Journal profile · HUMANITIES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY
Visual Studies
ISSN 1472-586X · eISSN 1472-5878 · Taylor & Francis
Visual Studies: CAS Zone 4 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 89 days (first decision after review, publisher); acceptance rate 11% (journal website); 86 articles in 2025; indexed in AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Visual Studies is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 4 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Participatory Visual Research Methods, Photography and Visual Culture and Visual Culture and Art Theory, together about 42.1% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Visual Studies is pausing for submissions from August 1, 2026 to September 1, 2026. Visual Studies is a is a leading international peer-reviewed journal published on behalf of the International Visual Sociology Association. The journal publishes visually-oriented articles across a range of disciplines, and represents a long-standing commitment to empirical visual research, studies of visual and material culture, the development of visual research methods and the exploration of visual means of communication about social and cultural worlds. Visual Studies is a key resource for all disciplines that engage with images, society and culture, and aims to set the standard for the scholarly use of visual material. The multidisciplinary character of the journal is reflected in its attention to visually-based research in sociology, anthropology, cultural and media studies, documentary film and photography, information technology, education, communication studies, art history and visual culture, as well as other fields concerned with image-based study. The aims of Visual Studies are to: Provide an international forum for the development of visual research. Provoke discussion of a wide range of methods, approaches, theories and paradigms that constitute image-based research. Reduce the disparity in emphasis between visual and written studies in scholarly research. Enhance the development of visual research methodologies in all their various forms. Encourage research that employs a mixture of visual methods, theoretical insights, and analytical approaches. Critically reflect and contribute to the dialogue surrounding ‘the visual’ across the social sciences, humanities, and visual arts. Provide an arena for in-depth and creative exploration of various approaches, particular methods, theories and visual phenomena. Most articles published in the journal are accompanied by appropriate visual material, and the journal encourages visually-led submissions. Members of the IVSA are eligible for a reduced rate subscription to Visual Anthropology. The rate is $40 for 5 issues. Please click here for further information about the journal Peer Review Policy: Research articles published in Visual Studies have undergone peer review. After initial screening by the editor for quality and fit with the journal’s objectives, papers are reviewed by at least two anonymous referees with appropriate specialist knowledge.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): HUMANITIES, MULTIDISCIPLINARY
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 3, Macau, China 1, France 1, Australia 1 (6 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Participatory Visual Research MethodsSocial Sciences15.2%
- Photography and Visual CultureArts and Humanities15.1%
- Visual Culture and Art TheoryArts and Humanities11.7%
- Geographies of human-animal interactionsSocial Sciences6.2%
- Cinema and Media StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5%
- Cultural Industries and Urban DevelopmentSocial Sciences4.7%
- Public Spaces through ArtSocial Sciences4%
- Art, Politics, and ModernismArts and Humanities3.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Humanities, Multidisciplinary | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Humanities, Multidisciplinary | Zone 1 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Humanities, Multidisciplinary | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- CiteScore Q1 · 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
AHCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
OCLC, ARTbibliographies Modern, Current Abstracts, Design and Applied Arts Index, Ergonomics Abstracts Online, Humanities International Index, International Bibliography of the Social SciencesPublisher 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 (publisher) 2025
- 1.1Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 1.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.37LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.37Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.91LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.91Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 64OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 296OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.84OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 9.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 18.18%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 45LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 163,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,462 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 62 | 22 | 5 |
| 2025 | 86 | 24 | 37 |
| 2024 | 101 | 38 | 168 |
| 2023 | 97 | 35 | 370 |
| 2022 | 69 | 18 | 152 |
| 2021 | 136 | 29 | 461 |
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
89 daysfirst decision after review
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)
- 11%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 20 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 89 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 32 daysPublisher 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 accepted3
- media reviewMedia Review | Published online: 10 Sep 2026Length not stated
- pictorial workPictorial Work | Published online: 3 Sep 2026Length not stated
- research articleResearch Article | Published online: 8 Sep 2026Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Visual Studies 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 discoverability and readersh…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Peer review: at least two anonymous referees after initial editor screening. Model summary
Research articles published in Visual Studies have undergone peer review. After initial screening by the editor for quality and fit with the journal’s objectives, papers are reviewed by at least two anonymous referees with appropriate specialist knowledge.
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
- 1472-586X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1472-5878
- Society / sponsor
- International Visual Sociology Association
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 41, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Visual Studies
What CAS zone is Visual Studies in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Visual Studies is in Zone 4 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Humanities, Multidisciplinary. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Visual Studies?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 1.1 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 1.7, h-index 64.
How long does peer review take at Visual Studies?
The publisher reports about 89 days (first decision after review); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 11%. 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 Visual Studies based?
Of the 6 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (3), Macau, China (1) and France (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Visual Studies?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Visual Studies is indexed in AHCI and Scopus.
Is Visual Studies open access, and what is the APC?
Visual Studies 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: .