Journal profile · ECONOMICS
China Economic Review
ISSN 1043-951X · eISSN 1873-7781 · Elsevier
China Economic Review: CAS Zone 2 · Economics (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 5.87; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,380; review about 271 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 249 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
China Economic Review is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 2 of Economics in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Global trade and economics, Fiscal Policy and Economic Growth and China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance, together about 26.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Economics and Econometrics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The official journal of The Chinese Economists SocietyThe China Economic Review publishes original research works on the economy of China, and its relation to the world economy. We seek, in particular, quantitative and analytical papers dealing with institutional change, policy and performance of the Chinese economy; research that compares the development process in China with that in other countries is encouraged.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): ECONOMICS
Editor-in-chief Xiaobo ZhangPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 42 in mainland China (about 38%); most named Mainland China 42, United States 40, Hong Kong, China 9, Australia 5, France 3 (111 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Global trade and economicsEconomics, Econometrics and Finance9.5%
- Fiscal Policy and Economic GrowthEconomics, Econometrics and Finance9.1%
- China's Socioeconomic Reforms and GovernanceSocial Sciences7.8%
- Energy, Environment, Economic GrowthEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5.8%
- Corporate Finance and GovernanceBusiness, Management and Accounting5.3%
- Economic Growth and ProductivityEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.4%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.4%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering4.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Economics Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Economics | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Economics Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Economics | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Economics Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Economics | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
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
- 5.87LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 5.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 8.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 8.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.6LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.91LetPub ·
- h-index
- 142OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,689OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.98OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 6.86%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 230LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,685 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 88 | 23 | 33 |
| 2025 | 249 | 26 | 957 |
| 2024 | 188 | 29 | 2,147 |
| 2023 | 154 | 25 | 2,800 |
| 2022 | 131 | 30 | 3,836 |
| 2021 | 125 | 28 | 4,401 |
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
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
271 dayssubmission to acceptance
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Submission to first decision
- 11 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 73 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 271 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 3 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 4,380 / EUR 4,100 / GBP 3,510 / JPY 543,250 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,740 | — | — |
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
- USD 100
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)
Open calls for papers4, by deadline
- Income and Wealth Distribution, Labor Market, and Subjective Well-being in China – in Honor of Professor John KnightDeadline
- Human Capital and Labor Market Research in ChinaDeadline
- Technology-driven Growth in a Changing Global EconomyDeadline
- Behavioral, Experimental, and Health Economics: Bridging Evidence, Decision-Making, and PolicyDeadline
What to prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- APA
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Double anonymized peer review Model summary
This journal follows a double anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of one reviewer for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Rea…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Free preprint posting on SSRN Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
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
- Elsevier
- ISSN
- 1043-951X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-7781
- Society / sponsor
- Chinese Economists Society
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about China Economic Review
What CAS zone is China Economic Review in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, China Economic Review is in Zone 2 of Economics, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Economics; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Economics. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of China Economic Review?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 5.87; CiteScore 8.1, h-index 142.
How long does peer review take at China Economic Review?
The publisher reports about 271 days (submission to acceptance). 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 China Economic Review?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: APA; 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.
Where are the editorial board members of China Economic Review based?
Of the 111 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 42 (about 38%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (42), United States (40) and Hong Kong, China (9). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index China Economic Review?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, China Economic Review is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is China Economic Review open access, and what is the APC?
China Economic Review is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,380.
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: .