Journal profile · Multiple
Journal of Literary Studies
ISSN 0256-4718 · eISSN 1753-5387 · Taylor & Francis · South Africa
Journal of Literary Studies: CAS Zone 3 · Literature (2025 upgraded edition); fully open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 24 weeks (community reports); 26 articles in 2025; indexed in AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Literary Studies is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 3 of Literature in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are South African History and Culture, Postcolonial and Cultural Literary Studies and Diverse Scientific and Economic Studies, together about 34.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Literature and Literary Theory. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The aim of the journal is to publish articles and full-length review essays on literature and comparative literature informed by General Literary Theory, Genre Studies and Critical Theory.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named South Africa 6, United States 1, Canada 1 (8 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- South African History and CultureSocial Sciences15.9%
- Postcolonial and Cultural Literary StudiesArts and Humanities11.9%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance6.3%
- African history and culture studiesSocial Sciences5.2%
- Narrative Theory and AnalysisArts and Humanities5%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering5%
- Energy, Environment, Agriculture AnalysisEnergy4.8%
- African studies and sociopolitical issuesSocial Sciences4.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Literature Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Literary Theory & Criticism | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Literature | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Literature Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Literary Theory & Criticism | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Literature | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Literature Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Literary Theory & Criticism | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Literature | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
AHCIScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceSciELOPublisher 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
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 0.4LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.13LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.33LetPub ·
- h-index
- 22OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 75OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.26OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 33.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 98.44%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 22LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,375 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| 2025 | 26 | 26 | 6 |
| 2024 | 35 | 35 | 12 |
| 2023 | 20 | 20 | 9 |
| 2022 | 30 | 30 | 31 |
| 2021 | 45 | 45 | 66 |
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 24 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 24 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
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | ZAR 9,100 | Yes | CC BY-SA | |
| OpenAlex | ZAR 7,150 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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 websiteAI use, Authorship, Publication ethics, Open access, Peer review, Plagiarism
- AI use Authorship and AI Tools
Unisa Press adheres to the COPE Guidelines on Authorship and AI Tools which state that AI tools cannot meet the requirements for authorship as they cannot take responsibility for the submitted work. Authors are required to acknowledge the use of AI Tools in any aspect of the generation of their article.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship and AI Tools
Unisa Press adheres to the COPE Guidelines on Authorship and AI Tools which state that AI tools cannot meet the requirements for authorship as they cannot take responsibility for the submitted work. Authors are required to acknowledge the use of AI Tools in any aspect of the generation of their article.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics 7. Misconduct
Misconduct and unethical behaviour may be identified and brought to the attention of the editor and publisher at any time, by anyone. Sufficient evidence should be provided in writing by any complainant when informing the editor or publisher for an investigation to be initiated. All allegations should be taken seriously and must be treated appropriately. Those who report such behaviour in good fai…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access Policy
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. Authors keep the copyright of their manuscripts under a Creative Commons licence: CC BY SA
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review Process
A double-blind peer review process is followed. A minimum of two peer reviewers, who are recognised specialists specific to the topic and area of the submissions, are appointed by the editors. All peer review reports are mailed to the contributors.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism Plagiarism
Manuscripts containing plagiarism will not be considered for publication in the journal. Plagiarism is defined as the use of another person's work, words or ideas without attribution or permission, and representation of them as one's own original work. Plagiarism may take many forms, ranging from major plagiarism (the copy-and-paste of large amounts of text), to minor plagiarism without dishonest …
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
- Country or region
- South Africa
- Language
- English, Afrikaans
- ISSN
- 0256-4718
- Electronic ISSN
- 1753-5387
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 42 (2026)
- Official links
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Literary Studies
What CAS zone is Journal of Literary Studies in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Literary Studies is in Zone 3 of Literature, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Literary Theory & Criticism / Literature. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Literature. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Literary Studies?
Authors report an average review time of about 24 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Journal of Literary Studies 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 South Africa (6), United States (1) and Canada (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Literary Studies?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Literary Studies is indexed in AHCI, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science and SciELO; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Literary Studies open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Literary Studies is a fully open-access journal. APC charged, amount not published.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .