Journal profile · History & Philosophy Of Science
Philosophy of Science
ISSN 0031-8248 · eISSN 1539-767X · University of Chicago · UNITED STATES · Bimonthly · Founded 1934
Philosophy of Science: CAS Zone 2 · Philosophy (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.66; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,550; review 6–12 weeks (community reports); community-reported acceptance: easy; 130 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE, SSCI, AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Philosophy of Science is published by University of Chicago and is in Zone 2 of Philosophy in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Philosophy and History of Science, Diverse Scientific and Economic Studies and Quantum Mechanics and Applications, together about 42.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are History and Philosophy of Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Since its inception in 1934, Philosophy of Science, along with its sponsoring society, the Philosophy of Science Association, has been dedicated to advancing the study and free discussion of the philosophy of science from diverse perspectives in the field. The journal publishes articles, discussion notes, essay reviews, and book reviews.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): History & Philosophy Of Science
Editor-in-chief James Owen WeatherallPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 8, United Kingdom 1, Germany 1, Canada 1, Austria 1 (12 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Philosophy and History of ScienceArts and Humanities28.9%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance6.6%
- Quantum Mechanics and ApplicationsPhysics and Astronomy6.6%
- Philosophy and Theoretical SciencePsychology6.4%
- Epistemology, Ethics, and MetaphysicsArts and Humanities5.9%
- Science and Climate StudiesEnvironmental Science4.3%
- Legal case studies and regulationsSocial Sciences4.3%
- Philosophy, Science, and HistoryArts and Humanities4.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Philosophy Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 2 |
| Minor | History & Philosophy Of Science | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Philosophy Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | History & Philosophy Of Science | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Philosophy Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 2 |
| Minor | History & Philosophy Of Science | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIESSCIAHCIScopusLetPub
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
- Impact factor
- 1.66LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 17Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.03LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.23LetPub ·
- h-index
- 59LetPub ·
- h-index
- 163OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,451OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.06OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 79.29%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 99LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 7,705 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 100 | 86 | 12 |
| 2025 | 130 | 117 | 107 |
| 2024 | 68 | 63 | 196 |
| 2023 | 176 | 160 | 976 |
| 2022 | 150 | 94 | 1,105 |
| 2021 | 75 | 27 | 424 |
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)
- 6–12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,550 / GBP 2,460 | — | — | |
| 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, with length limits
- book reviews of the PSA may offer to review books. Book reviews are normally limited to 1500 words. Book reviews are checked by the Editorial team, and modestmain text ≤ 1,500 words
- editorialSubmission requirements Articles and discussion notes must be submitted in a readable format and prepared for anonymous review; accepted manuscripts must be for…Length not stated
- reviewsuggest topics for essay reviews. Essay reviews are normally limited to 4000 words. Essay reviews are checked by the Editorial team, and modesmain text ≤ 4,000 words
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
- University of Chicago
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1934
- ISSN
- 0031-8248
- Electronic ISSN
- 1539-767X
- Society / sponsor
- Philosophy of Science Association
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Philosophy of Science
What CAS zone is Philosophy of Science in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Philosophy of Science is in Zone 2 of Philosophy, and in Zone 3 of the minor category History & Philosophy Of Science. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Philosophy. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Philosophy of Science?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.66; CiteScore 2.6, h-index 163.
How long does peer review take at Philosophy of Science?
Authors report an average review time of 6–12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”. 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Philosophy of Science based?
Of the 12 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (8), United Kingdom (1) and Germany (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Philosophy of Science?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Philosophy of Science is indexed in SCIE, SSCI, AHCI and Scopus.
Is Philosophy of Science open access, and what is the APC?
Philosophy of Science is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,550.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, 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: .