Journal profile · Multiple
Journal of Refugee Studies
ISSN 0951-6328 · eISSN 1471-6925 · Oxford University Press
Journal of Refugee Studies: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.17; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,996; 85 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Refugee Studies is published by Oxford University Press and is in Zone 3 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Migration, Refugees, and Integration, Migration, Health and Trauma and Asian Geopolitics and Ethnography, together about 49.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science and Political Science and International Relations. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Refugee Studies (JRS) provides a forum for exploration of the complex issue of forced migration and local, national, regional and international responses. The Journal publishes original, high-quality research and covers all categories of forcibly displaced people. Contributions that develop theoretical understandings of forced migration, or deepen knowledge of concepts, policies, practice and experiences of displacement are welcomed, as well as submissions that advance methodological debates and new approaches to researching forced migration. JRS is a multidisciplinary scholarly journal; articles published in JRS should make a clear, analytical contribution to the field of refugee and forced migration studies, e.g. through theoretical, historical, comparative and/or methodological advances. All original articles published in JRS go through a rigorous peer review process involving a minimum of two anonymous referees. In addition to original, full-length articles, JRS also publishes Field Reflections and reviews of books, films and other materials. For additional information, please see the “Instructions for Authors.” Abstracting and indexing services Journal Of Refugee Studies is covered by the following abstracting/indexing services: Abstracts on Hygiene and Communicable Diseases Applied Social Sciences Index & Abstracts (ASSIA) CAB Abstracts CSA Worldwide Political Science Abstracts Current Contents® /Social and Behavioral Sciences Current Law Index Global Health IBSS International Bibliography of the Social Sciences International Development Abstracts International Political Science Abstracts Journal Citation Reports /Social Sciences Edition Legal Journals Index Periodicals Index Online (PIO) PROQUEST DATABASE : Magazines PROQUEST DATABASE : ProQuest 5000 PROQUEST DATABASE : ProQuest 5000 International PROQUEST DATABASE : ProQuest Central PROQUEST DATABASE : ProQuest Discovery PROQUEST DATABASE : ProQuest International Academic Research Library PROQUEST DATABASE : ProQuest News & Magazines PROQUEST DATABASE : ProQuest Research Library PROQUEST DATABASE : ProQuest Sociology Public Affairs Information Services (PAIS) Rural Development Abstracts Rural Development Abstracts Social Science Research Network (SSRN) Social Sciences Citation Index® Social Scisearch® Social Services Abstracts Sociological Abstracts The Standard Periodical Directory Tropical Diseases Bulletin World Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology Abstracts Journal metrics
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United Kingdom 7, United States 6, Germany 3, Canada 3, Norway 3 (34 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Migration, Refugees, and IntegrationSocial Sciences25.7%
- Migration, Health and TraumaPsychology14.4%
- Asian Geopolitics and EthnographySocial Sciences9.4%
- Migration and Labor DynamicsSocial Sciences8.1%
- Education and experiences of immigrants and refugeesSocial Sciences4.9%
- Diaspora, migration, transnational identitySocial Sciences3.6%
- Global Peace and Security DynamicsSocial Sciences3.4%
- Jewish and Middle Eastern StudiesSocial Sciences3.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Demography | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Ethnic Studies | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Demography | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Ethnic Studies | 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 | Demography | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Ethnic Studies | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
CAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: ProQuest
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
- 2.17LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.2Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 4.2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.85LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.57LetPub ·
- h-index
- 105OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 961OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.21OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 13%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 50.52%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 61LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 255,885Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,436 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 35 | 19 | 2 |
| 2025 | 85 | 43 | 118 |
| 2024 | 90 | 49 | 344 |
| 2023 | 99 | 53 | 496 |
| 2022 | 66 | 29 | 418 |
| 2021 | 108 | 44 | 1,269 |
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
- 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 | EUR 4,421 | — | — |
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 prepare7 items from the author guidelines
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 8,000 words
- Reference style
- Harvard
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted2, with length limits
- perspectiveThe Journal of Refugee Studies publishes original scholarly articles, Field Reflections and reviews. All contributions must be in English; articles and Field Re…Length not stated
- reviewThe Journal of Refugee Studies publishes original scholarly articles, Field Reflections and reviews. All contributions must be in English; articles and Field Re…main text ≤ 1,200 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Preprints, Self-archiving
- Authorship 2. Co-authorship
Forced migration research is often undertaken collaboratively. In particular, fieldwork in displacement-affected communities often involves multi-national research teams, yet the intellectual contributions of local research team members are sometimes unrecognized or not fully acknowledged. Where pertinent, JRS encourages recognition of research team members who have made significant intellectual c…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Availability of Data and Materials
Data availability policy Model summary
Where ethically feasible, Journal of Refugee Studies strongly encourages authors working with quantitative datasets to make all data and software code on which the conclusions of the paper rely available to readers. Authors working with quantitative data are required to include a Data Availability Statement in their article. This policy applies to all papers submitted to the journal on or after 1 …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright 7. Copyright
Manuscripts submitted will be expected to contain original work and should not have been published in abridged or other form elsewhere. Upon receipt of accepted manuscripts at Oxford Journals authors will be invited to complete an online copyright licence to publish form. Please note that by submitting an article for publication you confirm that you are the corresponding/submitting author and that…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access 9. Open access option for authors
Journal of Refugee Studies offers the option of publishing under either a standard licence or an open access licence. Please note that some funders require open access publication as a condition of funding. If you are unsure whether you are required to publish open access, please do clarify any such requirements with your funder or institution. Should you wish to publish your article open access, …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints 13. Preprint policy
Preprint policy Model summary
Authors retain the right to make an Author’s Original Version (preprint) available through various channels, and this does not prevent submission to the journal. For further information see our Online Licensing, Copyright and Permissions policies. If accepted, the authors are required to update the status of any preprint, including your published paper’s DOI, as described on our Author Self-Archiv…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Self-archiving 11. Author self-archiving/public access policy
For information about this journals policy, please visit our Author Self-Archiving policy page.
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
- Oxford University Press
- ISSN
- 0951-6328
- Electronic ISSN
- 1471-6925
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 39, Issue 2 (June 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Refugee Studies
What CAS zone is Journal of Refugee Studies in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Refugee Studies is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Demography / Ethnic Studies. 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 Refugee Studies?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.17; CiteScore 4.2, h-index 105.
What are the manuscript requirements of Journal of Refugee Studies?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Manuscript length: ≤ 8,000 words; Reference style: Harvard; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: Optional; Graphical abstract: Optional; Cover letter: Required. 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 Refugee Studies based?
Of the 34 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (7), United States (6) and Germany (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Refugee Studies?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Refugee Studies is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Refugee Studies open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Refugee Studies is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,996.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .