Journal profile · GEOGRAPHY
Journal of Borderlands Studies
ISSN 0886-5655 · eISSN 2159-1229 · Taylor & Francis
Journal of Borderlands Studies: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.2 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 109 days (first decision after review, publisher); acceptance rate 27% (journal website); 80 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Borderlands Studies is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 3 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Cross-Border Cooperation and Integration, Migration, Refugees, and Integration and Migration and Labor Dynamics, together about 43.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Political Science and International Relations. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Journal of Borderlands Studies is the primary publication of the Association for Borderlands Studies, which has distinguished itself as a leading forum for border research. Widely consulted by researchers, but also by educators and practitioners, the journal encourages the submission of papers from all social science and humanities focusing on border issues, bordering dynamics and borderlands in any part of the world. The emphasis on borders is global. The distinctive purpose of Journal of Borderlands Studies as an international journal is to publish original research covering the development of theories and concepts, methodological perspectives, empirical analysis and policy debate in the field of border studies. The journal is a interdisciplinary forum, which showcases diverse perspectives and analytical techniques. Peer Review Statement All submissions to this journal undergo rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and double-anonymized review by at least two referees, although in many instances three referees are used.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): GEOGRAPHY
Editor-in-chief Kimberly CollinsPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 2, France 1, Canada 1, Sweden 1, Brazil 1 (11 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Cross-Border Cooperation and IntegrationSocial Sciences21.7%
- Migration, Refugees, and IntegrationSocial Sciences14.2%
- Migration and Labor DynamicsSocial Sciences7.3%
- Latin American and Latino StudiesSocial Sciences5.4%
- Diaspora, migration, transnational identitySocial Sciences4.8%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering3.5%
- European Union Policy and GovernanceSocial Sciences3.3%
- Political Systems and GovernanceSocial Sciences3.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Geography | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Geography | 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
- 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
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
- 1.2Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 3.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.75LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.75Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.87LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.87Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 46OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 401OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.05OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 8.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 16.25%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 58LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 129,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,639 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 126 | 45 | 17 |
| 2025 | 80 | 18 | 87 |
| 2024 | 76 | 23 | 191 |
| 2023 | 66 | 17 | 267 |
| 2022 | 71 | 20 | 472 |
| 2021 | 52 | 12 | 589 |
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
109 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) 2025
- 27%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 43 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review 2025
- 109 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 19 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
Journal of Borderlands Studies 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 discoverabil…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Peer review process: initial editor screening and double-anonymized review by at least two referees, often three. Model summary
All submissions to this journal undergo rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and double-anonymized review by at least two referees, although in many instances three referees are used.
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
- 0886-5655
- Electronic ISSN
- 2159-1229
- Society / sponsor
- Association for Borderlands Studies
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 41, Issue 4 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Borderlands Studies
What CAS zone is Journal of Borderlands Studies in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Borderlands Studies is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Geography. 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 Journal of Borderlands Studies?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 1.2 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 3.7, h-index 46.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Borderlands Studies?
The publisher reports about 109 days (first decision after review); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 27% (2025). 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Journal of Borderlands Studies based?
Of the 11 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (2), France (1) and Canada (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Borderlands Studies?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Borderlands Studies is indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Is Journal of Borderlands Studies open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Borderlands Studies 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: .