Journal profile · Social Sciences-Sociology and Political Science
Journal of Deliberative Democracy
ISSN 2634-0488 · University of Westminster Press · United Kingdom
Journal of Deliberative Democracy: diamond open access (no APC); no APC; review about 40 weeks (community reports); 18 articles in 2025; indexed in Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Deliberative Democracy is published by University of Westminster Press. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Political Theory and Democracy, Social Media and Politics and Public Policy and Administration Research, together about 57.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Political Science and International Relations. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Deliberative Democracy (JDD) is an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed open‑access journal dedicated to advancing the study of deliberative and participatory democracy. Situated at the intersection of theory, empirical research, and democratic innovation in action, JDD provides a forum for rigorous scholarship and critical reflection grounded in real‑world democratic practice. JDD is committed to bridging academic and practical knowledge, and to enabling conversations across disciplinary, sectoral, and geographical boundaries. It publishes cutting‑edge research that engages with normative theories of deliberation while remaining attentive to how deliberative ideals are interpreted, contested, and realised in concrete political contexts. JDD seeks to foster sustained dialogue not only between researchers but also practitioners, policymakers, and civil society actors. A defining feature of JDD is its strong normative commitment to the core values of deliberative democracy, such as inclusivity, equity, and collective learning. The journal recognises that these ideals often sit in tension with the realities of academic publishing and treats deliberative democratic values not only as objects of study, but also as guiding principles for editorial practice. We aim to promote research and publishing practices that strengthen inclusion, transparency and impact. Inclusion JDD is committed to broadening participation in academic publishing and to strengthening voices and perspectives that have historically been marginalised within the field. The journal actively seeks contributions from scholars and practitioners beyond Western‑based academia, supports Early Career Researchers, and values diverse intellectual traditions, epistemologies, and methodological approaches. Efforts to diversify and decolonise knowledge production underpin the journal’s editorial orientation. We have launched regular Special Feature papers, through which the journal seeks to enhance the global visibility of deliberative and participatory practices, particularly those emerging in regions and political contexts that remain under‑represented in academic debates. Transparency JDD aims to be at the forefront of ethical research and publication practices. The journal actively promotes open access research, transparency, research integrity, and methodological reflexivity, including through study protocols and reflections on innovative or adapted methods for researching and practising de
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Social Sciences-Sociology and Political Science
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Australia 8, United States 6, United Kingdom 4, Canada 3, Finland 3 (36 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Political Theory and DemocracySocial Sciences38.3%
- Social Media and PoliticsSocial Sciences10.5%
- Public Policy and Administration ResearchSocial Sciences9%
- Electoral Systems and Political ParticipationSocial Sciences7.9%
- Political Philosophy and EthicsSocial Sciences6.2%
- Public Administration and Political AnalysisSocial Sciences4.1%
- Rhetoric and Communication StudiesArts and Humanities3.2%
- Pragmatism in Philosophy and EducationArts and Humanities2.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CiteScore quartiles (Scopus, June 2026 release)
| Subject | Quartile | Rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sociology and Political Science | Q2 | 472/1530 | — |
Scopus ranks journals by CiteScore within each subject: the 75th percentile and above is Q1, then a quartile every 25 points. A different system from the CAS zones.LetPub
Database indexing
ScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Google Scholar, Dimensions, Scilit, CLOCKSS, Crossref, Sherpa RomeoPublisher website
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
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 2.3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.51LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.87LetPub ·
- h-index
- 47OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 195OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.08OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 470 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 11 | 11 | 420 |
| 2025 | 18 | 18 | 705 |
| 2024 | 9 | 9 | 768 |
| 2023 | 12 | 12 | 760 |
| 2022 | 22 | 22 | 638 |
| 2021 | 45 | 45 | 944 |
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 40 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 40 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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
Diamond open access (no APC)DOAJ
Every article is open access and authors pay no article processing charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | No APC | No | CC BY | |
| LetPub | No APC | No | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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 prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–200 words
- Keywords
- ≤ 6
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 8,000 words
- Reference style
- APA
- Not considered
- Special Issues; Book Reviews
Article types accepted6
- book reviewResearch articles are full-length manuscripts that present an original contribution to the field of deliberative democracy. The length ranges from 6,000 to 8,00…Length not stated
- commentaryResearch articles are full-length manuscripts that present an original contribution to the field of deliberative democracy. The length ranges from 6,000 to 8,00…Length not stated
- reflections from the fieldReflections from the Field are shorter peer-reviewed articles (2,000-4,000 words) providing insights into participatory and deliberative practice that are often…Length not stated
- research articleResearch articles are full-length manuscripts that present an original contribution to the field of deliberative democracy. The length ranges from 6,000 to 8,00…Length not stated
- research articlesResearch articles are full-length manuscripts that present an original contribution to the field of deliberative democracy. The length ranges from 6,000 to 8,00…Length not stated
- special featuresSpecial Features are solicited, and may include commentaries interviews, conversations and roundtables.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteConflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- Conflicts of interest Competing interests
Competing interests must be declared in a short paragraph before the references. Model summary
If the author(s) has/have any competing interests then these must be declared. A short paragraph should be placed before the references. If there are no competing interests to declare then the following statement should be present: The author(s) has/have no competing interests to declare.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability
Data accessibility statement required if data, methods or code are openly available; repository location and DOI should be included. Model summary
If data, structured methods or code used in the research project have been made openly available, a statement should be added to inform the reader how/where to access these files.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Research involving human subjects must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki; ethics committee approval and informed consent statements required where applicable. Model summary
Research involving human subjects, human material, or human data, must have been performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Open access and copyright policy
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. It operates on a 'diamond' open access free to publish, free to read model meaning there are no Author Processing Charges (APCs) payable and content is accessible to anyone with an internet connection anywhere in the world.…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access and copyright policy
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. It operates on a 'diamond' open access free to publish, free to read model meaning there are no Author Processing Charges (APCs) payable and content is accessible to anyone with an internet connection anywhere in the world.…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Continuous article publication (CAP) model. Model summary
The journal operates on a continuous article publication (CAP) model enabling articles to publish as fast as possible.
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
- University of Westminster Press
- Country or region
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2634-0488
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Deliberative Democracy
How long does peer review take at Journal of Deliberative Democracy?
Authors report an average review time of about 40 weeks. 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 are the manuscript requirements of Journal of Deliberative Democracy?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–200 words; Keywords: ≤ 6; Manuscript length: ≤ 8,000 words; Reference style: APA. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Journal of Deliberative Democracy based?
Of the 36 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Australia (8), United States (6) and United Kingdom (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Deliberative Democracy?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Deliberative Democracy is indexed in Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Journal of Deliberative Democracy open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Deliberative Democracy is a diamond open-access journal (no APC). It charges no article processing charge.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website, DOAJ; 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 2026-08-24). Last updated: .