Journal profile · GEOGRAPHY
South African Geographical Journal
ISSN 0373-6245 · eISSN 2151-2418 · Taylor & Francis
South African Geographical Journal: CAS Zone 4 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.51; JCR Q2 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 186 days to acceptance (62 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 23% (journal website); 42 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
South African Geographical Journal is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 4 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Local Economic Development and Planning, Legal Issues in South Africa and Urban and Rural Development Challenges, together about 25.8% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The South African Geographical Journal was founded in 1917 and is the flagship journal of the Society of South African Geographers. The journal aims at using southern Africa as a region from, and through, which to communicate geographic knowledge and to engage with issues and themes relevant to the discipline. The journal is a forum for papers of a high academic quality and welcomes papers dealing with philosophical and methodological issues and topics of an international scope that are significant for the region and the African continent, including: Climate change Environmental studies Development Governance and policy Physical and urban Geography Human Geography Sustainability Tourism GIS and remote sensing The journal welcomes manuscripts in the following formats: Research papers Review articles on current debates and issues Book reviews Peer Review Statement All submitted manuscripts are subject to initial appraisal by the Editors, and if found suitable for further consideration, to peer review by independent, anonymous expert referees. Peer review is double anonymized and submissions should be made online via ScholarOne Manuscripts.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): GEOGRAPHY
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Local Economic Development and PlanningSocial Sciences9.1%
- Legal Issues in South AfricaSocial Sciences8.4%
- Urban and Rural Development ChallengesSocial Sciences8.4%
- South African History and CultureSocial Sciences7.4%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering5.6%
- Historical Geography and Geographical ThoughtSocial Sciences5.5%
- Soil erosion and sediment transportAgricultural and Biological Sciences5%
- African history and culture studiesSocial Sciences4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Geography | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Geography | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Geography | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q2 · best quartile · 2025
- 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
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
EBSCO, ProQuest, CAB International, EBSCO Databases, GEOBASE, National Hierarchical Network (NHN), University of BremenPublisher 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
- 1.51LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 3.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.46LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.46Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.78LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.78Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 44OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 425OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.14OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 5.21%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 39LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 88,000Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 88,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,638 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 18 | 13 | 8 |
| 2025 | 42 | 36 | 56 |
| 2024 | 36 | 28 | 141 |
| 2023 | 24 | 3 | 177 |
| 2022 | 28 | 6 | 216 |
| 2021 | 25 | 5 | 240 |
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
186 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 117 days – 241 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 17 days (62 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 209 days
- Sample
- 62 articles with submission and acceptance dates (71 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)
- 23%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 23%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 17 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 17 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 83 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review 2025
- 83 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 14 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 14 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher 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 accepted3
- book reviewsBook reviewsLength not stated
- research papersResearch papersLength not stated
- review articles on current debates and issuesReview articles on current debates and issuesLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
South African Geographical Journal 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. Model summary
South African Geographical Journal 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 discover…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Peer review is double anonymized and submissions should be made online via ScholarOne Manuscripts. Model summary
All submitted manuscripts are subject to initial appraisal by the Editors, and if found suitable for further consideration, to peer review by independent, anonymous expert referees. Peer review is double anonymized and submissions should be made online via ScholarOne Manuscripts.
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
- 0373-6245
- Electronic ISSN
- 2151-2418
- Society / sponsor
- Society of South African Geographers
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 108, Issue 1 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about South African Geographical Journal
What CAS zone is South African Geographical Journal in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, South African Geographical Journal is in Zone 4 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Geography. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of South African Geographical Journal?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.51; CiteScore 3.7, h-index 44.
How long does peer review take at South African Geographical Journal?
Based on the dates recorded on 62 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 186 days (interquartile range 117–241 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 23% (2025). 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 South African Geographical Journal in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q2 (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 4 of Sociology.
Which databases index South African Geographical Journal?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, South African Geographical Journal is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is South African Geographical Journal open access, and what is the APC?
South African Geographical Journal 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .