Journal rankings · indicator year 2004
Choose a field to open its ranking, or a journal to find its row in its subfield’s list.
Field ranking · 2004
Social Sciences journal rankings 2004
1,698 ranked journals · Field in Social Sciences
Social Sciences has 1,698 ranked journals in 2004. The median OJR rose 0.06 on 2003 to 1.03, above the world average of 1.00; Q1 starts at OJR 2.03. The top three are Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, European Union Politics, and Information Systems Research.
Ranks and citation indicators: 2004. 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 2001–2003, the window the 2004 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 Sciences1,698 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 2003. This is OpenJournalRank’s own count, not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. | Citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) published in 2001–2003, the window the 2004 OJR is computed on. A journal needs at least 30 to be ranked. | Share of the journal’s 2001–2003 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 2004. | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1Educational Evaluation and Policy AnalysisSAGE Publishing · United States | 17.89Q1 | 6.98 2.95 up from 2003 | 59 | 4% | $2,500 | ||
2European Union PoliticsSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 15.46Q1 | 2.82 0.35 down from 2003 | 64 | 19% | $3,650 | ||
3Information Systems ResearchInstitute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences · United States | 15.34Q1 | 10.11 2.27 up from 2003 | 70 | 3% | — | ||
4Comparative Political StudiesSAGE Publishing · United States | 15.28Q1 | 5.64 2.64 up from 2003 | 139 | 5% | $3,900 | ||
5MIS QuarterlyMIS Quarterly · United States | 13.98Q1 | 7.31 0.69 down from 2003 | 106 | 0% | — | ||
6European Journal of International RelationsSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 13.81Q1 | 2.97 1.18 up from 2003 | 50 | 16% | $3,900 | ||
7Journal of European Social PolicySAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 13.10Q1 | 4.07 2.15 up from 2003 | 73 | 0% | $3,650 | ||
8American Journal of Political ScienceWiley · United States | 12.85Q1 | 3.41 0.64 down from 2003 | 233 | 7% | $4,100 | ||
9British Journal of Political ScienceOACambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 11.99Q1 | 3.72 0.43 down from 2003 | 99 | 4% | $3,550 | ||
10Politics & SocietySAGE Publishing · United States | 11.91Q1 | 3.07 1.18 down from 2003 | 63 | 4% | $3,650 | ||
11Review of International StudiesCambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 11.23Q1 | 3.07 2.50 up from 2003 | 160 | 3% | $3,550 | ||
12Educational ResearcherSAGE Publishing · United States | 11.12Q1 | 4.22 1.66 up from 2003 | 252 | 1% | $2,500 | ||
13Journal of Political PhilosophyWiley · United Kingdom | 11.10Q1 | 4.15 1.01 up from 2003 | 72 | 22% | $4,030 | ||
14Progress in Human GeographySAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 10.83Q1 | 3.68 0.19 up from 2003 | 155 | 6% | $3,900 | ||
15Journal of European Public PolicyRoutledge · United Kingdom | 10.75Q1 | 2.89 0.16 up from 2003 | 157 | 15% | — | ||
16Administrative Science QuarterlySAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 10.39Q1 | 3.53 0.31 down from 2003 | 92 | 6% | $3,900 | ||
17JCMS Journal of Common Market StudiesWiley · United Kingdom | 10.29Q1 | 2.56 0.41 up from 2003 | 182 | 41% | $4,170 | ||
18American Journal of Distance EducationTaylor & Francis · United States | 9.97Q1 | 3.25 0.41 up from 2003 | 52 | 0% | — | ||
19Foreign AffairsCouncil on Foreign Relations · United States | 9.86Q1 | 3.57 0.37 up from 2003 | 1,266 | 0% | — | ||
20Journal of SociolinguisticsWiley · United Kingdom | 9.75Q1 | 1.98 0.03 up from 2003 | 96 | 9% | $3,730 | ||
21International SecurityThe MIT Press · United States | 9.64Q1 | 3.32 0.65 down from 2003 | 90 | 6% | — | ||
22Political BehaviorSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 9.30Q1 | 1.94 0.16 up from 2003 | 49 | 0% | $2,990 | ||
23American Journal of SociologyUniversity of Chicago Press · United States | 9.20Q1 | 3.07 1.32 down from 2003 | 143 | 3% | — | ||
24International AffairsOxford University Press · United Kingdom | 9.19Q1 | 2.93 1.01 up from 2003 | 140 | 2% | $4,936 | ||
25Party PoliticsSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 9.03Q1 | 2.12 1.15 down from 2003 | 110 | 12% | $3,650 | ||
26Journal of democracyJohns Hopkins University Press · United States | 8.95Q1 | 2.87 0.41 down from 2003 | 239 | 3% | — | ||
27Journal of Economic GrowthSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 8.88Q1 | 3.13 0.57 down from 2003 | 44 | 36% | $4,290 | ||
28American Educational Research JournalSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 8.71Q1 | 2.76 1.01 down from 2003 | 94 | 3% | $2,500 | ||
29Journal of Teacher EducationSAGE Publishing · United States | 8.66Q1 | 2.35 0.30 down from 2003 | 117 | 7% | $3,900 | ||
30Electoral StudiesElsevier BV · Netherlands | 8.62Q1 | 2.37 1.70 up from 2003 | 206 | 2% | $2,840 | ||
31Studies in Comparative International DevelopmentSpringer Science+Business Media · United States | 8.57Q1 | 2.36 0.54 down from 2003 | 60 | 10% | $3,390 | ||
32CriminologyWiley · United Kingdom | 8.33Q1 | 2.53 1.71 down from 2003 | 116 | 5% | $3,570 | ||
33Comparative PoliticsCity University of New York · United States | 8.04Q1 | 3.21 0.17 down from 2003 | 72 | 4% | — | ||
34West European PoliticsTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 8.01Q1 | 2.11 0.14 down from 2003 | 138 | 9% | — | ||
35Cultural AnthropologyOAWiley · United States | 7.91Q1 | 2.68 0.28 up from 2003 | 60 | 100% | — | ||
36World PoliticsCambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 7.90Q1 | 2.06 0.42 down from 2003 | 104 | 36% | — | ||
37International Studies QuarterlyOxford University Press · United States | 7.79Q1 | 2.19 0.81 down from 2003 | 83 | 29% | $4,320 | ||
38European Sociological ReviewOxford University Press · United Kingdom | 7.66Q1 | 3.25 1.54 up from 2003 | 89 | 13% | $5,323 | ||
39Politics Philosophy & EconomicsSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 7.62Q1 | 2.23 0.73 up from 2003 | 30 | 10% | $3,650 | ||
40Journal of Social IssuesWiley · United States | 7.62Q1 | 3.52 0.26 down from 2003 | 141 | 2% | $3,570 | ||
41Global NetworksWiley · United Kingdom | 7.57Q1 | 0.80 2.09 down from 2003 | 75 | 7% | $4,050 | ||
42American Sociological ReviewSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 7.21Q1 | 2.87 0.12 down from 2003 | 273 | 6% | $3,900 | ||
43Review of Educational ResearchSAGE Publishing · United States | 7.06Q1 | 5.85 1.70 up from 2003 | 46 | 7% | $2,500 | ||
44World DevelopmentElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 6.94Q1 | 3.21 0.05 down from 2003 | 413 | 12% | $5,895 | ||
45Transactions of the Institute of British GeographersWiley · United Kingdom | 6.82Q1 | 2.65 0.58 up from 2003 | 92 | 15% | $4,070 | ||
46Information Systems JournalWiley · United Kingdom | 6.71Q1 | 3.64 1.59 up from 2003 | 55 | 29% | $5,110 | ||
47Theory and SocietySpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 6.63Q1 | 2.37 0.67 up from 2003 | 76 | 6% | $2,890 | ||
48Nations and NationalismWiley · United Kingdom | 6.62Q1 | 2.14 1.54 up from 2003 | 101 | 6% | $3,750 | ||
49Media PsychologyTaylor & Francis · United States | 6.49Q1 | 2.00 0.80 down from 2003 | 45 | 6% | — | ||
50Journal of Research in Crime and DelinquencySAGE Publishing · United States | 6.42Q1 | 2.78 0.89 down from 2003 | 49 | 9% | $3,650 |
Subfields of Social Sciences, compared.
- Sociology and Political Science716
- Education363
- Political Science and International Relations222
- Public Administration46
- Gender Studies36
- Communication35
- Safety Research33
- Health32
- Library and Information Sciences32
- Linguistics and Language32
- Anthropology30
- Law26
- Demography24
- Transportation24
- Urban Studies19
- Geography, Planning and Development15
- Cultural Studies8
- Development2
- Human Factors and Ergonomics2
- General Social Sciences1
- Archeology0
- Life-span and Life-course Studies0
Journals
Citations made in 2004. Corpus-wide, 69.4% of core-journal articles and reviews published that year have at least one matched reference; the share varies by journal and field.
581 additional Social Sciences journals with metrics are unranked under this release’s eligibility rules: a journal needs at least 30 citable documents in 2001–2003, 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: 2004. Publication window: 2001–2003. How these summaries are calculated
- Ranked journals
- 1,698
- Window papers (baseline)
- 615,403 +27.9% from indicator year 2001
- Median OJR
- 1.03 +12.8% from indicator year 2001
- Rising journals (2025)
- 134Comparison-group list (134)
Window papers are the baseline paper population: citable papers (articles, reviews and conference papers) from 2001–2003 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.