Journal profile · CRIMINOLOGY & PENOLOGY
Journal of Experimental Criminology
ISSN 1573-3750 · eISSN 1572-8315 · Springer Nature · 4 issues per year
Journal of Experimental Criminology: CAS Zone 2 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.29; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,090; median 105 days to acceptance (54 articles, last 24 months); 66 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Experimental Criminology is published by Springer Nature 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 Crime Patterns and Interventions, Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis and Policing Practices and Perceptions, together about 50% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Experimental Criminology focuses on high quality experimental and quasi-experimental research in the advancement of criminological theory and/or the development of evidence based crime and justice policy. The journal is also committed to the advancement of the science of systematic reviews and experimental methods in criminology and criminal justice. The journal seeks empirical papers on experimental and quasi-experimental studies, systematic reviews on substantive criminological and criminal justice issues, and methodological papers on experimentation and systematic review. The journal encourages submissions from scholars in the broad array of scientific disciplines that are concerned with criminology as well as crime and justice problems.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): CRIMINOLOGY & PENOLOGY
Editor-in-chief Wesley G. JenningsPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 29, Australia 5, United Kingdom 2, Canada 2, Macau, China 1 (40 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Crime Patterns and InterventionsSocial Sciences24.8%
- Criminal Justice and Corrections AnalysisSocial Sciences16%
- Policing Practices and PerceptionsSocial Sciences9.2%
- Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual OffendingPsychology8.5%
- Homelessness and Social IssuesHealth Professions3.7%
- Substance Abuse Treatment and OutcomesMedicine3.1%
- Gun Ownership and Violence ResearchSocial Sciences3.1%
- Social and Intergroup PsychologySocial Sciences2.8%
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 | Criminology & Penology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Criminology & Penology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Criminology & Penology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
SCIEPsycINFOCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
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
- 2.29LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.5Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.07LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.91LetPub ·
- h-index
- 86OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 446OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.95OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 46.5%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 53LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 437,800Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 814 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 57 | 36 | 15 |
| 2025 | 66 | 43 | 77 |
| 2024 | 53 | 25 | 252 |
| 2023 | 56 | 31 | 436 |
| 2022 | 54 | 30 | 610 |
| 2021 | 44 | 24 | 803 |
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
105 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 75 days – 145 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 22 days (90 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 138 days
- Sample
- 54 articles with submission and acceptance dates (135 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
- Submission to first decision
- 1 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 3,090 / EUR 2,490 / GBP 2,190 | — | — | |
| 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)
What to prepare1 items from the author guidelines
- Keywords
- ≥ 5
Article types accepted5
- original researchThe Journal of Experimental Criminology accepts submissions in the following formats: Original Research Original research articles are empirical papers on exper…Length not stated
- original research articleThe Journal of Experimental Criminology accepts submissions in the following formats: Original Research Original research articles are empirical papers on exper…Length not stated
- perspectiveThe Journal of Experimental Criminology accepts submissions in the following formats: Original Research Original research articles are empirical papers on exper…Length not stated
- research reportThe Journal of Experimental Criminology accepts submissions in the following formats: Original Research Original research articles are empirical papers on exper…Length not stated
- systematic reviewThe Journal of Experimental Criminology accepts submissions in the following formats: Original Research Original research articles are empirical papers on exper…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- Authorship Authorship principles
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability
The journal encourages authors to provide a statement of Data availability in their article. Data availability statements should include information on where data supporting the results reported in the article can be found, including, where applicable, hyperlinks to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Data availability statements can also indicate whether data are av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Authors will be asked, upon acceptance of an article, to transfer copyright of the article to the Publisher. This will ensure the widest possible dissemination of information under copyright laws. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Journal of Experimental Criminology, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Clinical Trial Registration
The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of a clinical trial is "any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes". The WHO defines health interventions as “A health intervention is an act performed for, with or on behalf of a person or population whose purpose is to ass…
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
- Springer Nature
- Frequency
- 4 issues per year
- ISSN
- 1573-3750
- Electronic ISSN
- 1572-8315
- Society / sponsor
- ASC Division of Experimental Criminology
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 22, Issue 2 (June 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Experimental Criminology
What CAS zone is Journal of Experimental Criminology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Experimental Criminology is in Zone 2 of Sociology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Criminology & Penology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Experimental Criminology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.29; CiteScore 7, h-index 86.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Experimental Criminology?
Based on the dates recorded on 54 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 105 days (interquartile range 75–145 days). 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 Experimental Criminology based?
Of the 40 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (29), Australia (5) and United Kingdom (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Experimental Criminology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Experimental Criminology is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists SCIE, PsycINFO and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Experimental Criminology open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Experimental Criminology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,090.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; 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: .