Journal profile · POLITICAL SCIENCE
Democratization
ISSN 1351-0347 · eISSN 1743-890X · Taylor & Francis
Democratization: CAS Zone 1 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 3.02; JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 200 days to acceptance (85 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 19% (journal website); 144 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Democratization is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 1 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Political Conflict and Governance, Electoral Systems and Political Participation and International Development and Aid, together about 38.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Political Science and International Relations and Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Democratization 2025 Impact Factor: 3.2, Ranking: 57/332 Political Science © Clarivate Analytics, 2025 Journal Citation Reports® CiteScore 2025: 5.6 SJR 2025: 1.848 SNIP 2025: 2.323 Google Scholar Ranking: 8/20 Political Science SCIMAGO Ranking: 21/725 Politics and International Relations Edited by: Professor Jeffrey Haynes and Professor Aurel Croissant Democratization is devoted to the study of the broad phenomenon of democratization – defined as the way democratic norms, institutions and practices evolve and are disseminated or retracted both within and across national and cultural boundaries. In particular, the journal aims to promote a better understanding of distinct phenomena, such as: transition to democracy and democratic installation, democratic consolidation and crisis, and deepening or weakening of democratic qualities. While the journal does not consider authoritarianism simply as a pre-stage to democracy, it also welcomes studies on various aspects of authoritarian polities, politics and policies, with the journal’s explicit aim to develop a broader understanding of possible relationships between authoritarian and democratic politics. While the focus lies on democratization viewed as a process, the journal also builds on the enduring interest in democracy itself and its analysis. Democratization looks at contemporary developments through a comparative lens. There is special reference to democracy, autocracy and democratization in the regions of the Global South and in post-communist societies, but not to the exclusion of other relevant areas such as North America, Australasia, and the European Union and its member states. The journal aims to encourage debate on the many aspects of democratization that are of interest to policy-makers, administrators and journalists, aid and development personnel, as well as to all those involved in education. Peer Review All research articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and refereeing by anonymous referees. All peer review is double anonymized and submission is online via ScholarOne Manuscripts.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): POLITICAL SCIENCE
Editor-in-chief Jeffrey Haynes and Professor Aurel CroissantPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Germany 2, United Kingdom 1, Sweden 1 (4 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Political Conflict and GovernanceSocial Sciences22.4%
- Electoral Systems and Political ParticipationSocial Sciences9.7%
- International Development and AidSocial Sciences6%
- Populism, Right-Wing MovementsSocial Sciences6%
- Social Policy and Reform StudiesSocial Sciences4.7%
- Religion and Society InteractionsSocial Sciences4.4%
- Politics and Society in Latin AmericaSocial Sciences4%
- Peacebuilding and International SecuritySocial Sciences4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview 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
Other: EBSCOhost, Political Science Complete, International Political Science Abstracts Database, Historical Abstracts, Public Affairs Index, Sociological Abstracts, CSA Worldwide Political Science Abstracts, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences
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
- 3.02LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.2Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 5.6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.85LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher)
- 5.6Publisher website ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 1.85Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.32LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher)
- 1.85Publisher website ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 2.32Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 107OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,292OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.95OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 12.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 32.09%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 117LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 746,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,617 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 97 | 37 | 42 |
| 2025 | 144 | 77 | 454 |
| 2024 | 116 | 59 | 556 |
| 2023 | 129 | 63 | 1,170 |
| 2022 | 87 | 34 | 1,468 |
| 2021 | 120 | 45 | 3,219 |
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
200 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 153 days – 267 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 25 days (85 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 235 days
- Sample
- 85 articles with submission and acceptance dates (267 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)
- 19%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 52 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 56 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 28 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
Democratization 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 readers…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review
Peer review policy: double anonymized peer review, online submission via ScholarOne Manuscripts. Model summary
All research articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and refereeing by anonymous referees. All peer review is double anonymized and submission is online via ScholarOne Manuscripts.
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
- 1351-0347
- Electronic ISSN
- 1743-890X
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 33, Issue 6 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Democratization
What CAS zone is Democratization in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Democratization is in Zone 1 of Sociology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Political Science; it is a Top journal. 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 Democratization?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.02; CiteScore 5.6, h-index 107.
How long does peer review take at Democratization?
Based on the dates recorded on 85 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 200 days (interquartile range 153–267 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 19%. 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 Democratization 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 1 of Sociology.
Where are the editorial board members of Democratization based?
Of the 4 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Germany (2), United Kingdom (1) and Sweden (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Democratization?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Democratization 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 Democratization open access, and what is the APC?
Democratization 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: .