Journal rankings · indicator year 2012
Choose a field to open its ranking, or a journal to find its row in its subfield’s list.
Subfield ranking · 2012
Political Science and International Relations journal rankings 2012
287 ranked journals · Subfield in Social Sciences
Political Science and International Relations has 287 ranked journals in 2012. Its median journal scores above the world average: OJR 1.73 against 1.00, down 0.01 on 2011. A journal needs OJR 3.42 to reach Q1. The top three are American Journal of Political Science, American Political Science Review, and European Union Politics.
Ranks and citation indicators: 2012. 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 2009–2011, the window the 2012 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 of Social Sciences (22)
287 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 2011. This is OpenJournalRank’s own count, not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. | Citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) published in 2009–2011, the window the 2012 OJR is computed on. A journal needs at least 30 to be ranked. | Share of the journal’s 2009–2011 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 2003 to 2012. | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1American Journal of Political ScienceWiley · United States | 14.88Q1 | 4.40 0.36 up from 2011 | 199 | 14% | $4,100 | ||
2American Political Science ReviewCambridge University Press · United States | 13.58Q1 | 5.18 1.08 up from 2011 | 157 | 22% | $3,550 | ||
3European Union PoliticsSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 9.22Q1 | 3.02 0.81 up from 2011 | 89 | 15% | $3,650 | ||
4Journal of European Public PolicyRoutledge · United Kingdom | 9.10Q1 | 2.46 0.41 down from 2011 | 232 | 18% | — | ||
5Comparative Political StudiesSAGE Publishing · United States | 9.05Q1 | 2.63 0.38 down from 2011 | 171 | 11% | $3,900 | ||
6International SecurityThe MIT Press · United States | 8.92Q1 | 2.85 0.30 up from 2011 | 99 | 16% | — | ||
7Journal of European Social PolicySAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 8.28Q1 | 3.39 0.35 down from 2011 | 99 | 22% | $3,650 | ||
8Government Information QuarterlyElsevier BV · United States | 8.15Q1 | 4.02 1.03 up from 2011 | 228 | 6% | $4,360 | ||
9Journal of Political PhilosophyWiley · United Kingdom | 8.03Q1 | 1.62 0.03 down from 2011 | 84 | 20% | $4,030 | ||
10British Journal of Political ScienceOACambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 7.83Q1 | 2.25 0.22 up from 2011 | 159 | 30% | $3,550 | ||
11West European PoliticsTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 7.62Q1 | 2.29 0.11 up from 2011 | 219 | 11% | — | ||
12Philosophy & Public AffairsWiley · United States | 7.58Q1 | 2.08 0.11 up from 2011 | 52 | 11% | $3,460 | ||
13European Journal of Political ResearchOAWiley · United Kingdom | 7.45Q1 | 2.13 0.04 up from 2011 | 221 | 13% | $3,550 | ||
14Journal of Education PolicyTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 7.44Q1 | 2.58 0.20 down from 2011 | 195 | 11% | — | ||
15Party PoliticsSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 6.76Q1 | 1.61 0.11 down from 2011 | 186 | 15% | $3,650 | ||
16Legislative Studies QuarterlyWiley · United States | 6.59Q1 | 1.71 0.24 up from 2011 | 78 | 5% | $3,190 | ||
17Public Opinion QuarterlyOxford University Press · United States | 6.46Q1 | 3.03 0.58 up from 2011 | 212 | 9% | $3,969 | ||
18Political AnalysisCambridge University Press · United States | 6.36Q1 | 3.09 0.63 up from 2011 | 123 | 29% | $3,550 | ||
19Policy & InternetWiley · United States | 6.34Q1 | 2.57 1.36 up from 2011 | 56 | 21% | $3,570 | ||
20Journal of Politics in Latin AmericaOASAGE Publishing · Germany | 6.20Q1 | 1.55 0.77 up from 2011 | 46 | 100% | $0 listed | ||
21The Journal of PoliticsUniversity of Chicago Press · United States | 5.92Q1 | 1.88 0.27 up from 2011 | 439 | 9% | — | ||
22Comparative EducationTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 5.91Q1 | 1.32 0.19 down from 2011 | 105 | 15% | — | ||
23The American Journal of Comparative LawOxford University Press · United States | 5.83Q1 | 1.47 1.04 up from 2011 | 142 | 21% | $4,402 | ||
24European Law JournalWiley · United Kingdom | 5.67Q1 | 1.47 0.43 down from 2011 | 144 | 9% | $3,570 | ||
25JCMS Journal of Common Market StudiesWiley · United Kingdom | 5.55Q1 | 2.18 0.36 up from 2011 | 335 | 12% | $4,170 | ||
26Journal of democracyJohns Hopkins University Press · United States | 5.44Q1 | 2.04 0.74 up from 2011 | 223 | 2% | — | ||
27Political BehaviorSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 5.37Q1 | 2.02 0.21 up from 2011 | 106 | 13% | $2,990 | ||
28European Journal of International RelationsSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 5.33Q1 | 1.67 0.13 down from 2011 | 135 | 37% | $3,900 | ||
29Journal of Elections Public Opinion and PartiesTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 5.32Q1 | 1.50 0.37 up from 2011 | 78 | 16% | — | ||
30International AffairsOxford University Press · United Kingdom | 5.13Q1 | 1.60 0.41 down from 2011 | 221 | 9% | $4,936 | ||
31The Pacific ReviewTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 5.05Q1 | 1.63 0.17 down from 2011 | 92 | 10% | — | ||
32Police QuarterlySAGE Publishing · United States | 4.93Q1 | 2.00 0.38 up from 2011 | 51 | 15% | $3,650 | ||
33Comparative European PoliticsPalgrave Macmillan · United Kingdom | 4.86Q1 | 1.48 0.11 up from 2011 | 94 | 17% | $3,290 | ||
34Journal of Public PolicyOACambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 4.86Q1 | 1.75 0.35 up from 2011 | 65 | 52% | $3,550 | ||
35Political StudiesSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 4.84Q1 | 1.53 0.15 down from 2011 | 152 | 12% | $3,650 | ||
36European Political Science ReviewOACambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 4.84Q1 | 2.17 0.40 down from 2011 | 94 | 45% | $3,550 | ||
37Higher EducationSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 4.65Q1 | 1.86 0.08 down from 2011 | 297 | 12% | $2,290 | ||
38Journal of European IntegrationTaylor & Francis · Netherlands | 4.64Q1 | 1.30 0.14 up from 2011 | 130 | 18% | — | ||
39Transforming Government People Process and PolicyEmerald Publishing Limited · United Kingdom | 4.57Q1 | 2.46 0.83 up from 2011 | 72 | 7% | — | ||
40Higher Education PolicyPalgrave Macmillan · United Kingdom | 4.52Q1 | 1.46 0.29 down from 2011 | 85 | 20% | $2,690 | ||
41Policy Studies JournalWiley · United States | 4.40Q1 | 2.09 0.03 down from 2011 | 144 | 6% | $4,050 | ||
42Government and OppositionOACambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 4.36Q1 | 1.56 0.63 up from 2011 | 80 | 18% | $3,550 | ||
43The British Journal of Politics and International RelationsSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 4.36Q1 | 1.41 0.30 up from 2011 | 136 | 15% | $3,650 | ||
44GovernanceWiley · United Kingdom | 4.34Q1 | 1.60 0.10 up from 2011 | 146 | 12% | $3,730 | ||
45Parliamentary AffairsOxford University Press · United Kingdom | 4.33Q1 | 1.71 0.71 up from 2011 | 184 | 28% | $4,468 | ||
46Quarterly Journal of Political ScienceNow Publishers · United States | 4.31Q1 | 1.32 0.23 down from 2011 | 45 | 20% | — | ||
47Europe Asia StudiesRoutledge · United Kingdom | 4.25Q1 | 0.85 0.26 down from 2011 | 235 | 7% | — | ||
48American Politics ResearchSAGE Publishing · United States | 4.22Q1 | 1.12 0.13 down from 2011 | 126 | 5% | $3,650 | ||
49Regional & Federal StudiesTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 4.10Q1 | 0.92 0.04 down from 2011 | 94 | 13% | — | ||
50The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing CountriesWiley · Hong Kong SAR China | 4.10Q1 | 1.89 0.19 up from 2011 | 105 | 66% | $3,590 |
Subfields of Social Sciences, with Political Science and International Relations highlighted.
- Sociology and Political Science1,049
- Education564
- Political Science and International Relations287
- Gender Studies57
- Communication54
- Safety Research49
- Public Administration48
- Health43
- Transportation40
- Library and Information Sciences39
- Linguistics and Language38
- Law37
- Anthropology36
- Urban Studies36
- Demography33
- Geography, Planning and Development24
- Cultural Studies10
- Development3
- General Social Sciences2
- Human Factors and Ergonomics1
- Archeology0
- Life-span and Life-course Studies0
Journals
Citations made in 2012. Corpus-wide, 75.7% of core-journal articles and reviews published that year have at least one matched reference; the share varies by journal and field.
76 additional Political Science and International Relations journals with metrics are unranked under this release’s eligibility rules: a journal needs at least 30 citable documents in 2009–2011, 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: 2012. Publication window: 2009–2011. How these summaries are calculated
- Ranked journals
- 287
- Window papers (baseline)
- 191,534 +20.1% from indicator year 2009
- Median OJR
- 1.73 +2.6% from indicator year 2009
- Rising journals (2025)
- 18
Window papers are the baseline paper population: citable papers (articles, reviews and conference papers) from 2009–2011 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 | 185 | 187 | 198 | 211 | 222 | 236 | 243 | 248 | 255 | 260 | 270 | 279 | 287 | 287 | 294 | 301 | 308 | 318 | 321 | 326 | 332 | 333 | 339 | 334 | 334 | 322 | |
| Window papers (baseline) | 87,090 | 92,551 | 99,427 | 106,761 | 113,825 | 122,173 | 130,947 | 139,764 | 148,869 | 159,463 | 170,900 | 180,910 | 191,534 | 201,200 | 210,369 | 223,416 | 235,982 | 245,820 | 247,938 | 251,957 | 262,579 | 278,323 | 289,523 | 291,064 | 289,519 | 294,162 | |
| Median OJR | 0.81 | 0.99 | 0.90 | 1.09 | 1.12 | 1.31 | 1.27 | 1.42 | 1.603 | 1.68 | 1.77 | 1.74 | 1.73 | 1.78 | 1.69 | 1.83 | 1.92 | 1.87 | 1.723 | 1.85 | 1.67 | 1.71 | 1.602 | 1.63 | 1.52 | 1.718 |
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.