Journal rankings · indicator year 2003
Choose a field to open its ranking, or a journal to find its row in its subfield’s list.
Field ranking · 2003
Social Sciences journal rankings 2003
1,622 ranked journals · Field in Social Sciences
Social Sciences has 1,622 ranked journals in 2003. The median journal has an OJR of 0.97, below the world average of 1.00, up 0.05 on 2002; Q1 starts at OJR 2.03. The top three are European Union Politics, Journal of European Public Policy, and Comparative Political Studies.
Ranks and citation indicators: 2003. Journal access status and listed APC: source snapshot September 23, 2026.
Journals whose main subfield sits in this category and that published at least 30 citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) in 2000–2002, the window the 2003 score is computed on.
The OpenJournalRank Indicator (OJR) is a free, publicly available metric of a journal’s field-normalized citation impact, computed from open OpenAlex citation data. It compares citations to a journal’s papers from the previous three years with the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so 1.00 is the world average and values can be compared across fields. It is computed with the NCI3 method.
The middle OJR among ranked journals in this category: half score higher, half lower. 1.00 is the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type.
The dot is this category, the solid tick is the median of all ranked journals and the dashed line is the world average.
Share of ranked journals in this category that are fully open access, so every paper is free to read. Hybrid journals, which sell subscriptions and open single papers for a fee, are not counted.
Median list price of the article processing charge, in US dollars, among ranked journals in this category that list a price above zero. Journals with a listed APC of $0 and journals with no known price are left out of this median. The At a glance table below gives a second median that includes the $0 prices.
Subfields in Social Sciences (22)
Up to Social Sciences1,622 ranked journals
Filters
Rank is the position by OJR within the list on screen; 1 is the highest. | OJR is field-normalized 3-year citation impact: 1.00 is the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so values compare across fields. The badge is the journal’s quartile in this list. | Citations per paper over a two-year window, counted from OpenAlex. It is not field-normalized, so compare it only between journals of the same field. ▲ or ▼ is the change from 2002. This is OpenJournalRank’s own count, not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. | Citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) published in 2000–2002, the window the 2003 OJR is computed on. A journal needs at least 30 to be ranked. | Share of the journal’s 2000–2002 papers that are free to read in any open-access form. The green OA tag next to a title marks a fully open-access journal. | List price of the article processing charge in US dollars. “$0 listed” means the listed price is zero; a dash means no price is listed. | The line is the journal’s OJR from 2000 to 2003. | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1European Union PoliticsSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 18.51Q1 | 3.17 1.16 down from 2002 | 51 | 7% | $3,650 | ||
2Journal of European Public PolicyRoutledge · United Kingdom | 15.19Q1 | 2.73 0.30 down from 2002 | 145 | 6% | — | ||
3Comparative Political StudiesSAGE Publishing · United States | 14.88Q1 | 3.00 0.68 up from 2002 | 138 | 7% | $3,900 | ||
4International SecurityThe MIT Press · United States | 14.25Q1 | 3.97 1.33 up from 2002 | 86 | 0% | — | ||
5American Journal of Political ScienceWiley · United States | 13.71Q1 | 4.05 1.02 up from 2002 | 178 | 8% | $4,100 | ||
6MIS QuarterlyMIS Quarterly · United States | 13.05Q1 | 8.00 2.55 up from 2002 | 83 | 3% | — | ||
7World PoliticsCambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 13.00Q1 | 2.48 0.28 up from 2002 | 100 | 26% | — | ||
8Journal of Economic GrowthSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 12.21Q1 | 3.70 0.20 down from 2002 | 45 | 21% | $4,290 | ||
9Comparative PoliticsCity University of New York · United States | 12.15Q1 | 3.38 0.71 up from 2002 | 72 | 8% | — | ||
10Information Systems ResearchInstitute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences · United States | 11.81Q1 | 7.83 4.42 up from 2002 | 71 | 17% | — | ||
11Mobilization An International QuarterlySan Diego State University · United States | 11.56Q1 | 2.32 0.77 up from 2002 | 50 | 6% | — | ||
12American Journal of SociologyUniversity of Chicago Press · United States | 11.17Q1 | 4.39 1.82 up from 2002 | 171 | 2% | — | ||
13West European PoliticsTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 11.16Q1 | 2.25 0.21 down from 2002 | 148 | 13% | — | ||
14British Journal of Political ScienceOACambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 10.86Q1 | 4.15 2.48 up from 2002 | 101 | 18% | $3,550 | ||
15CriminologyWiley · United Kingdom | 10.84Q1 | 4.24 0.08 up from 2002 | 114 | 12% | $3,570 | ||
16Administrative Science QuarterlySAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 10.83Q1 | 3.84 1.00 down from 2002 | 90 | 9% | $3,900 | ||
17Progress in Human GeographySAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 10.66Q1 | 3.49 0.10 up from 2002 | 139 | 3% | $3,900 | ||
18Sociology of ReligionOxford University Press · United States | 10.37Q1 | 1.75 0.94 up from 2002 | 172 | 2% | $3,492 | ||
19International Studies QuarterlyOxford University Press · United States | 10.06Q1 | 3.00 0.43 up from 2002 | 79 | 26% | $4,320 | ||
20Global NetworksWiley · United Kingdom | 9.97Q1 | 2.89 0.46 up from 2002 | 45 | 6% | $4,050 | ||
21Public CultureDuke University Press · United States | 9.46Q1 | 1.10 0.54 down from 2002 | 139 | 12% | — | ||
22Journal of Conflict ResolutionSAGE Publishing · United States | 9.40Q1 | 3.41 1.38 up from 2002 | 116 | 2% | $3,650 | ||
23European Journal of International RelationsSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 9.27Q1 | 1.79 0.57 down from 2002 | 50 | 9% | $3,900 | ||
24Politics & SocietySAGE Publishing · United States | 8.95Q1 | 4.24 1.27 up from 2002 | 57 | 4% | $3,650 | ||
25Foreign AffairsCouncil on Foreign Relations · United States | 8.94Q1 | 3.19 1.34 up from 2002 | 1,248 | 0% | — | ||
26Journal of Teacher EducationSAGE Publishing · United States | 8.67Q1 | 2.65 0.40 up from 2002 | 123 | 8% | $3,900 | ||
27Millennium Journal of International StudiesSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 8.64Q1 | 1.10 0.32 up from 2002 | 96 | 5% | $3,650 | ||
28Party PoliticsSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 8.63Q1 | 3.26 1.06 up from 2002 | 97 | 10% | $3,650 | ||
29TESOL QuarterlyWiley · United States | 8.61Q1 | 2.20 0.29 up from 2002 | 208 | 1% | $2,850 | ||
30Journal of democracyJohns Hopkins University Press · United States | 8.49Q1 | 3.29 1.88 up from 2002 | 245 | 1% | — | ||
31American Sociological ReviewSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 8.46Q1 | 2.99 0.59 up from 2002 | 287 | 12% | $3,900 | ||
32Environment and Planning D Society and SpaceSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 8.27Q1 | 2.40 0.16 up from 2002 | 142 | 17% | $3,900 | ||
33GovernanceWiley · United Kingdom | 8.15Q1 | 2.98 0.68 up from 2002 | 65 | 8% | $3,730 | ||
34JCMS Journal of Common Market StudiesWiley · United Kingdom | 8.10Q1 | 2.15 1.44 down from 2002 | 183 | 29% | $4,170 | ||
35Theory and SocietySpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 8.00Q1 | 1.69 0.04 up from 2002 | 74 | 0% | $2,890 | ||
36Journal of Political PhilosophyWiley · United Kingdom | 7.48Q1 | 3.14 1.98 up from 2002 | 73 | 4% | $4,030 | ||
37Cultural AnthropologyOAWiley · United States | 7.48Q1 | 2.40 0.97 up from 2002 | 59 | 100% | — | ||
38American Journal of Distance EducationTaylor & Francis · United States | 7.43Q1 | 2.84 0.84 up from 2002 | 57 | 0% | — | ||
39Post-Soviet AffairsTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 7.32Q1 | 2.61 6.39 down from 2002 | 45 | 7% | — | ||
40Educational Evaluation and Policy AnalysisSAGE Publishing · United States | 7.17Q1 | 4.03 1.72 up from 2002 | 77 | 0% | $2,500 | ||
41Educational ResearcherSAGE Publishing · United States | 7.12Q1 | 2.55 0.37 up from 2002 | 289 | 1% | $2,500 | ||
42Information & ManagementElsevier BV · Netherlands | 7.07Q1 | 4.76 1.62 up from 2002 | 155 | 5% | $4,540 | ||
43African AffairsOxford University Press · United Kingdom | 6.74Q1 | 2.35 1.47 up from 2002 | 113 | 6% | $4,544 | ||
44Contemporary JewrySpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 6.62Q1 | 1.48 1.34 up from 2002 | 36 | 0% | $3,090 | ||
45Ethnic and Racial StudiesRoutledge · United Kingdom | 6.59Q1 | 2.02 0.45 up from 2002 | 129 | 5% | — | ||
46Studies in Comparative International DevelopmentSpringer Science+Business Media · United States | 6.56Q1 | 2.90 1.97 up from 2002 | 67 | 0% | $3,390 | ||
47Political StudiesSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 6.51Q1 | 1.29 0.23 up from 2002 | 144 | 4% | $3,650 | ||
48MultilinguaDe Gruyter Mouton · Germany | 6.45Q1 | 1.50 1.28 up from 2002 | 48 | 4% | $2,712 | ||
49Transportation Research Part B MethodologicalElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 6.44Q1 | 2.12 0.14 down from 2002 | 145 | 6% | $3,810 | ||
50Journal of Social IssuesWiley · United States | 6.41Q1 | 3.78 1.26 up from 2002 | 144 | 4% | $3,570 |
Subfields of Social Sciences, compared.
- Sociology and Political Science679
- Education348
- Political Science and International Relations211
- Public Administration46
- Communication36
- Gender Studies36
- Health32
- Safety Research31
- Library and Information Sciences30
- Linguistics and Language30
- Anthropology29
- Law24
- Transportation23
- Demography22
- Urban Studies18
- Geography, Planning and Development16
- Cultural Studies6
- Development2
- Human Factors and Ergonomics2
- General Social Sciences1
- Archeology0
- Life-span and Life-course Studies0
Journals
Citations made in 2003. Corpus-wide, 70.2% of core-journal articles and reviews published that year have at least one matched reference; the share varies by journal and field.
567 additional Social Sciences journals with metrics are unranked under this release’s eligibility rules: a journal needs at least 30 citable documents in 2000–2002, at least 80% of them with a subfield, and a positive world-average expectation. Ranks are within the whole category; filters hide rows without re-ranking. OJR excludes self-citations.
At a glance
Indicator year: 2003. Publication window: 2000–2002. How these summaries are calculated
- Ranked journals
- 1,622
- Window papers (baseline)
- 573,040 +29.1% from indicator year 2000
- Median OJR
- 0.97 +12.2% from indicator year 2000
- Rising journals (2025)
- 134Comparison-group list (134)
Window papers are the baseline paper population: citable papers (articles, reviews and conference papers) from 2000–2002 in all journals of the world-average baseline, including non-core journals, counted by each paper’s own subfield. They are not the papers of the ranked journals alone.
| Measure | Year series | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranked journals | 1,406 | 1,451 | 1,539 | 1,622 | 1,698 | 1,765 | 1,844 | 1,932 | 2,018 | 2,111 | 2,231 | 2,335 | 2,450 | 2,548 | 2,662 | 2,755 | 2,851 | 2,959 | 2,994 | 3,028 | 3,056 | 3,141 | 3,149 | 3,144 | 3,107 | 3,066 | |
| Window papers (baseline) | 443,953 | 481,120 | 524,797 | 573,040 | 615,403 | 666,449 | 723,952 | 792,817 | 867,532 | 946,631 | 1,027,940 | 1,103,353 | 1,185,358 | 1,256,728 | 1,323,833 | 1,400,086 | 1,483,492 | 1,554,301 | 1,600,611 | 1,663,801 | 1,760,718 | 1,914,483 | 2,065,185 | 2,148,493 | 2,214,535 | 2,302,259 | |
| Median OJR | 0.86 | 0.91 | 0.92 | 0.97 | 1.03 | 1.09 | 1.16 | 1.30 | 1.365 | 1.382 | 1.43 | 1.42 | 1.40 | 1.377 | 1.356 | 1.352 | 1.353 | 1.346 | 1.31 | 1.33 | 1.32 | 1.23 | 1.194 | 1.187 | 1.18 | 1.20 |
| Measure | Category statistic | Eligible population |
|---|---|---|
| Journal self-citation share | Median: 4.7% | 1,882 journals |
| Retracted papers per 1,000 | Pooled rate: 0.498 per 1,000 | 1,610 journals |
| Output growth | Median: -2.6% | 2,852 journals |
| Open access share | Median: 58.5% | 3,066 journals |
| Listed APC (USD) | Median including $0 listed prices: $3,400 | 1,164 ranked journals with a known listed price, including $0 listed prices |
| International collaboration share | Median: 18.2% | 2,785 journals |
| Review share | Median: 0.0% | 3,066 journals |
| Articles-only OJR | Median: 1.22 | 3,041 journals |
| Uncited share | Median: 44.4% | 3,066 journals |
| Citation concentration | Median: 49.7% | 3,059 journals |
How to read these rankings
- OJR, the OpenJournalRank Indicator
- A field-normalized 3-year citation impact, computed from OpenAlex with the NCI3 method. It divides the citations a journal’s papers received by the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so 1.00 is the world average and 2.00 means twice as many citations as expected. Because it is normalized, it can be compared across fields. Read the methodology
- Quartiles
- Q1 to Q4 split the ranked journals of the list you are viewing into four equal groups by OJR. A journal’s quartile depends on the list: the same journal can be Q1 in its subfield and Q2 among all journals.
- Impact factor (2-year)
- Citations per paper over a two-year window, counted from OpenAlex. It is easy to compare with familiar impact factors but is not field-normalized, so compare it only within a field. It is not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. Why it differs from the Journal Impact Factor
- Rank ranges
- Each rank in the latest year carries a likely range from 1,000 resamples of the journal’s papers. Where two journals’ ranges overlap, the data cannot tell them apart, so treat neighbouring ranks as ties.