What are the highest-impact journals for Language and Linguistics?

ReCALL, System, Computer Assisted Language Learning, RELC Journal, Language learning & technology are among the top results, ranked by Scimago quartile then OpenAlex cites/paper from an 17,538-venue index, predatory venues excluded. The full list is on this page; for a match to your specific paper use the Journal Finder (15 credits; free account starts with 25).

How do I find the best journal for my specific Language and Linguistics paper?

Paste your title and abstract into the Journal Finder — it returns a shortlist matched to your paper from the same index, with open-access status and predatory flags. A free account starts with 25 welcome credits; each run costs 15.

Language and Linguistics · 140 journals indexed

Highest-impact journals for Language and Linguistics

The top Language and Linguistics journals Scimago Q1-Q2 only, ranked by cites/paper, drawn from an17,538-venue index. Predatory venues are excluded. These are field-wide rankings — for a shortlist matched to your specific paper, paste your title and abstract into the free Journal Finder.

Match journals to your paper →

All Best open-access journals Highest-impact journals

1
ReCALL
8.1 cites/paper · Q1 · Cambridge University Press
ScopusWeb of Science
2
System
6.8 cites/paper · Q1 · Elsevier BV
ScopusWeb of Science
3
Computer Assisted Language Learning
6.0 cites/paper · Q1 · Routledge
ScopusWeb of Science
4
RELC Journal
3.7 cites/paper · Q1 · SAGE Publishing
ScopusWeb of Science
5
Language learning & technology
3.5 cites/paper · Q1 · University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of Science
6
Studies in Second Language Acquisition
3.5 cites/paper · Q1 · Cambridge University Press
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
7
TESOL Quarterly
3.3 cites/paper · Q1 · Wiley
ScopusWeb of Science
8
Modern Language Journal
3.3 cites/paper · Q1 · Wiley
ScopusWeb of Science
9
Language Learning
3.3 cites/paper · Q1 · Wiley
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
10
Language Testing
2.9 cites/paper · Q1 · SAGE Publishing
ScopusWeb of Science
11
Applied Linguistics
2.9 cites/paper · Q1 · Oxford University Press
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
12
ELT Journal
2.9 cites/paper · Q1 · Oxford University Press
ScopusWeb of Science
13
IRAL - International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching
2.9 cites/paper · Q1 · De Gruyter
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
14
Language Teaching
2.8 cites/paper · Q1 · Cambridge University Press
ScopusWeb of Science
15
International Journal of Applied Linguistics
2.8 cites/paper · Q1 · Wiley
ScopusWeb of Science
16
Language Teaching Research
2.7 cites/paper · Q1 · SAGE Publishing
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
17
Studies in Language
2.4 cites/paper · Q1 · John Benjamins Publishing Company
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
18
Linguistics and Education
2.3 cites/paper · Q1 · Elsevier BV
ScopusWeb of Science
19
Journal of Language and Politics
2.0 cites/paper · Q1 · John Benjamins Publishing Company
ScopusWeb of Science
20
ITL Review of Applied Linguistics
1.7 cites/paper · Q1 · Peeters
ScopusWeb of Science
21
Language Learning Journal
1.6 cites/paper · Q1 · Taylor & Francis
ScopusWeb of Science
22
Language & Communication
1.5 cites/paper · Q1 · Elsevier BV
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
23
Journal of Pragmatics
1.5 cites/paper · Q1 · Elsevier BV
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
24
Language
1.5 cites/paper · Q1 · Linguistic Society of America
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
25
Language and Intercultural Communication
1.4 cites/paper · Q1 · Routledge
ScopusWeb of Science
26
Linguistics
1.4 cites/paper · Q1 · De Gruyter
Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
27
Language Sciences
1.3 cites/paper · Q1 · Elsevier BV
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
28
Journal of Language and Social Psychology
1.3 cites/paper · Q1 · SAGE Publishing
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
29
Foreign Language Annals
1.2 cites/paper · Q1 · Wiley
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
30
Language and Linguistics Compass
1.2 cites/paper · Q1 · Wiley
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
31
Linguistics and Philosophy
1.2 cites/paper · Q1 · Springer Science+Business Media
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
32
Lingua
1.2 cites/paper · Q1 · Elsevier BV
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
33
Pragmatics Quarterly Publication of the International Pragmatics Association (IPrA)
1.2 cites/paper · Q1 · John Benjamins Publishing Company
ScopusWeb of Science
34
CALICO Journal
1.1 cites/paper · Q1 · Equinox Publishing
ScopusWeb of Science
35
Literator
1.1 cites/paper · Q1 · AOSIS
Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of Science
36
Languages
1.1 cites/paper · Q1 · Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
37
Discourse & Society
1.0 cites/paper · Q1 · SAGE Publishing
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
38
Perspectives
1.0 cites/paper · Q1 · Taylor & Francis
ScopusWeb of Science
39
Natural Language & Linguistic Theory
0.9 cites/paper · Q1 · Springer Science+Business Media
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
40
Multilingua
0.9 cites/paper · Q1 · De Gruyter Mouton
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed

“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.

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