Journal profile · Multiple
Critical Studies on Security
ISSN 2162-4887 · eISSN 2162-4909 · Taylor & Francis
Critical Studies on Security: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.9 (journal website); JCR Q2 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 127 days (first decision after review, publisher); acceptance rate 26% (journal website); 46 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Critical Studies on Security 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 Global Security and Public Health, Peacebuilding and International Security and Gender, Security, and Conflict, together about 45.2% 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)
Critical Studies on Security Security has long shaped social relations across a range of spaces, places and scales across the world. Security is often represented as an inherent human need, a value, a virtue or social good, as a commodity to be bought, sold and exchanged and as a modality of governing to regulate and optimize life. But security is also the banner under which forms of repression, dispossession and pacification take place, offering them a guise of legitimacy. Critical Studies on Security is an international, peer-reviewed journal dedicated to the study of ‘security’ in and through social critique. The journal aims to publish theoretically informed scholarship, which engages with the practice and politics of security from diverse situated contexts, histories and experiences. We welcome articles from fields and disciplines across the social sciences and humanities, and from any critical social theoretical position. We are a social science journal, however, so do not accept articles or special issue proposals that are focused in improving security management, risk management, or other more technical areas of study like computer science or engineering. Critical Studies on Security has two sections: full length peer-reviewed research articles (described above) and Interventions articles. In addition to regular articles submitted individually, we also welcome proposals for special issues to appear in the peer-reviewed articles section, the guidelines for which are detailed below: Guidelines for Special Issue Proposals Critical Studies on Security welcomes proposals for special issues that make original and substantive contributions to the critical study of security. These guidelines are intended to assist prospective guest editors in preparing a competitive proposal. Proposals for special issues will be reviewed twice yearly. Deadlines to submit proposals are: June 1 and December 1. 1. Thematic Focus and Scholarly Contribution The proposal should open with a clear and concise overview of the intervention, including what the special issue argues, what gap it addresses within contemporary scholarship, and why this moment calls for it. CSoS defines both security itself and approaches to its study broadly and welcomes interdisciplinary, heterodox, and non-mainstream approaches. However, the proposed special issue’s connection to critical security studies must be made explicit, both on its own terms and in relation to wider scholarly and political deba
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Rhys MacholdPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United Kingdom 3, Canada 1, New Zealand 1, Qatar 1 (6 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Global Security and Public HealthSocial Sciences23.2%
- Peacebuilding and International SecuritySocial Sciences12.8%
- Gender, Security, and ConflictSocial Sciences9.2%
- Global Peace and Security DynamicsSocial Sciences7.9%
- International Relations and Foreign PolicySocial Sciences5.3%
- Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political ViolenceSocial Sciences4%
- Nuclear Issues and DefenseSocial Sciences4%
- Migration, Refugees, and IntegrationSocial Sciences3.7%
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 | International Relations | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | International Relations | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q2 · best quartile · 2025
- CiteScore Q2 · 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
ESCIScopusLetPub
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 (publisher) 2025
- 1.9Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 2.2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.48LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.48Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.86LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.86Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 35OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 137OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.19OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 15.8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 29.89%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 32LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 121,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 529 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 34 | 18 | 0 |
| 2025 | 46 | 24 | 89 |
| 2024 | 44 | 29 | 182 |
| 2023 | 38 | 12 | 127 |
| 2022 | 22 | 14 | 65 |
| 2021 | 40 | 22 | 405 |
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
127 daysfirst decision after review
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
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 26%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 57 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review 2025
- 127 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 22 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)
Article types accepted3
- full length peer-reviewed research articlesCritical Studies on Security has two sections: full length peer-reviewed research articles (described above) and Interventions articles.Length not stated
- interventions articlesInterventions is a special section of Critical Studies on Security that curates collections of short, experimental, and multi-form contributions gathered around…Length not stated
- special issuesIn addition to regular articles submitted individually, we also welcome proposals for special issues to appear in the peer-reviewed articles section, the guidel…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Critical Studies on Security 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 discoverabilit…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Peer review policy: initial screening by editors, recommendation by at least two anonymous reviewers. Model summary
Critical Studies on Security publishes scholarship that has undergone rigorous peer review, including an initial screening by the editors, and recommendation by at least two anonymous reviewers.
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
- 2162-4887
- Electronic ISSN
- 2162-4909
- Society / sponsor
- York University
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 14, Issue 2 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Critical Studies on Security
What CAS zone is Critical Studies on Security in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Critical Studies on Security is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category International Relations / Political Science. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Critical Studies on Security?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 1.9 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 2.2, h-index 35.
How long does peer review take at Critical Studies on Security?
The publisher reports about 127 days (first decision after review); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 26% (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 JCR quartile is Critical Studies on Security in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q2 (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.
Where are the editorial board members of Critical Studies on Security based?
Of the 6 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (3), Canada (1) and New Zealand (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Critical Studies on Security?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Critical Studies on Security is indexed in ESCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Critical Studies on Security open access, and what is the APC?
Critical Studies on Security 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .