Journal profile · Multiple
Postcolonial Studies
ISSN 1368-8790 · eISSN 1466-1888 · Taylor & Francis
Postcolonial Studies: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.81; JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 211 days (first decision after review, publisher); acceptance rate 5% (journal website); 46 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Postcolonial Studies is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 3 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Anthropological Studies and Insights, Postcolonial and Cultural Literary Studies and Australian History and Society, together about 24% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Postcolonial Studies is the journal of the Institute of Postcolonial Studies, Melbourne. Postcolonial Studies is the first international journal dedicated to exploring the colonial encounter and the variety of ways in which colonial relations and processes shaped and continue to shape the global world order. In the context of world history, the colonial encounter was a violent event whose legacies thread through to the present. Colonialism structures relationships between peoples in a multitude of ways. It gives rise to distinct bodies of literature and art, as well as political subjectivities and brutal economic inequalities. Colonial relationships and broader processes of coloniality are investigated from a range of cross-disciplinary perspectives. Postcolonial theory offers distinct critical perspectives on diverse circumstances historically and in the present. Postcolonial Studies is a leading forum for timely interventions and searching debates that traverse, but are not limited to, settler colonialism and indigenous-settler relations, nationalism, citizenship, statelessness, political violence, gender and sexuality, displacement and migration, climate justice and environmental ethics, human/non-human relations, decolonising movements, aesthetics, and poetics of colonial engagement. Postcolonial Studies welcomes original, creative, and challenging submissions of diverse lengths and formats. The journal publishes research that is theoretically insightful and specifically grounded. It aims to generate dialogue and debate between theorists, writers, artists, and activists in support of world-changing relationships transnationally. Authors can choose to publish gold open access in this journal. Read the Instructions for Authors .
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Anthropological Studies and InsightsSocial Sciences9.2%
- Postcolonial and Cultural Literary StudiesArts and Humanities7.8%
- Australian History and SocietySocial Sciences7.1%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering6.4%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance6.2%
- Legal Cases and CommentaryMedicine5.5%
- Indigenous Health, Education, and RightsSocial Sciences4.1%
- South Asian Cinema and CultureArts and Humanities4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | History | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Cultural Studies | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Cultural Studies | Zone 2 |
| Minor | History | Zone 1 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | History | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Cultural Studies | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q1 · best quartile · 2025
- 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
SSCIAHCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Current ContentsPublisher website
Other: OCLC, America: History and Life, Historical Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, C S A Worldwide Political Science Abstracts, EBSCOhost, Humanities International Index, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, Social Services Abstracts, Swets Information Services and Thomson Gale, Journal Citation Report: Social Sciences Edition
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
- 0.81LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.8Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 2.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.23LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.23Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.18LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.18Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 61OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 334OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.34OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 13.04%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 10LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 170,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,223 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 46 | 14 | 5 |
| 2024 | 30 | 10 | 26 |
| 2023 | 23 | 6 | 472 |
| 2022 | 32 | 16 | 553 |
| 2021 | 50 | 11 | 179 |
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
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
211 daysfirst decision after review
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 5%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 16 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 211 daysPublisher website ·
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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access
- Open access Open access
Postcolonial Studies 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
- 1368-8790
- Electronic ISSN
- 1466-1888
- Society / sponsor
- Institute of Postcolonial Studies
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 28, Issue 3 (2025)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Postcolonial Studies
What CAS zone is Postcolonial Studies in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Postcolonial Studies is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category History / Cultural Studies. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Postcolonial Studies?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0.81; CiteScore 2.4, h-index 61.
How long does peer review take at Postcolonial Studies?
The publisher reports about 211 days (first decision after review); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 5%. 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 JCR quartile is Postcolonial Studies in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q1 (best quartile). JCR quartiles are Clarivate's to confirm and a different system from the CAS zones; in the CAS ranking the journal is in Zone 3 of Sociology.
Which databases index Postcolonial Studies?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Postcolonial Studies is indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Postcolonial Studies open access, and what is the APC?
Postcolonial Studies 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: .