Journal profile · HISTORY
Journal of Legal History
ISSN 0144-0365 · eISSN 1744-0564 · Taylor & Francis
Journal of Legal History: CAS Zone 1 · History (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 1.3 (journal website); JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 62 days (first decision after review, publisher); acceptance rate 20% (journal website); 24 articles in 2025; indexed in AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Legal History is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 1 of History in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Legal principles and applications, Human auditory perception and evaluation and Historical Legal Studies and Society, together about 26.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Political Science and International Relations. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Legal History , founded in 1980, is the only British journal concerned solely with legal history. It publishes articles in English on: the sources and development of the common law, both in the British Isles and overseas; the legal histories of England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the British Empire; Roman Law; the European legal tradition; the history of international law in relation to these Articles published in the Journal are methodologically diverse, but always strongly grounded in original primary source research. Articles can be up to 16,000 words long. Shorter research notes, review-articles, and a wide-ranging section of reviews of recent literature are also included. We aim to complete double-blind peer review within 4-6 weeks of submission. The Journal of Legal History does not publish articles whose primary purpose is the resolution of controversies in contemporary law. Included in the Arts & Humanities Citation Index ® Peer Review All submitted manuscripts are subject to initial appraisal by the Editor, and, if found suitable for further consideration, to double anonymized peer review by independent, anonymous expert referees.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): HISTORY
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United Kingdom 3, United States 1, Netherlands 1 (5 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Legal principles and applicationsSocial Sciences11.5%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering7.7%
- Historical Legal Studies and SocietySocial Sciences7.6%
- American Constitutional Law and PoliticsSocial Sciences6.8%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance6.3%
- Law in Society and CultureSocial Sciences6.2%
- Historical Economic and Social StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5.7%
- Educational Robotics and EngineeringComputer Science5.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)History Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | History | Zone 1 |
| Minor | History | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)History Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | History | Zone 2 |
| Minor | History | Zone 1 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)History Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | History | Zone 3 |
| Minor | History | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview 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
America: History and Life, British Humanities Index, Historical Abstracts, Index to Legal Periodicals, International Bibliography of Book Reviews (IBR), International Bibliography of Periodicals Literature (IBZ), Social Planning/Policy and Development Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, University Microfilms ProductsPublisher 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
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.3Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 0.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 0.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.14LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.14Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.14Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 29OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 134OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.09OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 33.33%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 17LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 56,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,097 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 19 | 10 | 1 |
| 2025 | 24 | 11 | 0 |
| 2024 | 23 | 11 | 5 |
| 2023 | 25 | 8 | 7 |
| 2022 | 23 | 9 | 32 |
| 2021 | 16 | 8 | 14 |
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
62 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)
- 20%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 4 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 62 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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)
Article types accepted6
- articlesArticles can be up to 16,000 words long.Length not stated
- book reviewBook Review | Published online: 8 Sep 2026Length not stated
- research articleResearch Article | Published online: 22 Jun 2026Length not stated
- review-articlesShorter research notes, review-articles, and a wide-ranging section of reviews of recent literature are also included.Length not stated
- reviews of recent literatureShorter research notes, review-articles, and a wide-ranging section of reviews of recent literature are also included.Length not stated
- shorter research notesShorter research notes, review-articles, and a wide-ranging section of reviews of recent literature are also included.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
The Journal of Legal 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? Increase the discoverabilit…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review
Double anonymized peer review by independent, anonymous expert referees after initial appraisal by the Editor. Model summary
All submitted manuscripts are subject to initial appraisal by the Editor, and, if found suitable for further consideration, to double anonymized peer review by independent, anonymous expert 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
- 0144-0365
- Electronic ISSN
- 1744-0564
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 47, Issue 2 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Legal History
What CAS zone is Journal of Legal History in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Legal History is in Zone 1 of History, and in Zone 1 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 Legal History?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 1.3 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 0.9, h-index 29.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Legal History?
The publisher reports about 62 days (first decision after review); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 20%. 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 Legal 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 1 of History.
Where are the editorial board members of Journal of Legal History based?
Of the 5 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (3), United States (1) and Netherlands (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Legal History?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Legal History is indexed in AHCI and Scopus.
Is Journal of Legal History open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Legal 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .