Journal rankings · indicator year 2023
Choose a field to open its ranking, or a journal to find its row in its subfield’s list.
Subfield ranking · 2023
Public Administration journal rankings 2023
52 ranked journals · Subfield in Social Sciences
Public Administration has 52 ranked journals in 2023. Its median journal scores above the world average: OJR 1.18 against 1.00, down 0.04 on 2022. A journal needs OJR 2.10 to reach Q1. The top three are Public Administration Review, Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, and Public Management Review.
Ranks and citation indicators: 2023. 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 2020–2022, the window the 2023 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)
52 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 2022. This is OpenJournalRank’s own count, not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. | Citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) published in 2020–2022, the window the 2023 OJR is computed on. A journal needs at least 30 to be ranked. | Share of the journal’s 2020–2022 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 2014 to 2023. | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1Public Administration ReviewWiley · United States | 4.33Q1 | 5.57 3.46 down from 2022 | 369 | 68% | $4,250 | ||
2Journal of Public Administration Research and TheoryOxford University Press · United Kingdom | 3.52Q1 | 4.87 0.79 up from 2022 | 162 | 59% | $4,029 | ||
3Public Management ReviewTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 3.46Q1 | 6.04 0.36 up from 2022 | 331 | 53% | — | ||
4Public AdministrationWiley · United Kingdom | 3.28Q1 | 4.81 0.66 up from 2022 | 237 | 78% | $3,950 | ||
5The American Review of Public AdministrationSAGE Publishing · United States | 3.28Q1 | 3.33 4.47 down from 2022 | 141 | 55% | $3,900 | ||
6European Journal of Industrial RelationsSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 3.15Q1 | 3.51 0.66 down from 2022 | 60 | 76% | $3,650 | ||
7Journal of Public Budgeting Accounting & Financial ManagementEmerald Publishing Limited · United Kingdom | 2.68Q1 | 4.26 0.98 down from 2022 | 153 | 51% | — | ||
8Administration & SocietySAGE Publishing · United States | 2.43Q1 | 4.12 1.26 up from 2022 | 180 | 50% | $3,650 | ||
9Industrial Relations JournalWiley · United Kingdom | 2.36Q1 | 3.10 1.46 up from 2022 | 91 | 78% | $2,900 | ||
10International Journal of Public Sector ManagementEmerald Publishing Limited · United Kingdom | 2.24Q1 | 3.88 0.28 down from 2022 | 114 | 42% | — | ||
11Public Policy and AdministrationSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 2.24Q1 | 3.36 0.62 up from 2022 | 75 | 74% | $3,650 | ||
12International Review of Administrative SciencesSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 2.18Q1 | 4.35 1.22 up from 2022 | 161 | 56% | $3,650 | ||
13Public Performance & Management ReviewTaylor & Francis · United States | 2.10Q1 | 2.95 0.48 down from 2022 | 149 | 25% | — | ||
14Perspectives on Public Management and GovernanceOxford University Press · United States | 2.03Q2 | 3.41 0.58 up from 2022 | 80 | 43% | $4,029 | ||
15Financial Accountability and ManagementWiley · United Kingdom | 2.02Q2 | 4.53 1.40 up from 2022 | 109 | 76% | $2,900 | ||
16Industrial Relations A Journal of Economy and SocietyWiley · United States | 1.96Q2 | 2.79 0.03 down from 2022 | 65 | 71% | $3,470 | ||
17Journal of Behavioral Public AdministrationOAUnited States | 1.86Q2 | 2.00 3.27 down from 2022 | 63 | 100% | — | ||
18Teaching Public AdministrationSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 1.85Q2 | 1.62 1.63 down from 2022 | 80 | 38% | $3,650 | ||
19International Public Management JournalTaylor & Francis · United States | 1.80Q2 | 2.39 0.30 down from 2022 | 137 | 40% | — | ||
20Journal of Industrial RelationsSAGE Publishing · Australia | 1.70Q2 | 3.22 1.02 up from 2022 | 126 | 71% | $3,650 | ||
21Public Money & ManagementTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 1.67Q2 | 2.44 0.81 down from 2022 | 333 | 58% | — | ||
22Asia Pacific Journal of Public AdministrationTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 1.56Q2 | 1.68 1.20 down from 2022 | 77 | 42% | — | ||
23Economic and Industrial DemocracySAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 1.52Q2 | 2.20 0.51 up from 2022 | 136 | 83% | $3,650 | ||
24Journal of Progressive Human ServicesTaylor & Francis · United States | 1.36Q2 | 1.04 2.43 down from 2022 | 45 | 20% | — | ||
25International Social WorkSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 1.25Q2 | 1.72 1.39 down from 2022 | 347 | 54% | $3,650 | ||
26British Journal of Industrial RelationsWiley · United Kingdom | 1.20Q2 | 1.71 0.90 down from 2022 | 125 | 60% | $3,860 | ||
27Canadian Public AdministrationWiley · United Kingdom | 1.17Q3 | 1.76 0.29 up from 2022 | 116 | 87% | $2,900 | ||
28Social WorkOxford University Press · United States | 1.17Q3 | 1.79 0.27 down from 2022 | 151 | 8% | — | ||
29European Journal of Social WorkTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 1.16Q3 | 1.84 0.27 down from 2022 | 248 | 53% | — | ||
30Social Work EducationTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 1.10Q3 | 1.61 0.75 down from 2022 | 418 | 37% | — | ||
31Qualitative Social WorkSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 1.01Q3 | 1.77 0.29 down from 2022 | 299 | 61% | $3,650 | ||
32Journal of Social Work PracticeTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 0.97Q3 | 1.34 0.80 down from 2022 | 102 | 38% | — | ||
33Journal of Social Work EducationTaylor & Francis · United States | 0.96Q3 | 1.70 0.37 up from 2022 | 219 | 25% | — | ||
34Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social WorkTaylor & Francis · United States | 0.93Q3 | 1.43 0.42 down from 2022 | 104 | 4% | — | ||
35Journal of Social WorkSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 0.92Q3 | 1.89 0.09 down from 2022 | 144 | 50% | $3,650 | ||
36The British Journal of Social WorkOxford University Press · United Kingdom | 0.90Q3 | 1.81 0.06 up from 2022 | 703 | 69% | $4,492 | ||
37Australian Social WorkTaylor & Francis · Australia | 0.83Q3 | 1.56 0.17 up from 2022 | 174 | 66% | — | ||
38Journal of Teaching in Social WorkTaylor & Francis · United States | 0.82Q3 | 1.31 0.09 up from 2022 | 101 | 8% | — | ||
39Labor Studies JournalSAGE Publishing · United States | 0.78Q3 | 0.90 1.14 down from 2022 | 47 | 25% | $3,400 | ||
40Journal of Policy Practice and ResearchSpringer Science+Business Media · Switzerland | 0.78Q4 | 1.70 0.68 up from 2022 | 64 | 26% | $3,190 | ||
41Advances in Social WorkOAIndiana University School of Social Work · United States | 0.76Q4 | 1.78 0.59 up from 2022 | 220 | 100% | — | ||
42Social Work ResearchOxford University Press · United States | 0.73Q4 | 1.22 0.17 down from 2022 | 95 | 8% | — | ||
43Smith College Studies in Social WorkTaylor & Francis · United States | 0.68Q4 | 1.72 0.53 up from 2022 | 44 | 21% | — | ||
44Social Work With GroupsTaylor & Francis · United States | 0.59Q4 | 1.88 0.44 up from 2022 | 105 | 22% | — | ||
45PracticeTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 0.58Q4 | 0.98 0.30 down from 2022 | 88 | 62% | — | ||
46International Journal of Social Work Values and EthicsPublisher not listed | 0.55Q4 | 0.72 0.36 up from 2022 | 46 | 100% | — | ||
47Chinese Public Administration ReviewOAUnited States | 0.41Q4 | 0.66 0.02 down from 2022 | 64 | 100% | $3,650 | ||
48China Journal of Social WorkTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 0.37Q4 | 0.85 0.36 down from 2022 | 69 | 29% | — | ||
49Journal of Comparative Social WorkOAUniversity of Stavanger · Norway | 0.37Q4 | 0.73 0.37 up from 2022 | 35 | 100% | — | ||
50The Journal of Practice Teaching in Health and Social WorkUnited Kingdom | 0.23Q4 | 0.38 0.04 up from 2022 | 58 | 42% | — |
Subfields of Social Sciences, with Public Administration highlighted.
- Sociology and Political Science1,403
- Education732
- Political Science and International Relations334
- Communication73
- Gender Studies66
- Safety Research59
- Health55
- Transportation53
- Public Administration52
- Urban Studies52
- Linguistics and Language49
- Law45
- Library and Information Sciences41
- Demography40
- Anthropology38
- Geography, Planning and Development33
- Cultural Studies9
- Development4
- General Social Sciences4
- Human Factors and Ergonomics1
- Life-span and Life-course Studies1
- Archeology0
Journals
Citations made in 2023. Corpus-wide, 88.9% of core-journal articles and reviews published that year have at least one matched reference; the share varies by journal and field.
2 additional Public Administration journals with metrics are unranked under this release’s eligibility rules: a journal needs at least 30 citable documents in 2020–2022, 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: 2023. Publication window: 2020–2022. How these summaries are calculated
- Ranked journals
- 52
- Window papers (baseline)
- 9,348 -0.1% from indicator year 2020
- Median OJR
- 1.18 -13.2% from indicator year 2020
- Rising journals (2025)
- 6
Window papers are the baseline paper population: citable papers (articles, reviews and conference papers) from 2020–2022 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 | 39 | 39 | 44 | 46 | 46 | 46 | 45 | 46 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 49 | 50 | 51 | 51 | 51 | 50 | 51 | 51 | 52 | 52 | 52 | 51 | 49 | |
| Window papers (baseline) | 5,291 | 5,454 | 5,737 | 6,096 | 6,309 | 6,459 | 7,069 | 7,550 | 8,059 | 8,152 | 8,390 | 8,538 | 8,687 | 9,064 | 9,283 | 9,721 | 9,886 | 10,257 | 9,866 | 9,630 | 9,356 | 9,519 | 9,597 | 9,348 | 9,065 | 8,961 | |
| Median OJR | 1.23 | 1.03 | 0.94 | 0.79 | 0.80 | 0.87 | 1.04 | 0.93 | 1.20 | 1.07 | 1.3317 | 1.51 | 1.41 | 1.21 | 1.239 | 1.48 | 1.3324 | 1.243 | 1.192 | 1.46 | 1.36 | 1.34 | 1.22 | 1.18 | 1.189 | 1.37 |
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.