Journal rankings · indicator year 2021
Choose a field to open its ranking, or a journal to find its row in its subfield’s list.
Subfield ranking · 2021
Education journal rankings 2021
762 ranked journals · Subfield in Social Sciences
Education has 762 ranked journals in 2021. Its median journal scores above the world average: OJR 1.14 against 1.00, down 0.04 on 2020. A journal needs OJR 2.23 to reach Q1. The top three are Journal of Educational Technology Systems, International Journal of Technology in Education and Science, and The Internet and Higher Education.
Ranks and citation indicators: 2021. 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 2018–2020, the window the 2021 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)
762 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 2020. This is OpenJournalRank’s own count, not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. | Citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) published in 2018–2020, the window the 2021 OJR is computed on. A journal needs at least 30 to be ranked. | Share of the journal’s 2018–2020 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 2012 to 2021. | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1Journal of Educational Technology SystemsSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 11.08Q1 | 26.80 24.50 up from 2020 | 81 | 20% | $3,400 | ||
| 10.46Q1 | 14.80 13.07 up from 2020 | 47 | 100% | — | |||
3The Internet and Higher EducationElsevier BV · United States | 10.10Q1 | 14.31 2.77 up from 2020 | 72 | 31% | $4,120 | ||
4International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher EducationOASpringer Nature · Switzerland | 9.84Q1 | 16.03 5.22 up from 2020 | 148 | 100% | $0 listed | ||
5Educational PsychologistRoutledge · United States | 9.78Q1 | 11.80 2.49 down from 2020 | 61 | 32% | — | ||
6European Journal of Teacher EducationTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 9.21Q1 | 10.96 7.77 up from 2020 | 190 | 53% | — | ||
7Review of Research in EducationSAGE Publishing · United States | 9.18Q1 | 12.31 2.45 up from 2020 | 45 | 31% | $2,500 | ||
8Pedagogical ResearchOALectito Journals · United Kingdom | 8.89Q1 | 17.08 16.08 up from 2020 | 75 | 100% | — | ||
9ProspectsSpringer Science+Business Media | 7.90Q1 | 13.20 12.58 up from 2020 | 85 | 84% | $3,190 | ||
10Computers & EducationElsevier BV · United States | 7.78Q1 | 17.33 4.38 up from 2020 | 680 | 34% | $5,190 | ||
11School Leadership and ManagementRoutledge · United Kingdom | 7.08Q1 | 10.05 5.43 up from 2020 | 78 | 58% | — | ||
12Learning Media and TechnologyTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 6.97Q1 | 8.66 2.48 up from 2020 | 96 | 62% | — | ||
13Sociology of EducationSAGE Publishing · United States | 6.79Q1 | 7.46 1.10 up from 2020 | 61 | 36% | $3,650 | ||
14Educational ResearcherSAGE Publishing · United States | 6.74Q1 | 8.77 2.09 up from 2020 | 186 | 30% | $2,500 | ||
15Journal of Education for Teaching International Research and PedagogyTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 6.66Q1 | 9.07 6.23 up from 2020 | 218 | 29% | — | ||
16Distance EducationTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 6.47Q1 | 8.58 3.39 up from 2020 | 107 | 28% | — | ||
17International Journal of STEM EducationOASpringer Science+Business Media · Germany | 6.20Q1 | 9.71 1.36 up from 2020 | 154 | 100% | $2,090 | ||
18American Educational Research JournalSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 6.00Q1 | 5.60 0.84 up from 2020 | 186 | 11% | $2,500 | ||
19Online LearningOAOnline Learning Consortium · United States | 6.00Q1 | 7.18 3.44 up from 2020 | 221 | 100% | — | ||
20American Journal of Distance EducationTaylor & Francis · United States | 5.81Q1 | 10.25 6.45 up from 2020 | 74 | 10% | — | ||
21Journal of Computing in Higher EducationSpringer Science+Business Media · United States | 5.60Q1 | 7.40 2.14 up from 2020 | 90 | 36% | $3,290 | ||
22Review of Educational ResearchSAGE Publishing · United States | 5.53Q1 | 18.72 0.08 up from 2020 | 68 | 36% | $2,500 | ||
23Educational Administration QuarterlySAGE Publishing · United States | 5.53Q1 | 5.57 1.37 up from 2020 | 84 | 19% | $3,900 | ||
24Journal of Teacher EducationSAGE Publishing · United States | 5.49Q1 | 3.91 0.78 down from 2020 | 132 | 14% | $3,900 | ||
25Brock Education JournalOABrock University · Canada | 5.47Q1 | 10.04 9.72 up from 2020 | 49 | 100% | — | ||
26Science EducationWiley · United States | 5.39Q1 | 6.47 0.66 up from 2020 | 163 | 26% | $4,050 | ||
27Teaching and Teacher EducationElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 5.38Q1 | 6.01 0.80 up from 2020 | 599 | 38% | $3,380 | ||
28Applied Developmental ScienceTaylor & Francis · United States | 5.29Q1 | 7.52 1.23 up from 2020 | 90 | 28% | — | ||
29The Journal of Technology and Teacher EducationPublisher not listed | 5.23Q1 | 8.60 6.32 up from 2020 | 84 | 9% | — | ||
30Assessment & Evaluation in Higher EducationTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 5.09Q1 | 6.29 1.05 up from 2020 | 286 | 58% | — | ||
31Assessment in Education Principles Policy and PracticeRoutledge · United Kingdom | 5.07Q1 | 4.96 1.44 up from 2020 | 76 | 64% | — | ||
32Critical Studies in EducationTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 4.98Q1 | 5.17 2.81 up from 2020 | 86 | 42% | — | ||
33Educational Evaluation and Policy AnalysisSAGE Publishing · United States | 4.94Q1 | 5.25 1.54 up from 2020 | 74 | 12% | $2,500 | ||
34Teachers and TeachingTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 4.79Q1 | 3.69 0.05 up from 2020 | 134 | 46% | — | ||
35Journal of Professional Capital and CommunityEmerald Publishing Limited · United Kingdom | 4.77Q1 | 8.26 5.83 up from 2020 | 84 | 9% | — | ||
36Multidisciplinary Journal of Educational ResearchOAHipatia Press · Spain | 4.63Q1 | 5.97 4.76 up from 2020 | 43 | 100% | — | ||
37International Journal of Early ChildhoodSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 4.62Q1 | 7.67 5.91 up from 2020 | 69 | 62% | $3,190 | ||
38Educational Assessment Evaluation and AccountabilitySpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 4.59Q1 | 6.44 4.24 up from 2020 | 70 | 50% | $3,290 | ||
39Technology Pedagogy and EducationTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 4.54Q1 | 6.49 3.02 up from 2020 | 113 | 37% | — | ||
40Journal of Applied Learning & TeachingOACanadian Philosophy of Education Society · Singapore | 4.52Q1 | 7.66 7.06 up from 2020 | 103 | 100% | — | ||
41Assessing WritingElsevier BV · United States | 4.44Q1 | 4.00 0.50 up from 2020 | 85 | 15% | $3,330 | ||
42RELC JournalSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 4.38Q1 | 3.01 0.41 up from 2020 | 140 | 19% | $3,650 | ||
43Journal of Research in Science TeachingWiley · United States | 4.38Q1 | 5.38 0.32 up from 2020 | 177 | 18% | $3,910 | ||
44Educational Technology Research and DevelopmentSpringer Science+Business Media · United States | 4.24Q1 | 7.26 1.54 up from 2020 | 327 | 45% | $3,390 | ||
45Large-scale Assessments in EducationOASpringer Nature · Germany | 4.24Q1 | 5.04 0.08 down from 2020 | 39 | 100% | $0 listed | ||
46Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher EducationTaylor & Francis · United States | 4.20Q1 | 4.64 1.25 up from 2020 | 52 | 35% | — | ||
47Journal of Information Technology Education ResearchOAInforming Science Institute · United States | 4.20Q1 | 6.28 1.93 up from 2020 | 92 | 100% | — | ||
48Educational Technology & SocietyOAIEEE Computer Society · Taiwan | 4.19Q1 | 6.00 0.41 down from 2020 | 38 | 100% | — | ||
49Theory Into PracticeTaylor & Francis · United States | 4.16Q1 | 3.85 0.92 up from 2020 | 136 | 9% | — | ||
50International Journal of Sustainability in Higher EducationEmerald Publishing Limited · United Kingdom | 4.15Q1 | 5.66 1.64 up from 2020 | 229 | 33% | — |
Subfields of Social Sciences, with Education highlighted.
- Sociology and Political Science1,377
- Education762
- Political Science and International Relations333
- Communication75
- Gender Studies64
- Safety Research57
- Health55
- Public Administration52
- Urban Studies51
- Transportation50
- Law48
- Linguistics and Language48
- Demography42
- Library and Information Sciences41
- Anthropology38
- Geography, Planning and Development33
- Cultural Studies7
- Development4
- General Social Sciences3
- Human Factors and Ergonomics1
- Archeology0
- Life-span and Life-course Studies0
Journals
Citations made in 2021. Corpus-wide, 87.7% of core-journal articles and reviews published that year have at least one matched reference; the share varies by journal and field.
199 additional Education journals with metrics are unranked under this release’s eligibility rules: a journal needs at least 30 citable documents in 2018–2020, 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: 2021. Publication window: 2018–2020. How these summaries are calculated
- Ranked journals
- 762
- Window papers (baseline)
- 385,574 +37.8% from indicator year 2018
- Median OJR
- 1.14 -5.9% from indicator year 2018
- Rising journals (2025)
- 28
Window papers are the baseline paper population: citable papers (articles, reviews and conference papers) from 2018–2020 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.