Journal profile · Arts and Humanities-Philosophy
World Futures
ISSN 0260-4027 · eISSN 1556-1844 · Taylor & Francis
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World Futures: subscription journal; APC charged, amount not published; review about 195 days (first decision after review, publisher); acceptance rate 50% (journal website); 68 articles in 2025; indexed in Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
World Futures is published by Taylor & Francis. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Chaos, Complexity, and Education, Complex Systems and Dynamics and Philosophy and History of Science, together about 32.3% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal's aim is to: Research, develop and articulate the new paradigm of cosmos, life, consciousness and society emerging at the cutting edge of contemporary research. The journal provides a venue for leading edge, creative, transdisciplinary contributions. It encourages the application of new ways of thinking and approaches that draw on the intersection of the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities. World Futures welcomes critiques of limiting assumptions, as well as the development of new perspectives, on human nature, consciousness, society, and the nature of the universe. The journal is focused on the exploration, articulation, and application of human potentialities, and the implications for building a sustainable and humanistic future. It accepts articles, research notes and book reviews and invites essays relevant to its aim in all fields of interest from the sciences to the humanities.Special Issues, usually entrusted to guest editors, focus on particular problems, themes or topics of current theoretical or practical relevance, specified in consultation with the Editor. They may encompass one to two issues within a given volume. Peer Review Policy: All articles published in this journal have undergone rigorous editorial screening and peer review.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Arts and Humanities-Philosophy
Editor-in-chief ERVIN LASZLOPublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Chaos, Complexity, and EducationComputer Science15.6%
- Complex Systems and DynamicsPhysics and Astronomy9.4%
- Philosophy and History of ScienceArts and Humanities7.4%
- Philosophy and Theoretical SciencePsychology6.5%
- Complex Systems and Decision MakingDecision Sciences5.6%
- Scientific Research and Philosophical InquiryComputer Science5.4%
- International Relations and Foreign PolicySocial Sciences4%
- Paranormal Experiences and BeliefsPsychology4%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philosophy | Q1 | 144/891 | — |
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
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
ScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
PubMedPublisher website
Other: ProQuest, OCLC, De Gruter Saur (various), EBSCOhost (various), Elsevier BV, Gale Academic OneFile, Expanded Academic ASAP, General OneFile, InfoTrac Custom, National Library of Medicine, OCLC ArticleFirst, Electronic Collections Online, Humanities Index (Online), Sociological Abstracts (Online), Periodica Islamica, ProQuest (various)
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
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.22LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.22Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.5LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.5Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 35OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 228OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.8OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 59,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,024 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 45 | 10 | 355 |
| 2025 | 68 | 7 | 635 |
| 2024 | 49 | 9 | 691 |
| 2023 | 20 | 5 | 692 |
| 2022 | 36 | 8 | 637 |
| 2021 | 47 | 12 | 565 |
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
195 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)
- 50%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 86 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 195 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 19 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
Subscription journalLetPub
A subscription journal: articles are read by subscription or purchase, and authors usually pay no publication charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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)
Article types accepted4
- articlesIt accepts articles, research notes and book reviewsLength not stated
- book reviewsIt accepts articles, research notes and book reviewsLength not stated
- essaysinvites essays relevant to its aim in all fields of interest from the sciences to the humanitiesLength not stated
- research notesIt accepts articles, research notes and book reviewsLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Special Issues, usually entrusted to guest editors, focus on particular problems, themes or topics of current theoretical or practical relevance, specified in consultation with the Editor. They may encompass one to two issues within a given volume. Model summary
World Futures 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 readershi…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
All articles undergo rigorous editorial screening and peer review. Model summary
All articles published in this journal have undergone rigorous editorial screening and peer review.
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.
Before you submit
Five checks before submitting to World Futures
- 1ScopeRecent output centres on Chaos, Complexity, and Education, Complex Systems and Dynamics.Check scope
- 2Article type and formatPrepare text, figures and references as the author guidelines ask.Submission rules
- 3English languagePolish grammar and academic style before you submit: it lowers the risk of rejection for language and improves your chances of acceptance.
- 4FeesYes, amount not published (Publisher website)Fee details
- 5Expected review time195 days · Publisher-reported, first decision after reviewReview data
The checks are built from this page's data.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- ISSN
- 0260-4027
- Electronic ISSN
- 1556-1844
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 82, Issue 6 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about World Futures
How long does peer review take at World Futures?
The publisher reports about 195 days (first decision after review); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 50%. 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.
Which databases index World Futures?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, World Futures is indexed in Scopus. The journal's website also lists PubMed; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is World Futures open access, and what is the APC?
World Futures is a subscription journal. 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: .