Journal profile · Arts and Humanities-Language and Linguistics
Studies in African Linguistics
ISSN 0039-3533 · Department of Linguistics and the African Studies Center, University of California · United States
Studies in African Linguistics: diamond open access (no APC); no APC; review about 30 weeks (community reports); 10 articles in 2025; indexed in Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Studies in African Linguistics is published by Department of Linguistics and the African Studies Center, University of California. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic Variation, Phonetics and Phonology Research and Linguistics and Language Studies, together about 55.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Language and Linguistics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Focus and Scope Studies in African Linguistics (SAL) publishes in-depth empirically supported linguistic articles on African languages Peer Review Process Studies in African Linguistics publishes 2 issues per year each of which has 6 journal-length papers. The time it takes to publish a paper after it is accepted depends on the number of papers we have in the queue. When Studies in African Linguistics receives submissions, editors spend up to 4 weeks to conduct a desk review and determine whether it should be sent out for external review. If the paper is acceptable for review, 2 potential reviewers are consulted. People who are contacted have 2 weeks to accept the request for review. If after 2 weeks we haven’t heard from them, we send a reminder. If after 2 more weeks we still don’t hear from them, then we contact a different person. This means that the time that reviewers take to react to requests can substantially increase the duration of the reviewing process. Reviewers are given up to 6 weeks to review a paper. They are gently reminded of their invitations and due dates for reviews. A paper could therefore take up to 16 weeks to get reviewed. Editors take 2 weeks, once the reviews are in to go through the report and inform the author on our decision. Reviews are double-blind: reviewers do not have access to the identity of authors and authors do not know who the reviewers are. However, if reviewers happen to know or guess the identity of an author, this does not disqualify them as a reviewer. When a paper is submitted through the website, the metadata page collects information about the abstract and keywords while a separate page collects information about the author’s name and affiliation. Reviewers are asked to choose one of the following: Accept without any changes Accept with minor revisions Accept with major revisions Revise and resubmit Reject When reviews are in, the editorial team makes an editorial decision with the Editor in Chief having the final say. If the decision is ‘revise and resubmit’ or ‘accept with revisions,’ authors are asked to provide a detailed document explaining how their revisions have taken reviewer’s comments into account. That document is used by the editors and also passed on the reviewer. A revised manuscript is sent to original reviewers or assigned to new reviewers if the former are not available and at the discretion of the editors. The review process then repeats. SAL allows for a maximum of three rounds of submiss
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Arts and Humanities-Language and Linguistics
Editor-in-chief Brent HendersonPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 1, France 1, Canada 1, Australia 1, Austria 1 (5 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Syntax, Semantics, Linguistic VariationArts and Humanities28.6%
- Phonetics and Phonology ResearchPsychology13.7%
- Linguistics and Language StudiesArts and Humanities13.4%
- Categorization, perception, and languagePsychology13.3%
- Linguistics and language evolutionArts and Humanities10.8%
- Historical Linguistics and Language StudiesArts and Humanities3.1%
- Language, Linguistics, Cultural AnalysisArts and Humanities2.9%
- Linguistic and Sociocultural StudiesSocial Sciences2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CiteScore quartiles (Scopus, June 2026 release)
| Subject | Quartile | Rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Language and Linguistics | Q2 | 541/1137 | 52nd |
| Linguistics and Language | Q3 | 649/1221 | 46th |
Scopus ranks journals by CiteScore within each subject: the 75th percentile and above is Q1, then a quartile every 25 points. A different system from the CAS zones.LetPub
Database indexing
ScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
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
- 0.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.14LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.64LetPub ·
- h-index
- 66OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 168OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.94OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 794 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 6 | 6 | 71 |
| 2025 | 10 | 10 | 3,428 |
| 2024 | 18 | 18 | 2,046 |
| 2023 | 31 | 31 | 248 |
| 2022 | 7 | 7 | 454 |
| 2021 | 19 | 19 | 182 |
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 30 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 30 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
Diamond open access (no APC)DOAJ
Every article is open access and authors pay no article processing charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | No APC | No | CC BY-NC | |
| Publisher website | No APC | — | — |
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 prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–200 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted1
- articlesStudies in African Linguistics publishes articles, either descriptive or theoretical, in which the primary data come from African languages.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Self-archiving
- AI use AI policy:
The mission of Studies in African Linguistics is built on core academic values such as integrity and originality of thought. Authors may use AI only for assistance, not for content creation. Permitted forms of assistance include finding formulations and reformulations, language checks, translation aid, and code or format creation (e.g., transforming a bibliography into BibTeX) and the like. Any su…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright Notice
Copyright: authors retain copyright, journal gets right of first publication Model summary
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access Policy
Studies in African Linguistics provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. There are no publication charges, and all content is freely available without charge to the user or their institution. Users are allowed to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the f…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review Process
Studies in African Linguistics publishes 2 issues per year each of which has 6 journal-length papers. The time it takes to publish a paper after it is accepted depends on the number of papers we have in the queue. When Studies in African Linguistics receives submissions, editors spend up to 4 weeks to conduct a desk review and determine whether it should be sent out for external review. If the pap…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Self-archiving Self-Archiving Policy
This journal permits and encourages authors to post items submitted to the journal on personal websites or institutional repositories both prior to and after publication, while providing bibliographic details that credit, if applicable, its publication in this journal.
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
- Department of Linguistics and the African Studies Center, University of California
- Country or region
- United States
- Language
- English, French
- ISSN
- 0039-3533
- Print ISSN
- 2154-428X
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 54 (2025)
- Official links
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Studies in African Linguistics
How long does peer review take at Studies in African Linguistics?
Authors report an average review time of about 30 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 Studies in African Linguistics?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–200 words; Reference style: Author–date; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; 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 Studies in African Linguistics based?
Of the 5 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (1), France (1) and Canada (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Studies in African Linguistics?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Studies in African Linguistics is indexed in Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Studies in African Linguistics open access, and what is the APC?
Studies in African Linguistics is a diamond open-access journal (no APC). It charges no article processing charge.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, DOAJ, Publisher website; 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: .