Journal profile · Multiple
South African Historical Journal
ISSN 0258-2473 · eISSN 1726-1686 · Taylor & Francis
South African Historical Journal: CAS Zone 3 · History (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.31; JCR Q2 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 171 days to acceptance (52 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 53% (journal website); 44 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
South African Historical Journal is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 3 of History in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are South African History and Culture, African history and culture studies and African studies and sociopolitical issues, together about 61.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Anthropology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The South African Historical Journal is fully accredited, peer reviewed and internationally regarded as a premier history journal published in South Africa, promoting significant historical scholarship on the country as well as the southern African region. As the journal of the Southern African Historical Society, it has provided a high-quality medium for original thinking about South African history and has thus shaped – and continues to contribute towards defining – the historiography of the region. Published quarterly, the South African Historical Journal publishes a wide variety of material, encompassing issues ranging in time from those around pre-colonial communities to those pertinent to a society in transition in the early 21st century, the practice and teaching of history and debates about heritage and the commemoration of the past. It includes ground-breaking innovative research, general historical and historiographical overviews, historical debates and rejoinders, interviews with historians and reflections on their work, review articles and critical reviews of important books. It regularly publishes articles in special issues on themes such as: ‘Oral Histories in South Africa’ (2008); ‘Let’s Talk About Bantustans’ (2012); and ’Tswana History’ (2014) All research articles published in the journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by at least two referees. The Journal follows a ‘double-anonymized’ process of evaluation of material: the names of authors are not disclosed to referees, and the identities of referees are not revealed to authors. We request that our referees compile helpful reports which fully motivate their recommendation regarding publication. The Journal is fully accredited in South Africa, it is listed in the Thomson Reuters Arts & Humanities Citation Index and its contents are accordingly cited, annotated, indexed and/or abstracted. The Journal aims to reach out to a broad audience that includes students, lecturers, scholars, historians, and academics in the broad field of the social sciences. Incorporating Journal of Natal and Zulu History from 2022.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named South Africa 3, United Kingdom 1 (4 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- South African History and CultureSocial Sciences32.7%
- African history and culture studiesSocial Sciences20.5%
- African studies and sociopolitical issuesSocial Sciences8.2%
- Legal Issues in South AfricaSocial Sciences7%
- Historical and Contemporary Political DynamicsArts and Humanities3.9%
- Global Maritime and Colonial HistoriesSocial Sciences3.5%
- Archaeology and Rock Art StudiesSocial Sciences2.5%
- Colonialism, slavery, and tradeSocial Sciences2.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)History Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | History | Zone 3 |
| Minor | History | Zone 3 |
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 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | History | Zone 3 |
| Minor | History | Zone 3 |
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
SSCIAHCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
African Studies Abstracts, African Studies Abstracts Online, America: History and Life, Current Abstracts, Historical Abstracts, Humanities International Index, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, International Index to Black Periodicals, Thomson Reuters Social Sciences IndexPublisher 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
- 0.31LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.3Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 0.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 0.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.14LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.14Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.42LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.42Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 35OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 279OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.13OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 33.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 14.86%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 32LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 81,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,958 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 43 | 10 | 0 |
| 2025 | 44 | 17 | 2 |
| 2024 | 39 | 15 | 15 |
| 2023 | 42 | 19 | 84 |
| 2022 | 52 | 8 | 45 |
| 2021 | 66 | 7 | 169 |
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
171 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 106 days – 236 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 54 days (52 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 220 days
- Sample
- 52 articles with submission and acceptance dates (100 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)
- 53%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 42 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 64 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 65 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 accepted1
- research articlesAll research articles published in the journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by at least two …Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
South African Historical 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 discoverab…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Double-anonymized peer review with at least two referees and initial editor screening. Model summary
All research articles published in the journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by at least two referees. The Journal follows a ‘double-anonymized’ process of evaluation of material: the names of authors are not disclosed to referees, and the identities of referees are not revealed to authors.
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
- 0258-2473
- Electronic ISSN
- 1726-1686
- Society / sponsor
- Southern African Historical Society
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 78, Issue 1 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about South African Historical Journal
What CAS zone is South African Historical Journal in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, South African Historical Journal is in Zone 3 of History, and in Zone 3 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 South African Historical Journal?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0.31; CiteScore 0.4, h-index 35.
How long does peer review take at South African Historical Journal?
Based on the dates recorded on 52 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 171 days (interquartile range 106–236 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 53%. 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 Historical 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 3 of History.
Where are the editorial board members of South African Historical Journal based?
Of the 4 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are South Africa (3) and United Kingdom (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index South African Historical Journal?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, South African Historical Journal is indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus.
Is South African Historical Journal open access, and what is the APC?
South African Historical 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .