Futures Publications – Journals

There are several peer-reviewed academic and professional journals dedicated to reporting, discussing and analyzing issues of relevance to futures researchers, practitioners and students. There are also some futures-oriented magazines below. 

As the academic field of futures studies has developed several academic journals have been founded, the first being Futures: The Journal of Policy, Planning and Futures Studies, first published in 1968.

Academic Journals (peer-reviewed)

 

European Journal of Futures Research

The European Journal of Futures Research provides an international platform for leading and upcoming scholarly work on possible, probable and desirable European and global futures. Envisioning a common future, the journal welcomes lively debates on European affairs – viewed against the backdrop of a shared, yet diverse and complicated history. It is a peer-reviewed open access journal published under the brand SpringerOpen. European Journal of Futures Research is affiliated with Institut Futur, Freie Universität Berlin and the World Futures Studies Federation.

 

Foresight: The Journal of Future Studies, Strategic Thinking and Policy

Foresight will provide a much-needed forum for sound thinking about the future and will focus on themes and issues, which demand a strategic and long-term view. It will draw upon the established tools, techniques and methodologies of futures studies (e.g. scenario planning, Delphi, environmental scanning etc) as well as those of other social science disciplines, and will be informed by systems thinking and theories of post-modernism and complexity. Founded in 1999. Published by Emerald.

Futures: The Journal of Policy, Planning and Futures Studies

Futures® is an international, refereed, multidisciplinary journal concerned with medium and long-term futures of cultures and societies, science and technology, economics and politics, environment and the planet and individuals and humanity. Covering methods and practices of futures studies, the journal seeks to examine possible and alternative futures of all human endeavours. Futures® seeks to promote divergent and pluralistic visions, ideas and opinions about the future. The editors do not necessarily agree with the views expressed in the pages of Futures®. Founded in 1968. Published by Elsevier.

Futures & Foresight Science

The journal will publish articles which focus on methods that aid anticipation of the future in the widest sense, that document the current status of a particular method’s application and use, and that analyze its future potential and prospects. Specifically, we invite papers that consider:  Particular scenario methods, Variants of the Delphi method, Judgmental probability forecasting, Corporate and organizational foresight, The role and validity of expert judgment in anticipating the future, The combination of judgments from groups of individuals, The behavioral dynamics of using a focal method, The combination of futures methodologies, Horizon scanning methodologies and Advances in decision-aiding methods that contend with future uncertainty. Published by Wiley.

Foresight and STI Governance

Foresight and STI Governance is an international interdisciplinary peer-reviewed open-access journal. It publishes original research articles, offering new theoretical insights and practical knowledge related to the following areas: strategic planning, science, technology, and innovation (STI) policy, foresight and other futures studies. The mission of the journal is to promote the development of analytical and foresight research in the field of science, technology and innovation, scientific, technical and innovation policy; the implementation of international standards for research and communications; fostering the culture of future anticipation in Russia.

Journal of Tourism Futures

Journal of Tourism Futures is an international peer-reviewed, open access journal that publishes research in the fields of tourism and tourism futures. JTF is published in association with NHL Stenden Hogeschoo

Futuribles

Futuribles International carries out strategic intelligence and foresight activities to aid in the decision and construction of desirable futures. Its objectives are to contribute to a better understanding of the dynamic of the contemporary world and its possible futures in the medium and long-term, notably due to a mutualized early warning system devoted to identification of potential changes in the strategic environment of businesses and organizations: the Lookout System. It provides constant indications of heavy trends (megatrends) and emergent trends (weak signals) in the strategic environment. French language journal founded in 1960. Published by the Futuribles Centre.

Prospective et Stratégie

Published on French-language academic platform Cairn.info, Prospective et Stratégie is a future-oriented journal, which covers the fields of anticipation and foresight, of innovation policy and strategy, and of strategic management and organization studies. The journal publishes methododological, theoretical and case-based research papers exploring and discussing strategic temporal issues for private and public organizations, as well as for local and global communities. Prospective et Stratégie also issues stakeholders’ viewpoints and book reviews. Founded in 2010. Published by Apors publishing and the Institute for compared strategy.

Info: The Journal of Policy, Regulation and Strategy for Telecommunications, Information and Media

Info brings together analysis of technological changes from a variety of perspectives (policy, management, industry structure, behavioural) drawing on concepts and models from economics, the political, social and behavioural sciences, decision analysis, engineering, and law. It provides an effective forum for debate and will help guide the policy and business decisions that are shaping the information economy and society of the 21st century. Founded in 1999. Published by Emerald.

International Journal of Foresight and Innovation Policy

The IJFIP has been established as a peer reviewed, international authoritative reference in the field. It publishes high calibre academic articles dealing with knowledge creation, diffusion and utilisation in innovation policy. The journal thus covers all types of Strategic Intelligence (SI). The IJFIP aims to further develop insight into the role of strategic intelligence in innovation policy and practice by acting as a scientific forum and contributing to the interaction between researchers, policy makers and actors involved in innovation processes. Founded in 2004. Published by Inderscience.

Journal of Futures Studies: Epistemology, Methods, Applied and Alternative Futures

The Journal of Futures Studies is a globally-oriented, trans-disciplinary referred journal. Its mission is to develop high-quality, futures-oriented research and thinking based on the evolving knowledge base of Futures Studies. Articles accepted for publication are expected to show an in-depth understanding of the field’s dimensions, content, research perspectives and methods. Founded in 1996. Published by Tamkang University, Taiwan.

LRP Long Range Planning: International Journal of Strategic Management

Long Range Planning is one of the leading international journals in the field of strategic management that is published six times a year. It is the Journal of The Strategic Planning Society and of the European Strategic Planning Federation. It features articles which offer original research that bridge the gap between academia and practice. We aim to influence the behaviour of senior managers, administrators and to influence academic thinking. Founded in 1968. Published by Elsevier.

On the Horizon (OTH)

On the Horizon (OTH) is a strategic planning resource for decision makers in the public and private sector and, in particular, education policy makers, administrators, practitioners, and researchers in post-secondary and lifelong learning worldwide.
The journal focuses on the increasingly complex intersection of forces that are impinging on education and learning and to which educators, human resource professionals and all committed to human potential must respond

Policy Futures in Education

Policy Futures in Education is a peer-reviewed international journal that is futures-oriented and committed to promoting debate in education among university academics, practising policy analysts in government and local government, national and international policy advisors, politicians, members of policy think-tanks and world policy agencies such as the World Bank, OECD and the European Union. The journal has a strong experimental focus and emphasises innovative thinking in education policy and theory from a range of diverse viewpoints. A Policy statement is available. Founded in 2003. Published by Symposium.

Technological Forecasting and Social Change: An International Journal

A major forum for those wishing to deal directly with the methodology and practice of technological forecasting and future studies as planning tools as they interrelate social, environmental and technological factors. Founded in 1970. Published by Elsevier.

The International Journal of Forecasting

The International Journal of Forecasting publishes high quality refereed papers covering all aspects of forecasting. Its objective (and that of the IIF) is to unify the field, and to bridge the gap between theory and practice. The intention is to make forecasting useful and relevant for decision and policy makers who need forecasts. The journal places strong emphasis on empirical studies, evaluation activities, implementation research and ways of improving the practice of forecasting. It is open to many points of view and encourages debate to find solutions for problems facing the field. Founded in 1985. Published by Elsevier.

The Journal of Forecasting

The Journal of Forecasting is an international journal that publishes refereed papers on forecasting. It is multidisciplinary, welcoming papers dealing with any aspect of forecasting: theoretical, practical, computational and methodological. A broad interpretation of the topic is taken with approaches from various subject areas, such as statistics, economics, psychology, systems engineering and social sciences, all encouraged. Furthermore, the Journal welcomes a wide diversity of applications in such fields as business, government, technology and the environment. Founded in 1982. Published by Wiley.

World Future Review: A Journal of Strategic Foresight

WFR seeks to encourage and facilitate communication among researchers and practitioners in all related fields and from all geographic, social, political, and economic sectors. It is also intended to promote public understanding and education in the methods and applications of futures research. The focus of the editors is not only with specific techniques and planning tools, but also with the role of futures research in the larger context of decision making in a range of settings. It began in January 2009 out of a merger between Futures Research Quarterly published from 1985-2008 and Futures Survey. Published by the World Future Society.

World Futures: The Journal of New Paradigm Research

The Journal’s aim is to: Research, develop and articulate the new paradigm of cosmos, life, consciousness and society emerging at the cutting edge of contemporary research. The journal provides a venue for leading edge, creative, transdisciplinary contributions. It encourages the application of new ways of thinking and approaches that draw on the intersection of the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities. World Futures welcomes critiques of limiting assumptions, as well as the development of new perspectives, on human nature, consciousness, society, and the nature of the universe. The journal is focused on the exploration, articulation, and application of human potentialities, and the implications for building a sustainable and humanistic future. It accepts articles, research notes and book reviews and invites essays relevant to its aim in all fields of interest from the sciences to the humanities. Founded in 2002. Published by Taylor and Francis.

Journal of Iran Futures Studies

The journal is an open access double-blind peer reviewed publication which is published by Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran concerned with new concepts and innovative technologies in “Financial Research”. Journal of Iran Futures Studies is a semmiannual publication, which publishes original research papers related to journal scope. This journal is following of Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and complies with the highest ethical standards in accordance with ethical laws.All submitted manuscripts are checked for similarity through Hamyab software to ensure their authenticity to be assured about its originality and then rigorously peer-reviewed by the expert reviewers. After obtaining authorization, this journal received a scientific-research grade from the Journal Examination Committee of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, in March 2019.

Istishraf

Istishraf is an annual peer-reviewed journal (ISSN 2413-4449) produced by the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies (ACRPS). This latest addition to the ACRPS periodical series aspires to fill a major gap in Arab knowledge production represented by the need for a peer-reviewed Arab journal in the field of future studies. Although forecasting and future studies have existed in the Arab region for decades, the corpus of material already published in this field calls for a critical, methodical approach to improve the quality of output. In addition to its academic function, Istishraf will further serve to promote development in the Arab states and strive toward a better understanding of factors and trends affecting Arab development.

NanoEthics: Ethics for Technologies that converge at the nanoscale

NanoEthics provides a needed forum for informed discussion of ethical and social concerns related to nanotechnology, and a counterbalance to fragmented popular discussion. While the central focus of the journal is on ethical issues, discussion extends to the physical, biological and social sciences and the law. NanoEthics provides a philosophically and scientifically rigorous examination of ethical and societal considerations and policy concerns raised by nanotechnology. Introduced in 2007. Published by Springer.

Time & Society

Time & Society publishes articles, reviews, and scholarly comment discussing the workings of time and temporality across a range of disciplines, including anthropology, geography, history, psychology, and sociology. Work focuses on methodological and theoretical problems, including the use of time in organizational contexts. You’ll also find critiques of and proposals for time-related changes in the formation of public, social, economic, and organizational policies. Founded in 1992. Published by Sage.

Journal of Evolution and Technology (JET)

The Journal of Evolution and Technology is a scholarly peer-reviewed journal. JET w elcomes submissions on subject matters that many mainstream journals shun as too speculative, radical, or interdisciplinary on all issues relating to the future prospects of the human species and its descendants. Founded in 1998. Published by the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies.