Journal profile · GEOGRAPHY
European Spatial Research and Policy
ISSN 1231-1952 · eISSN 1896-1525 · Lodz University Press · Poland
European Spatial Research and Policy: CAS Zone 4 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); diamond open access (no APC); no APC; review about 20 weeks (community reports); 27 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
European Spatial Research and Policy is published by Lodz 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 Regional Development and Policy, Urbanization and City Planning and Cross-Border Cooperation and Integration, together about 28.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Urban Studies. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Focus and Scope of Journal European Spatial Research and Policy is an interdisciplinary review concerned with the problems of social and economic space organisation at a local, regional and supranational level. The journal comprising both theoretical and empirical aspects of spatial analyses is aimed at academics, policy-makers and practitioners interested in a broad range of spatial development in contemporary Europe. The scope of the journal is defined by the concepts of space, environment, society and economy rather than by names of specific disciplines. Its main areas of interest include i.a. regional policy, spatial planning, European integration processes, locational studies, labour market developments, foreign investments, environmental problems and other crucial issues influencing the shape of contemporary and future European space. Contributions prepared by geographers and regional scientists, as well as economists, planners, architects, sociologists and historians who undertake spatial research within their respective disciplines reflect the interdisciplinary character of the review. European Spatial Research and Policy is published annually as one volume consisting of two issues and includes refereed articles, notes, commentaries, reports and book reviews. The journal, being itself a result of close academic links of scholars and universities representing different countries, is an important forum for international exchange of information and opinions in the field of spatial studies. Amount of research and review articles which were published last year: 19 By the decision of the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education, European Spatial Research and Policy is included in the list of ranked scientific journals and is currently awarded 70 points (January 2024). Review Process All scientific articles undergo a process of blind peer review (authors and reviewers do not know their identities). Contributions are reviewed by at least two independent reviewers from outside the unit (department) to which the author of the article is affiliated (at least one reviewer should be affiliated to a foreign institution). The review is prepared in written form and is concluded by a clear conclusion whether the article may be published in the journal or should be rejected. The review form is published on the journal website. Once a year the editors publish the list of the reviewers involved in preparing a volume (two issues together) on the journal website.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): GEOGRAPHY
Editor-in-chief Tadeusz MARSZAŁPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Poland 14, Italy 3, Czechia 2, Germany 1, France 1 (28 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Regional Development and PolicySocial Sciences12.2%
- Urbanization and City PlanningSocial Sciences10.6%
- Cross-Border Cooperation and IntegrationSocial Sciences5.5%
- Diverse Aspects of Tourism ResearchSocial Sciences5.1%
- Cultural Heritage Management and PreservationArts and Humanities4.7%
- Polish socio-economic developmentEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.7%
- Land Use and Ecosystem ServicesEnvironmental Science4.5%
- Urban Transport and AccessibilitySocial Sciences4.5%
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 | Geography | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Geography | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
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
- 1.6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.25LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.34LetPub ·
- h-index
- 22OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 80OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.61OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 15LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 400 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 11 | 11 | 0 |
| 2025 | 27 | 27 | 56 |
| 2024 | 16 | 16 | 31 |
| 2023 | 21 | 21 | 59 |
| 2022 | 21 | 21 | 109 |
| 2021 | 32 | 32 | 131 |
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 20 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 38 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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
Diamond open access (no APC)DOAJ
Every article is open access and authors pay no article processing charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | No APC | No | CC BY, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| LetPub | No APC | No | — |
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 prepare8 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 100 words
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 8,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Templates
- Word
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted2, with length limits
- commentarytrations, tables and references. Notes, commentaries and reports should not exceed 2500 words. Manuscripts submitted to the journal must not be under simmain text ≤ 2,500 words
- editorialAll authors are requested to arrange their manuscripts in the following way: Contributions submitted for publication should be prepared in good quality English.…main text ≤ 8,000 words · abstract ≤ 100 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open Access Policy
The basic license for publishing articles in the journal is CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 (Attribution – Non-Commercial Use – No Derivatives). At the author's request it is possible to publish it under the CC-BY 4.0 (Attribution) license. The journal has been available in Open Access since 2009 (Archives; University of Lodz Repository). The Author grants the University of Lodz the non-exclusive publishing right…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Review Process
Blind peer review process for all submitted articles Model summary
All scientific articles undergo a process of blind peer review (authors and reviewers do not know their identities). Contributions are reviewed by at least two independent reviewers from outside the unit (department) to which the author of the article is affiliated (at least one reviewer should be affiliated to a foreign institution). The review is prepared in written form and is concluded by a cl…
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
- Lodz University Press
- Country or region
- Poland
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 1231-1952
- Electronic ISSN
- 1896-1525
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 33, Issue 1 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about European Spatial Research and Policy
What CAS zone is European Spatial Research and Policy in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, European Spatial Research and Policy is in Zone 4 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Geography. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
How long does peer review take at European Spatial Research and Policy?
Authors report an average review time of about 20 weeks. 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 European Spatial Research and Policy?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 100 words; Manuscript length: ≤ 8,000 words; Reference style: Author–date; Templates: Word; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: Required; Cover letter: 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 European Spatial Research and Policy based?
Of the 28 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Poland (14), Italy (3) and Czechia (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index European Spatial Research and Policy?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, European Spatial Research and Policy is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is European Spatial Research and Policy open access, and what is the APC?
European Spatial Research and Policy is a diamond open-access journal (no APC). It charges no article processing charge.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website, DOAJ; 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: .