Journal profile · Multiple
Journal of Consumer Affairs
ISSN 0022-0078 · eISSN 1745-6606 · Wiley-Blackwell
Journal of Consumer Affairs: CAS Zone 3 · Economics (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.38; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,350; median 289 days to acceptance (80 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 13% (journal website); 47 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Consumer Affairs is published by Wiley-Blackwell and is in Zone 3 of Economics in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Financial Literacy, Pension, Retirement Analysis, Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification and Housing Market and Economics, together about 36.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Marketing and Economics and Econometrics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The journal features analysis of individual, business, and government decisions and actions that affect consumers’ interests in the marketplace. Contributions from the social and behavioral sciences, consumer sciences, education, communication, social work, business, law, public administration and public policy are welcomed. Research articles, practical applications, and commentary all have a place in the journal. Research on issues of topical relevance to consumers may be of empirical or conceptual design. Trends and Applications articles highlight emerging trends and/or applications with implications for consumer well-being; they often provide specific recommendations for policy, research, and/or practice. The Commentary section is devoted to articles that contribute new thought about key issues in consumer well-being, rights, education, research, policy, trends, or regulation. Articles appearing in all sections of the journal are subject to double-blind peer review.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 1, South Africa 1, Jordan 1 (3 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Financial Literacy, Pension, Retirement AnalysisBusiness, Management and Accounting14.6%
- Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and IdentificationBusiness, Management and Accounting10.8%
- Housing Market and EconomicsEconomics, Econometrics and Finance10.6%
- Consumer Market Behavior and PricingBusiness, Management and Accounting7.4%
- Consumer Retail Behavior StudiesBusiness, Management and Accounting4.7%
- Gender, Labor, and Family DynamicsSocial Sciences4.4%
- Housing, Finance, and NeoliberalismEconomics, Econometrics and Finance3.7%
- Economics of Agriculture and Food MarketsEconomics, Econometrics and Finance3.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Economics Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Business | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Economics | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Economics Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Business | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Economics | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Economics Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Economics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Business | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
PubMedPsycINFOCAB AbstractsEconLitCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest, AGRICOLA, RePEc
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
- 3.38LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.8LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 7.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.04LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.33LetPub ·
- h-index
- 111OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 927OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.19OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 2.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 36.29%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 37LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 37Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 286,887Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,971 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 44 | 22 | 8 |
| 2025 | 47 | 28 | 98 |
| 2024 | 51 | 33 | 205 |
| 2023 | 64 | 46 | 879 |
| 2022 | 76 | 40 | 1,039 |
| 2021 | 92 | 26 | 1,570 |
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
289 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 221 days – 374 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 24 days (80 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 318 days
- Sample
- 80 articles with submission and acceptance dates (94 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
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 13%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 21 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 284 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,350 / EUR 2,780 / GBP 2,220 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Submission fee
- USD 125
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 prepare1 items from the author guidelines
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
Article types accepted1, with length limits
- commentaryh or practice. Manuscripts submitted as Commentaries should not exceed 2,500 words. PREPARING A MANUSCRIPT FOR SUBMISSION Submitting the manusmain text ≤ 2,500 words
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
- Wiley-Blackwell
- ISSN
- 0022-0078
- Electronic ISSN
- 1745-6606
- Society / sponsor
- American Council on Consumer Interests
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 60, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Consumer Affairs
What CAS zone is Journal of Consumer Affairs in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Consumer Affairs is in Zone 3 of Economics, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Business / Economics. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Economics. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Consumer Affairs?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.38; CiteScore 7.8, h-index 111.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Consumer Affairs?
Based on the dates recorded on 80 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 289 days (interquartile range 221–374 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 13% (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 Consumer Affairs 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 United States (1), South Africa (1) and Jordan (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Consumer Affairs?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Consumer Affairs is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists PubMed, PsycINFO, CAB Abstracts, EconLit and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Consumer Affairs open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Consumer Affairs is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,350.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .