Philosophical Studies: Metrics and Impact

Q: Is Philosophical Studies a peer-reviewed journal?

Yes. Philosophical Studies uses double-anonymized peer review, wherein manuscripts are assessed by external expert referees without author or institutional identifiers visible to the reviewers.

Philosophical Studies (Journal)

Philosophical Studies is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by Springer, established in 1950 by Herbert Feigl and Wilfrid Sellars, devoted exclusively to analytic philosophy. In research evaluation, its citation profile reflects a selective, hybrid publication model with an OpenAlex two-year mean citedness of 2.44, subject to responsible metric principles under DORA that discourage using journal-level numbers to evaluate individual philosophical scholarship.

ByCASRAI Editorial Board

· Last updated 7 Nov 2026

What Philosophical Studies Covers and How It Operates

Established in 1950 by Herbert Feigl and Wilfrid Sellars, Philosophical Studies (ISSN 0031-8116, e-ISSN 1573-0883) is devoted exclusively to papers within the analytic tradition. The journal welcomes contributions addressing traditional philosophical questions across epistemology, metaphysics, philosophy of mind, ethics, philosophy of language, and philosophical logic, with an explicit openness to papers applying formal techniques to conceptual problems.

The journal operates a double-anonymized peer review model to evaluate manuscripts on argumentation rigor, technical precision, and philosophical contribution. Published by Springer-Verlag (Springer Nature), it functions under a hybrid subscription model where authors may publish under traditional subscription terms or choose open-access dissemination.

Publication Volume and Citation Metrics

Bibliographic tracking via Crossref and OpenAlex documents sustained editorial activity and broad scholarly engagement across analytic philosophy. Unlike high-volume STEM journals, premier philosophy publications maintain focused annual volumes reflecting detailed, argumentative manuscripts.

Metric Dimension	Documented Value	Primary Data Source
Total Registered DOIs	6,773 DOIs	Crossref REST API
Annual Volume (2025)	180 works (129 Open Access)	OpenAlex Academic Graph
Annual Volume (2024)	179 works (140 Open Access)	OpenAlex Academic Graph
Two-Year Mean Citedness	2.44 citations / article	OpenAlex Citation Metrics
Journal h-Index	158	OpenAlex Citation Metrics
Total Indexed Citations	170,458 citations	OpenAlex Academic Graph

Acceptance Rate and Submission Realities

Like the vast majority of flagship philosophy journals, Philosophical Studies does not publicly report a static annual acceptance rate. Academic philosophy titles receive hundreds of submissions annually from faculty and postgraduate researchers, resulting in highly selective peer review. Authors preparing submissions should focus on structural rigor, formal clarity, and clear positioning within contemporary analytic debates.

Responsible Evaluation and Journal Metrics

In institutional hiring, promotion, and tenure reviews, evaluating philosophical work by journal impact factor or aggregate citation scores contradicts international standards of responsible evaluation. The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) and the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) advise review committees against using venue prestige as a stand-in for scholarly quality.

Philosophy is characterized by long citation half-lives and monograph culture; a two-year citation window such as the Journal Impact Factor captures only initial reactions rather than enduring intellectual impact. Evaluators should ground assessment in qualitative peer review and principles established in research ethics.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the impact factor of Philosophical Studies?

Proprietary Journal Impact Factors computed by Clarivate change with each summer release of the Journal Citation Reports. Open bibliographic sources record a two-year mean citedness of 2.44 for recent outputs. Evaluators should check current Clarivate releases directly through institutional library access rather than unverified secondary websites.

Is Philosophical Studies a peer-reviewed journal?

Yes. Philosophical Studies uses double-anonymized peer review, wherein manuscripts are assessed by external expert referees without author or institutional identifiers visible to the reviewers.

Does Philosophical Studies publish open access?

Yes. As a hybrid journal, it provides authors the option to publish open access under Creative Commons licensing or through traditional subscription publication without author fees.

Sources

Crossref REST API, Philosophical Studies Journal Record (ISSN 0031-8116). URL: https://api.crossref.org/journals/0031-8116. Read: 2026-11-07.
OpenAlex API, Source Record for Philosophical Studies (ID: s147022693). URL: https://api.openalex.org/sources/s147022693. Read: 2026-11-07.
Wikipedia / Wikimedia Foundation, “Philosophical Studies” Journal Summary. URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/api/rest_v1/page/summary/Philosophical_Studies. Read: 2026-11-07.
San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA), “DORA Principles on Journal Metrics”. URL: https://sfdora.org/read/. Read: 2026-11-07.

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