Journal profile · PHILOSOPHY
Philosophical Papers
ISSN 0556-8641 · eISSN 1996-8523 · Taylor & Francis
Philosophical Papers: CAS Zone 3 · Philosophy (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.6 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 27 days (submission to first decision, publisher); acceptance rate 3% (journal website); 3 articles a year; indexed in AHCI and Scopus.
The latest issue on the journal's website is from 2024 (Volume 53, Issue 1): the journal may have stopped publishing or moved platform in the last two years. Check its website before submitting.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Philosophical Papers is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 3 of Philosophy in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Philosophy and Theoretical Science, Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics and Philosophical Ethics and Theory, together about 33.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Philosophy. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Philosophical Papers is an international, generalist journal of philosophy edited in South Africa Original Articles Articles appearing in regular issues are original, high-quality, and stand-alone, and are written for the general professional philosopher. Submissions are welcome in any area of philosophy and undergo a process of peer review based on initial editor screening and refereeing by (usually) two referees. Special Issues Topic-based special issues are comprised of both invited and submitted papers selected by guest editors. Ideas for future special issues are welcome. Re-Readings and Book Reviews Philosophical Papers occasionally publishes re-readings, in which authors write on an older article, book, or book chapter that they deem to deserve renewed attention. Unsolicited re-readings of 4000-7000 words in length are welcome. Authors interested in submitting more traditional reviews of recent books should approach the editors in the first instance.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): PHILOSOPHY
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Philosophy and Theoretical SciencePsychology13.5%
- Epistemology, Ethics, and MetaphysicsArts and Humanities11.6%
- Philosophical Ethics and TheoryArts and Humanities8.1%
- Political Philosophy and EthicsSocial Sciences6.9%
- Free Will and AgencyNeuroscience5.6%
- Philosophy and History of ScienceArts and Humanities5.5%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5.1%
- Classical Philosophy and ThoughtArts and Humanities4.6%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Philosophy Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Philosophy | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Philosophy Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Philosophy | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Philosophy Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Philosophy | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- 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
AHCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Periodicals Index Online, Philosopher's Index, Philosophy Research IndexPublisher website
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 (publisher) 2025
- 3.6Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.44LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.44Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.99LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.99Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 52OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 230OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.33OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 18.18%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 3LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 31,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,038 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 2024 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 2023 | 9 | 2 | 74 |
| 2022 | 20 | 8 | 102 |
| 2021 | 20 | 8 | 44 |
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
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 3%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 27 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single-anonymous peer reviewPublisher website · model-extracted
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)
Article types accepted3
- original articlesOriginal Articles Articles appearing in regular issues are original, high-quality, and stand-alone, and are written for the general professional philosopher.Length not stated
- re-readings and book reviewsRe-Readings and Book Reviews Philosophical Papers occasionally publishes re-readings, in which authors write on an older article, book, or book chapter that the…Length not stated
- special issuesSpecial Issues Topic-based special issues are comprised of both invited and submitted papers selected by guest editors.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access
- Open access Open access
Philosophical Papers 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 re…
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
- 0556-8641
- Electronic ISSN
- 1996-8523
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 53, Issue 1 (2024)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Philosophical Papers
What CAS zone is Philosophical Papers in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Philosophical Papers is in Zone 3 of Philosophy, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Philosophy. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Philosophy. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Philosophical Papers?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 3.6 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 3, h-index 52.
How long does peer review take at Philosophical Papers?
The publisher reports about 27 days (submission to first decision); first decisions include desk rejections; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 3%. 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.
Which databases index Philosophical Papers?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Philosophical Papers is indexed in AHCI and Scopus.
Is Philosophical Papers open access, and what is the APC?
Philosophical Papers 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .