Journal profile · POLITICAL SCIENCE
Electoral Studies
ISSN 0261-3794 · eISSN 1873-6890 · Elsevier
Electoral Studies: CAS Zone 2 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.64; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,840; review about 221 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 103 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Electoral Studies is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 2 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Electoral Systems and Political Participation, Populism, Right-Wing Movements and Social Media and Politics, together about 45.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Political Science and International Relations. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
An International Journal on Voting and Electoral Systems and StrategyElectoral Studies is an international journal dedicated to the study of elections and voting in different parts of the world. With a reputation established over more than 35 years of publication, Electoral Studies is widely recognised as a major journal in the field. It publishes theoretically informed and empirically robust research on all aspects of elections, and provides a forum for the analysis of topics such as turnout, voting behaviour, campaigns, political parties and electoral systems, amongst many others. The recent emergence of new democracies in many parts of the world provides a wealth of new information, and scope for testing hypotheses. On specific topics of particular interest to the community, the Journal accepts collections of 4-6 short articles that form special issues. Electoral Studies permits the publishing of short notes and papers extending or replicating previous empirical findings. All articles are subject to "double anonymized" peer review.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): POLITICAL SCIENCE
Editor-in-chief Rosie CampbellPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United Kingdom 19, United States 13, Canada 7, Spain 2, Sweden 2 (57 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Electoral Systems and Political ParticipationSocial Sciences31.9%
- Populism, Right-Wing MovementsSocial Sciences7%
- Social Media and PoliticsSocial Sciences6.9%
- Social Policy and Reform StudiesSocial Sciences5.9%
- Gender Politics and RepresentationSocial Sciences5.7%
- Political Influence and Corporate StrategiesBusiness, Management and Accounting5.1%
- Media Influence and PoliticsSocial Sciences4%
- Fiscal Policies and Political EconomyEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 3 |
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 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
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
- Impact factor
- 2.64LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 2.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 4.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.08LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.83LetPub ·
- h-index
- 154OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,865OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.48OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 11.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 62.21%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 91LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,730 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 86 | 67 | 13 |
| 2025 | 103 | 73 | 205 |
| 2024 | 113 | 78 | 530 |
| 2023 | 124 | 74 | 1,277 |
| 2022 | 92 | 46 | 1,349 |
| 2021 | 110 | 45 | 2,941 |
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
221 dayssubmission to acceptance
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
- Submission to first decision
- 12 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 78 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 221 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 2,840 / EUR 2,660 / GBP 2,270 / JPY 352,250 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,350 | — | — |
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 prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 10,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Highlights
- Required
Article types accepted5, with length limits
- notes on new data setsFinally, we welcome shorter notes (maximum 4,000 words in length) in which authors can introduce new data sets for the study of elections.Length not stated
- original research articleElectoral Studies welcomes three types of articles. Original research articles should be 8,000-10,000 words in length. We also consider shorter research notes w…main text ≤ 10,000 words
- original research articlesOriginal research articles should be 8,000-10,000 words in length.Length not stated
- research notesWe also consider shorter research notes which should be 4,000-6,000 words in length.Length not stated
- reviewElectoral Studies welcomes three types of articles. Original research articles should be 8,000-10,000 words in length. We also consider shorter research notes w…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Publishing ethics policy Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Double anonymized peer review Model summary
This journal follows a double anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing allowed Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication.
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
- Elsevier
- ISSN
- 0261-3794
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-6890
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Electoral Studies
What CAS zone is Electoral Studies in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Electoral Studies is in Zone 2 of Sociology, and in Zone 3 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 Electoral Studies?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.64; CiteScore 4.7, h-index 154.
How long does peer review take at Electoral Studies?
The publisher reports about 221 days (submission to acceptance). 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 Electoral Studies?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Manuscript length: ≤ 10,000 words; Reference style: Author–date; Highlights: Required. 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 Electoral Studies based?
Of the 57 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (19), United States (13) and Canada (7). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Electoral Studies?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Electoral Studies is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Electoral Studies open access, and what is the APC?
Electoral Studies is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,840.
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: .