Journal rankings · indicator year 2018
Choose a field to open its ranking, or a journal to find its row in its subfield’s list.
Subfield ranking · 2018
Political Science and International Relations journal rankings 2018
321 ranked journals · Subfield in Social Sciences
Political Science and International Relations has 321 ranked journals in 2018. The median OJR fell 0.15 on 2017 to 1.72, above the world average of 1.00; Q1 starts at OJR 3.49. The top three are American Journal of Political Science, Journal of democracy, and Comparative Political Studies.
Ranks and citation indicators: 2018. 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 2015–2017, the window the 2018 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)
321 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 2017. This is OpenJournalRank’s own count, not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. | Citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) published in 2015–2017, the window the 2018 OJR is computed on. A journal needs at least 30 to be ranked. | Share of the journal’s 2015–2017 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 2009 to 2018. | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1American Journal of Political ScienceWiley · United States | 15.64Q1 | 6.78 2.18 up from 2017 | 159 | 26% | $4,100 | ||
2Journal of democracyJohns Hopkins University Press · United States | 15.26Q1 | 5.87 2.72 up from 2017 | 220 | 6% | — | ||
3Comparative Political StudiesSAGE Publishing · United States | 13.01Q1 | 6.28 3.10 up from 2017 | 204 | 34% | $3,900 | ||
4American Political Science ReviewCambridge University Press · United States | 11.26Q1 | 5.20 0.93 up from 2017 | 196 | 33% | $3,550 | ||
5Journal of European Public PolicyRoutledge · United Kingdom | 10.98Q1 | 5.38 0.96 up from 2017 | 310 | 57% | — | ||
6Government Information QuarterlyElsevier BV · United States | 10.39Q1 | 6.98 0.10 up from 2017 | 203 | 40% | $4,360 | ||
7European Journal of Political ResearchOAWiley · United Kingdom | 10.02Q1 | 4.15 0.24 up from 2017 | 171 | 56% | $3,550 | ||
8International SecurityThe MIT Press · United States | 9.80Q1 | 4.77 0.19 up from 2017 | 77 | 28% | — | ||
9West European PoliticsTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 9.14Q1 | 3.63 0.58 up from 2017 | 266 | 59% | — | ||
10European Union PoliticsSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 8.84Q1 | 4.19 1.16 up from 2017 | 95 | 53% | $3,650 | ||
11South European Society & PoliticsTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 8.78Q1 | 3.88 0.93 up from 2017 | 80 | 40% | — | ||
12The Journal of PoliticsUniversity of Chicago Press · United States | 8.43Q1 | 4.40 1.60 up from 2017 | 319 | 13% | — | ||
13European Law JournalWiley · United Kingdom | 8.17Q1 | 3.03 0.92 up from 2017 | 115 | 36% | $3,570 | ||
14Journal of Education PolicyTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 7.34Q1 | 3.46 0.47 down from 2017 | 176 | 30% | — | ||
15Political BehaviorSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 7.27Q1 | 3.50 1.20 up from 2017 | 138 | 25% | $2,990 | ||
16JCMS Journal of Common Market StudiesWiley · United Kingdom | 7.22Q1 | 3.25 0.35 up from 2017 | 311 | 42% | $4,170 | ||
17Journal of European Social PolicySAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 7.18Q1 | 3.60 0.73 up from 2017 | 114 | 49% | $3,650 | ||
18Quarterly Journal of Political ScienceNow Publishers · United States | 6.85Q1 | 2.74 1.10 down from 2017 | 46 | 25% | — | ||
19Acta PoliticaPalgrave Macmillan · United Kingdom | 6.79Q1 | 2.72 0.40 down from 2017 | 101 | 52% | $3,190 | ||
20European SecurityTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 6.49Q1 | 3.04 1.04 up from 2017 | 78 | 21% | — | ||
21European Journal of International RelationsSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 6.47Q1 | 3.55 0.66 up from 2017 | 131 | 54% | $3,900 | ||
22DemocratizationTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 6.45Q1 | 3.06 0.53 up from 2017 | 194 | 29% | — | ||
23Comparative EducationTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 6.42Q1 | 3.03 1.10 up from 2017 | 120 | 47% | — | ||
24Journal of Southeast European and Black Sea StudiesRoutledge · United Kingdom | 6.00Q1 | 3.77 1.37 up from 2017 | 115 | 19% | — | ||
25British Journal of Political ScienceOACambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 5.95Q1 | 2.64 0.71 up from 2017 | 217 | 49% | $3,550 | ||
26International TheoryOACambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 5.92Q1 | 3.13 1.03 up from 2017 | 77 | 47% | $3,550 | ||
27The British Journal of Politics and International RelationsSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 5.82Q1 | 3.25 1.29 up from 2017 | 116 | 57% | $3,650 | ||
28Journal of Political PhilosophyWiley · United Kingdom | 5.81Q1 | 1.57 0.65 down from 2017 | 82 | 43% | $4,030 | ||
29Higher EducationSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 5.73Q1 | 3.35 0.80 up from 2017 | 346 | 40% | $2,290 | ||
30Electoral StudiesElsevier BV · Netherlands | 5.51Q1 | 2.39 0.59 up from 2017 | 354 | 36% | $2,840 | ||
31Political AnalysisCambridge University Press · United States | 5.51Q1 | 3.56 1.30 up from 2017 | 125 | 79% | $3,550 | ||
32Journal of Eurasian StudiesOASAGE Publishing · Netherlands | 5.50Q1 | 2.56 1.33 up from 2017 | 52 | 100% | $0 listed | ||
33Party PoliticsSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 5.45Q1 | 2.01 0.02 up from 2017 | 211 | 26% | $3,650 | ||
34Eurasian Geography and EconomicsTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 5.40Q1 | 3.11 1.52 up from 2017 | 99 | 22% | — | ||
35Journal of Politics in Latin AmericaOASAGE Publishing · Germany | 5.40Q1 | 2.13 1.03 up from 2017 | 45 | 100% | $0 listed | ||
36Journal of European IntegrationTaylor & Francis · Netherlands | 5.40Q1 | 2.76 0.91 up from 2017 | 170 | 43% | — | ||
37Political Research QuarterlySAGE Publishing · United States | 5.36Q1 | 2.66 0.88 up from 2017 | 226 | 19% | $3,650 | ||
38GovernanceWiley · United Kingdom | 5.33Q1 | 3.08 0.62 up from 2017 | 137 | 28% | $3,730 | ||
39Policy Studies JournalWiley · United States | 5.33Q1 | 3.38 0.18 down from 2017 | 124 | 30% | $4,050 | ||
40Political StudiesSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 5.30Q1 | 2.28 0.16 up from 2017 | 184 | 54% | $3,650 | ||
41Regional & Federal StudiesTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 5.19Q1 | 2.26 0.94 up from 2017 | 102 | 33% | — | ||
42The China QuarterlyCambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 5.11Q1 | 2.32 0.04 up from 2017 | 178 | 19% | $3,550 | ||
43Police QuarterlySAGE Publishing · United States | 5.04Q1 | 3.24 0.16 up from 2017 | 57 | 17% | $3,650 | ||
44Contemporary Security PolicyTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 4.99Q1 | 3.05 0.94 up from 2017 | 91 | 53% | — | ||
45Swiss Political Science ReviewWiley · United Kingdom | 4.93Q1 | 2.87 1.77 up from 2017 | 95 | 67% | $3,140 | ||
46Policy & PoliticsPolicy Press · United Kingdom | 4.92Q1 | 4.18 1.64 up from 2017 | 127 | 41% | — | ||
47Transforming Government People Process and PolicyEmerald Publishing Limited · United Kingdom | 4.86Q1 | 2.37 0.56 down from 2017 | 88 | 20% | — | ||
48International Political Science ReviewSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 4.85Q1 | 2.15 0.15 up from 2017 | 120 | 49% | $3,650 | ||
49Legislative Studies QuarterlyWiley · United States | 4.65Q1 | 2.36 0.58 up from 2017 | 98 | 14% | $3,190 | ||
50East European PoliticsRoutledge · United Kingdom | 4.62Q1 | 1.52 0.02 down from 2017 | 106 | 23% | — |
Subfields of Social Sciences, with Political Science and International Relations highlighted.
- Sociology and Political Science1,315
- Education714
- Political Science and International Relations321
- Communication74
- Gender Studies61
- Health52
- Safety Research51
- Public Administration50
- Urban Studies49
- Law47
- Linguistics and Language47
- Transportation47
- Library and Information Sciences42
- Demography40
- Anthropology38
- Geography, Planning and Development29
- Cultural Studies9
- Development4
- General Social Sciences3
- Human Factors and Ergonomics1
- Archeology0
- Life-span and Life-course Studies0
Journals
Citations made in 2018. Corpus-wide, 81.5% of core-journal articles and reviews published that year have at least one matched reference; the share varies by journal and field.
83 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 2015–2017, 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: 2018. Publication window: 2015–2017. How these summaries are calculated
- Ranked journals
- 321
- Window papers (baseline)
- 247,938 +11.0% from indicator year 2015
- Median OJR
- 1.723 -5.7% from indicator year 2015
- Rising journals (2025)
- 18
Window papers are the baseline paper population: citable papers (articles, reviews and conference papers) from 2015–2017 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.