Journal profile
Obiter
ISSN 1682-5853 · eISSN 2709-555X · Nelson Mandela University · South Africa
Obiter: fully open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 40 weeks (community reports); 90 articles in 2025.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Obiter is published by Nelson Mandela University. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Legal Issues in South Africa, Legal principles and applications and Criminal Law and Policy, together about 49.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Law and Political Science and International Relations. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
BackgroundObiter was first published in 1979. Initially it was published once per year but since 1994 two volumes were published annually. As of 2005, three volumes have been published annually. Currently four volumes are published annually. From the contents over the years it is apparent that the purpose of the journal is to disseminate research results and that it supports a high level of learning, teaching and research in the subject of law. Focus and ScopeObiter publishes contributions relevant to the development of South African law. It welcomes contributions relating to all branches of South African law. Contributions of a comparative nature from any part of the world are also invited on the basis that the lessons drawn from the comparison are focused on South African Law. Publication FrequencyObiter is published quarterly and welcomes contributions in English. Additional special editions are published periodically. LanguagePeer-reviewed articles are published in English. Indexing/ListingObiter is indexed/listed by the following: SciELO SA DHET Accredited Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) Sabinet Usage & ImpactStatistics are generated through PKP OJS, as well as all other platforms indexing Obiter.Access selected statistics at: Crossref Google Analytics (Editor & Journal Manager only) Google Scholar Metrics Obiter on PKP OJS (Editor & Journal Manager only) SciELO SA Metrics Article Processing ChargesPage charges are levied for contributions approved for publication. The tariff is ZAR200,00 per page. FunderObiter is sponsored by the Faculty of Law, Nelson Mandela University, South Africa. Sources of SupportASSAF provides support to host Obiter on the online journal system (OJS).
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named South Africa 7, Switzerland 1 (8 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Legal Issues in South AfricaSocial Sciences33.9%
- Legal principles and applicationsSocial Sciences10%
- Criminal Law and PolicySocial Sciences5.8%
- Family and Matrimonial LawSocial Sciences5.5%
- Legal and Labor StudiesBusiness, Management and Accounting4.8%
- Labor Law and Work DynamicsSocial Sciences4.1%
- Legal Cases and CommentaryMedicine3.2%
- Criminal Law and EvidenceSocial Sciences2.8%
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)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
DOAJLetPub
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
- h-index
- 10OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 12OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.28OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,339 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 44 | 44 | 113 |
| 2025 | 90 | 90 | 146 |
| 2024 | 69 | 69 | 124 |
| 2023 | 84 | 84 | 138 |
| 2022 | 238 | 238 | 69 |
| 2021 | 335 | 335 | 48 |
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 40 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 40 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
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | ZAR 3,600 | No | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | ZAR 3,600 | — | — | |
| LetPub | ZAR 3,600 | No | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Page charges
- ZAR 200
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 prepare2 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 300 words
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 10,000 words
Article types accepted3, with length limits
- articleAn article provides a detailed analysis of a topic and is viewed as a contribution of high scholarly standard.Length not stated
- case notecase notes between 5000- 7000 wordsmain text ≤ 7,000 words
- noteA note is more focussed and shorter.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websitePeer review
- Peer review
Double blind peer review prior to acceptance for publication. Model summary
Contributions are received throughout the year and will be subject to double blind peer-review prior to being accepted for publication
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
- Nelson Mandela University
- Country or region
- South Africa
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 1682-5853
- Electronic ISSN
- 2709-555X
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 47, Issue 2 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- 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 Obiter
How long does peer review take at Obiter?
Authors report an average review time of about 40 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 Obiter?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 300 words; Manuscript length: ≤ 10,000 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 Obiter 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 South Africa (7) and Switzerland (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Obiter?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Obiter is indexed in DOAJ.
Is Obiter open access, and what is the APC?
Obiter is a fully open-access journal. APC charged, amount not published.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .