Journal profile · PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY
Theory & Psychology
ISSN 0959-3543 · eISSN 1461-7447 · SAGE
Theory & Psychology: CAS Zone 4 · Psychology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.83; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,650; review about 187 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); acceptance rate 10% (journal website); 47 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Theory & Psychology is published by SAGE and is in Zone 4 of Psychology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Social Representations and Identity, Academic and Historical Perspectives in Psychology and Philosophy and History of Science, together about 42.1% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Theory & Psychology is a fully peer-reviewed bi-monthly forum for theoretical and meta-theoretical analysis in psychology. The journal focuses on the emergent themes at the centre of contemporary psychological debate. Its principal aim is to foster theoretical … | View full journal description This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 18, Canada 12, United Kingdom 5, Germany 4, Netherlands 4 (57 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Social Representations and IdentityPsychology19.1%
- Academic and Historical Perspectives in PsychologyPsychology16.4%
- Philosophy and History of ScienceArts and Humanities6.5%
- Psychotherapy Techniques and ApplicationsPsychology5.3%
- Counseling, Therapy, and Family DynamicsPsychology4.7%
- Cultural Differences and ValuesPsychology4.2%
- Language, Discourse, Communication StrategiesArts and Humanities3.9%
- Language, Metaphor, and CognitionPsychology3.9%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Psychology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Psychology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Psychology, Multidisciplinary | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Psychology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Psychology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Psychology, Multidisciplinary | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Psychology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Psychology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Psychology, Multidisciplinary | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
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
- Impact factor
- 1.83LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.8Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher)
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.5LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.59LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.2LetPub ·
- h-index
- 92OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 897OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.13OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 42.19%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 41LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 3Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,036 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 36 | 18 | 4 |
| 2025 | 47 | 25 | 66 |
| 2024 | 53 | 33 | 220 |
| 2023 | 50 | 25 | 346 |
| 2022 | 45 | 23 | 396 |
| 2021 | 73 | 21 | 557 |
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
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
187 dayssubmission to acceptance
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 10%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 5 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 187 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 49 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,650 / GBP 2,676 | — | — | |
| 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, with length limits
- book reviewView our topical sections currently accepting submissions Theory & Psychology is a bi-monthly journal devoted to scholarship with a broad meta-theoretical inten…main text ≤ 1,000 words
- editorialView our topical sections currently accepting submissions Theory & Psychology is a bi-monthly journal devoted to scholarship with a broad meta-theoretical inten…Length not stated
- reviewView our topical sections currently accepting submissions Theory & Psychology is a bi-monthly journal devoted to scholarship with a broad meta-theoretical inten…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Data availability, Publication ethics, Open access, Peer review, Plagiarism, Preprints, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use AI generated text
IMPORTANT NOTE IN REGARDS TO USE OF AI AND CHATBOTS for T&P submissions:T&P has a specific AI usage policy that authors must follow when submitting: Text generated from AI, machine learning, or similar algorithmic tools cannot be used in articles published in Theory & Psychology, nor can the accompanying figures, images, or graphics be the products of such tools, unless fully disclosed and explici…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship
Please view our authorship policies, which includes information on criteria for authorship, who should be the corresponding author and more. AI programs cannot be listed as authors.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability
The Journal is committed to facilitating openness, transparency and reproducibility of research, and has the following research data sharing policy. For more information, including FAQs please visit the Sage Research Data policy pages. Subject to appropriate ethical and legal considerations, authors are encouraged to: Share your research data in a relevant public data repository Include a data ava…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Ethical considerations
Please include your ethics approval statements under this heading, even if you have already included ethics approval information in your methods section. If ethical approval was not required, you need to explicitly state this. All papers reporting studies involving human participants, human data or human tissue must state that the relevant Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board approved th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Publishing fees and open access
There are no fees payable to submit or publish in this journal. Optional open access publishing is available for a fee via the Sage Choice program, and Open Access agreements, where authors can publish open access either discounted or free of charge depending on the agreement with Sage. Find out if your institution is participating by visiting Open Access Agreements at Sage. Open Access agreement …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review policy
The following summary describes the peer review process for this journal: Identity transparency: Double-anonymized Reviewer interacts with: Editor, Associate Editor Review information published: None Your manuscript will undergo an initial evaluation. If it does not conform to the requirements laid out in these guidelines, it will be returned to you for amendments prior to peer review. Manuscripts…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism Plagiarism
The journal and Sage take issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism or other breaches of best practice in publication very seriously. Please read Sage's complete policy on plagiarism and the actions we may take.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
The journal will consider submissions of manuscripts that have been posted on preprint servers. Please enter the preprint DOI in the designated field when submitting your manuscript. We advise that you inform the Journal Editorial office about your posted preprint at submission. Note that you should not post an updated version of your manuscript on a preprint server while it is being peer reviewed…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Reporting guidelines
Your manuscript must follow the relevant EQUATOR Network reporting guidelines, depending on the type of study. The EQUATOR wizard can help identify the appropriate guideline. You will need to upload the appropriate checklist with your submission. Other resources can be found at NLM’s Research Reporting Guidelines and Initiatives.
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
- SAGE
- ISSN
- 0959-3543
- Electronic ISSN
- 1461-7447
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Theory & Psychology
What CAS zone is Theory & Psychology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Theory & Psychology is in Zone 4 of Psychology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Psychology, Multidisciplinary. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Psychology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Theory & Psychology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.83; CiteScore 3.5, h-index 92.
How long does peer review take at Theory & Psychology?
The publisher reports about 187 days (submission to acceptance); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 10%. 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Theory & Psychology based?
Of the 57 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (18), Canada (12) and United Kingdom (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Theory & Psychology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Theory & Psychology is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Theory & Psychology open access, and what is the APC?
Theory & Psychology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,650.
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: .