Journal profile · EDUCATION, SPECIAL
British Journal of Special Education
ISSN 0952-3383 · eISSN 1467-8578 · Wiley-Blackwell
British Journal of Special Education: CAS Zone 4 · Education (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.2 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,900; median 167 days to acceptance (86 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 35% (journal website); 100 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
British Journal of Special Education is published by Wiley-Blackwell and is in Zone 4 of Education in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Family and Disability Support Research, Collaborative Teaching and Inclusion and Educational and Psychological Assessments, together about 44.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Education. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The British Journal of Special Education (BJSE) publishes high quality empirical, and theoretical, articles from all national contexts. This includes all forms of research (qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods), ‘think-pieces’ around contemporary debates and response articles dealing with research previously published in BJSE. The journal places particular emphasis on: Innovative practice relating to inclusion; Practice-based research addressing special/additional learning needs; Policy and practice in international, national and local contexts; The impact of legislation on inclusive practice. Uniquely, the BJSE publishes an item entitled ‘Points from the SENCo Forum’. This item has been published for over 30 years, with a view to give SENCos a voice around policy and practice. Likewise, the Politics Page critiques policy enacted in each of the four countries of the UK. Extended book reviews, authored by academics and practitioners, are also a central feature of BJSE. BJSE has an inclusive mission to enable early career researchers, wherever based, to publish in an international journal. Direct editorial support is given to those for whom English is not their first language. All research articles in this journal undergo rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening. The journal is essential reading for those working as academics, practitioners, administrators, advisers, teacher educators and researchers.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): EDUCATION, SPECIAL
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Family and Disability Support ResearchPsychology17.6%
- Collaborative Teaching and InclusionSocial Sciences16.6%
- Educational and Psychological AssessmentsPsychology10%
- Education Systems and PolicySocial Sciences8.5%
- Parental Involvement in EducationSocial Sciences5.2%
- Early Childhood Education and DevelopmentSocial Sciences4.4%
- Diverse Education Studies and ReformsSocial Sciences4.3%
- Teacher Education and Leadership StudiesSocial Sciences3.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Education Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Education, Special | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Education Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Education, Special | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceMEDLINEPubMedPsycINFOERICPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest, OCLC
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.2Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 2.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 2.2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.49LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.14LetPub ·
- h-index
- 62OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 499OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.9OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 8.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 54.01%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 69LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 91Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 211,262Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,050 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 52 | 30 | 7 |
| 2025 | 100 | 58 | 84 |
| 2024 | 61 | 35 | 100 |
| 2023 | 57 | 37 | 163 |
| 2022 | 65 | 26 | 417 |
| 2021 | 49 | 13 | 175 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
167 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 35 days – 270 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 26 days (87 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 191 days
- Sample
- 86 articles with submission and acceptance dates (160 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 35%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 35%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 14 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 14 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 188 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 27 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 2,900 / EUR 2,450 / GBP 1,930 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Submission fee
- No submission fee
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare8 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- ≤ 5
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 7,000 words
- Reference style
- APA
- Templates
- Word
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Article types accepted6, with length limits
- editorials and invited contributionsEditorials and Invited Contributions – commissioned by the Editors.Length not stated
- original research articleless otherwise agreed with the Editors, original research articles, perspectives, think pieces, and systematic literature reviews should be 5,000–7,000 words, w…main text ≤ 7,000 words
- original research articlesOriginal Research Articles – reports of original empirical research using qualitative, quantitative or mixed-methods approaches.Length not stated
- perspectives and think piecesPerspectives and Think Pieces – scholarly analyses of contemporary issues, policy developments, conceptual debates or emerging challenges that offer new insight…Length not stated
- response articlesResponse Articles – critical responses to research previously published in BJSE that contribute to scholarly discussion and debate.Length not stated
- systematic literature reviewsSystematic Literature Reviews – reviews of the literature related to a specific aspect of special education that offers new insights and advance understanding o…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints, Self-archiving
- AI use Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Generative AI Tools
Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC) tools (such as ChatGPT and others based on large language models (LLMs)) cannot be considered capable of initiating an original piece of research without direction by human authors. They also cannot be accountable for a published work or for research design, which is a generally held requirement of authorship, nor do they have legal standing or the …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship
All listed authors should have contributed to the manuscript substantially and have agreed to the final submitted version. Review editorial standards and scroll down for a description of authorship criteria.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Sharing and Data Availability
This journal expects data sharing. Review Wiley's Data Sharing policy where you will be able to see and select the data availability statement that is right for your submission.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Reproduction of Copyright Material
If excerpts from copyrighted works owned by third parties are included, all sources must be credited within the manuscript. At minimum, the title and author should be provided. The corresponding author is responsible for obtaining written permission to reproduce the material "in print and other media" from the publisher of the original source, and for supplying Wiley with that permission upon requ…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access
This journal is a subscription journal that offers an Open Access option. You will have the option to make your article open access after acceptance, which will be subject to an APC unless a waiver applies. Read more about APCs here.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review 4. Peer Review Process
Double-anonymised peer review Model summary
All submissions undergo initial editorial screening to assess their fit with the journal's aims and scope, academic quality, originality and contribution to the field. Manuscripts that do not meet the journal's expectations regarding scholarly quality, engagement with literature, methodological rigour, relevance to the readership or preparation requirements may be declined without external review.…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprint Policy
Preprint policy Model summary
This journal accepts articles previously published on preprint servers. Please find the Wiley preprint policy here. The journal will consider ‘for review articles’ previously available as preprints. You may also post the submitted version of a manuscript to a preprint server at any time. You are requested to update any pre-publication versions with a link to the final published article. Please not…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Self-archiving Self-Archiving Definitions and Policies
Note that the journal's standard copyright agreement allows for self-archiving of different versions of the article under specific conditions.
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- ISSN
- 0952-3383
- Electronic ISSN
- 1467-8578
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 53, Issue 3 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about British Journal of Special Education
What CAS zone is British Journal of Special Education in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, British Journal of Special Education is in Zone 4 of Education, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Education, Special. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Education. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of British Journal of Special Education?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 1.2 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 2.2, h-index 62.
How long does peer review take at British Journal of Special Education?
Based on the dates recorded on 86 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 167 days (interquartile range 35–270 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 35% (2025). Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of British Journal of Special Education?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: ≤ 5; Manuscript length: ≤ 7,000 words; Reference style: APA; Templates: Word; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: Optional. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Which databases index British Journal of Special Education?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, British Journal of Special Education is indexed in ESCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, MEDLINE, PubMed, PsycINFO and ERIC; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is British Journal of Special Education open access, and what is the APC?
British Journal of Special Education is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,900.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .