Journal profile · Multiple
Journal of Critical Realism
ISSN 1476-7430 · eISSN 1572-5138 · Taylor & Francis
Journal of Critical Realism: CAS Zone 2 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.4 (journal website); JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,250; median 257 days to acceptance (47 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 40% (journal website); 38 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Critical Realism 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 Critical Realism in Sociology, Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice and Economic Theory and Institutions, together about 45% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Critical Realism (JCR) is an international, interdisciplinary and peer-reviewed academic journal publishing original research in the humanities and social sciences that engages with critical realism. It is owned by the International Association for Critical Realism (IACR), established in 1997 to foster the discussion, propagation, and the development of critical realist approaches to understanding and changing the world. It provides a forum for scholars wishing to promote realist emancipatory philosophy, social theory and science on an interdisciplinary and critical basis, and for those who wish to engage with such approaches. JCR publishes research articles, review essays, book reviews, interviews, and scholarly discussions that relate in some significant way to critical realism. It is committed to encouraging contributions within the framework of, or engaging with, all phases of the philosophy of critical realism, including original critical realism, dialectical critical realism, and the philosophy of metaReality. All original articles/research articles and review essays that pass the initial desk review by the journal’s lead editorial team are reviewed by typically at least two independent academic referees in a double-anonymous peer review process before they can be published at the journal. Book reviews and discussion pieces go through editorial checks and might be sent to peer review at the discretion of the editorial team. For more information on the journal’s editorial policy, please see the sections titled 'Editorial structure and review process’, 'Thematic focus and basic criteria’, and ' Instructions for authors ’. Thematic focus and basic criteria: As a thematic criterion, submissions should contain a substantial engagement with critical realism and should demonstrate the relevance and significance of the metatheory for the work at hand. This could take various forms, including discussions with the relevant critical realist literature on the subject; application of critical realist concepts in adequate depth and detail to the subject and the broader literature in the area; and articulation of clear and coherent connections between critical realist metatheory, on the one hand, and the specific methodology and substantive theory, on the other. The journal is open to submissions that are critical of critical realism as well, provided there is sufficient depth of engagement. The journal publishes both conceptual and theoretical inqui
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Onur OzmenPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United Kingdom 32, Australia 6, United States 3, Sweden 3, Brazil 3 (56 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Critical Realism in SociologySocial Sciences29.6%
- Contemporary Sociological Theory and PracticeSocial Sciences9.3%
- Economic Theory and InstitutionsEconomics, Econometrics and Finance6.1%
- Political Economy and MarxismSocial Sciences5.8%
- Social and Cultural DynamicsSocial Sciences5.8%
- Management and Organizational StudiesBusiness, Management and Accounting4.2%
- Critical Theory and PhilosophySocial Sciences4%
- Philosophy and History of ScienceArts and Humanities3.7%
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 | Philosophy | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Philosophy | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview 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
ERIH PLUSPublisher website
Other: ProQuest, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, PhilPapers, Philosophy Research Index, ProQuest Academic Research Library, ProQuest Central, ProQuest Social Sciences, The Philosopher's Index
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
- 2.4Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 5.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.91LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.91Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.41LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.41Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 44OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 189OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.29OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 33.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 25.64%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 25LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 170,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 829 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 25 | 17 | 2 |
| 2025 | 38 | 22 | 39 |
| 2024 | 28 | 17 | 76 |
| 2023 | 37 | 25 | 264 |
| 2022 | 34 | 19 | 557 |
| 2021 | 41 | 17 | 806 |
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
257 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 178 days – 368 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 27 days (47 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 292 days
- Sample
- 47 articles with submission and acceptance dates (69 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)
- 40%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 31 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 109 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 | USD 3,250 | — | — |
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)
Article types accepted8
- book reviewBook Review | Published online: 26 Aug 2026Length not stated
- book reviewsJCR publishes research articles, review essays, book reviews, interviews, and scholarly discussions that relate in some significant way to critical realism.Length not stated
- discussionDiscussion | Published online: 30 Jul 2026Length not stated
- interviewsJCR publishes research articles, review essays, book reviews, interviews, and scholarly discussions that relate in some significant way to critical realism.Length not stated
- original research articlesJCR publishes research articles, review essays, book reviews, interviews, and scholarly discussions that relate in some significant way to critical realism.Length not stated
- research articleResearch Article | Published online: 17 Aug 2026Length not stated
- review essaysJCR publishes research articles, review essays, book reviews, interviews, and scholarly discussions that relate in some significant way to critical realism.Length not stated
- scholarly discussionsJCR publishes research articles, review essays, book reviews, interviews, and scholarly discussions that relate in some significant way to critical realism.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websitePublication ethics, Open access, Peer review
- Publication ethics
The lead editorial team makes a good faith effort to apply the standards and protocols of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in handling conflicts of interest cases. Model summary
The lead editorial team makes a good faith effort to apply the standards and protocols of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) in handling such cases.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
Journal of Critical Realism 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
Double-anonymous peer review with typically at least two independent academic referees for original articles and review essays that pass initial desk review. Model summary
All original articles/research articles and review essays that pass the initial desk review by the journal’s lead editorial team are reviewed by typically at least two independent academic referees in a double-anonymous peer review process before they can be published at the journal.
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
- 1476-7430
- Electronic ISSN
- 1572-5138
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 25, Issue 2 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Critical Realism
What CAS zone is Journal of Critical Realism in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Critical Realism is in Zone 2 of Sociology, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Philosophy / Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary. 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 Critical Realism?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 2.4 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 5.4, h-index 44.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Critical Realism?
Based on the dates recorded on 47 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 257 days (interquartile range 178–368 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 40%. 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 Journal of Critical Realism 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 Journal of Critical Realism based?
Of the 56 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (32), Australia (6) and United States (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Critical Realism?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Critical Realism is indexed in ESCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists ERIH PLUS; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Critical Realism open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Critical Realism is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,250.
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: .