Journal profile · SOCIAL SCIENCES, INTERDISCIPLINARY
Evaluation and Program Planning
ISSN 0149-7189 · eISSN 1873-7870 · Elsevier
Evaluation and Program Planning: CAS Zone 4 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.89; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,370; median 372 days to acceptance (99 articles, last 24 months); 169 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Evaluation and Program Planning is published by Elsevier 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 Evaluation and Performance Assessment, Health Policy Implementation Science and Community Health and Development, together about 42.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are General Health Professions. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Purpose and Intent of the Journal Evaluation and Program Planning is based on the principle that the techniques and methods of evaluation and planning transcend the boundaries of specific fields and that relevant contributions to these areas come from people representing many different positions, intellectual traditions, and interests. In order to further the development of evaluation and planning, we publish articles from the private and public sectors in a wide range of areas: organizational development and behaviour, training, planning, human resource development, health and mental wellbeing, social services, corrections, substance abuse, and education. The primary goals of the journal are to assist evaluators and planners to improve the practice of their professions, to develop their skills and to improve their knowledge base.Types of Articles Published We publish articles, "special issues" (usually a section of an issue), and book reviews. Articles are of two types: 1) reports on specific evaluation or planning efforts, and 2) discussions of issues relevant to the conduct of evaluation and planning.Reports on individual evaluations should include presentation of the evaluation setting, design, analysis and results. Because of our focus and philosophy, however, we also want a specific section devoted to "lessons learned". This section should contain advice to other evaluators about how you would have acted differently if you could do it all over again. The advice may involve methodology, how the evaluation was implemented or conducted, evaluation utilization tactics, or any other wisdom that you think could benefit your colleagues. More general articles should provide information relevant to the evaluator/planner's work. This might include theories in evaluation, literature reviews, critiques of instruments, or discussions of fiscal, legislative, legal or ethical issues affecting evaluation or planning.Special issues are groups of articles which cover a particular topic in depth. They are organized by "guest editors" who are willing to conceptualize the topic, find contributors, set up a quality control process, and deliver the material.Book reviews cover any area of social science or public policy which may interest evaluators and planners.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): SOCIAL SCIENCES, INTERDISCIPLINARY
Editor-in-chief Ana ManzanoPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 9, Italy 4, Australia 3, United Kingdom 2, Taiwan, China 1 (25 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Evaluation and Performance AssessmentDecision Sciences21.2%
- Health Policy Implementation ScienceHealth Professions11.5%
- Community Health and DevelopmentHealth Professions10%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering5.7%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5.7%
- Educational Robotics and EngineeringComputer Science5.4%
- Homelessness and Social IssuesHealth Professions3.8%
- Public Policy and Administration ResearchSocial Sciences3.3%
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 | Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary | Zone 4 |
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
- 1.89LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 4.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.55LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.1LetPub ·
- h-index
- 124OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,651OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.49OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 29.24%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 158LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,656 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 46 | 23 | 7 |
| 2025 | 169 | 62 | 321 |
| 2024 | 95 | 42 | 444 |
| 2023 | 139 | 54 | 1,142 |
| 2022 | 131 | 64 | 1,449 |
| 2021 | 100 | 37 | 1,203 |
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 PubMed · to
372 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 259 days – 737 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 2 days (102 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 375 days
- Sample
- 99 articles with submission and acceptance dates (237 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
- Submission to first decision
- 6 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 205 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 360 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 3 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 3,370 / EUR 3,150 / GBP 2,700 / JPY 417,980 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,480 | — | — |
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
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Highlights
- Required
Article types accepted1
- literature reviewFull length articlesWe publish articles that deal with the fields of evaluation and planning. These may include: 1) individual evaluation or planning efforts, 2…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, 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 ·- 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
- 0149-7189
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-7870
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Evaluation and Program Planning
What CAS zone is Evaluation and Program Planning in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Evaluation and Program Planning is in Zone 4 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary. 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 Evaluation and Program Planning?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.89; CiteScore 4.1, h-index 124.
How long does peer review take at Evaluation and Program Planning?
Based on the dates recorded on 99 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 372 days (interquartile range 259–737 days). 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 Evaluation and Program Planning?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Manuscript length: ≤ 10,000 words; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; 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 Evaluation and Program Planning based?
Of the 25 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (9), Italy (4) and Australia (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Evaluation and Program Planning?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Evaluation and Program Planning is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Evaluation and Program Planning open access, and what is the APC?
Evaluation and Program Planning is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,370.
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: .