Journal profile · Multiple
Rethinking History
ISSN 1364-2529 · eISSN 1470-1154 · Taylor & Francis
Rethinking History: CAS Zone 2 · History (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.83; JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 362 days to acceptance (91 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 36% (journal website); 56 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Rethinking History is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 2 of History in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Philosophy, History, and Historiography, Educator Training and Historical Pedagogy and Memory, Trauma, and Commemoration, together about 41.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Rethinking History is a leading international forum for scholarship that challenges conventional approaches to the past. We invite historians, theorists, and interdisciplinary scholars to join us in contributing to new methodologies, interrogating historical narratives, and pushing the boundaries of the discipline. Rethinking History aspires to be more than just another history journal. We aim to be a space for reflection on established paradigms and exploration of new approaches to historical understanding. We welcome work that combines intellectual rigour with methodological innovation, encouraging inquiry that expands the possibilities of historical research, writing and representation. Our pages aim to feature scholarship that engages with theory and philosophy of history, historiography, historical representation, historical literacy, and the dynamic relationship between past and present. We welcome interdisciplinary contributions that draw from fields including literary studies, anthropology, cultural theory, philosophy, media studies, the digital humanities and artistic practice. Since 1997, Rethinking History has sparked new conversations that redefine what it means to study, interpret and represent the past, as well as how historical culture is constituted and reproduced. The journal’s commitment to these goals has been well articulated by some of our former editors, whose vision continues to inspire our mission: "By Re-thinking History I mean expanding the study of the nature of history in all its forms and conceptualizations. Rethinking it must mean questioning the boundaries of how we study the past" Alun Munslow, UK Editor, Rethinking History "We believe that the writing of History can be an art, and that innovation in any art calls for boldness, audacity, and the courage to try out things that can seem strange, even to the author..." Robert A. Rosenstone, Founding Editor, Rethinking History "My passion has been to re-think the writing of history, to demonstrate the inextricable links between content and form, between what we have to say and how we say it..." James Goodman, US Editor, Rethinking History Peer Review Policy: All research articles published in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by at least two anonymous referees.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Kalle PihlainenPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United Kingdom 4, United States 1, Finland 1 (6 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Philosophy, History, and HistoriographyArts and Humanities21.4%
- Educator Training and Historical PedagogySocial Sciences13.3%
- Memory, Trauma, and CommemorationPsychology6.8%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering5.5%
- Oral History, Memory, Narrative AnalysisArts and Humanities5.2%
- Italian Fascism and Post-war SocietySocial Sciences4.6%
- Educational Robotics and EngineeringComputer Science3.8%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance3.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)History Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | History | Zone 2 |
| Minor | History | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)History Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | History | Zone 3 |
| Minor | History | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)History Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | History | Zone 2 |
| Minor | History | Zone 2 |
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
SCIEPublisher website
Other: OCLC, America: History and Life, British Humanities Index, Current Abstracts, Historical Abstracts, Humanities Index, Humanities International Index
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
- 0.83LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.8Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 1.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.31LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.31Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.6LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 43OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 227OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.78OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 27.35%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 53LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 165,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,219 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 26 | 11 | 3 |
| 2025 | 56 | 32 | 23 |
| 2024 | 34 | 19 | 64 |
| 2023 | 33 | 14 | 84 |
| 2022 | 32 | 6 | 328 |
| 2021 | 29 | 9 | 123 |
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
362 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 229 days – 517 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 20 days (91 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 400 days
- Sample
- 91 articles with submission and acceptance dates (98 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)
- 36%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 8 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 364 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 25 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 accepted1
- editorialRIP Alun Munslow (1947-2019) It is with profound regret that we must announce that the journal's Founding Editor, Alun Munslow, passed away suddenly on 1 Octobe…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Rethinking History 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 Peer Review Policy:
All research articles published in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by at least two anonymous referees. Model summary
All research articles published in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by at least two anonymous referees.
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
- 1364-2529
- Electronic ISSN
- 1470-1154
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 30, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Rethinking History
What CAS zone is Rethinking History in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Rethinking History is in Zone 2 of History, and in Zone 2 of the minor category History. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of History. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Rethinking History?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0.83; CiteScore 1.4, h-index 43.
How long does peer review take at Rethinking History?
Based on the dates recorded on 91 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 362 days (interquartile range 229–517 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 36%. 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 Rethinking History 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 2 of History.
Where are the editorial board members of Rethinking History 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), United States (1) and Finland (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Rethinking History?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Rethinking History is indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists SCIE; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Rethinking History open access, and what is the APC?
Rethinking History 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 2026-08-30). Last updated: .