Journal profile · EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
South African Journal of Childhood Education
ISSN 2223-7674 · eISSN 2223-7682 · AOSIS · South Africa
South African Journal of Childhood Education: CAS Zone 4 · Education (2025 upgraded edition); fully open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 25 weeks (community reports); 43 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
South African Journal of Childhood Education is published by AOSIS and is in Zone 4 of Education in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Early Childhood Education and Development, Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skills and Reading and Literacy Development, together about 28.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Education. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
In 2025, the inclusion of AI policies became compulsory for all SciELO SA journals. Authors using AI-assisted technology must disclose their use in manuscripts to ensure transparency, accuracy, and trust. Guidance is available in the Plagiarism, Fabrication and Artificial Intelligence Policy page and the Submission Guidelines under 'AI-assisted technologies' in the formatting requirements. Not sure if this journal is indexed in SciELO SA? Please check our Indexing Services page.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
Editor-in-chief Sarita RamsaroopPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named South Africa 18, United States 1, United Kingdom 1, Netherlands 1, Finland 1 (23 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Early Childhood Education and DevelopmentSocial Sciences13.4%
- Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skillsMathematics8%
- Reading and Literacy DevelopmentPsychology7.2%
- Mathematics Education and Teaching TechniquesSocial Sciences6.4%
- Education Systems and PolicySocial Sciences6.3%
- Teacher Education and Leadership StudiesSocial Sciences6.1%
- Child Development and Digital TechnologySocial Sciences4.8%
- Poverty, Education, and Child WelfareSocial Sciences4.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Education Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Education & Educational Research | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Education Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Education & Educational Research | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceERICSciELOPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest
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
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 0.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.35LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.67LetPub ·
- h-index
- 29OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 209OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.51OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 22.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 38LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 420Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 5,765,674Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 665 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 36 | 36 | 8 |
| 2025 | 43 | 43 | 71 |
| 2024 | 73 | 73 | 303 |
| 2023 | 33 | 33 | 171 |
| 2022 | 62 | 62 | 448 |
| 2021 | 43 | 43 | 597 |
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 25 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 25 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | ZAR 16,767 | No | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | ZAR 12,000 | — | — | |
| LetPub | ZAR 13,340 | No | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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)
What to prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 8
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 8,000 words
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted6
- correctionCorrection Corrigendum: Managing self-regulatory behaviour in young autistic children in the Western Cape, South AfricaLength not stated
- editorialEditorials are by invitation only and are intended to provide expert comments on relevant topics within the focus and scope of the journal.Length not stated
- essaysThe essays are short opinion pieces or personal perspectives (not research papers) or experiences of working in this sector, which might include specific challe…Length not stated
- original researchOriginal Research - Special Collection: Mother Tongue-Based Bilingual EducationLength not stated
- original research articleAn original article provides an overview of innovative research in a particular field within or related to the focus and scope of the journal, presented accordi…Length not stated
- review articleReview articles provide a comprehensive summary of research on a certain topic, and a perspective on the state of the field and where it is heading. These artic…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Disclosure of AI-assisted technologies
AI-assisted technology use must be disclosed in manuscripts for transparency, accuracy, and trust. Model summary
The Acknowledgements section must include a clear statement disclosing any use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies (e.g., for data analysis, dataset or artefact creation) in conducting the research. This statement should: Be specific by naming the exact AI tool(s) used. State the purpose of the tool’s use, such as artefact creation or data analysis. Disclose human oversight by confirming …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Disclosure of contributors not qualifying for authorship
The acknowledgement section includes listing those who contributed to the work but did not meet authorship criteria, with the corresponding description of the contribution. Acknowledge anyone who provided intellectual assistance, technical help (incl. editing), or special equipment and/or materials. Authors are responsible for ensuring that anyone named in the Acknowledgements agrees to be named. …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures
Authors are required to disclose any prior dissemination of the manuscript content. This includes, but is not limited to: Thesis-based work (e.g., master's or doctoral theses). Preprint versions that are published on open repositories. Refer to our Frequently Asked Questions: Questions from Authors - Preprints. Conference papers or presentations that were expanded into an article. Additionally, au…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statement
All research articles should have a data availability statement included in the manuscript in the form of a sentence under a separate heading entitled ‘Data availability statement’. The following are examples of a data availability statement. If you use one of the examples, you should modify it to fit your specific relationship. Availability of data Suggested data availability statements Example 1…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access OPEN ACCESS
All articles published in this journal are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license, unless otherwise stated.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Double-blinded peer review; manuscript must be anonymised. Model summary
The journal follows a double-blinded peer-review process, and you need to make your manuscript anonymous.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Disclosure of preprint-based content
Scenario Suggested preprint-based disclosures Example 1 A preprint version of this work was previously published on [Preprint Server Name] ([DOI or link]), and we acknowledge its role in shaping the final article. Example 2 – preprint feedback incorporated in the final manuscript We acknowledge the initial version of this work published as a preprint on [Preprint Server Name] ([DOI or link]). Feed…
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
- AOSIS
- Country or region
- South Africa
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2223-7674
- Electronic ISSN
- 2223-7682
- Official links
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about South African Journal of Childhood Education
What CAS zone is South African Journal of Childhood Education in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, South African Journal of Childhood Education is in Zone 4 of Education, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Education & Educational Research. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Education. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
How long does peer review take at South African Journal of Childhood Education?
Authors report an average review time of about 25 weeks. 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 are the manuscript requirements of South African Journal of Childhood Education?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 8; Manuscript length: ≤ 8,000 words; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Graphical abstract: Optional; Cover letter: Required. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of South African Journal of Childhood Education based?
Of the 23 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are South Africa (18), United States (1) and United Kingdom (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index South African Journal of Childhood Education?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, South African Journal of Childhood Education is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, ERIC and SciELO; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is South African Journal of Childhood Education open access, and what is the APC?
South African Journal of Childhood Education is a fully open-access journal. APC charged, amount not published.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website, DOAJ; 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: .