Journal rankings · indicator year 2020
Choose a field to open its ranking, or a journal to find its row in its subfield’s list.
Subfield ranking · 2020
Education journal rankings 2020
727 ranked journals · Subfield in Social Sciences
Education has 727 ranked journals in 2020. The median OJR fell 0.06 on 2019 to 1.18, above the world average of 1.00; Q1 starts at OJR 2.22. The top three are Review of Research in Education, The Internet and Higher Education, and Educational Psychologist.
Ranks and citation indicators: 2020. 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 2017–2019, the window the 2020 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)
727 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 2019. This is OpenJournalRank’s own count, not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. | Citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) published in 2017–2019, the window the 2020 OJR is computed on. A journal needs at least 30 to be ranked. | Share of the journal’s 2017–2019 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 2011 to 2020. | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1Review of Research in EducationSAGE Publishing · United States | 12.26Q1 | 9.87 0.22 down from 2019 | 52 | 59% | $2,500 | ||
2The Internet and Higher EducationElsevier BV · United States | 10.60Q1 | 11.55 0.24 down from 2019 | 72 | 50% | $4,120 | ||
3Educational PsychologistRoutledge · United States | 10.41Q1 | 14.29 4.95 up from 2019 | 54 | 30% | — | ||
4Sociology of EducationSAGE Publishing · United States | 9.28Q1 | 6.37 0.39 up from 2019 | 61 | 17% | $3,650 | ||
5International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher EducationOASpringer Nature · Switzerland | 8.45Q1 | 10.81 2.87 up from 2019 | 133 | 100% | $0 listed | ||
6American Educational Research JournalSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 7.49Q1 | 4.76 1.13 down from 2019 | 234 | 24% | $2,500 | ||
7Harvard Educational ReviewHarvard University Press · United States | 7.36Q1 | 3.41 2.91 down from 2019 | 119 | 37% | — | ||
8Educational ResearcherSAGE Publishing · United States | 7.26Q1 | 6.67 0.28 up from 2019 | 159 | 24% | $2,500 | ||
9Computers & EducationElsevier BV · United States | 6.90Q1 | 12.96 3.03 up from 2019 | 656 | 33% | $5,190 | ||
10Journal of Teacher EducationSAGE Publishing · United States | 6.71Q1 | 4.69 0.54 down from 2019 | 142 | 19% | $3,900 | ||
11Teaching and Teacher EducationElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 6.26Q1 | 5.21 0.16 up from 2019 | 687 | 32% | $3,380 | ||
12Learning Media and TechnologyTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 6.19Q1 | 6.18 1.08 up from 2019 | 84 | 52% | — | ||
13Educational Evaluation and Policy AnalysisSAGE Publishing · United States | 5.76Q1 | 3.71 1.09 down from 2019 | 77 | 11% | $2,500 | ||
14International Journal of STEM EducationOASpringer Science+Business Media · Germany | 5.73Q1 | 8.34 4.42 up from 2019 | 130 | 100% | $2,090 | ||
15European Journal of Teacher EducationTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 5.46Q1 | 3.19 1.09 down from 2019 | 151 | 52% | — | ||
16Educational Administration QuarterlySAGE Publishing · United States | 5.34Q1 | 4.20 0.35 up from 2019 | 91 | 5% | $3,900 | ||
17Journal of Research in Science TeachingWiley · United States | 5.31Q1 | 5.06 0.37 down from 2019 | 184 | 36% | $3,910 | ||
18Teachers and TeachingTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 5.20Q1 | 3.63 0.65 up from 2019 | 128 | 36% | — | ||
19Science EducationWiley · United States | 5.08Q1 | 5.81 1.30 up from 2019 | 167 | 10% | $4,050 | ||
20Distance EducationTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 4.98Q1 | 5.19 1.70 up from 2019 | 100 | 21% | — | ||
21RELC JournalSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 4.98Q1 | 2.60 0.62 down from 2019 | 111 | 18% | $3,650 | ||
22Research in Higher EducationSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 4.91Q1 | 2.94 0.58 down from 2019 | 133 | 21% | $2,990 | ||
23Theory Into PracticeTaylor & Francis · United States | 4.77Q1 | 2.93 1.29 up from 2019 | 138 | 17% | — | ||
24Assessment & Evaluation in Higher EducationTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 4.76Q1 | 5.24 1.31 up from 2019 | 256 | 38% | — | ||
25Community College ReviewSAGE Publishing · United States | 4.76Q1 | 2.19 0.95 down from 2019 | 49 | 10% | $3,650 | ||
26Research in Science EducationSpringer Science+Business Media · Australia | 4.72Q1 | 2.10 0.54 down from 2019 | 325 | 36% | $3,190 | ||
27Journal of Educational ChangeSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 4.65Q1 | 3.55 0.09 down from 2019 | 71 | 35% | $3,590 | ||
28Journal of Educational PsychologyAmerican Psychological Association · United States | 4.60Q1 | 6.97 1.28 up from 2019 | 268 | 34% | — | ||
29Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-based LearningOAPurdue University Press · United States | 4.50Q1 | 3.71 0.76 down from 2019 | 68 | 100% | — | ||
30Review of Educational ResearchSAGE Publishing · United States | 4.45Q1 | 18.63 5.22 up from 2019 | 70 | 43% | $2,500 | ||
31Online LearningOAOnline Learning Consortium · United States | 4.43Q1 | 3.74 1.10 up from 2019 | 227 | 100% | — | ||
32International Studies in Sociology of EducationTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 4.38Q1 | 3.11 0.83 up from 2019 | 70 | 30% | — | ||
33Critical Studies in EducationTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 4.38Q1 | 2.36 0.42 down from 2019 | 87 | 45% | — | ||
34Cognition and InstructionTaylor & Francis · United States | 4.28Q1 | 4.12 0.49 down from 2019 | 57 | 17% | — | ||
35AERA OpenOASAGE Publishing · United States | 4.21Q1 | 4.16 0.58 up from 2019 | 200 | 100% | $1,000 | ||
36Journal of Computing in Higher EducationSpringer Science+Business Media · United States | 4.20Q1 | 5.26 2.15 up from 2019 | 103 | 37% | $3,290 | ||
37School Effectiveness and School ImprovementTaylor & Francis · Netherlands | 4.17Q1 | 3.06 0.32 up from 2019 | 92 | 38% | — | ||
38Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher EducationTaylor & Francis · United States | 4.15Q1 | 3.39 1.43 up from 2019 | 44 | 28% | — | ||
39Journal of Engineering EducationWiley · United States | 4.15Q1 | 4.30 3.08 down from 2019 | 112 | 53% | $3,710 | ||
40School Leadership and ManagementRoutledge · United Kingdom | 4.14Q1 | 4.62 2.35 up from 2019 | 94 | 56% | — | ||
41Journal of Educational AdministrationEmerald Publishing Limited · United Kingdom | 4.13Q1 | 2.93 0.05 down from 2019 | 144 | 5% | — | ||
42International Journal of Sustainability in Higher EducationEmerald Publishing Limited · United Kingdom | 4.12Q1 | 4.02 0.07 up from 2019 | 224 | 22% | — | ||
43Australasian Journal of Educational TechnologyOAAustralasian Society for Computers in Learning in Tertiary Education · Australia | 4.11Q1 | 4.18 0.39 up from 2019 | 178 | 100% | — | ||
44Teaching in Higher EducationTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 4.03Q1 | 2.96 0.36 down from 2019 | 251 | 41% | — | ||
45Educational Technology Research and DevelopmentSpringer Science+Business Media · United States | 3.99Q1 | 5.72 1.64 up from 2019 | 223 | 39% | $3,390 | ||
46Research and Practice in Technology Enhanced LearningOASpringer Nature · Singapore | 3.96Q1 | 4.00 0.57 down from 2019 | 73 | 100% | — | ||
47Applied Developmental ScienceTaylor & Francis · United States | 3.96Q1 | 6.29 2.91 up from 2019 | 89 | 26% | — | ||
48Active Learning in Higher EducationSAGE Publishing · United States | 3.90Q1 | 3.89 0.31 up from 2019 | 93 | 36% | $3,900 | ||
49Early Childhood Research QuarterlyElsevier BV · United States | 3.89Q1 | 4.45 1.06 up from 2019 | 313 | 24% | $4,170 | ||
50Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching & LearningOAEmerald Publishing Limited · United Kingdom | 3.88Q1 | 1.80 1.92 down from 2019 | 55 | 100% | — |
Subfields of Social Sciences, with Education highlighted.
- Sociology and Political Science1,333
- Education727
- Political Science and International Relations332
- Communication79
- Gender Studies64
- Safety Research55
- Health54
- Urban Studies52
- Public Administration51
- Linguistics and Language49
- Law48
- Transportation46
- Library and Information Sciences41
- Demography40
- Anthropology37
- Geography, Planning and Development33
- Cultural Studies8
- Development3
- General Social Sciences3
- Human Factors and Ergonomics1
- Archeology0
- Life-span and Life-course Studies0
Journals
Citations made in 2020. Corpus-wide, 86.1% of core-journal articles and reviews published that year have at least one matched reference; the share varies by journal and field.
236 additional Education journals with metrics are unranked under this release’s eligibility rules: a journal needs at least 30 citable documents in 2017–2019, 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: 2020. Publication window: 2017–2019. How these summaries are calculated
- Ranked journals
- 727
- Window papers (baseline)
- 339,642 +31.6% from indicator year 2017
- Median OJR
- 1.176 -4.4% from indicator year 2017
- Rising journals (2025)
- 28
Window papers are the baseline paper population: citable papers (articles, reviews and conference papers) from 2017–2019 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 | 306 | 314 | 333 | 348 | 363 | 390 | 409 | 426 | 443 | 464 | 489 | 521 | 564 | 598 | 637 | 658 | 677 | 698 | 714 | 724 | 727 | 762 | 752 | 732 | 698 | 693 | |
| Window papers (baseline) | 58,351 | 63,185 | 69,625 | 76,266 | 81,638 | 88,262 | 97,523 | 108,809 | 120,655 | 131,977 | 146,397 | 160,956 | 179,576 | 196,232 | 212,099 | 225,960 | 241,442 | 258,082 | 279,717 | 305,265 | 339,642 | 385,574 | 436,853 | 472,006 | 510,769 | 554,466 | |
| Median OJR | 0.82 | 0.86 | 0.94 | 0.95 | 0.96 | 1.03 | 1.06 | 1.212 | 1.324 | 1.320 | 1.38 | 1.30 | 1.29 | 1.36 | 1.26 | 1.15 | 1.1923 | 1.23 | 1.208 | 1.24 | 1.176 | 1.14 | 1.178 | 1.1918 | 1.211 | 1.180 |
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.