Journal profile · POLITICAL SCIENCE
Journal of Civil Society
ISSN 1744-8689 · eISSN 1744-8697 · Taylor & Francis
Journal of Civil Society: CAS Zone 4 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 55 days (submission to first decision, publisher); acceptance rate 18% (journal website); 25 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Civil Society is published by Taylor & Francis 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 Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering, Social Capital and Networks and International Development and Aid, together about 30.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Journal of Civil Society (JCS) is a preeminent academic journal dedicated to research and policy analysis on civil society. As a peer-reviewed publication with stringent standards, JCS serves as a prominent and influential platform for world-class scholarship and debate on civil society. In this context, JCS aims to enhance the theoretical understanding and empirical knowledge of civil society – its nature, patterns and composition; its history and development; and its relationships with the economy, political system and society at large. The journal’s primary goal is to foster and inform the diversity of scholarship and approaches to civil society across disciplines, as well as national and comparative perspectives. JCS specifically seeks qualitative and/or quantitative contributions on a range of topics, including (but not limited to): Philanthropy and social investment (e.g. grantmaking, foundations) Volunteerism (e.g. citizen participation, volunteer activities) Nonprofit governance, management and leadership (e.g. organizational behaviour, accountability, finance and fundraising) Public policy (e.g. government-civil society relations) Globalization and transnational civil society (e.g. international NGOs, transnational advocacy networks) Social justice and contentious issues (e.g. advocacy, human rights, protests, social movements) Social innovation and entrepreneurship (e.g. social enterprises, business-civil society relations) Cultural and educational initiatives (e.g. youth engagement, arts and culture promotion) Environmental sustainability (e.g. climate change initiatives) Editor-in-Chief: Prof. Reza Hasmath The Editor-in-Chief, Reza Hasmath is a Full Professor of Political Science at the University of Alberta. He has previously held faculty positions in management, sociology, and political science at the Universities of Toronto, Melbourne, and Oxford. He has also worked for and advised global think tanks, consultancies, development agencies, and social organizations. His award-winning research looks at: (1) the life course experiences of global ethnic minorities; (2) state-society relationships in China, and how emerging actors affect international development; (3) the behavior of policy actors and citizens in authoritarian regimes; (4) global sustainability and ESG principles/practices; and, (5) the essentialist qualities of the self, community and state. For more information, click here. Peer review All submitted manuscripts undergo an editori
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): POLITICAL SCIENCE
Editor-in-chief Reza HasmathPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 25%); most named Mainland China 1, United States 1, Canada 1, Australia 1 (4 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Nonprofit Sector and VolunteeringSocial Sciences12.9%
- Social Capital and NetworksSocial Sciences10.3%
- International Development and AidSocial Sciences7.1%
- Social Policy and Reform StudiesSocial Sciences7%
- Political Conflict and GovernanceSocial Sciences6.8%
- Social Media and PoliticsSocial Sciences6.6%
- Religion, Society, and DevelopmentSocial Sciences6%
- Political Influence and Corporate StrategiesBusiness, Management and Accounting4.9%
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 4 |
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 Q2 · 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
Web of SciencePublisher website
Other: OCLC, CSA - International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, EBSCOhost - Academic Search Alumni Edition, OCLC - ArticleFirst
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
- 1.1Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 2.2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.4LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.4Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.96LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.96Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 45OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 209OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.24OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 9.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 46.75%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 24LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 88,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 517 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 9 | 7 | 0 |
| 2025 | 25 | 13 | 42 |
| 2024 | 21 | 13 | 81 |
| 2023 | 31 | 18 | 132 |
| 2022 | 25 | 14 | 178 |
| 2021 | 20 | 5 | 84 |
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
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 18%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 55 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 Civil Society 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 an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
All submitted manuscripts undergo an editorial screening, followed by a double-anonymous peer review process. Model summary
All submitted manuscripts undergo an editorial screening, followed by a double-anonymous peer review process.
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
- 1744-8689
- Electronic ISSN
- 1744-8697
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 22, Issue 2 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Civil Society
What CAS zone is Journal of Civil Society in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Civil Society 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 Journal of Civil Society?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 1.1 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 2.2, h-index 45.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Civil Society?
The publisher reports about 55 days (submission to first decision); first decisions include desk rejections; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 18%. 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 Civil Society based?
Of the 4 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 25%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (1), United States (1) and Canada (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Civil Society?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Civil Society is indexed in ESCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Civil Society open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Civil Society 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: .