Journal rankings · indicator year 2021
Choose a field to open its ranking, or a journal to find its row in its subfield’s list.
Subfield ranking · 2021
Linguistics and Language journal rankings 2021
48 ranked journals · Subfield in Social Sciences
Linguistics and Language has 48 ranked journals in 2021. The median OJR fell 0.51 on 2020 to 2.02, above the world average of 1.00; Q1 starts at OJR 3.53. The top three are Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, TESOL Quarterly, and Language Policy.
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 of Social Sciences (22)
48 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1Annual Review of Applied LinguisticsCambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 6.43Q1 | 6.11 1.91 up from 2020 | 42 | 45% | $3,550 | ||
2TESOL QuarterlyWiley · United States | 5.66Q1 | 4.13 0.81 up from 2020 | 175 | 22% | $2,850 | ||
3Language PolicySpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 5.14Q1 | 3.58 1.54 up from 2020 | 106 | 24% | $3,090 | ||
4Journal of English LinguisticsSAGE Publishing · United States | 4.81Q1 | 2.67 0.44 up from 2020 | 47 | 30% | $3,650 | ||
5Current Issues in Language PlanningTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 4.75Q1 | 2.59 0.28 up from 2020 | 81 | 32% | — | ||
6Asian EnglishesTaylor & Francis | 4.57Q1 | 2.12 0.18 up from 2020 | 67 | 9% | — | ||
7International Journal of Bilingual Education and BilingualismRoutledge · United Kingdom | 4.56Q1 | 3.14 0.19 down from 2020 | 330 | 29% | — | ||
8Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural DevelopmentTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 4.28Q1 | 2.65 0.27 down from 2020 | 362 | 27% | — | ||
9International Journal of MultilingualismRoutledge · United Kingdom | 3.91Q1 | 3.39no change | 136 | 33% | — | ||
10MultilinguaDe Gruyter Mouton · Germany | 3.86Q1 | 3.47 2.02 up from 2020 | 127 | 35% | $2,712 | ||
11Journal of SociolinguisticsWiley · United Kingdom | 3.63Q1 | 2.18 0.38 up from 2020 | 123 | 35% | $3,730 | ||
12Canadian Modern Language Review/ La Revue canadienne des langues vivantesUniversity of Toronto Press · Canada | 3.53Q1 | 1.33 0.08 down from 2020 | 76 | 4% | — | ||
13Bilingual Research JournalTaylor & Francis · United States | 3.39Q2 | 2.35 0.13 down from 2020 | 76 | 17% | — | ||
14Linguistics and EducationElsevier BV · United States | 3.28Q2 | 2.61 0.32 down from 2020 | 158 | 16% | $2,620 | ||
15International Multilingual Research JournalTaylor & Francis · United States | 3.27Q2 | 2.70 0.70 up from 2020 | 60 | 9% | — | ||
16Journal of Language Identity & EducationTaylor & Francis · United States | 3.20Q2 | 2.15 0.12 down from 2020 | 142 | 12% | — | ||
17American SpeechDuke University Press · United States | 2.59Q2 | 1.98 1.00 up from 2020 | 92 | 3% | — | ||
18Applied LinguisticsOxford University Press · United Kingdom | 2.55Q2 | 2.21 0.14 up from 2020 | 197 | 28% | $5,481 | ||
19World EnglishesWiley · United Kingdom | 2.51Q2 | 1.43 0.10 up from 2020 | 215 | 40% | $3,570 | ||
20Journal of Multicultural DiscoursesTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 2.41Q2 | 2.04 0.53 up from 2020 | 76 | 26% | — | ||
21Applied Linguistics ReviewDe Gruyter · Germany | 2.21Q2 | 1.66 1.36 down from 2020 | 117 | 39% | $2,712 | ||
22Critical Inquiry in Language StudiesTaylor & Francis · United States | 2.17Q2 | 1.55 0.09 down from 2020 | 44 | 14% | — | ||
23International Journal of the Sociology of LanguageDe Gruyter · Germany | 2.07Q2 | 1.20 1.01 down from 2020 | 163 | 68% | $2,712 | ||
24Language and Intercultural CommunicationRoutledge · United Kingdom | 2.04Q2 | 1.78 0.13 down from 2020 | 116 | 32% | — | ||
25Journal of Language ContactOABrill · France | 1.99Q3 | 1.23 1.09 down from 2020 | 47 | 100% | — | ||
26Language in SocietyCambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 1.87Q3 | 1.64 1.28 down from 2020 | 220 | 33% | $3,550 | ||
27European Journal of Applied LinguisticsDe Gruyter · Germany | 1.53Q3 | 1.40 0.01 down from 2020 | 40 | 41% | $0 listed | ||
28English World-Wide A Journal of Varieties of EnglishJohn Benjamins Publishing Company · Germany | 1.50Q3 | 0.86 0.54 down from 2020 | 63 | 21% | — | ||
29International Journal of BilingualismSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 1.47Q3 | 2.13 0.37 up from 2020 | 146 | 41% | $3,650 | ||
30Journal of Linguistic AnthropologyWiley · United States | 1.47Q3 | 1.08 0.96 down from 2020 | 70 | 17% | $3,400 | ||
31Language Culture and SocietyJohn Benjamins Publishing Company · Netherlands | 1.45Q3 | 1.35 3.12 down from 2020 | 37 | 17% | — | ||
32Heritage Language JournalUnited States | 1.41Q3 | 1.22 0.49 up from 2020 | 46 | 8% | — | ||
33English TodayCambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 1.19Q3 | 1.03 0.21 down from 2020 | 146 | 52% | $3,550 | ||
34Linguistic Landscape An international journalJohn Benjamins Publishing Company · Netherlands | 1.12Q3 | 1.00 0.44 down from 2020 | 58 | 19% | — | ||
35Language Dynamics and ChangeBrill · Netherlands | 1.09Q3 | 1.04 0.30 up from 2020 | 39 | 25% | — | ||
36Language Variation and ChangeCambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 0.91Q3 | 1.28 1.00 down from 2020 | 64 | 70% | $3,550 | ||
37Language Problems & Language PlanningJohn Benjamins Publishing Company · Netherlands | 0.90Q4 | 0.85 0.35 up from 2020 | 62 | 17% | — | ||
38Canadian Journal of Applied LinguisticsOAUniversity of New Brunswick · Canada | 0.90Q4 | 0.61 0.07 up from 2020 | 49 | 100% | — | ||
39English Language and LinguisticsCambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 0.80Q4 | 0.84 2.01 down from 2020 | 98 | 68% | $3,550 | ||
40Journal of Historical SociolinguisticsDe Gruyter · Germany | 0.78Q4 | 0.36 0.49 down from 2020 | 67 | 38% | $2,712 | ||
41Linguistic Approaches to BilingualismJohn Benjamins Publishing Company · Netherlands | 0.56Q4 | 1.26 0.23 up from 2020 | 144 | 23% | — | ||
42AlsicOAMarc Bloch University · France | 0.47Q4 | 0.52 0.35 up from 2020 | 73 | 100% | — | ||
43Oceanic LinguisticsUniversity of Hawaii Press · United States | 0.41Q4 | 0.21 0.21 down from 2020 | 63 | 33% | — | ||
| 0.40Q4 | 0.11 0.30 down from 2020 | 87 | 100% | — | |||
45Sociolinguistic StudiesEquinox Publishing · United Kingdom | 0.35Q4 | 0.41 0.03 down from 2020 | 101 | 35% | — | ||
| 0.32Q4 | 0.26 0.08 down from 2020 | 66 | 38% | $2,712 | |||
47Diversité urbaineCanada | 0.20Q4 | 0.22 0.23 down from 2020 | 47 | — | — | ||
48Critical multilingualism studiesOADepartment of German Studies · United States | 0.20Q4 | 0.06 0.05 down from 2020 | 78 | 100% | — |
Subfields of Social Sciences, with Linguistics and Language highlighted.
- Sociology and Political Science1,377
- Education762
- Political Science and International Relations333
- Communication75
- Gender Studies64
- Safety Research57
- Health55
- Public Administration52
- Urban Studies51
- Transportation50
- Law48
- Linguistics and Language48
- Demography42
- Library and Information Sciences41
- Anthropology38
- Geography, Planning and Development33
- Cultural Studies7
- Development4
- General Social Sciences3
- Human Factors and Ergonomics1
- Archeology0
- Life-span and Life-course Studies0
Journals
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.
12 additional Linguistics and Language 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
- 48
- Window papers (baseline)
- 19,911 +11.7% from indicator year 2018
- Median OJR
- 2.02 -22.0% from indicator year 2018
- Rising journals (2025)
- 5
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 | 28 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 32 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 35 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 38 | 40 | 41 | 43 | 45 | 47 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 48 | 51 | 49 | 48 | 50 | |
| Window papers (baseline) | 5,844 | 6,337 | 6,715 | 7,184 | 7,595 | 7,933 | 8,416 | 9,108 | 10,166 | 11,212 | 12,402 | 13,244 | 14,103 | 14,696 | 15,201 | 15,641 | 16,486 | 17,042 | 17,820 | 18,058 | 19,095 | 19,911 | 20,332 | 19,938 | 19,424 | 19,862 | |
| Median OJR | 0.97 | 1.10 | 0.99 | 2.75 | 1.518 | 1.24 | 1.515 | 1.63 | 1.74 | 1.73 | 2.09 | 2.27 | 2.30 | 2.16 | 2.37 | 2.45 | 2.90 | 2.62 | 2.59 | 2.84 | 2.53 | 2.02 | 1.61 | 1.87 | 1.86 | 2.14 |
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.