Journal profile · Multiple
Critical Policy Studies
ISSN 1946-0171 · eISSN 1946-018X · Taylor & Francis
Critical Policy Studies: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.64; JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 98 days (first decision after review, publisher); acceptance rate 26% (journal website); 60 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Critical Policy Studies is published by Taylor & Francis 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 Social Policy and Reform Studies, Public Policy and Administration Research and Policy Transfer and Learning, together about 28.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Political Science and International Relations. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Critical Policy Studies brings contemporary theoretical and methodological discussions, both normative and empirical, to bear on the understanding and analysis of public policy, at local, national and global levels, emphasizing socially inclusive values. The journal offers a unique and geographically plural forum for researchers, policy-makers and practitioners to challenge established accounts of policy-analytic methods, to explore alternative approaches to policy-making, and to promote democratic governance, including necessary debates towards the expansion of critical epistemologies. To this end, the journal concentrates on the relation of political and policy theory to specific practices of governance, in particular as they pertain to democratic governance, participatory practices, social justice, intersectional and decolonial policies, and general public welfare. This necessitates an emphasis on the interplay between qualitative and quantitative modes of inquiry. The journal thus moves beyond narrow empiricist approaches to pay special attention to interpretive, argumentative, discursive approaches to policy-making. Critical Policy Studies is a rigorous academic journal, and also pays special attention to the practical aspects of policy-making and analysis that confront real-world practitioners in different cultural contexts. While we emphasize academic articles, we explicitly welcome practical contributions that provide stories of insight related to efforts to transform domination or oppression in public policy practices and structures. In addition, the journal includes essays on current debates and opinions in the field, review articles that reflect on published research, and book reviews. Peer Review All articles that appear in Critical Policy Studies have been subjected to rigorous peer review. Submissions to the journal undergo an initial editor screening and, where it is decided to pursue the possibility of publication, are reviewed by two referees to whom the identity of the writer is not revealed. Where articles engage with the work of one or more of the editors themselves, referees are chosen not by the latter, but by another editor or member of the editorial board. This screening and refereeing process applies to all texts published in CPS except editorial introductions, comments on articles previously published, forum papers, comments on forum papers, and book reviews. All authors must adhere to the Publisher’s AI policy by clearly acknowle
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Social Policy and Reform StudiesSocial Sciences11%
- Public Policy and Administration ResearchSocial Sciences9.3%
- Policy Transfer and LearningSocial Sciences7.8%
- Foucault, Power, and EthicsSocial Sciences6.4%
- Political and Economic history of UK and USSocial Sciences6.4%
- Social Media and PoliticsSocial Sciences6.3%
- Sustainability and Climate Change GovernanceEnvironmental Science5.8%
- European Union Policy and GovernanceSocial Sciences4.1%
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 | Political Science | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Public Administration | 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 |
| Minor | Public Administration | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Public Administration | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q1 · best quartile · 2025
- CiteScore Q1 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePublisher website
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
- 3.64LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.7Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.3LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 6.3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.77LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.77Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.4LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.4Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 61OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 338OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.01OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 10.8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 38.89%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 42LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 258,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 852 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 62 | 31 | 9 |
| 2025 | 60 | 42 | 114 |
| 2024 | 46 | 24 | 383 |
| 2023 | 41 | 19 | 291 |
| 2022 | 47 | 21 | 649 |
| 2021 | 36 | 13 | 736 |
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
Too few articlesOnly 2 articles from the last 24 months carry both submission and acceptance dates, too few for a median
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".
Figures by source
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 26%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 34 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 98 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 31 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Critical Policy Studies is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the discoverability and…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review
All articles that appear in Critical Policy Studies have been subjected to rigorous peer review. Submissions to the journal undergo an initial editor screening and, where it is decided to pursue the possibility of publication, are reviewed by two referees to whom the identity of the writer is not revealed. Where articles engage with the work of one or more of the editors themselves, referees are c…
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
- Taylor & Francis
- ISSN
- 1946-0171
- Electronic ISSN
- 1946-018X
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 20, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Critical Policy Studies
What CAS zone is Critical Policy Studies in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Critical Policy Studies is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Political Science / Public Administration. 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 Critical Policy Studies?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.64; CiteScore 6.3, h-index 61.
How long does peer review take at Critical Policy Studies?
The publisher reports about 98 days (first decision after review); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 26%. 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 JCR quartile is Critical Policy Studies in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q1 (best quartile). JCR quartiles are Clarivate's to confirm and a different system from the CAS zones; in the CAS ranking the journal is in Zone 3 of Sociology.
Which databases index Critical Policy Studies?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Critical Policy Studies is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Critical Policy Studies open access, and what is the APC?
Critical Policy Studies is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC charged, amount not published.
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: .