Journal profile · POLITICAL SCIENCE
French Politics
ISSN 1476-3419 · eISSN 1476-3427 · Springer Nature · 4 issues per year
French Politics: CAS Zone 4 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,190; review about 8 days (submission to first decision, publisher); 32 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
French Politics is published by Springer Nature 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 Electoral Systems and Political Participation, Social Policy and Reform Studies and Populism, Right-Wing Movements, together about 31% of its articles. Its main subfields are Political Science and International Relations. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
In recent times, the study of France has been changing. Globalisation, Europeanisation, and interdependence have meant that it is less easy to see developments in contemporary France in a purely national context. External factors have intruded on the French political system. In the academic context the trend towards large-scale collaboration in comparative projects has meant an increasing opportunity for bringing France into the mainstream of academic research. Long considered to be an exceptional case, recent scholarship in political science has tended to emphasize the points of comparison between France and other polities. In short, the context of French politics is changing and the study of French politics is changing. French Politics is designed to reflect these developments. It is an international, peer-reviewed journal of the highest quality that promotes the study of contemporary and comparative French politics, policy and society. In addition to the focus on France, the journal has taken the decision to publish papers on the politics of Francophone countries and regions generally. Among others, we welcome submissions on Quebec, Francophone Belgium and Switzerland, and countries in Francophone Africa. We encourage submissions that adopt a comparative perspective as well as stand-along papers on these countries and regions." The journal focuses on the role of political institutions, political behaviour, public policy, political economy, international relations, public administration and public law. It particularly encourages and welcomes submissions that seek to incorporate the French and Francophone cases into more broad comparative and cross-national analyses, and that use these cases in theory-testing and theory building. The journal also seeks contributions from a wide variety of methodological perspectives, including institutional analysis (historical, empirical, sociological), behavioural studies (survey data and timeseries analysis), rational choice (including game theory and rational choice institutionalism), political theory, political sociology and post-modern approaches (cultural theory).
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): POLITICAL SCIENCE
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named France 16, United States 14, United Kingdom 6, Belgium 5, Canada 4 (53 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Electoral Systems and Political ParticipationSocial Sciences15.7%
- Social Policy and Reform StudiesSocial Sciences8%
- Populism, Right-Wing MovementsSocial Sciences7.4%
- Political Systems and GovernanceSocial Sciences5.9%
- European Union Policy and GovernanceSocial Sciences5.6%
- Multiculturalism, Politics, Migration, GenderSocial Sciences5.6%
- European Socioeconomic and Political StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.6%
- Gender Politics and RepresentationSocial Sciences4.4%
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 | Political Science | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSSPublisher website
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 (publisher) 2025
- 1Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.9LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.56LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.89LetPub ·
- h-index
- 34OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 178OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.87OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 10%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 22.97%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 24LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 85,600Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 666 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 36 | 12 | 1 |
| 2025 | 32 | 14 | 33 |
| 2024 | 42 | 19 | 62 |
| 2023 | 34 | 17 | 139 |
| 2022 | 31 | 20 | 155 |
| 2021 | 27 | 12 | 155 |
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
Not usableThis publisher's "received" date is mostly when the revised manuscript arrived (36% of articles were "accepted" within 3 days), so it cannot measure review time
Figures by source
- Submission to first decision
- 8 daysPublisher 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 2,190 / EUR 3,090 | — | — |
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 prepare2 items from the author guidelines
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 8,000 words
- Reference style
- Chicago
Article types accepted8, with length limits
- data, methods, and measures articlesThe journal publishes articles on Data, Methods, and Measures relating to all aspects of contemporary French politics.Length not stated
- original researchThe journal publishes three types of articles. Individual research articles and Data and Measure articles may be submitted through the online system. Review art…Length not stated
- original research articleThe journal publishes three types of articles. Individual research articles and Data and Measure articles may be submitted through the online system. Review art…main text ≤ 10,000 words
- original research articlesThe journal publishes stand-alone articles on all aspects of contemporary French politics based on original pieces of research.Length not stated
- research articleThe journal publishes three types of articles. Individual research articles and Data and Measure articles may be submitted through the online system. Review art…Length not stated
- reviewThe journal publishes three types of articles. Individual research articles and Data and Measure articles may be submitted through the online system. Review art…Length not stated
- review articleThe journal publishes three types of articles. Individual research articles and Data and Measure articles may be submitted through the online system. Review art…main text ≤ 8,000 words
- review articlesThe journal publishes state of the field articles on all aspects of contemporary French politics.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websitePublication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Self-archiving
- Publication ethics
Third-party permissions required Model summary
Authors are responsible for ensuring that any third-party material (e.g. figures, tables, photos, illustrations, trade literature, or data) is not used without permission.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright and Permissions
Using third-party material in your articleAuthors are responsible for ensuring that any third-party material (e.g. figures, tables, photos, illustrations, trade literature, or data) is not used without permission. If such material is copyrighted, permission must be obtained and submitted with the final manuscript. The Editor and Publisher must be informed of any restricted-use content at submissio…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access & Self Archiving
Self-archiving (green open access)Where articles are published via the subscription route, authors are permitted to self-archive the accepted manuscript (the version post-peer review, but prior to copy-editing and typesetting) on their own personal website and/or in their funder or institutional repositories, for public release after an embargo period of 12 months after first publication.Learn mor…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Peer review: at least two external reviewers for original research articles Model summary
All original research articles are sent for external peer review to at least two reviewers.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Self-archiving Open Access & Self Archiving
Self-archiving (green open access)Where articles are published via the subscription route, authors are permitted to self-archive the accepted manuscript (the version post-peer review, but prior to copy-editing and typesetting) on their own personal website and/or in their funder or institutional repositories, for public release after an embargo period of 12 months after first publication.Learn mor…
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
- Springer Nature
- Frequency
- 4 issues per year
- ISSN
- 1476-3419
- Electronic ISSN
- 1476-3427
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 24, Issue 3 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about French Politics
What CAS zone is French Politics in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, French Politics is in Zone 4 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Political Science. 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 French Politics?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 1 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 1.9, h-index 34.
How long does peer review take at French Politics?
The publisher reports about 8 days (submission to first decision); first decisions include desk rejections. 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 French Politics?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Manuscript length: ≤ 8,000 words; Reference style: Chicago. 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 French Politics based?
Of the 53 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are France (16), United States (14) and United Kingdom (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index French Politics?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, French Politics is indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Is French Politics open access, and what is the APC?
French Politics is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,190.
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: .