Journal profile · Multiple
Journal of Chinese Political Science
ISSN 1080-6954 · eISSN 1874-6357 · Springer Nature · 4 issues per year
Journal of Chinese Political Science: CAS Zone 1 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 5.21; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,590; median 145 days to acceptance (28 articles, last 24 months); 24 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Chinese Political Science is published by Springer Nature and is in Zone 1 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance, Chinese history and philosophy and International Relations and Foreign Policy, together about 51.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science and Political Science and International Relations. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Journal of Chinese Political Science (JCPS) is a double-blind peer refereed academic journal in political science that publishes theoretical and empirical research articles on contemporary Chinese politics across the whole spectrum of political science. The journal emphasizes theoretical and conceptual advancement, methodological creativity, and empirical research that address emerging issues, core debates and research agendas in the fields of Chinese politics and foreign policy. The journal also features special issues and a small number of field-reshaping review essays on different aspects of contemporary Chinese politics, which synthesize major developments and chart new directions in the fields or illuminate a larger and important conceptual, theoretical or methodological challenges and concerns.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Sujian GuoPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 10 in mainland China (about 21%); most named United States 32, Mainland China 10, Hong Kong, China 1, Taiwan, China 1, United Kingdom 1 (47 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- China's Socioeconomic Reforms and GovernanceSocial Sciences27.1%
- Chinese history and philosophySocial Sciences16.2%
- International Relations and Foreign PolicySocial Sciences8.3%
- International Development and AidSocial Sciences7%
- Hong Kong and Taiwan PoliticsSocial Sciences6.7%
- China's Ethnic Minorities and RelationsSocial Sciences4.6%
- Vietnamese History and Culture StudiesSocial Sciences3.3%
- Global trade and economicsEconomics, Econometrics and Finance2.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Area Studies | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Area Studies | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Area Studies | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
SCIECurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
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
- 5.21LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 5.4Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 8.1LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.42LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.22LetPub ·
- h-index
- 48OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 303OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 7.03OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 13%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 25.93%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 23LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 257900Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,039 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 23 | 7 | 31 |
| 2025 | 24 | 12 | 182 |
| 2024 | 23 | 6 | 279 |
| 2023 | 36 | 9 | 509 |
| 2022 | 70 | 23 | 600 |
| 2021 | 64 | 22 | 853 |
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 · to
145 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 119 days – 255 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 24 days (46 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 205 days
- Sample
- 28 articles with submission and acceptance dates (52 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
- 12 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 3,590 / EUR 2,890 / GBP 2,590 | — | — |
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
- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Journal of Chinese Political Science, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page.
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
- 1080-6954
- Electronic ISSN
- 1874-6357
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 31, Issue 2 (June 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Chinese Political Science
What CAS zone is Journal of Chinese Political Science in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Chinese Political Science is in Zone 1 of Sociology, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Area Studies / Political Science; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Chinese Political Science?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 5.21; CiteScore 8.1, h-index 48.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Chinese Political Science?
Based on the dates recorded on 28 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 145 days (interquartile range 119–255 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Journal of Chinese Political Science based?
Of the 47 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 10 (about 21%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (32), Mainland China (10) and Hong Kong, China (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Chinese Political Science?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Chinese Political Science is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists SCIE and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Chinese Political Science open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Chinese Political Science is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,590.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .