Journal profile · SOCIAL SCIENCES, INTERDISCIPLINARY
Journal of Lesbian Studies
ISSN 1089-4160 · eISSN 1540-3548 · Taylor & Francis
Journal of Lesbian Studies: CAS Zone 4 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.2 (journal website); JCR Q2 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 123 days (first decision after review, publisher); acceptance rate 17% (journal website); 39 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Lesbian Studies is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 4 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy, African Sexualities and LGBTQ+ Issues and Gender, Feminism, and Media, together about 40.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Lesbian Studies examines the cultural, historical, and interpersonal impact of the lesbian experience on society, keeping all readers – professional, academic, or general – informed and up-to-date on current findings, resources, and community concerns. The journal is interdisciplinary in scope and is essential reading for independent scholars, lay people, professors, and students. The Journal of Lesbian Studies fosters new scholarship without cutting ties to grassroots activism.It gives the lesbian experience an international and multicultural voice, presenting book reviews, poetry, letters to the editor, debates, and commentaries. Peer Review Policy: All review papers in this journal have undergone editorial screening and peer review. The journal uses anonymous peer-review so that the identity of the reviewers and the authors are not disclosed to either party.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): SOCIAL SCIENCES, INTERDISCIPLINARY
Editor-in-chief Ella Ben HagaiPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United Kingdom 7, Canada 3, Taiwan, China 1, United States 1, Germany 1 (19 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- LGBTQ Health, Identity, and PolicyPsychology26.7%
- African Sexualities and LGBTQ+ IssuesSocial Sciences7.2%
- Gender, Feminism, and MediaSocial Sciences6.5%
- Reproductive Health and TechnologiesMedicine5.3%
- Sexuality, Behavior, and TechnologyPsychology5%
- Gender Roles and Identity StudiesSocial Sciences5%
- Latin American and Latino StudiesSocial Sciences4.6%
- Historical Gender and Feminism StudiesSocial Sciences4.6%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q2 · best quartile · 2025
- CiteScore Q2 · 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
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINEPsycINFOPublisher website
Other: CSA Social Services Abstracts, CSA Sociological Abstracts, EBSCOhost Online Research Databases, Electronic Collections Online, LGBT Life, SocINDEX, TOC Premier
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
- 1.2Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 3.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.58LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.58Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.2LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.2Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 50OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 336OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.81OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 25%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 8.55%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 30LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 156,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,150 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 33 | 12 | 10 |
| 2025 | 39 | 11 | 42 |
| 2024 | 51 | 15 | 171 |
| 2023 | 52 | 11 | 234 |
| 2022 | 30 | 6 | 130 |
| 2021 | 26 | 6 | 240 |
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
123 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)
- 17%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 76 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 123 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 15 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
Hybrid open access journal; part of Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program. Model summary
Journal of Lesbian Studies 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 discoverability …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
All review papers undergo editorial screening and peer review; anonymous peer review is used. Model summary
All review papers in this journal have undergone editorial screening and peer review. The journal uses anonymous peer-review so that the identity of the reviewers and the authors are not disclosed to either party.
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
- 1089-4160
- Electronic ISSN
- 1540-3548
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 30, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Lesbian Studies
What CAS zone is Journal of Lesbian Studies in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Lesbian Studies is in Zone 4 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Lesbian Studies?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 1.2 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 3.1, h-index 50.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Lesbian Studies?
The publisher reports about 123 days (first decision after review); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 17%. 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 Lesbian Studies in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q2 (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 4 of Sociology.
Where are the editorial board members of Journal of Lesbian Studies based?
Of the 19 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (7), Canada (3) and Taiwan, China (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Lesbian Studies?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Lesbian Studies is indexed in ESCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE and PsycINFO; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Lesbian Studies open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Lesbian Studies 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: .