zone 2 of the minor category History; 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 IMPERIAL AND COMMONWEALTH HISTORY?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 0.9 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 1.1, h-index 56.
How long does peer review take at JOURNAL OF IMPERIAL AND COMMONWEALTH HISTORY?
The publisher reports about 69 days (first decision after review); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 57% (2025). 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 JCR quartile is JOURNAL OF IMPERIAL AND COMMONWEALTH HISTORY in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q1 (best quartile). JCR quartiles are Clarivate's to confirm and a different system from the CAS zones; in the CAS ranking the journal is in Zone 2 of History.
Where are the editorial board members of JOURNAL OF IMPERIAL AND COMMONWEALTH HISTORY based?
Of the 38 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (14), Australia (7) and United States (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index JOURNAL OF IMPERIAL AND COMMONWEALTH HISTORY?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, JOURNAL OF IMPERIAL AND COMMONWEALTH HISTORY is indexed in AHCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is JOURNAL OF IMPERIAL AND COMMONWEALTH HISTORY open access, and what is the APC?
JOURNAL OF IMPERIAL AND COMMONWEALTH HISTORY is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC charged, amount not published.
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: .