Journal profile · EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
Thinking Skills and Creativity
ISSN 1871-1871 · eISSN 1878-0423 · Elsevier
Thinking Skills and Creativity: CAS Zone 2 · Education (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 5.24; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,730; review about 245 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 336 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Thinking Skills and Creativity is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 2 of Education in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Creativity in Education and Neuroscience, Education and Critical Thinking Development and Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods, together about 45.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Developmental and Educational Psychology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
This leading international journal, launched in 2006, uniquely identifies and details critical issues in the future of learning and teaching of creativity, as well as innovations in teaching for thinking. As a peer-reviewed forum for interdisciplinary researchers and communities of researcher-practitioner-educators, the journal welcomes papers that represent a variety of theoretical perspectives. In particular, the journal is interested in papers that advance new and existing methodological approaches, and are innovative works on the theories, practices and possibilities of creativity and thinking skills research. Papers may relate to any age level and any settings: formal and informal, education and work-based as long as they connect to the learning and teaching, facilitation and/or practice teaching for thinking and/or creativity.While there is no universal agreement about the dimensions of thinking skills and creativity or their themes, debates and terms, we welcome methodological advancements and critiques that progress current thinking and stimulate developments about the naming and framing of boundaries and related fields of knowledge.The journal particularly welcomes several types of research article:Empirical studies which address critical issues in the future of learning and teaching, facilitation and practice, directly relevant to advancing thinking skills relevant to the enquiry and advancement of creativity;Critical reports of research practices and innovation in identifying major debates in advancing thinking skills and creativity;Synthetic reviews;New departures in methodological, theoretical and conceptual case studies. Submissions to the journal are judged on the engagement of research and scholarship designed to advance creativity and thinking skills research. The major criteria for acceptance of a research article will be its relevance, its importance and its contribution to the field of teaching for thinking and creativity, and its persuasive, analytical and critical quality.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
Editor-in-chief Emmanuel ManaloPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 6 in mainland China (about 8%); most named United States 12, United Kingdom 12, Mainland China 6, Taiwan, China 6, Germany 6 (72 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Creativity in Education and NeurosciencePsychology27%
- Education and Critical Thinking DevelopmentSocial Sciences11.7%
- Innovative Teaching and Learning MethodsPsychology7%
- Education, Achievement, and GiftednessPsychology6.5%
- Design Education and PracticeEngineering5%
- Neuroscience, Education and Cognitive FunctionNeuroscience4.4%
- Educational Strategies and EpistemologiesPsychology4.1%
- Art Education and DevelopmentArts and Humanities3.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Education Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Education & Educational Research | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Education Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Education & Educational Research | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Education Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Education & Educational Research | Zone 3 |
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
- 5.24LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 5.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 9.2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 9.2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.72LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.01LetPub ·
- h-index
- 114OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,137OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.51OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 13.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 26.39%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 316LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,173 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 223 | 78 | 95 |
| 2025 | 336 | 114 | 1,340 |
| 2024 | 257 | 84 | 3,061 |
| 2023 | 192 | 61 | 4,647 |
| 2022 | 198 | 50 | 4,584 |
| 2021 | 182 | 38 | 5,934 |
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
245 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
- Submission to first decision
- 34 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 99 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 245 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 2 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 3,730 / EUR 3,490 / GBP 2,990 / JPY 462,630 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,520 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- APA
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Article types accepted5
- critical reports of research practices and innovationCritical reports of research practices and innovation in identifying major debates in advancing thinking skills and creativityLength not stated
- empirical studiesEmpirical studies which address critical issues in the future of learning and teaching, facilitation and practice, directly relevant to advancing thinking skill…Length not stated
- research articleThe journal particularly welcomes several types of research article:• studies of teaching and learning processes directly relevant to teaching thinking and fost…Length not stated
- review articleThe journal particularly welcomes several types of research article:• studies of teaching and learning processes directly relevant to teaching thinking and fost…Length not stated
- synthetic reviewsSynthetic reviewsLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability
Data statement Model summary
To foster transparency, you are required to state the availability of any data at submission.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Double anonymized peer review Model summary
This journal follows a double anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of one reviewer for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Rea…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication.
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
- Elsevier
- ISSN
- 1871-1871
- Electronic ISSN
- 1878-0423
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Thinking Skills and Creativity
What CAS zone is Thinking Skills and Creativity in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Thinking Skills and Creativity is in Zone 2 of Education, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Education & Educational Research. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Education. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Thinking Skills and Creativity?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 5.24; CiteScore 9.2, h-index 114.
How long does peer review take at Thinking Skills and Creativity?
The publisher reports about 245 days (submission to acceptance). 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 Thinking Skills and Creativity?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: APA; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: Optional. 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 Thinking Skills and Creativity based?
Of the 72 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 6 (about 8%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (12), United Kingdom (12) and Mainland China (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Thinking Skills and Creativity?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Thinking Skills and Creativity is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Thinking Skills and Creativity open access, and what is the APC?
Thinking Skills and Creativity is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,730.
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: .