Journal profile · Multiple
Metaphor and Symbol
ISSN 1092-6488 · eISSN 1532-7868 · Taylor & Francis
Metaphor and Symbol: CAS Zone 2 · Literature (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.94; JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 177 days (first decision after review, publisher); acceptance rate 10% (journal website); 16 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Metaphor and Symbol 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, Metaphor, and Cognition, Categorization, perception, and language and Action Observation and Synchronization, together about 55.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Experimental and Cognitive Psychology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Metaphor and Symbol: A Quarterly Journal is an innovative, multidisciplinary journal dedicated to the study of metaphor and other figurative devices in language (e.g., metonymy, irony) and other expressive forms (e.g., gesture and bodily actions, artworks, music, multimodal media). The journal is interested in original, empirical, and theoretical research that incorporates psychological experimental studies, linguistic and corpus linguistic studies, cross-cultural/linguistic comparisons, computational modeling, philosophical analyzes, and literary/artistic interpretations. A common theme connecting published work in the journal is the examination of the interface of figurative language and expression with cognitive, bodily, and cultural experience; hence, the journal's international editorial board is composed of scholars and experts in the fields of psychology, linguistics, philosophy, computer science, literature, and media studies.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Herbert L. ColstonPublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Language, Metaphor, and CognitionPsychology38.6%
- Categorization, perception, and languagePsychology9.3%
- Action Observation and SynchronizationPsychology7.7%
- Language, Discourse, Communication StrategiesArts and Humanities6.8%
- Discourse Analysis in Language StudiesArts and Humanities6.1%
- Humor Studies and ApplicationsPsychology5.3%
- linguistics and terminology studiesArts and Humanities4.1%
- Linguistics and Discourse AnalysisArts and Humanities3.6%
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 2 |
| Minor | Linguistics | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Literature Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Linguistics | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Language & Linguistics | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview 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 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
SSCIAHCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePsycINFOCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: ProQuest, OCLC, CSA - Communication Abstracts Online, CSA Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts (Online), EBSCOhost - Academic Search Alumni Edition, Academic Search Complete, Academic Search Premier, Communication & Mass Media Complete, Communication Abstracts Online, Current Abstracts, Humanities International Complete, Humanities International Index, Literary Reference Center, Literary Reference Center Plus, Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection, TOC Premier, MLA International Bibliography, OCLC - ArticleFirst, Electronic Collections Online, PsycFIRST
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
- 2.94LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.9Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.8LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 5.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.89LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.89Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.57LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 2.57Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 83OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 344OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.7OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 3.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 27.78%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 18LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 88,000Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 88,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 628 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 16 | 6 | 2 |
| 2025 | 16 | 7 | 33 |
| 2024 | 24 | 15 | 116 |
| 2023 | 22 | 11 | 247 |
| 2022 | 23 | 12 | 350 |
| 2021 | 22 | 4 | 204 |
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
177 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)
- 10%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 10%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 78 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 78 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 177 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review 2025
- 177 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
- Open access Open access
Hybrid open access journal, part of Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program. Model summary
Metaphor and Symbol 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 rea…
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
- 1092-6488
- Electronic ISSN
- 1532-7868
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 41, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Metaphor and Symbol
What CAS zone is Metaphor and Symbol in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Metaphor and Symbol is in Zone 2 of Literature, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Language & Linguistics / Linguistics. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Literature. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Metaphor and Symbol?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.94; CiteScore 5.8, h-index 83.
How long does peer review take at Metaphor and Symbol?
The publisher reports about 177 days (first decision after review); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 10% (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 Metaphor and Symbol 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 2 of Literature.
Which databases index Metaphor and Symbol?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Metaphor and Symbol is indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, PsycINFO and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Metaphor and Symbol open access, and what is the APC?
Metaphor and Symbol 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: .