Journal profile · LITERARY REVIEWS
Literary Imagination
ISSN 1523-9012 · eISSN 1752-6566 · Oxford University Press
Literary Imagination: CAS Zone 3 · Literature (2025 upgraded edition); hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,054; 40 articles in 2025; indexed in AHCI and Scopus; the journal's website says it has moved to a new publisher.
The journal's website says it has moved to a new publisher: Literary Imagination is no longer published by Oxford University Press. Please visit the John Hopkins University Press website for current content. Source ↗Publisher website ·
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Literary Imagination is published by Oxford University Press 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 Poetry Analysis and Criticism, Samuel Beckett and Modernism and Human auditory perception and evaluation, together about 31.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Literature and Literary Theory. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Literary Imagination is a forum for all those interested in the distinctive nature, uses, and pleasures of literature, from ancient to modern, in all languages. Its aim is to encourage wide-ranging discussions between those committed to the reading and study of literary works, and to the reading and writing of poetry, fiction, translations, drama, non-fiction essays, criticism, and scholarship concerned with them. The Journal seeks to develop a healthy environment for academic literary study and for the literary culture that extends beyond the academy. The Journal welcomes literary scholars, both academic and independent; teachers of literature in colleges, universities, and secondary schools; poets, novelists, playwrights, actors, and directors; translators, journalists, critics, editors, and publishers; and all other serious students of literature. Literary Imagination is covered by the following major abstracting and indexing services: Annual Bibliography of English Language and Literature Humanities International Complete MLA Directory of Periodicals MLA International Bibliography Poem Finder
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): LITERARY REVIEWS
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 33, Canada 2, United Kingdom 1, Hungary 1 (37 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Poetry Analysis and CriticismArts and Humanities17.2%
- Samuel Beckett and ModernismArts and Humanities7.2%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering6.7%
- Modernist Literature and CriticismArts and Humanities6.5%
- Contemporary Literature and CriticismArts and Humanities5%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.6%
- Ecocriticism and Environmental LiteratureArts and Humanities4.4%
- Short Stories in Global LiteratureArts and Humanities3.5%
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 Reviews | Zone 1 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Literature Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Literary Reviews | Zone 1 |
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 | Literary Reviews | Zone 1 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
AHCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
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
- 0.1LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.1LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.22LetPub ·
- h-index
- 13OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 18OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.02OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 8.33%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 18LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,872 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 40 | 2 | 0 |
| 2024 | 75 | 6 | 3 |
| 2023 | 83 | 4 | 12 |
| 2022 | 110 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 113 | 2 | 21 |
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,054 | — | — | |
| 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
- Reference style
- Vancouver
Article types accepted7
- criticismIts aim is to encourage wide-ranging discussions between those committed to the reading and study of literary works and to the reading and writing of poetry, fi…Length not stated
- dramaIts aim is to encourage wide-ranging discussions between those committed to the reading and study of literary works and to the reading and writing of poetry, fi…Length not stated
- fictionIts aim is to encourage wide-ranging discussions between those committed to the reading and study of literary works and to the reading and writing of poetry, fi…Length not stated
- nonfiction essaysIts aim is to encourage wide-ranging discussions between those committed to the reading and study of literary works and to the reading and writing of poetry, fi…Length not stated
- poetryIf you are submitting several poems, please submit each one separately.Length not stated
- scholarshipIts aim is to encourage wide-ranging discussions between those committed to the reading and study of literary works and to the reading and writing of poetry, fi…Length not stated
- translationsIts aim is to encourage wide-ranging discussions between those committed to the reading and study of literary works and to the reading and writing of poetry, fi…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteLicense & copyright, Open access, Self-archiving
- License & copyright Copyright
Permissions required for third-party material Model summary
It is a condition of publication in the Journal that authors grant an exclusive license to the Journal, published by Oxford University Press. This ensures that requests from third parties to reproduce articles are handled efficiently and consistently and will also allow the article to be as widely disseminated as possible. Authors may use their own material in other publications provided that the …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access Option for Authors
Literary Imagination offers the option of publishing under either a standard licence or an open access licence. Please note that some funders require open access publication as a condition of funding. If you are unsure whether you are required to publish open access, please do clarify any such requirements with your funder or institution. Should you wish to publish your article open access, you sh…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Self-archiving
Authors may reuse own material with acknowledgment and notification Model summary
Authors may use their own material in other publications provided that the Journal is acknowledged as the original place of publication, and Oxford University Press is notified in writing and in advance.
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
- Oxford University Press
- ISSN
- 1523-9012
- Electronic ISSN
- 1752-6566
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 26, Issue 3 (November 2024)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Literary Imagination
What CAS zone is Literary Imagination in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Literary Imagination is in Zone 3 of Literature, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Literary Reviews. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Literature. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
Where are the editorial board members of Literary Imagination based?
Of the 37 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (33), Canada (2) and United Kingdom (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Literary Imagination?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Literary Imagination is indexed in AHCI and Scopus.
Is Literary Imagination open access, and what is the APC?
Literary Imagination is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,054.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .