Journal profile · Multiple
Language Acquisition
ISSN 1048-9223 · eISSN 1532-7817 · Taylor & Francis
Language Acquisition: CAS Zone 2 · Literature (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.64; JCR Q2 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 281 days to acceptance (46 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 14% (journal website); 23 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Language Acquisition is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 2 of Literature in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Language Development and Disorders, Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation and Reading and Literacy Development, together about 51.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Developmental and Educational Psychology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Language Acquisition is an interdisciplinary journal serving the fields of first and second language acquisition. Research published in the journal addresses theoretical questions about language acquisition and language development from a variety of perspectives and a variety of methodological approaches. Studies may have implications for our understanding of grammatical representation and/or our understanding of cognition. Tools, applied rigorously, from formal linguistics, behavioral and neurolinguistic experiments, and computational approaches are equally welcome. Research involving diverse languages, including understudied languages; and diverse populations, including typical monolingual or multilingual learners as well as children and adults with language impairments, are particularly encouraged. Although we prioritize research that makes a strong theoretical contribution, we also welcome submissions that emphasize description of understudied languages. Such submissions can be primarily descriptive but should highlight why the languages or phenomena studied are relevant for addressing important theoretical issues.Types of articles the journal publishes include: i) full-length research articles, ii) brief research reports, which report original empirical findings, major theoretical advances or crucial developments that warrant rapid communication to the scientific community; iii) review articles, which provide an original and synthetic perspective on a focused subarea of the field; iv) target and response, which consist of a longer target article and several shorter responses; and v) dissertation synopses. At Language Acquisition, we are committed to ensuring that manuscripts are fairly reviewed regardless of English language proficiency. Please indicate on your cover letter if you wish to be considered for English Language support, a member of our editorial team may pre-review your manuscript and may provide you with suggestions for edits you can make that will increase readability. Please note that this is not a formal or professional editing service. We will only provide suggestions (which you can take or leave), and we will not do line-by-line editing. Requesting support consideration does not guarantee that your manuscript will be pre-reviewed, nor that the manuscript will be sent out for review or be favorably reviewed. In addition, Language Acquisition awards two prizes. One is for the best article written by an early career scientist. The other
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Misha BeckerPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 2, Canada 1 (3 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Language Development and DisordersPsychology24.6%
- Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic VariationArts and Humanities14.3%
- Reading and Literacy DevelopmentPsychology12.9%
- Neurobiology of Language and BilingualismNeuroscience9.6%
- Phonetics and Phonology ResearchPsychology7%
- Child and Animal Learning DevelopmentPsychology4.1%
- Natural Language Processing TechniquesComputer Science3.8%
- Language, Discourse, Communication StrategiesArts and Humanities3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Literature Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Language & Linguistics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Linguistics | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Literature Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Linguistics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Language & Linguistics | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Literature Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Language & Linguistics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Linguistics | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q2 · 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
SSCIAHCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePsycINFOERICPublisher website
Other: ProQuest, OCLC, CSA - Biological Sciences, CSA Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts, Ecology Abstracts (Online), Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
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
- 1.64LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.7Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 2.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.79LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.79Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.42LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.42Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 79OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 294OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.1OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 22.39%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 22LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 50,000Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 50,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 584 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 23 | 15 | 5 |
| 2025 | 23 | 10 | 11 |
| 2024 | 23 | 13 | 60 |
| 2023 | 24 | 11 | 155 |
| 2022 | 25 | 9 | 145 |
| 2021 | 24 | 11 | 194 |
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
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
281 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 194 days – 416 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 57 days (46 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 358 days
- Sample
- 46 articles with submission and acceptance dates (48 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 14%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 14%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 4 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 4 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 80 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review 2025
- 80 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 58 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 58 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)
What to prepare1 items from the author guidelines
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted5
- brief research reportsii) brief research reports, which report original empirical findings, major theoretical advances or crucial developments that warrant rapid communication to the…Length not stated
- dissertation synopsesv) dissertation synopsesLength not stated
- full-length research articlesTypes of articles the journal publishes include: i) full-length research articlesLength not stated
- review articlesiii) review articles, which provide an original and synthetic perspective on a focused subarea of the fieldLength not stated
- target and responseiv) target and response, which consist of a longer target article and several shorter responsesLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Language Acquisition 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 and re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Peer review policy: double-anonymous review Model summary
All research articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and a double-anonymous review policy.
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
- 1048-9223
- Electronic ISSN
- 1532-7817
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 33, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Language Acquisition
What CAS zone is Language Acquisition in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Language Acquisition is in Zone 2 of Literature, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Language & Linguistics / Linguistics. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Literature. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Language Acquisition?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.64; CiteScore 2.9, h-index 79.
How long does peer review take at Language Acquisition?
Based on the dates recorded on 46 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 281 days (interquartile range 194–416 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 14% (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 Language Acquisition 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 2 of Literature.
Where are the editorial board members of Language Acquisition based?
Of the 3 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (2) and Canada (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Language Acquisition?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Language Acquisition is indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, PsycINFO and ERIC; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Language Acquisition open access, and what is the APC?
Language Acquisition 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: .