Journal profile · Arts and Humanities-Literature and Literary Theory
Nordic Journal of African Studies
ISSN 1459-9465 · Nordic Africa Research Network · Sweden
Nordic Journal of African Studies: CAS Zone 4 · Sociology (2026 Xinrui edition); diamond open access (no APC); no APC; review about 12 weeks (community reports); 17 articles a year; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Nordic Journal of African Studies is published by Nordic Africa Research Network and is classed under Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Multilingual Education and Policy, African history and culture studies and African history and culture analysis, together about 32.7% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
We welcome papers that present new empirical and theoretical knowledge in the fields of African social science, history and cultural studies, African language studies and African literatures, as well as book reviews. The journal is divided into four editorial fields: African social sciences African cultural and history studies African language studies African literary studies Below are descriptions of the scopes of these fields. Cross-disciplinary papers are also welcome, and may be handled by a team of editors. Social Sciences The Social Sciences section of NJAS welcomes proposals of original research articles, offering an insight into current relevant social issues and phenomena across the African continent and in relation to the rest of the world. Article proposals should be structured around the analysis of empirical data and/or the presentation of case studies. Occasional exceptions (upon editors’ decision) can be made for review articles or editorial pieces of particular significance. We welcome submissions engaging a variety of disciplinary angles – across social sciences such as anthropology, sociology, human geography, political science, development studies, political economy, and beyond – and of theoretical approaches. We pursue diversity in geographical coverage and subjects explored. We accept submissions in English and French. Cultural and History Studies The Culture and History section welcomes analytical research articles which are theoretically embedded in contemporary scholarship. The submitted manuscripts are ideally based on original empirical research obtained through ethnographic fieldwork or archival and/or museum collection research, or a combination. The case-studies are considered in light of social and cultural processes in contemporary or diachronic perspectives. We are open to a diversity of disciplinary angles, most particularly, but not exclusively, cultural anthropology, social and cultural history, historical anthropology, cultural studies, gender studies, and museum anthropology. We welcome article submissions that are more theoretical in scope, albeit grounded in empirical data. We are open to articles on very diverse subjects and regions in Africa, and we accept submissions in English and French. Language Studies The Language Studies section is most interested in publishing language and linguistics papers giving analyses of linguistic phenomena that make a novel contribution to currently relevant questions in linguistic t
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Arts and Humanities-Literature and Literary Theory
Editor-in-chief Rasmus BernanderPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Sweden 3, Netherlands 1, Switzerland 1, Denmark 1, Norway 1 (8 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Multilingual Education and PolicySocial Sciences13%
- African history and culture studiesSocial Sciences12%
- African history and culture analysisSocial Sciences7.7%
- Second Language Learning and TeachingArts and Humanities5.3%
- African studies and sociopolitical issuesSocial Sciences4.8%
- Language, Linguistics, Cultural AnalysisArts and Humanities4.3%
- Postcolonial and Cultural Literary StudiesArts and Humanities3.9%
- Poverty, Education, and Child WelfareSocial Sciences3.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Area Studies | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
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
- 0.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.13LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.41LetPub ·
- h-index
- 25OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 65OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 17LetPub ·
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 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 46 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
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 | CC BY | |
| LetPub | No APC | No | — | |
| Publisher website | No APC | — | — |
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 prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 100–400 words
- Keywords
- ≤ 5
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 8,000 words
Article types accepted2, with length limits
- editorialAt NJAS we use independent, double-blind peer review to ensure that the articles we publish are of a high international standard. Receipt of manuscripts will be…Length not stated
- research articlearges for this journal. Manuscripts for research articles should be between 7,000 and 8,000 words in length (excluding references, abstract, and title/authormain text ≤ 8,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, License & copyright, Self-archiving
- Authorship
Authors retain copyright to their works. Model summary
Authors retain the copyright to their works.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright Notice
Creative Commons CC BY license for articles published by NJAS. Model summary
Articles published by NJAS are published under the Creative Commons CC BY license. Authors retain the copyright to their works. If authors would like portions of their articles published under more restrictive licenses (e.g., original artwork), you can contact the editorial team and we will work out an article-specific plan. Authors grant NJAS the right of first publication of their work. We encou…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Self-archiving
Authors are encouraged to deposit versions of their work in repositories with no embargo period. Model summary
We encourage authors to distribute and publicize their work widely and to deposit versions of their work (submitted version, accepted version, published version) in repositories, with no embargo period.
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
- Nordic Africa Research Network
- Country or region
- Sweden
- Language
- English, French, Swahili (macrolanguage)
- ISSN
- 1459-9465
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Nordic Journal of African Studies
What CAS zone is Nordic Journal of African Studies in?
In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
How long does peer review take at Nordic Journal of African Studies?
Authors report an average review time of about 12 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 Nordic Journal of African Studies?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 100–400 words; Keywords: ≤ 5; Manuscript length: ≤ 8,000 words. 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Nordic Journal of African 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 Sweden (3), Netherlands (1) and Switzerland (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Nordic Journal of African Studies?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Nordic Journal of African Studies is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Nordic Journal of African Studies open access, and what is the APC?
Nordic Journal of African Studies 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: .