Journal profile · ASIAN STUDIES
Early China
ISSN 0362-5028 · eISSN 2325-2324 · Cambridge University Press
Early China: CAS Zone 4 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,550; 12 articles in 2025; indexed in AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Early China is published by Cambridge University Press and is in Zone 4 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, Diverse Scientific and Economic Studies and Legal case studies and regulations, together about 50% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Published with the Society for the Study of Early China Early China publishes original research on all aspects of the culture and civilization of China from earliest times through the end of the Han dynasty period (CE 220). The journal is interdisciplinary in scope, including articles on Chinese archaeology, history, philosophy, religion, literature, and paleography. It is the only English-language journal to publish solely on early China, and to include information on relevant publications in all languages. The journal is of interest to scholars of archaeology and of other ancient cultures as well as sinologists.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): ASIAN STUDIES
Editor-in-chief Mark CsikszentmihalyiPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 15%); most named United States 7, Germany 3, Mainland China 2, Hong Kong, China 1 (13 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Chinese history and philosophySocial Sciences30.1%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance12.2%
- Legal case studies and regulationsSocial Sciences7.7%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering7.6%
- Japanese History and CultureSocial Sciences7.2%
- Eurasian Exchange NetworksSocial Sciences4%
- Nutrition, Health, and Society StudiesAgricultural and Biological Sciences3.4%
- Legal Cases and CommentaryMedicine2.9%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Asian Studies | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Asian Studies | Zone 2 |
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 | Asian Studies | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
AHCIScopusLetPub
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
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 0.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.11LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.33LetPub ·
- h-index
- 31OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 122OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.07OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 68.42%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 10LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 938 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 12 | 11 | 1 |
| 2024 | 14 | 13 | 1 |
| 2023 | 12 | 9 | 2 |
| 2022 | 21 | 10 | 30 |
| 2021 | 17 | 11 | 46 |
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.
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 accepted2
- research articleResearch Article*Length not stated
- review articleReview Article*Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access
- Open access Open access articles
FirstView articles Latest volume Most cited All volumes Books Received
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
- 0362-5028
- Electronic ISSN
- 2325-2324
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Early China
What CAS zone is Early China in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Early China is in Zone 4 of Sociology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Asian Studies. 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Early China based?
Of the 13 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 15%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (7), Germany (3) and Mainland China (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Early China?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Early China is indexed in AHCI and Scopus.
Is Early China open access, and what is the APC?
Early China 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .