Journal profile · AREA STUDIES
CHINA QUARTERLY
ISSN 0305-7410 · eISSN 1468-2648 · Cambridge University Press
CHINA QUARTERLY: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.21; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,550; 147 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
CHINA QUARTERLY is published by Cambridge University Press and is in Zone 3 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Chinese history and philosophy, China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance and Vietnamese History and Culture Studies, together about 50.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The China Quarterly is a leading peer-reviewed scholarly journal, covering all aspects of contemporary Greater China. Our interdisciplinary approach covers a range of subjects including the social sciences, law, history, media, literature and the arts. Using a triple-anonymous peer review process, we publish high-quality, empirically rich and theoretically grounded research. The China Quarterly provides readers with in-depth analyses and a deeper understanding of China. In addition to research articles and shorter research reports, each issue contains a comprehensive book reviews section.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): AREA STUDIES
Editorial board by country: 3 in mainland China (about 5%); most named United Kingdom 19, United States 15, Hong Kong, China 6, Germany 4, Mainland China 3 (58 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Chinese history and philosophySocial Sciences28.6%
- China's Socioeconomic Reforms and GovernanceSocial Sciences14.4%
- Vietnamese History and Culture StudiesSocial Sciences7.7%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance6.8%
- Hong Kong and Taiwan PoliticsSocial Sciences6.4%
- Legal case studies and regulationsSocial Sciences5.7%
- China's Ethnic Minorities and RelationsSocial Sciences3.9%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering3.1%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Area Studies | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Area Studies | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Area Studies | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview 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
- 3.21LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.1LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.72LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.47LetPub ·
- h-index
- 136OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,526OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.88OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 8.8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 59.87%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 47LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 9,046 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 106 | 18 | 4 |
| 2025 | 147 | 43 | 114 |
| 2024 | 156 | 61 | 241 |
| 2023 | 194 | 84 | 778 |
| 2022 | 174 | 55 | 1,076 |
| 2021 | 127 | 46 | 847 |
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
- Peer review
- Triple 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 3,550 / GBP 2,460 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
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)
Article types accepted1
- articleArticle The Resilience of Self-reliance in China: Autonomy, Interdependence and Order-shaping Amy King, Wenting He The China Quarterly, Volume 266Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websitePeer review
- Peer review
triple-anonymous peer review Model summary
Using a triple-anonymous peer review process, we publish high-quality, empirically rich and theoretically grounded 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
- Cambridge University Press
- ISSN
- 0305-7410
- Electronic ISSN
- 1468-2648
- Society / sponsor
- School of Oriental and African Studies
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about CHINA QUARTERLY
What CAS zone is CHINA QUARTERLY in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, CHINA QUARTERLY is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Area Studies. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of CHINA QUARTERLY?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.21; CiteScore 5.1, h-index 136.
Where are the editorial board members of CHINA QUARTERLY based?
Of the 58 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 3 (about 5%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (19), United States (15) and Hong Kong, China (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index CHINA QUARTERLY?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, CHINA QUARTERLY is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is CHINA QUARTERLY open access, and what is the APC?
CHINA QUARTERLY is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,550.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .