Language and Linguistics · 234 journals ranked · top 40 listed

Best journals for Language and Linguistics

The top 40 of 234 Language and Linguistics journals, ranked by Scimago quartile, then by whether OpenAlex and Scimago agree on the subject and how central Language and Linguistics is to each journal, then OpenAlex cites/paper (2-year window), leaving out journals both place in another discipline, drawn from a 17,500-venue index. Predatory venues are excluded; the FAQ below gives the exact ranking rule. These are field-wide rankings — for a shortlist matched to your specific paper, paste your title and abstract into the Journal Finder (a free account starts with 25 welcome credits).

Data as of — the date our venue index was last rebuilt from OpenAlex and Scimago.

  1. 1
    ReCALL
    14.0 cites/paper · Q1 · Cambridge University Press
    ScopusWeb of Science
  2. 2
    System
    10.1 cites/paper · Q1 · Elsevier BV
    ScopusWeb of Science
  3. 3
    Computer Assisted Language Learning
    9.6 cites/paper · Q1 · Routledge
    ScopusWeb of Science
  4. 4
    Language learning & technology
    5.7 cites/paper · Q1 · University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of Science
  5. 5
    RELC Journal
    5.1 cites/paper · Q1 · SAGE Publishing
    ScopusWeb of Science
  6. 6
    Language Teaching
    5.0 cites/paper · Q1 · Cambridge University Press
    ScopusWeb of Science
  7. 7
    Studies in Second Language Acquisition
    4.7 cites/paper · Q1 · Cambridge University Press
    ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
  8. 8
    Modern Language Journal
    4.4 cites/paper · Q1 · Wiley
    ScopusWeb of Science
  9. 9
    IRAL - International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching
    4.3 cites/paper · Q1 · De Gruyter
    ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
  10. 10
    TESOL Quarterly
    4.1 cites/paper · Q1 · Wiley
    ScopusWeb of Science
  11. 11
    Language Learning
    4.0 cites/paper · Q1 · Wiley
    ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
  12. 12
    Language Testing
    3.9 cites/paper · Q1 · SAGE Publishing
    ScopusWeb of Science
  13. 13
    Applied Linguistics
    3.9 cites/paper · Q1 · Oxford University Press
    ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
  14. 14
    ELT Journal
    3.7 cites/paper · Q1 · Oxford University Press
    ScopusWeb of Science
  15. 15
    International Journal of Applied Linguistics
    3.7 cites/paper · Q1 · Wiley
    ScopusWeb of Science
  16. 16
    Language Teaching Research
    3.4 cites/paper · Q1 · SAGE Publishing
    ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
  17. 17
    Linguistics and Education
    3.0 cites/paper · Q1 · Elsevier BV
    ScopusWeb of Science
  18. 18
    Language Learning Journal
    2.6 cites/paper · Q1 · Taylor & Francis
    ScopusWeb of Science
  19. 19
    Studies in Language
    2.5 cites/paper · Q1 · John Benjamins Publishing Company
    ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
  20. 20
    Journal of Language and Social Psychology
    2.1 cites/paper · Q1 · SAGE Publishing
    ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
  21. 21
    Language & Communication
    2.1 cites/paper · Q1 · Elsevier BV
    ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
  22. 22
    Journal of Pragmatics
    2.0 cites/paper · Q1 · Elsevier BV
    ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
  23. 23
    Foreign Language Annals
    2.0 cites/paper · Q1 · Wiley
    ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
  24. 24
    Arab World English Journal
    1.8 cites/paper · Q1 · Arab World English Journal
    Open AccessScopusWeb of Science
  25. 25
    Russian Journal of Linguistics
    1.8 cites/paper · Q1 · Peoples' Friendship University of Russia
    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of Science
  26. 26
    Linguistics and Philosophy
    1.7 cites/paper · Q1 · Springer Science+Business Media
    ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
  27. 27
    ITL Review of Applied Linguistics
    1.6 cites/paper · Q1 · Peeters
    ScopusWeb of Science
  28. 28
    Language and Intercultural Communication
    1.6 cites/paper · Q1 · Routledge
    ScopusWeb of Science
  29. 29
    Language Sciences
    1.6 cites/paper · Q1 · Elsevier BV
    ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
  30. 30
    Language and Linguistics Compass
    1.5 cites/paper · Q1 · Wiley
    ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
  31. 31
    Linguistics
    1.5 cites/paper · Q1 · De Gruyter
    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
  32. 32
    Perspectives
    1.4 cites/paper · Q1 · Taylor & Francis
    ScopusWeb of Science
  33. 33
    Languages
    1.4 cites/paper · Q1 · Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
  34. 34
    Literator
    1.4 cites/paper · Q1 · AOSIS
    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of Science
  35. 35
    Language
    1.4 cites/paper · Q1 · Linguistic Society of America
    ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
  36. 36
    Lingua
    1.4 cites/paper · Q1 · Elsevier BV
    ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
  37. 37
    Australian Review of Applied Linguistics
    1.3 cites/paper · Q1 · John Benjamins Publishing Company
    ScopusWeb of Science
  38. 38
    International Journal of Lexicography
    1.3 cites/paper · Q1 · Oxford University Press
    ScopusWeb of Science
  39. 39
    Cognitive Linguistics
    1.3 cites/paper · Q1 · De Gruyter Mouton
    Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
  40. 40
    CALICO Journal
    1.3 cites/paper · Q1 · Equinox Publishing
    ScopusWeb of Science

“Cites/paper” is the OpenAlex 2-year citation rate — a transparent signal, not a licensed Impact Factor. Many regional and open-access journals are strong but aren’t covered by Scimago, so they show “no Scimago quartile”; that’s a coverage gap, not a quality judgement.

Part of best journals for Social Science.

Best journals in other disciplines

Frequently asked

From a 17,500-venue index, the highest-ranked Language and Linguistics journals include ReCALL, System, Computer Assisted Language Learning, Language learning & technology, RELC Journal. The top 40 of 234 ranked venues are listed on this page; all 40 are Scimago Q1. Each shows its open-access status and indexing, and predatory venues are excluded. For a shortlist matched to your specific paper, use the Journal Finder (15 credits; free account starts with 25).

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