Journal rankings · indicator year 2022
Choose a field to open its ranking, or a journal to find its row in its subfield’s list.
Subfield ranking · 2022
Political Science and International Relations journal rankings 2022
339 ranked journals · Subfield in Social Sciences
Political Science and International Relations has 339 ranked journals in 2022. The median OJR fell 0.11 on 2021 to 1.60, above the world average of 1.00; Q1 starts at OJR 2.68. The top three are International Security, Government Information Quarterly, and Contemporary Security Policy.
Ranks and citation indicators: 2022. 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 2019–2021, the window the 2022 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)
339 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 2021. This is OpenJournalRank’s own count, not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. | Citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) published in 2019–2021, the window the 2022 OJR is computed on. A journal needs at least 30 to be ranked. | Share of the journal’s 2019–2021 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 2013 to 2022. | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1International SecurityThe MIT Press · United States | 11.63Q1 | 6.24 5.71 down from 2021 | 76 | 52% | — | ||
2Government Information QuarterlyElsevier BV · United States | 10.95Q1 | 11.59 1.75 down from 2021 | 214 | 54% | $4,360 | ||
3Contemporary Security PolicyTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 10.53Q1 | 11.00 1.83 down from 2021 | 73 | 48% | — | ||
4European Journal of Political ResearchOAWiley · United Kingdom | 9.38Q1 | 6.38 0.79 down from 2021 | 184 | 79% | $3,550 | ||
5West European PoliticsTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 8.87Q1 | 7.93 2.64 up from 2021 | 235 | 93% | — | ||
6Policy and SocietyOAElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 8.83Q1 | 14.50 0.31 up from 2021 | 90 | 100% | $1,634 | ||
7American Political Science ReviewCambridge University Press · United States | 8.56Q1 | 9.13 0.24 up from 2021 | 327 | 78% | $3,550 | ||
8American Journal of Political ScienceWiley · United States | 7.91Q1 | 6.54 0.05 up from 2021 | 257 | 42% | $4,100 | ||
9Policy Reviews in Higher EducationTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 7.80Q1 | 9.27 4.79 up from 2021 | 34 | 45% | — | ||
10Comparative Political StudiesSAGE Publishing · United States | 7.56Q1 | 6.84 0.81 up from 2021 | 208 | 40% | $3,900 | ||
11Journal of democracyJohns Hopkins University Press · United States | 6.56Q1 | 4.41 1.86 down from 2021 | 200 | 3% | — | ||
12Journal of European Public PolicyRoutledge · United Kingdom | 6.37Q1 | 5.81 0.12 down from 2021 | 336 | 81% | — | ||
13DemocratizationTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 5.89Q1 | 4.58 1.44 down from 2021 | 251 | 39% | — | ||
14Higher EducationSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 5.79Q1 | 7.11 1.42 up from 2021 | 406 | 75% | $2,290 | ||
15Public Opinion QuarterlyOxford University Press · United States | 5.78Q1 | 3.78 1.87 down from 2021 | 174 | 28% | $3,969 | ||
16South European Society & PoliticsTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 5.68Q1 | 4.12 0.76 up from 2021 | 71 | 84% | — | ||
17Journal of European IntegrationTaylor & Francis · Netherlands | 5.58Q1 | 4.79 0.51 up from 2021 | 198 | 66% | — | ||
18Political BehaviorSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 5.47Q1 | 4.46 0.41 down from 2021 | 227 | 54% | $2,990 | ||
19International AffairsOxford University Press · United Kingdom | 5.37Q1 | 4.34 0.88 down from 2021 | 706 | 29% | $4,936 | ||
20Policy Design and PracticeOATaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 5.33Q1 | 9.38 0.58 down from 2021 | 92 | 100% | — | ||
21European Journal of International RelationsSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 5.27Q1 | 5.01 1.15 up from 2021 | 139 | 68% | $3,900 | ||
22British Journal of Political ScienceOACambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 5.19Q1 | 5.19 0.57 up from 2021 | 246 | 83% | $3,550 | ||
23Party PoliticsSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 5.17Q1 | 3.23 0.36 down from 2021 | 227 | 45% | $3,650 | ||
24Electoral StudiesElsevier BV · Netherlands | 5.08Q1 | 3.65 0.42 up from 2021 | 287 | 50% | $2,840 | ||
25Political AnalysisCambridge University Press · United States | 4.92Q1 | 3.86 2.97 down from 2021 | 159 | 69% | $3,550 | ||
26Comparative EducationTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 4.87Q1 | 4.44 0.98 up from 2021 | 120 | 45% | — | ||
27Policy SciencesSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 4.78Q1 | 4.93 0.75 down from 2021 | 124 | 71% | $3,190 | ||
28The Journal of PoliticsUniversity of Chicago Press · United States | 4.57Q1 | 3.95 0.04 up from 2021 | 510 | 21% | — | ||
29Journal of European Social PolicySAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 4.56Q1 | 4.47 2.02 up from 2021 | 107 | 70% | $3,650 | ||
30Police QuarterlySAGE Publishing · United States | 4.56Q1 | 4.04 0.85 up from 2021 | 67 | 19% | $3,650 | ||
31East European PoliticsRoutledge · United Kingdom | 4.45Q1 | 4.32 0.29 up from 2021 | 119 | 51% | — | ||
32Policy & PoliticsPolicy Press · United Kingdom | 4.43Q1 | 5.84 1.98 up from 2021 | 84 | 50% | — | ||
33Studies in Comparative International DevelopmentSpringer Science+Business Media · United States | 4.39Q1 | 4.53 1.22 up from 2021 | 63 | 68% | $3,390 | ||
34Policy & InternetWiley · United States | 4.39Q1 | 5.73 0.58 down from 2021 | 74 | 53% | $3,570 | ||
35Policy Studies JournalWiley · United States | 4.12Q1 | 4.30 2.02 down from 2021 | 124 | 45% | $4,050 | ||
36European Union PoliticsSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 4.03Q1 | 3.11 0.37 down from 2021 | 111 | 47% | $3,650 | ||
37Political StudiesSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 3.97Q1 | 4.02no change | 231 | 63% | $3,650 | ||
38European Policy AnalysisWiley · United States | 3.94Q1 | 6.41 1.37 up from 2021 | 70 | 69% | $3,470 | ||
39Journal of Contemporary ChinaRoutledge · United States | 3.91Q1 | 2.85 0.02 down from 2021 | 193 | 26% | — | ||
40Nordic Journal of Studies in Educational PolicyOATaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 3.78Q1 | 4.48 1.53 up from 2021 | 58 | 100% | — | ||
41Comparative European PoliticsPalgrave Macmillan · United Kingdom | 3.77Q1 | 2.88 0.69 up from 2021 | 106 | 87% | $3,290 | ||
42Eurasian Geography and EconomicsTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 3.73Q1 | 4.50 0.50 down from 2021 | 171 | 18% | — | ||
43Journal of Education PolicyTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 3.63Q1 | 2.70 0.79 down from 2021 | 174 | 56% | — | ||
44JCMS Journal of Common Market StudiesWiley · United Kingdom | 3.62Q1 | 3.04 0.21 down from 2021 | 350 | 64% | $4,170 | ||
45Social Policy and AdministrationWiley · United Kingdom | 3.44Q1 | 4.43 1.26 up from 2021 | 227 | 51% | $4,330 | ||
46The Chinese Journal of International PoliticsOxford University Press · United Kingdom | 3.42Q1 | 1.86 2.38 down from 2021 | 56 | 36% | $3,981 | ||
47European Politics and SocietyTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 3.41Q1 | 2.23 0.07 up from 2021 | 155 | 54% | — | ||
48Cambridge yearbook of European legal studiesPublisher not listed | 3.36Q1 | 1.90 1.07 down from 2021 | 47 | 81% | $3,550 | ||
49Frontiers in Political ScienceOAFrontiers Media · Switzerland | 3.35Q1 | 3.92 1.39 up from 2021 | 154 | 100% | $1,418 | ||
50Philosophy & Public AffairsWiley · United States | 3.35Q1 | 2.92 0.35 down from 2021 | 53 | 42% | $3,460 |
Subfields of Social Sciences, with Political Science and International Relations highlighted.
- Sociology and Political Science1,389
- Education752
- Political Science and International Relations339
- Communication77
- Gender Studies63
- Safety Research58
- Health54
- Public Administration52
- Linguistics and Language51
- Transportation51
- Urban Studies50
- Law47
- Library and Information Sciences42
- Demography39
- Anthropology37
- Geography, Planning and Development34
- Cultural Studies6
- Development4
- General Social Sciences3
- Human Factors and Ergonomics1
- Archeology0
- Life-span and Life-course Studies0
Journals
Citations made in 2022. Corpus-wide, 89.5% of core-journal articles and reviews published that year have at least one matched reference; the share varies by journal and field.
71 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 2019–2021, 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: 2022. Publication window: 2019–2021. How these summaries are calculated
- Ranked journals
- 339
- Window papers (baseline)
- 289,523 +14.9% from indicator year 2019
- Median OJR
- 1.602 -13.3% from indicator year 2019
- Rising journals (2025)
- 18
Window papers are the baseline paper population: citable papers (articles, reviews and conference papers) from 2019–2021 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.