What are the best journals for Literature and Literary Theory?

From an 17,538-venue index, the highest-ranked Literature and Literary Theory journals (by Scimago quartile then OpenAlex cites/paper) include Journal of Second Language Writing, English for Specific Purposes, Journal of English for Academic Purposes, Language and Education, TESOL Journal. Predatory venues are excluded. The full ranked list with open-access and indexing details is on this page; for a shortlist matched to your specific paper, use the Journal Finder (15 credits; free account starts with 25).

How were these Literature and Literary Theory journals ranked?

By Scimago quartile first (Q1 → Q4), then by OpenAlex cites/paper over a 2-year window. Cites/paper is a transparent citation rate, not a licensed Impact Factor. We exclude journals flagged as predatory.

Why don't all Literature and Literary Theory journals show a quartile?

Scimago doesn't cover every journal — many strong regional and open-access venues are absent from it. We show "no Scimago quartile" for those rather than hide them; it's a coverage gap, not a quality judgement.

How do I find the best journal for my specific Literature and Literary Theory paper?

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

Literature and Literary Theory · 385 journals indexed

Best journals for Literature and Literary Theory

The top Literature and Literary Theory journals ranked by Scimago quartile, then cites/paper (OpenAlex, 2-year window), 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
Journal of Second Language Writing
4.4 cites/paper · Q1 · Elsevier BV
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
2
English for Specific Purposes
3.0 cites/paper · Q1 · Elsevier BV
ScopusWeb of Science
3
Journal of English for Academic Purposes
2.7 cites/paper · Q1 · Elsevier BV
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
4
Language and Education
2.6 cites/paper · Q1 · Taylor & Francis
ScopusWeb of Science
5
TESOL Journal
1.8 cites/paper · Q1 · Wiley
ScopusWeb of Science
6
Social Semiotics
1.0 cites/paper · Q1 · Routledge
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
7
Changing English
1.0 cites/paper · Q1 · Routledge
ScopusWeb of Science
8
Semiotica
0.9 cites/paper · Q1 · De Gruyter
Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
9
Comparative Literature Studies
0.8 cites/paper · Q1 · Penn State University Press
ScopusWeb of Science
10
Poetics Today
0.7 cites/paper · Q1 · Duke University Press
ScopusWeb of Science
11
Letras (Lima)
0.7 cites/paper · Q1 · National University of San Marcos
Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of Science
12
a
0.6 cites/paper · Q1 · Taylor & Francis
ScopusPubMed
13
English in Education
0.6 cites/paper · Q1 · Taylor & Francis
ScopusWeb of Science
14
Literatura y lingüística
0.5 cites/paper · Q1
Open AccessDOAJScopus
15
Critical Inquiry
0.5 cites/paper · Q1 · University of Chicago Press
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
16
Research in the Teaching of English
0.5 cites/paper · Q1 · Routledge
ScopusWeb of Science
17
Style
0.4 cites/paper · Q1 · University of Arkansas Press
ScopusWeb of Science
18
Journal of Postcolonial Writing
0.4 cites/paper · Q1 · Taylor & Francis
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
19
Textual Practice
0.3 cites/paper · Q1 · Taylor & Francis
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
20
Life Writing
0.3 cites/paper · Q1 · Routledge
ScopusWeb of Science
21
Critique Studies in Contemporary Fiction
0.3 cites/paper · Q1 · Taylor & Francis
ScopusWeb of Science
22
Children s Literature in Education
0.3 cites/paper · Q1 · Springer Nature
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
23
Literature Compass
0.3 cites/paper · Q1 · Wiley
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
24
English Studies
0.2 cites/paper · Q1 · Routledge
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
25
Comparative Literature
0.2 cites/paper · Q1 · Duke University Press
ScopusWeb of Science
26
Folklore
0.2 cites/paper · Q1 · Routledge
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
27
Neohelicon
0.2 cites/paper · Q1 · Springer Science+Business Media
ScopusWeb of Science
28
Revista chilena de literatura
0.2 cites/paper · Q1 · University of Chile
Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of Science
29
Postmodern Culture
0.1 cites/paper · Q1 · Johns Hopkins University Press
ScopusWeb of Science
30
Signa Revista de la Asociación Española de Semiótica
0.1 cites/paper · Q1 · National University of Distance Education
Open AccessScopusWeb of Science
31
Orbis Litterarum
0.1 cites/paper · Q1 · Wiley
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
32
New Literary History
0.1 cites/paper · Q1 · Johns Hopkins University Press
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
33
ISLE Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment
0.1 cites/paper · Q1 · Oxford University Press
ScopusWeb of Science
34
Bulletin of Hispanic Studies
0.1 cites/paper · Q1 · Liverpool University Press
ScopusWeb of Science
35
Rilce Revista de Filología Hispánica
0.1 cites/paper · Q1
Open AccessScopusWeb of Science
36
Symposium A Quarterly Journal in Modern Literatures
0.1 cites/paper · Q1 · Routledge
ScopusWeb of Science
37
Women a Cultural Review
0.1 cites/paper · Q1 · Taylor & Francis
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
38
American Literature
0.1 cites/paper · Q1 · Duke University Press
ScopusWeb of SciencePubMed
39
Hipogrifo Revista de literatura y cultural del Siglo de Oro
0.1 cites/paper · Q1 · Instituto de Estudios Auriseculares (IDEA)
Open AccessDOAJScopusWeb of Science
40
Neophilologus
0.1 cites/paper · Q1 · Springer Science+Business Media
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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