Journal profile · MUSIC
Music Theory Online
ISSN 1067-3040 · Society for Music Theory · United States
Music Theory Online: CAS Zone 2 · Arts (2025 upgraded edition); diamond open access (no APC); no APC; review about 42 weeks (community reports); 36 articles in 2025; indexed in AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Music Theory Online is published by Society for Music Theory and is in Zone 2 of Arts in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Musicology and Musical Analysis, Music Technology and Sound Studies and Neuroscience and Music Perception, together about 59.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Music. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Music Theory Online is one of the flagship journals of the Society for Music Theory. It is a peer-reviewed open-access electronic journal of research and scholarship in music theory, music analysis, and related disciplines. MTO has been in continuous publication since 1993. New issues are published four times per year and include articles, reviews, commentaries, and conference reports. In addition, MTO publishes a list of job opportunities and abstracts of recently completed dissertations.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): MUSIC
Editor-in-chief Drew NobilePublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Musicology and Musical AnalysisArts and Humanities29.9%
- Music Technology and Sound StudiesComputer Science15.6%
- Neuroscience and Music PerceptionNeuroscience13.8%
- Music History and CultureArts and Humanities9.5%
- Diverse Musicological StudiesArts and Humanities8.1%
- Music and Audio ProcessingComputer Science5.2%
- Diverse Music Education InsightsArts and Humanities4.3%
- Theater, Performance, and Music HistoryArts and Humanities2.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Arts Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Arts | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Music | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Arts Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Arts | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Music | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Arts Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Arts | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Music | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
AHCIScopusDOAJLetPub
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
- 1.5LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.46LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.15LetPub ·
- h-index
- 39OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 199OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.5OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 25%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 79.76%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 19LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,257 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 18 | 18 | 0 |
| 2025 | 36 | 36 | 3 |
| 2024 | 59 | 59 | 53 |
| 2023 | 36 | 36 | 96 |
| 2022 | 46 | 46 | 259 |
| 2021 | 54 | 54 | 229 |
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 42 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 42 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Single 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
Diamond open access (no APC)DOAJ
Every article is open access and authors pay no article processing charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | No APC | No | Publisher's own license | |
| LetPub | No APC | No | — |
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 prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 5–10
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 12,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
Article types accepted9
- articleAn article is a presentation of scholarly research.Length not stated
- articlesNew issues are published four times per year and include articles, reviews, commentaries, and conference reports.Length not stated
- commentariesNew issues are published four times per year and include articles, reviews, commentaries, and conference reports.Length not stated
- commentaryA commentary is focused on a particular article or other published item, is generally short, and usually blends scholarship and opinion.Length not stated
- conference reportsNew issues are published four times per year and include articles, reviews, commentaries, and conference reports.Length not stated
- essayAn essay is an opinion piece on a general topicLength not stated
- reportA report is description of an event, usually a conferenceLength not stated
- reviewMTO aims to publish timely reviews of scholarly books and textbooks.Length not stated
- reviewsNew issues are published four times per year and include articles, reviews, commentaries, and conference reports.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review, Plagiarism
- Open access
Peer-reviewed open-access electronic journal. Model summary
It is a peer-reviewed open-access electronic journal of research and scholarship in music theory, music analysis, and related disciplines.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Anonymous review Model summary
All submissions to MTO are read “anonymously.”
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism
Originality Model summary
Submissions must not have been published elsewhere nor be under consideration by any other journal while they are under review by MTO.
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
- Society for Music Theory
- Country or region
- United States
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 1067-3040
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Music Theory Online
What CAS zone is Music Theory Online in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Music Theory Online is in Zone 2 of Arts, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Music. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Arts. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
How long does peer review take at Music Theory Online?
Authors report an average review time of about 42 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.
What are the manuscript requirements of Music Theory Online?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 5–10; Manuscript length: ≤ 12,000 words; Reference style: Author–date. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Which databases index Music Theory Online?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Music Theory Online is indexed in AHCI, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Music Theory Online open access, and what is the APC?
Music Theory Online is a diamond open-access journal (no APC). It charges no article processing charge.
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: .