Journal rankings · indicator year 2021
Choose a field to open its ranking, or a journal to find its row in its subfield’s list.
Field ranking · 2021
Arts and Humanities journal rankings 2021
518 ranked journals · Field in Social Sciences
Arts and Humanities has 518 ranked journals in 2021. The median OJR fell 0.06 on 2020 to 0.88, below the world average of 1.00; Q1 starts at OJR 1.61. The top three are Turkic Languages, Journal of Second Language Writing, and Research on Language and Social Interaction.
Ranks and citation indicators: 2021. Journal access status and listed APC: source snapshot September 23, 2026.
Journals whose main subfield sits in this category and that published at least 30 citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) in 2018–2020, the window the 2021 score is computed on.
The OpenJournalRank Indicator (OJR) is a free, publicly available metric of a journal’s field-normalized citation impact, computed from open OpenAlex citation data. It compares citations to a journal’s papers from the previous three years with the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so 1.00 is the world average and values can be compared across fields. It is computed with the NCI3 method.
The middle OJR among ranked journals in this category: half score higher, half lower. 1.00 is the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type.
The dot is this category, the solid tick is the median of all ranked journals and the dashed line is the world average.
Share of ranked journals in this category that are fully open access, so every paper is free to read. Hybrid journals, which sell subscriptions and open single papers for a fee, are not counted.
Median list price of the article processing charge, in US dollars, among ranked journals in this category that list a price above zero. Journals with a listed APC of $0 and journals with no known price are left out of this median. The At a glance table below gives a second median that includes the $0 prices.
Subfields in Arts and Humanities (13)
Up to Social Sciences518 ranked journals
Filters
Rank is the position by OJR within the list on screen; 1 is the highest. | OJR is field-normalized 3-year citation impact: 1.00 is the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so values compare across fields. The badge is the journal’s quartile in this list. | Citations per paper over a two-year window, counted from OpenAlex. It is not field-normalized, so compare it only between journals of the same field. ▲ or ▼ is the change from 2020. This is OpenJournalRank’s own count, not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. | Citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) published in 2018–2020, the window the 2021 OJR is computed on. A journal needs at least 30 to be ranked. | Share of the journal’s 2018–2020 papers that are free to read in any open-access form. The green OA tag next to a title marks a fully open-access journal. | List price of the article processing charge in US dollars. “$0 listed” means the listed price is zero; a dash means no price is listed. | The line is the journal’s OJR from 2012 to 2021. | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1Turkic LanguagesHarrassowitz Publishing House · Germany | 15.38Q1 | 8.33 7.90 up from 2020 | 39 | 2% | — | ||
2Journal of Second Language WritingElsevier BV · United States | 9.56Q1 | 6.13 0.98 up from 2020 | 103 | 13% | $3,830 | ||
3Research on Language and Social InteractionTaylor & Francis · United States | 9.31Q1 | 5.35 4.02 down from 2020 | 70 | 45% | — | ||
4Modern Language JournalWiley · United States | 8.05Q1 | 7.96 1.01 up from 2020 | 159 | 29% | $3,800 | ||
5Language Teaching for Young LearnersJohn Benjamins Publishing Company · Netherlands | 7.29Q1 | 4.17 2.99 up from 2020 | 35 | 46% | — | ||
6Studies in Second Language Learning and TeachingOADepartment of English Studies Faculty of Pedagogy and Fine Arts Adam Mickiewicz University · Poland | 6.95Q1 | 3.88 0.21 down from 2020 | 92 | 100% | — | ||
7Foreign Language AnnalsWiley · United States | 6.40Q1 | 4.50 0.41 up from 2020 | 162 | 20% | $3,570 | ||
8SystemElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 6.22Q1 | 5.55 2.04 up from 2020 | 431 | 22% | $3,980 | ||
9Language Teaching ResearchSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 6.22Q1 | 4.99 1.34 up from 2020 | 201 | 29% | $3,900 | ||
10Classroom DiscourseTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 6.13Q1 | 3.49 0.62 down from 2020 | 61 | 29% | — | ||
11Journal of English for Academic PurposesElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 5.79Q1 | 3.90 0.57 up from 2020 | 207 | 15% | $3,730 | ||
12Language and EducationTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 5.78Q1 | 3.16 0.53 up from 2020 | 116 | 31% | — | ||
13Language TeachingCambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 5.53Q1 | 4.05 0.68 down from 2020 | 141 | 54% | $3,550 | ||
14Language learning & technologyOAUniversity of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa · United States | 5.31Q1 | 5.40 1.18 up from 2020 | 122 | 100% | — | ||
15Action Criticism and Theory for Music EducationOAMayDay Group · United States | 5.27Q1 | 1.77 0.89 up from 2020 | 50 | 100% | — | ||
16Language Culture and CurriculumRoutledge · United Kingdom | 4.93Q1 | 3.32 0.29 up from 2020 | 85 | 42% | — | ||
17Music Education ResearchTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 4.74Q1 | 3.36 1.81 up from 2020 | 114 | 30% | — | ||
18English for Specific PurposesElsevier BV · United States | 4.59Q1 | 3.86 0.55 down from 2020 | 99 | 14% | $3,590 | ||
19Discourse StudiesSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 4.58Q1 | 3.61 0.32 up from 2020 | 101 | 16% | $3,650 | ||
20Computer Assisted Language LearningRoutledge · United Kingdom | 4.51Q1 | 8.09 3.20 up from 2020 | 216 | 23% | — | ||
21Research Studies in Music EducationSAGE Publishing · Australia | 4.25Q1 | 3.52 2.00 up from 2020 | 85 | 30% | $3,650 | ||
22Archival ScienceSpringer Nature · Netherlands | 4.22Q1 | 3.63 1.21 up from 2020 | 41 | 48% | $2,890 | ||
23Journal of Literacy ResearchSAGE Publishing · United States | 3.86Q1 | 3.68 0.30 up from 2020 | 78 | 10% | $3,650 | ||
24ELT JournalOxford University Press · United Kingdom | 3.79Q1 | 2.48 0.42 up from 2020 | 218 | 23% | $5,481 | ||
25Innovation in Language Learning and TeachingTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 3.72Q1 | 3.90 1.57 up from 2020 | 91 | 23% | — | ||
26Written CommunicationSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 3.69Q1 | 2.82 1.27 down from 2020 | 52 | 26% | $3,650 | ||
27Philosophical IssuesWiley · United States | 3.69Q1 | 3.67 1.71 up from 2020 | 73 | 41% | $2,900 | ||
28International Journal of Heritage StudiesTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 3.68Q1 | 2.23 0.37 up from 2020 | 235 | 42% | — | ||
29Journal of Research in Music EducationSAGE Publishing · United States | 3.66Q1 | 3.79 2.16 up from 2020 | 103 | 18% | $3,650 | ||
30Across Languages and CulturesAkadémiai Kiadó · Hungary | 3.59Q1 | 1.58 0.04 down from 2020 | 51 | 21% | — | ||
31Language Learning JournalTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 3.57Q1 | 3.47 1.18 up from 2020 | 134 | 42% | — | ||
32Philosophy of Music Education ReviewIndiana University Press · United States | 3.43Q1 | 2.61 2.16 up from 2020 | 48 | 0% | — | ||
33International Journal of English StudiesOAUniversity of Murcia · Spain | 3.43Q1 | 0.97 0.18 down from 2020 | 54 | 100% | — | ||
34Language AwarenessTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 3.42Q1 | 3.09 0.35 up from 2020 | 61 | 31% | — | ||
35Language & CommunicationElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 3.40Q1 | 2.79 0.45 down from 2020 | 158 | 47% | $3,030 | ||
36Journal of Cultural EconomicsSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 3.28Q1 | 3.03 0.96 up from 2020 | 81 | 57% | $3,290 | ||
37NoûsWiley · United States | 3.28Q1 | 4.18 1.11 up from 2020 | 107 | 64% | $2,900 | ||
38Museum Management and CuratorshipTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 3.26Q1 | 2.98 1.72 up from 2020 | 136 | 35% | — | ||
39Journal of Audiovisual TranslationOAPublisher not listed | 3.23Q1 | 0.97 2.47 down from 2020 | 48 | 100% | — | ||
40Update Applications of Research in Music EducationSAGE Publishing · United States | 3.13Q1 | 1.56 0.62 up from 2020 | 68 | 3% | $3,400 | ||
41Journal of Immersion and Content-Based Language EducationJohn Benjamins Publishing Company · Netherlands | 3.11Q1 | 1.16 0.34 down from 2020 | 53 | 11% | — | ||
42Journal of Historical PragmaticsJohn Benjamins Publishing Company · Netherlands | 3.09Q1 | 0.65 0.01 up from 2020 | 44 | 39% | — | ||
43Journal of PragmaticsElsevier BV · Netherlands | 3.06Q1 | 3.23 0.17 up from 2020 | 515 | 33% | $3,260 | ||
44Computers & composition/Computers and compositionElsevier BV · United States | 2.97Q1 | 3.24 1.07 up from 2020 | 125 | 14% | $3,860 | ||
45Journal of Music Teacher EducationSAGE Publishing · United States | 2.95Q1 | 1.71 0.84 up from 2020 | 63 | 13% | $3,400 | ||
46Journal of Politeness ResearchDe Gruyter Mouton · Germany | 2.92Q1 | 1.36 1.68 down from 2020 | 43 | 40% | $0 listed | ||
47Latin American Journal of Content and Language Integrated LearningOAUniversity of La Sabana · Colombia | 2.91Q1 | 1.57 0.07 down from 2020 | 36 | 100% | — | ||
48International Journal of Applied LinguisticsWiley · Norway | 2.86Q1 | 2.38 0.53 up from 2020 | 93 | 11% | $3,240 | ||
49The Philosophical ReviewDuke University Press · United States | 2.76Q1 | 3.79 1.29 up from 2020 | 128 | 10% | — | ||
50International Journal of Music EducationSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 2.75Q1 | 2.99 1.93 up from 2020 | 117 | 29% | $3,650 |
Citations made in 2021. Corpus-wide, 87.7% of core-journal articles and reviews published that year have at least one matched reference; the share varies by journal and field.
148 additional Arts and Humanities journals with metrics are unranked under this release’s eligibility rules: a journal needs at least 30 citable documents in 2018–2020, at least 80% of them with a subfield, and a positive world-average expectation. Ranks are within the whole category; filters hide rows without re-ranking. OJR excludes self-citations.
At a glance
Indicator year: 2021. Publication window: 2018–2020. How these summaries are calculated
- Ranked journals
- 518
- Window papers (baseline)
- 583,919 +8.4% from indicator year 2018
- Median OJR
- 0.88 -6.7% from indicator year 2018
- Rising journals (2025)
- 11Comparison-group list (11)
Window papers are the baseline paper population: citable papers (articles, reviews and conference papers) from 2018–2020 in all journals of the world-average baseline, including non-core journals, counted by each paper’s own subfield. They are not the papers of the ranked journals alone.
| Measure | Year series | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranked journals | 240 | 255 | 265 | 272 | 275 | 288 | 310 | 316 | 329 | 335 | 345 | 360 | 377 | 403 | 422 | 443 | 460 | 472 | 497 | 507 | 513 | 518 | 535 | 537 | 539 | 536 | |
| Window papers (baseline) | 221,321 | 279,847 | 294,456 | 312,227 | 279,317 | 298,100 | 312,834 | 331,747 | 353,197 | 379,622 | 406,003 | 431,868 | 450,451 | 464,727 | 474,562 | 488,100 | 509,856 | 524,369 | 538,902 | 557,204 | 570,365 | 583,919 | 578,750 | 571,888 | 560,239 | 567,751 | |
| Median OJR | 0.57 | 0.60 | 0.68 | 0.66 | 0.64 | 0.71 | 0.794 | 0.789 | 0.8877 | 0.893 | 0.885 | 0.8879 | 0.90 | 0.939 | 0.92 | 0.840 | 0.91 | 0.93 | 0.9408 | 1.01 | 0.9405 | 0.88 | 0.82 | 0.835 | 0.81 | 0.77 |
| Measure | Category statistic | Eligible population |
|---|---|---|
| Journal self-citation share | Median: 5.7% | 196 journals |
| Retracted papers per 1,000 | Pooled rate: 0.249 per 1,000 | 200 journals |
| Output growth | Median: -1.5% | 491 journals |
| Open access share | Median: 52.7% | 536 journals |
| Listed APC (USD) | Median including $0 listed prices: $3,090 | 181 ranked journals with a known listed price, including $0 listed prices |
| International collaboration share | Median: 15.7% | 453 journals |
| Review share | Median: 0.0% | 536 journals |
| Articles-only OJR | Median: 0.78 | 532 journals |
| Uncited share | Median: 64.8% | 536 journals |
| Citation concentration | Median: 60.7% | 534 journals |
How to read these rankings
- OJR, the OpenJournalRank Indicator
- A field-normalized 3-year citation impact, computed from OpenAlex with the NCI3 method. It divides the citations a journal’s papers received by the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so 1.00 is the world average and 2.00 means twice as many citations as expected. Because it is normalized, it can be compared across fields. Read the methodology
- Quartiles
- Q1 to Q4 split the ranked journals of the list you are viewing into four equal groups by OJR. A journal’s quartile depends on the list: the same journal can be Q1 in its subfield and Q2 among all journals.
- Impact factor (2-year)
- Citations per paper over a two-year window, counted from OpenAlex. It is easy to compare with familiar impact factors but is not field-normalized, so compare it only within a field. It is not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. Why it differs from the Journal Impact Factor
- Rank ranges
- Each rank in the latest year carries a likely range from 1,000 resamples of the journal’s papers. Where two journals’ ranges overlap, the data cannot tell them apart, so treat neighbouring ranks as ties.