In 2024, the PJIP conducted an ‘Operations’ survey where we asked philosophy journals about the number of submissions received, acceptance rates, R&R rates, comments provided, average length of review for submissions that are desk rejected, average length of review for submissions that are externally reviewed, the average time from acceptance to publication, and information about reviewers (for the 2023 calendar year). The journal’s responses have now been incorporated into the PJIP directory and ranking index.

Philosophy is a broad and sizable subject that spans various topics such as ethics, metaphysics, epistemology, aesthetics, logic, and the philosophies of science, religion, history, mind, and politics. Often, you’ll find that many ‘generalist’ journals prefer some areas of philosophy over others, but overall, they will publish articles on various contrasting topics.

Ethics is one of the largest sub-disciplines of philosophy. It is a branch of philosophy that deals with moral principles and values. Traditionally, core focus areas include work on ethical theory, applied ethics, moral philosophy, and moral psychology. There is often a close overlap between purely ethical considerations with political, social, and legal philosophy. Likewise, some journals focus on topics within ethics such as bioethics, business ethics, and environmental ethics.​

Philosophy of science is a field that examines the foundations, methods, and implications of science. It explores questions about scientific practices, the nature of scientific knowledge and theories, the role of scientific explanation, and the connections between science and philosophy. General philosophy of science focuses on these notions and broader connections while the sub-discipline also makes room for more specialised investigations into the individual scientific domains. This includes the philosophy of physics, the philosophy of chemistry, the philosophy of biology, and the philosophy of medicine

There are many blog posts that discuss journals and the publication process. While these often only provide anecdotal evidence for certain views, it can be helpful (or perhaps cathartic) to read about the thoughts and experiences of other philosophical researchers. ​