Journal profile · POLITICAL SCIENCE
Constellations-An International Journal of Critical and Democratic Theory
ISSN 1351-0487 · eISSN 1467-8675
Constellations-An International Journal of Critical and Democratic Theory: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,900; median 270 days to acceptance (70 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 42% (journal website); 87 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Constellations-An International Journal of Critical and Democratic Theory 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 Critical Theory and Philosophy, Political Philosophy and Ethics and Political Theology and Sovereignty, together about 30.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science and Political Science and International Relations. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Constellations is an international peer-reviewed journal committed to publishing the best of contemporary critical and democratic theory. Constellations fosters creative thinking in philosophy, politics, social theory, and law. Longstanding assumptions about critical theory – its methods, concepts and emancipatory aims– need to be rethought. The journal aims to help expand the global possibilities for radical politics and social criticism in the coming period.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): POLITICAL SCIENCE
Editor-in-chief Simone ChambersPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 5, Germany 4 (9 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Critical Theory and PhilosophySocial Sciences14.1%
- Political Philosophy and EthicsSocial Sciences10.1%
- Political Theology and SovereigntySocial Sciences6.4%
- Hannah Arendt's Political PhilosophySocial Sciences6%
- Populism, Right-Wing MovementsSocial Sciences4.9%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.5%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering4.5%
- Political Economy and MarxismSocial Sciences4.4%
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 | Political Science | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCILetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest
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)
- 1Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 94OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 547OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.08OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 58.45%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 58LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 79Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 168,450Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,831 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 53 | 35 | 2 |
| 2025 | 87 | 57 | 99 |
| 2024 | 38 | 29 | 92 |
| 2023 | 91 | 62 | 296 |
| 2022 | 55 | 27 | 247 |
| 2021 | 56 | 14 | 218 |
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
270 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 194 days – 358 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 17 days (70 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 294 days
- Sample
- 70 articles with submission and acceptance dates (135 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)
- 42%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 42%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 113 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 113 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 214 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 14 daysPublisher 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 2,400 / GBP 1,930 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 10,000 words
- Reference style
- APA
- Cover letter
- Optional
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship
- Authorship
Word limit: normally not longer than 9,000 words excluding notes, or 10,000 words including notes; longer articles only under exceptional circumstances; Co-Editors may reject without review manuscripts exceeding the limit. Model summary
Articles published in Constellations are normally not longer than 9,000 words excluding notes, or 10,000 words including notes. Longer articles can be considered only under exceptional circumstances. The Co-Editors reserve the right to reject without review manuscripts that are longer than the stated word limit.
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
- ISSN
- 1351-0487
- Electronic ISSN
- 1467-8675
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 33, Issue 3 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Constellations-An International Journal of Critical and Democratic Theory
What CAS zone is Constellations-An International Journal of Critical and Democratic Theory in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Constellations-An International Journal of Critical and Democratic Theory is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Political Science. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Constellations-An International Journal of Critical and Democratic Theory?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 1 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; h-index 94.
How long does peer review take at Constellations-An International Journal of Critical and Democratic Theory?
Based on the dates recorded on 70 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 270 days (interquartile range 194–358 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 42% (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 Constellations-An International Journal of Critical and Democratic Theory?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Manuscript length: ≤ 10,000 words; Reference style: APA; Cover letter: 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 Constellations-An International Journal of Critical and Democratic Theory based?
Of the 9 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (5) and Germany (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Constellations-An International Journal of Critical and Democratic Theory?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Constellations-An International Journal of Critical and Democratic Theory is indexed in ESCI. The journal's website also lists Web of Science; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Constellations-An International Journal of Critical and Democratic Theory open access, and what is the APC?
Constellations-An International Journal of Critical and Democratic Theory 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .