Philosophical Review: Metrics and Impact

The Philosophical Review (Journal)

The Philosophical Review is a premier quarterly peer-reviewed philosophy journal established in 1892, edited by the faculty of the Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University and published by Duke University Press. In research assessment, its bibliometric profile reflects extreme editorial selectivity with an OpenAlex two-year mean citedness of 1.45 and an h-index of 306, governed by DORA and CoARA standards that prioritize article-level qualitative evaluation over journal-level citation figures.

ByCASRAI Editorial Board

· Last updated 7 Nov 2026

Origins, Scope, and Editorial Model

Founded in 1892, The Philosophical Review (ISSN 0031-8108, e-ISSN 1558-1470) stands among the oldest and most influential journals in modern philosophy. Edited continuously by the faculty of the Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University and published in partnership with Duke University Press, the journal publishes scholarship across all areas of philosophy, with historic prominence in analytic philosophy, epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and the history of philosophy.

The journal publishes four issues per year and applies rigorous anonymized peer review. Because each quarterly issue contains a carefully curated selection of full-length articles and critical review essays, annual publication volumes remain deliberately compact compared to high-output scientific periodicals.

Citation Metrics and Bibliographic Data

Bibliographic tracking via Crossref and the OpenAlex academic graph highlights the journal’s profound cumulative influence across humanities disciplines. With an h-index exceeding 300, articles published in the journal often shape decades of subsequent philosophical inquiry.

Metric Dimension	Documented Value	Primary Data Source
Total Registered DOIs	10,367 DOIs	Crossref REST API
Annual Volume (2025)	42 works (10 Open Access)	OpenAlex Academic Graph
Annual Volume (2024)	34 works (10 Open Access)	OpenAlex Academic Graph
Two-Year Mean Citedness	1.45 citations / article	OpenAlex Citation Metrics
Journal h-Index	306	OpenAlex Citation Metrics
Total Indexed Citations	488,694 citations	OpenAlex Academic Graph

Acceptance Rates and Selectivity

Neither Duke University Press nor Cornell University issues an official annual acceptance rate for The Philosophical Review. However, across academic philosophy, the journal is acknowledged as exceptionally competitive. Receiving hundreds of submissions each year while publishing only 30 to 50 articles and reviews annually, the journal’s effective acceptance rate is widely recognized by practitioners as falling in the low single digits.

Responsible Research Assessment

Assessing philosophical research through short-term metrics like the Journal Impact Factor is fundamentally unsuited to the discipline. Philosophical scholarship develops over extended decadal horizons, meaning two-year citation calculations capture only initial citation velocity rather than substantive enduring value.

In accordance with the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) and the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA), university appointment, tenure, and grant committees should assess manuscripts based on qualitative peer review and scholarly depth rather than journal brand. Responsible assessment aligns with broader standards in research ethics and contextual comparison with peer journals like Philosophical Studies.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the impact factor of The Philosophical Review?

Proprietary Journal Impact Factors are computed annually by Clarivate in the Journal Citation Reports. Open bibliographic databases document a recent two-year mean citedness of 1.45. Evaluators should check current Clarivate releases directly through institutional access rather than relying on unverified third-party estimates.

Who publishes The Philosophical Review?

The journal is edited by the faculty of the Sage School of Philosophy at Cornell University and published quarterly by Duke University Press.

Is The Philosophical Review peer-reviewed?

Yes. The journal employs rigorous anonymized external peer review to assess manuscripts for philosophical significance, argumentative depth, and clarity.

Sources

Crossref REST API, The Philosophical Review Journal Record (ISSN 0031-8108). URL: https://api.crossref.org/journals/0031-8108. Read: 2026-11-07.
OpenAlex API, Source Record for The Philosophical Review (ISSN 0031-8108). URL: https://api.openalex.org/sources?filter=issn:0031-8108. Read: 2026-11-07.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Foundation, “The Philosophical Review” Summary. URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest_v1/page/summary/The_Philosophical_Review. Read: 2026-11-07.
San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), “DORA Policy Framework”. URL: https://sfdora.org/read/. Read: 2026-11-07.

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