Journal profile · RELIGION
Practical Theology
ISSN 1756-073X · eISSN 1756-0748 · Taylor & Francis
Practical Theology: CAS Zone 3 · Philosophy (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.4 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 222 days to acceptance (57 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 27% (journal website); 66 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Practical Theology 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 Religion, Society, and Development, Christian Theology and Mission and Theological Perspectives and Practices, together about 47.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science and Religious studies. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Practical Theology, the official journal of the British and Irish Association for Practical Theology, is published on behalf of the Contact Pastoral Trust. Formerly Contact: Practical Theology and Pastoral Care, the journal has been published since 1960 and plays a vital role for those who are involved in pastoral practice and for those who reflect on and teach practical theology within an academic context. The journal’s mission has always been to contribute to the development of pastoral studies and practical theology by publishing creative articles which report good practice, and which offer fresh theoretical and practical insights in this area. It is multidisciplinary, with contributions drawn from counselling, missiology, chaplaincy, social work, psychology, ecclesiology, sociology, ethics, as well as pastoral and practical theology. Since 2018 the journal has included one issue per year solely dedicated to Adult Theological Education. Subscribers also have access to an extensive archive of material from Contact and the Journal of Adult Theological Education. Variety to cater for all tastes is a hallmark, from whole themed issues which are an important feature, through research reports of about 6000 words, to shorter accounts of reflection on practice, interviews, autoethnography, biographical reviews, ‘soap box’ challenges, book reviews, and even short stories or poems. The audience for the journal are practitioners in religious institutions and workplaces, students doing masters courses and professional doctoral work in practical theology as well as traditional readers of the journal who have found it a continuing source of enrichment for their day to day practice of faith and ministry. Practical Theology especially welcomes ‘first-time’ authors and will fully support them in the sometimes tricky world of being published. Practical Theology accepts the following types of article: original research papers, narrative or literature reviews, theological reflections, “soap box” articles (where an author shares a strong opinion), case study reports, conference addresses, auto/biographical reflections, poetry, editorials and book reviews. Please note that this journal only publishes manuscripts in English. Peer Review Policy: All full-length research articles published in this journal undergo rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by at least two anonymous reviewers from the Editorial Board or from scholars in appr
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): RELIGION
Editor-in-chief Calida ChuPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United Kingdom 4, United States 2 (6 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Religion, Society, and DevelopmentSocial Sciences20%
- Christian Theology and MissionArts and Humanities14.8%
- Theological Perspectives and PracticesSocial Sciences12.6%
- Religion, Spirituality, and PsychologySocial Sciences11.2%
- Biblical Studies and InterpretationArts and Humanities6.5%
- Pentecostalism and Christianity StudiesArts and Humanities5.4%
- Religious Education and SchoolsSocial Sciences4.3%
- Grief, Bereavement, and Mental HealthPsychology4%
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 | Religion | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Philosophy Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Religion | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- CiteScore Q2 · 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
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
ATLA Religious Database, Religion and Philosophy Collection, Religious and Theological AbstractsPublisher 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
- 0.4Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 1.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.36LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.36Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.84LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.84Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 24OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 81OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.39OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 21.95%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 33LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 74,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,211 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 40 | 14 | 0 |
| 2025 | 66 | 12 | 33 |
| 2024 | 75 | 20 | 38 |
| 2023 | 97 | 27 | 134 |
| 2022 | 92 | 23 | 262 |
| 2021 | 84 | 12 | 471 |
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
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
222 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 174 days – 359 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 53 days (57 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 301 days
- Sample
- 57 articles with submission and acceptance dates (115 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 27%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 36 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 153 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 71 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)
Article types accepted11, with length limits
- auto/biographical reflectionsauto/biographical reflectionsLength not stated
- book reviewsbook reviewsLength not stated
- case study reportscase study reportsLength not stated
- conference addressesconference addressesLength not stated
- editorialseditorialsLength not stated
- narrative or literature reviewsnarrative or literature reviewsLength not stated
- original research papersoriginal research papersLength not stated
- poetrypoetryLength not stated
- research reportwhich are an important feature, through research reports of about 6000 words, to shorter accounts of reflection on practice, interviews,main text ≤ 6,000 words
- theological reflectionstheological reflectionsLength not stated
- “soap box” articles“soap box” articlesLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Open access, Peer review
- Authorship
Only publishes manuscripts in English. Model summary
Please note that this journal only publishes manuscripts in English.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
Practical Theology 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 read…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
All full-length research articles undergo rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by at least two anonymous reviewers. Model summary
All full-length research articles published in this journal undergo rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by at least two anonymous reviewers from the Editorial Board or from scholars in appropriate disciplines to the article.
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
- 1756-073X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1756-0748
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 19, Issue 2 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Practical Theology
What CAS zone is Practical Theology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Practical Theology is in Zone 3 of Philosophy, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Religion. 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 Practical Theology?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 0.4 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 1.1, h-index 24.
How long does peer review take at Practical Theology?
Based on the dates recorded on 57 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 222 days (interquartile range 174–359 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 27%. 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 Practical Theology based?
Of the 6 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (4) and United States (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Practical Theology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Practical Theology is indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Is Practical Theology open access, and what is the APC?
Practical Theology 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: .