Journal profile · DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
Journal of Development Effectiveness
ISSN 1943-9342 · eISSN 1943-9407 · Taylor & Francis
Journal of Development Effectiveness: CAS Zone 4 · Economics (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.2; hybrid open access; APC about USD 244; median 397 days to acceptance (44 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 12% (journal website); 18 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Development Effectiveness is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 4 of Economics in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare, Child Nutrition and Water Access and Evaluation and Performance Assessment, together about 40.1% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The aim of Journal of Development Effectiveness is to support evidence-based policy making to enhance development effectiveness. We do this by publishing high quality research that examines evidence of the impact of projects, programs and policies in or relevant to low and middle income countries, and discussions of experience in conducting impact evaluations and using their findings to inform policy and program design. Although we don’t favor any one methodology, the research we publish must apply rigorous evaluation techniques that address biases robustly. We have an interest in research which has been well contextualized with an appropriate use of mixed methods. Research reporting interventions with no, or a negative, impact is also welcome, as we have an explicit policy of ‘learning from our mistakes’, discouraging publication bias in favor of positive results. We welcome research that explores: The effectiveness of programs and projects that affect the lives of people in low and middle-income countries across all sectors; How such analyses can lead to better decisions by program implementers and policy makers; Program evaluations across all sectors, but we especially encourage those from understudied areas that help countries meet sustainable development goals; Methods that could improve such studies. Journal of Development Effectiveness is committed to peer-review integrity and upholding the highest standards of review. Once your paper has been assessed for suitability by the editor, it will then be double anonymized peer reviewed by independent, anonymous expert referees. Author Benefits We are abstracted and indexed in several prestigious databases including the Science Citation Index. While Journal of Development Effectiveness is independent of its management, the International Initiative for Impact Evaluation (3ie), it supports the journal and ensures that your research will be available for all our global partners to read. The prestigious and experienced members of our international Editorial Board and expert peer reviewers will guide you from submission to publication. Our Author Services page provides you with tips and tricks to promote your research on social media and through your network. This includes 50 free e-prints to share with anyone you wish. Quickly and easily track the impact your paper makes with the help of Authored Works.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
Editor-in-chief Marie GaarderPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 2, United Kingdom 1 (3 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Poverty, Education, and Child WelfareSocial Sciences20.9%
- Child Nutrition and Water AccessNursing10%
- Evaluation and Performance AssessmentDecision Sciences9.2%
- Microfinance and Financial InclusionEconomics, Econometrics and Finance7.1%
- Agricultural risk and resilienceAgricultural and Biological Sciences5.3%
- Global Maternal and Child HealthMedicine5.1%
- Income, Poverty, and InequalitySocial Sciences4.8%
- International Development and AidSocial Sciences4.6%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Economics Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Development Studies | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Economics Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Development Studies | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Economics Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Development Studies | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
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
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
SCIEPublisher 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
- Impact factor
- 1.2LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.2Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 2.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.35LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.35Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.6LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.6Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 53OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 209OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.15OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 29.31%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 18LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 101,000Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 101,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 513 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 26 | 14 | 9 |
| 2025 | 18 | 8 | 9 |
| 2024 | 23 | 18 | 59 |
| 2023 | 21 | 7 | 88 |
| 2022 | 38 | 19 | 176 |
| 2021 | 28 | 11 | 206 |
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
397 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 249 days – 544 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 26 days (46 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 427 days
- Sample
- 44 articles with submission and acceptance dates (40 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)
- 12%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 12%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 49 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 49 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 175 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review 2025
- 175 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 18 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 18 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 244 | — | — |
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 accepted1
- research articleResearch Article | Published online: 16 Sep 2026Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Journal of Development Effectiveness 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 discov…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Double anonymized peer review Model summary
Once your paper has been assessed for suitability by the editor, it will then be double anonymized peer reviewed by independent, anonymous expert referees.
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
- 1943-9342
- Electronic ISSN
- 1943-9407
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 18, Issue 2 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Development Effectiveness
What CAS zone is Journal of Development Effectiveness in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Development Effectiveness is in Zone 4 of Economics, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Development Studies. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Economics. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Development Effectiveness?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.2; CiteScore 2.1, h-index 53.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Development Effectiveness?
Based on the dates recorded on 44 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 397 days (interquartile range 249–544 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 12% (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 Development Effectiveness 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 (2) and United Kingdom (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Development Effectiveness?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Development Effectiveness is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists SCIE; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Development Effectiveness open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Development Effectiveness is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 244.
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: .