Journal profile · INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
International Spectator
ISSN 0393-2729 · eISSN 1751-9721 · Taylor & Francis
International Spectator: CAS Zone 2 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.5 (journal website); JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 60 days (first decision after review, publisher); acceptance rate 19% (journal website); 47 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
International Spectator is published by Taylor & Francis 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 European Union Policy and Governance, International Relations and Foreign Policy and Global Peace and Security Dynamics, together about 31.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Political Science and International Relations. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The International Spectator aims to provide academics, practitioners, opinion- and decision-makers, as well as interested laymen, with thought-provoking, analytically sound, theoretically informed and policy-oriented research articles, essays and book reviews on foreign policy issues. Topics cover the entire spectrum of international affairs from ongoing international politics, economics and security affairs to pressing questions on the international agenda such as climate and energy, global migration and development. The International Spectator recognizes the scholarly value of diverse perspectives and approaches, and welcomes a variety of methodologies, both quantitative and qualitative. Our journal is strongly committed to gender balance and diversity, as reflected in its editorial and international advisory boards, and encourages submissions from scholars at all career stages and from all world regions. In order to increase dissemination of published research, The International Spectator also has its own blog, where shorter posts based on selected scholarly articles are published on a regular basis, as well as a podcast channel. Since 2021, the journal has been included in Q1 in both the SCImago and Scopus CiteScore rankings in the subject category Political Science and International Relations; it is also part of Clarivate’s Emerging Sources Citation Index, International Relations. Peer Review and Publication Process The two kinds of articles published – essays and research articles – undergo rigorous peer review, based on initial in-house screening by the journal's editors (usually within two weeks of submission) and double anonymized anonymous refereeing by at least two independent, expert reviewers (usually within 8-10 weeks of the initial screening). All accepted articles go through internal editing, including language editing, and this support is provided free of charge to authors. Each article is then published online as soon as it is ready, normally within two months of acceptance.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Italy 1, Finland 1, Indonesia 1 (3 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- European Union Policy and GovernanceSocial Sciences14.1%
- International Relations and Foreign PolicySocial Sciences9.7%
- Global Peace and Security DynamicsSocial Sciences7.9%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering5.7%
- International Development and AidSocial Sciences5.2%
- Educational Robotics and EngineeringComputer Science5.1%
- Post-Soviet Geopolitical DynamicsSocial Sciences4.7%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.7%
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 | International Relations | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | International Relations | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q1 · best quartile · 2025
- CiteScore Q1 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
PubMedPublisher website
Other: PIO - Periodicals Index Online, CSA Worldwide Political Science Abstracts, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, PAIS International, Current Abstracts, International Political Science Abstracts Database, Peace Research Abstracts, Political Science Complete, Public Affairs Index, TOC Premier, EI (Online), ArticleFirst, Electronic Collections Online
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
- 2.5Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 4.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.77LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.77Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.59LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.59Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 45OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 342OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.79OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 31.25%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 36LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 222,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,166 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 28 | 15 | 4 |
| 2025 | 47 | 18 | 61 |
| 2024 | 50 | 28 | 284 |
| 2023 | 48 | 20 | 314 |
| 2022 | 46 | 18 | 337 |
| 2021 | 44 | 21 | 477 |
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
60 daysfirst decision after review
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
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 19%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 25 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 60 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 29 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
The International Spectator is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the discoverability…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review and Publication Process
The two kinds of articles published – essays and research articles – undergo rigorous peer review, based on initial in-house screening by the journal's editors (usually within two weeks of submission) and double anonymized anonymous refereeing by at least two independent, expert reviewers (usually within 8-10 weeks of the initial screening).
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
- Taylor & Francis
- ISSN
- 0393-2729
- Electronic ISSN
- 1751-9721
- Society / sponsor
- Istituto Affari Internazionali
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 61, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about International Spectator
What CAS zone is International Spectator in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, International Spectator is in Zone 2 of Sociology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category International Relations. 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 International Spectator?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 2.5 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 4.5, h-index 45.
How long does peer review take at International Spectator?
The publisher reports about 60 days (first decision after review); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 19%. 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 JCR quartile is International Spectator in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q1 (best quartile). JCR quartiles are Clarivate's to confirm and a different system from the CAS zones; in the CAS ranking the journal is in Zone 2 of Sociology.
Where are the editorial board members of International Spectator based?
Of the 3 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Italy (1), Finland (1) and Indonesia (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index International Spectator?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, International Spectator is indexed in ESCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists PubMed; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is International Spectator open access, and what is the APC?
International Spectator is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC charged, amount not published.
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: .