Journal profile · Arts and Humanities-Literature and Literary Theory
Journal of Popular Romance Studies
ISSN 2159-4473 · International Association for the Study of Popular Romance (IASPR) · United States
Journal of Popular Romance Studies: diamond open access (no APC); no APC; review about 26 weeks (community reports); 23 articles in 2025; indexed in Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Popular Romance Studies is published by International Association for the Study of Popular Romance (IASPR). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Themes in Literature Analysis, Literature: history, themes, analysis and American and British Literature Analysis, together about 37.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Literature and Literary Theory. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Popular Romance Studies is a peer-reviewed interdisciplinary journal publishing concise and well-written contributions to the study of popular romance media (e.g., love songs; romantic fiction and chick-lit; romance in film and TV, in comics and graphic novels, in memoir and life-writing, in fanfic and other forms of transformative culture, etc.). We also publish articles on the logics, institutions, and social practices of romantic love in global popular culture. In addition, JPRS publishes book reviews, notes and queries, special issues, and reports from the classroom that outline techniques and tools, syllabus models, and practical pieces on the teaching of popular romance media and culture.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Arts and Humanities-Literature and Literary Theory
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 9, United Kingdom 3, Spain 2, Australia 2, Canada 1 (20 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Themes in Literature AnalysisArts and Humanities16.4%
- Literature: history, themes, analysisArts and Humanities12.1%
- American and British Literature AnalysisArts and Humanities8.6%
- Folklore, Mythology, and Literature StudiesArts and Humanities7.9%
- Gender and Feminist StudiesSocial Sciences7.4%
- Gender, Feminism, and MediaSocial Sciences5.7%
- Literary Theory and Cultural HermeneuticsArts and Humanities5.5%
- American Literature and CultureArts and Humanities5%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Literature and Literary Theory | Q1 | 141/1186 | — |
| Visual Arts and Performing Arts | Q1 | 148/697 | — |
| Music | Q2 | 64/196 | — |
| Cultural Studies | Q2 | 512/1434 | — |
| Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous) | Q2 | 297/692 | — |
| Communication | Q3 | 381/541 | — |
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
ERIHPLUS, Scimago, ERAPublisher 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
- 0.8LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.17LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.33LetPub ·
- h-index
- 4OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.73OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 180 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 20 | 20 | 23 |
| 2025 | 23 | 23 | 21 |
| 2024 | 23 | 23 | 12 |
| 2023 | 17 | 17 | 21 |
| 2022 | 39 | 39 | 6 |
| 2021 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
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 26 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 18 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer review, Open peer review, Unspecified 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-NC | |
| LetPub | No APC | No | — | |
| Publisher website | No APC | — | — |
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 accepted7, with length limits
- articlesWe also publish articles on the logics, institutions, and social practices of romantic love in global popular culture.Length not stated
- book reviewsWe also publish book reviews, notes and queries, and special issues.Length not stated
- notes and queriesWe also publish book reviews, notes and queries, and special issues.Length not stated
- reports from the classroomJPRS also publishes reports from the classroom, outlining techniques and tools, syllabus models, and practical pieces on the teaching of popular romance.Length not stated
- research articleestrictions. 1.2 Formatting submissions Research articles should be between 5,000 and 10,000 words, including notes and bibliography. Manuscripts longer thanmain text ≤ 10,000 words
- research articlesResearch articles should be between 5,000 and 10,000 words, including notes and bibliography.Length not stated
- special issuesWe also publish book reviews, notes and queries, and special issues.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Plagiarism, Preprints
- AI use 4 AI Policy
AI systems may not be used in the peer review process. Model summary
This policy covers the use of AI tools (artificial intelligence, including Large Language Models or LLMs) at JPRS. 4.1 Submissions As COPE states, “AI tools cannot meet the requirements for authorship as they cannot take responsibility for the submitted work. As non-legal entities, they cannot assert the presence or absence of conflicts of interest nor manage copyright and license agreements.” In …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship 7 Authorship
Authors retain copyright and publishing rights. Model summary
All submissions should clearly indicate all contributing authors and confirm that they have met the requirements for authorship. We display author names in alphabetical order at JPRS, so please indicate in a footnote any unequal authorship or lead authorship, if required. We follow COPE guidelines on the minimum requirements for authorship: substantial contribution to the work accountability for t…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest 8 Conflict of Interest
Editorial board members must not be involved in editorial decisions about their own work. Model summary
Authors, peer reviewers and members of the editorial board should disclose all interests which may present a potential conflict and affect their ability to submit or review work in an objective way. These may be professional or personal reasons (e.g. a close personal or professional relationship). Potential editorial board members should disclose a list of all commitments and roles relating to pub…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright
Authors responsible for securing permissions for copyrighted material. Model summary
It is the responsibility of the author to secure written permission from copyright holders to reproduce images, tables, figures, or any material that is held under copyright.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access
No submission or publication fees. Model summary
There are no fees payable to submit to or publish in JPRS.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review 3 Peer Review
Double blind, pre-publication peer review policy. Model summary
All research articles submitted to a general issue of JPRS undergo peer review. Book reviews, notes and queries articles, interviews, and pieces on the teaching of popular romance are not usually peer reviewed, but undergo internal editorial review. Research articles submitted to special issues will be peer reviewed according to our regular practices. JPRS has a double blind, pre-publication peer …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism 11 Plagiarism and Text-recycling
The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) define plagiarism as: When somebody presents the work of others (data, words or theories) as if they were [their] own and without proper acknowledgment. (https://publicationethics.org/category/keywords/plagiarism#:~:text=When%20somebody%20presents%20the%20work,own%20and%20without%20proper%20acknowledgment, accessed 3 September 2021) The Committee on Publi…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints 12 Preprints Policy
Preprints accepted for consideration. Model summary
JPRS will accept for consideration articles which have previously been made available as preprints (for example in an institutional repository or on a personal website). The existence of the preprint should be disclosed at the point of submission to JPRS along with any copyright implications (for example, if the author has not retained copyright of the preprint work). Once the article is published…
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
- International Association for the Study of Popular Romance (IASPR)
- Country or region
- United States
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2159-4473
- Society / sponsor
- International Association for the Study of Popular Romance
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- 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 Popular Romance Studies
How long does peer review take at Journal of Popular Romance Studies?
Authors report an average review time of about 26 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Journal of Popular Romance Studies based?
Of the 20 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (9), United Kingdom (3) and Spain (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Popular Romance Studies?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Popular Romance Studies is indexed in Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Journal of Popular Romance Studies open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Popular Romance Studies 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, DOAJ, 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .