About this journal
Aims and scope
The Journal of Postcolonial Writing is an academic journal devoted to the study of literary and cultural texts produced in various postcolonial locations around the world. It explores the interface between postcolonial writing, postcolonial and related critical theories, and the economic, political and cultural forces that shape contemporary global developments. In addition to criticism focused on literary fiction, drama and poetry, we publish theoretically-informed articles on a variety of genres and media, including film, performance and other cultural practices, which address issues of relevance to postcolonial studies. In particular we seek to promote diasporic voices, as well as creative and critical texts from various national or global margins.
The Journal of Postcolonial Writing also publishes
• Special issues with a particular thematic or regional focus
• Interviews with and profiles of postcolonial writers and theorists
• Reviews of critical studies of contemporary writing
• Selections of creative writing: poetry and short prose fiction
• Archival material relevant to critical articles accepted for publication
Our ambition is to foster a creative dialogue among theories and texts influenced by postcolonial preoccupations and debates, and a larger engagement of contemporary literary criticism with regional and local forces (ethnicities, alternative cultural practices, diffuse points of resistance etc). Our concern is thus not only with exploring contemporary forms of imperialism (political, financial, technological, ecological), but also – and especially – with promoting cultural texts and practices which successfully challenge these.
The Journal of Postcolonial Writing is listed in the Clarivate Analytics Arts & Humanities Citation Index.®
All peer review is double anonymized and submissions are typically reviewed by two referees.
Journal metrics
Usage
- 142K annual downloads/views
Citation metrics
- 0.2 (2023) Impact Factor
- 0.5 (2023) 5 year IF
- 0.8 (2023) CiteScore (Scopus)
- Q1 CiteScore Best Quartile
- 0.829 (2023) SNIP
- 0.158 (2023) SJR
Speed/acceptance
- 50 days avg. from submission to first decision
- 112 days avg. from submission to first post-review decision
- 32 days avg. from acceptance to online publication
- 20% acceptance rate
Understanding and using journal metrics
Journal metrics can be a useful tool for readers, as well as for authors who are deciding where to submit their next manuscript for publication. However, any one metric only tells a part of the story of a journal’s quality and impact. Each metric has its limitations which means that it should never be considered in isolation, and metrics should be used to support and not replace qualitative review.
We strongly recommend that you always use a number of metrics, alongside other qualitative factors such as a journal’s aims & scope, its readership, and a review of past content published in the journal. In addition, a single article should always be assessed on its own merits and never based on the metrics of the journal it was published in.
For more details, please read the Author Services guide to understanding journal metrics.
Journal metrics in brief
Usage and acceptance rate data above are for the last full calendar year and are updated annually in February. Speed data is updated every six months, based on the prior six months. Citation metrics are updated annually mid-year. Please note that some journals do not display all of the following metrics (find out why).
- Usage: the total number of times articles in the journal were viewed by users of Taylor & Francis Online in the previous calendar year, rounded to the nearest thousand.
Citation Metrics
- Impact Factor*: the average number of citations received by articles published in the journal within a two-year window. Only journals in the Clarivate Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI) and the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) have an Impact Factor.
- Impact Factor Best Quartile*: the journal’s highest subject category ranking in the Journal Citation Reports. Q1 = 25% of journals with the highest Impact Factors.
- 5 Year Impact Factor*: the average number of citations received by articles in the journal within a five-year window.
- CiteScore (Scopus)†: the average number of citations received by articles in the journal over a four-year period.
- CiteScore Best Quartile†: the journal’s highest CiteScore ranking in a Scopus subject category. Q1 = 25% of journals with the highest CiteScores.
- SNIP (Source Normalized Impact per Paper): the number of citations per paper in the journal, divided by citation potential in the field.
- SJR (Scimago Journal Rank): Average number of (weighted) citations in one year, divided by the number of articles published in the journal in the previous three years.
Speed/acceptance
- From submission to first decision: the average (median) number of days for a manuscript submitted to the journal to receive a first decision. Based on manuscripts receiving a first decision in the last six months.
- From submission to first post-review decision: the average (median) number of days for a manuscript submitted to the journal to receive a first decision if it is sent out for peer review. Based on manuscripts receiving a post-review first decision in the last six months.
- From acceptance to online publication: the average (median) number of days from acceptance of a manuscript to online publication of the Version of Record. Based on articles published in the last six months.
- Acceptance rate: articles accepted for publication by the journal in the previous calendar year as percentage of all papers receiving a final decision.
For more details on the data above, please read the Author Services guide to understanding journal metrics.
*Copyright: Journal Citation Reports®, Clarivate Analytics
†Copyright: CiteScore™, Scopus
Editorial board
Editors:
Janet Wilson - The University of Northampton, UK
Jenni Ramone - Nottingham Trent University, UK
Helen Cousins - Birmingham Newman University, UK
Managing Editor:
Pilar Cuder-Domínguez - University of Huelva, Spain
Special Issues Editors:
Molly Slavin - Clark Atlanta University, USA
Salhia Ben -Messahel, University of Toulon, France
Social Media Editor:
Carmen Hidalgo-Varo - University of Granada, Spain
Associate Editors:
Madeline Clements - Teesside University, UK
Helen Cousins - Newman University, UK
David Firth - University of Manchester, UK
Bahriye Kemal - University of Kent , UK
Shazia Sadaf - Carleton University, Canada
Rehnuma Sazzad - University of East Anglia, UK
Anastasia Valassopoulos - University of Manchester, UK
Matthew Whittle - University of Kent, UK
Reviews Editor:
Rehnuma Sazzad - University of East Anglia, UK
International Advisory Board:
Louise Bethlehem - The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
Elleke Boehmer - Wolfson College, University of Oxford, UK
Peter Childs - Newman University, UK
Ralph Crane - University of Tasmania, Australia
Denise DeCaires Narain - University of Sussex, UK
Elizabeth DeLoughrey - University of Califonia, Los Angeles, USA
Om Prakash Dwivedi - Greater Noida, India
Simon Gikandi - University of Princeton, USA
Heloisa Toller Gomes - Rio de Janeiro State University, Brazil
Kata Gyuris- Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary
Jonathan Locke Hart - Shandong University, Weihai, China
Alla Ivanchikova - Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, New York, USA
Michelle Keown - University of Edinburgh, UK
Tabish Khair - Aarhus University, Denmark
Chandani Lokugé - Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
Mark Mathuray - Royal Holloway, University of London, UK
Russell McDougall - University of New England, Australia
John McLeod - University of Leeds, UK
Robert Muponde - University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Pramod K. Nayar - University of Hyderabad, India
Annalisa Oboe - University of Padua, Italy
Dan Ojwang - University of the Witswatersrand, South Africa
Caryl Phillips - Yale University, USA
Angelia Poon Mui Cheng - Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
M.A. Quayum - International Islamic University, Malaysia
Angela Lamas Rodrigues - State University of Londrina, Brazil
Muneeza Shamsie - Karachi, Pakistan
Sarah Shieff - University of Waikato, New Zealand
Robert Spencer - University of Manchester, UK
Paul Veyret - Bordeaux Montaigne University, France
Patrick Williams - Nottingham Trent University, UK
Julia Wurr University of Oldenburg, Germany
Chantal Zabus - University Paris Sorbonne, France
Updated 03-07-2024
Abstracting and indexing
Abstracted/Indexed in: Arts & Humanities Citation Index; Humanities International Index; Routledge Annotated Bibliography of English Studies; American Humanities Index; the Journal of Commonwealth Literature; AustLit; MLA International Bibliography; OCLC; Scopus.
Open access
Journal of Postcolonial Writing is a hybrid open access journal that is part of our 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 readership of your article
- Make an impact and reach new readers, not just those with easy access to a research library
- Freely share your work with anyone, anywhere
- Comply with funding mandates and meet the requirements of your institution, employer or funder
- Rigorous peer review for every open access article
Article Publishing Charges (APC)
If you choose to publish open access in this journal you may be asked to pay an Article Publishing Charge (APC). You may be able to publish your article at no cost to yourself or with a reduced APC if your institution or research funder has an open access agreement or membership with Taylor & Francis.
Use our APC finder to calculate your article publishing charge
News, offers and calls for papers
News and offers
- Special subscription rate of £55/US$93/€73 for EACLALS & PSA members. Contact +44 (0)20 7017 5543 or [email protected] to subscribe.
Calls for papers
Society information
Members of the following groups can receive an individual print subscription to Journal of Postcolonial Writing at a special society member rate. Please see the pricing or subscribe page for details.
- European Association for Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies (EACLALS)
- Postcolonial Studies Association (PSA)
6 issues per year
Currently known as:
- Journal of Postcolonial Writing (2005 - current)
Formerly known as
- World Literature Written in English (1973 - 2004)
Special Issues of the Journal of Postcolonial Writing
Each year, some JPW issues are devoted to guest-edited Special Issues on a particular thematic or regional focus. Each Special Issue usually comprises around nine articles at c.7,000 words each (63,000 words in total) plus an introduction of c.2000 words written by the Guest Editor(s) and book reviews chosen by the JPW Reviews Editor.
In addition to articles, past Special Issues have included:
- Interviews with and profiles of postcolonial writers and theorists
- Selections of creative writing: poetry and short prose fiction
- Archival material relevant to the critical articles accepted for publication
'Special Focus' Topics
There is also the possibility of publishing as a 'Special Focus' topics comprising fewer than nine articles (e.g. four or five) with an independent introduction by the Focus Guest Editor. This is published along with a cluster of 'ordinary' articles.
Past special issues and special focus topics can be read above ( www.tandfonline.com/journals/rjpw20/special-issues).
Proposals
Please contact the Special Issues Editor Paul Veyret at [email protected]to pitch your special issue idea and obtain a copy of the proposal form.
Advertising information
Would you like to advertise in Journal of Postcolonial Writing?
Reach an engaged target audience and position your brand alongside authoritative peer-reviewed research by advertising in Journal of Postcolonial Writing.
Taylor & Francis make every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the "Content") contained in our publications. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents (including the editor, any member of the editorial team or editorial board, and any guest editors), and our licensors, make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor & Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to, or arising out of the use of the Content. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions .
Ready to submit?
Start a new submission or continue a submission in progress
Go to submission site (link opens in a new window) Instructions for authors