Journal profile · EDUCATION, SPECIAL
Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs
ISSN 1471-3802 · Wiley-Blackwell
Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs: CAS Zone 4 · Education (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.8 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,470; median 224 days to acceptance (97 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 16% (journal website); 76 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs is published by Wiley-Blackwell and is in Zone 4 of Education in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Family and Disability Support Research, Collaborative Teaching and Inclusion and Disability Education and Employment, together about 34% of its articles. Its main subfields are Education. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs (JORSEN) is an established online forum for the dissemination of international research on special educational needs and inclusive education. JORSEN aims to:
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): EDUCATION, SPECIAL
Editor-in-chief Verena Letzel-AltPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United Kingdom 8, Australia 6, United States 3, Germany 3, Sweden 2 (31 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Family and Disability Support ResearchPsychology13.9%
- Collaborative Teaching and InclusionSocial Sciences11.2%
- Disability Education and EmploymentSocial Sciences8.9%
- Teacher Education and Leadership StudiesSocial Sciences6.8%
- Autism Spectrum Disorder ResearchNeuroscience6.3%
- Parental Involvement in EducationSocial Sciences5.4%
- Inclusion and Disability in Education and SportSocial Sciences4.5%
- Early Childhood Education and DevelopmentSocial Sciences4.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Education Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Education, Special | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Education Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Education, Special | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePsycINFOERICPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, OCLC
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 (publisher)
- 1.8Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 2.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 2.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.55LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1LetPub ·
- h-index
- 63OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 374OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.24OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 65.7%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 66LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 66Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 380,062Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,376 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 113 | 75 | 23 |
| 2025 | 76 | 58 | 177 |
| 2024 | 102 | 84 | 453 |
| 2023 | 56 | 40 | 301 |
| 2022 | 42 | 24 | 268 |
| 2021 | 59 | 27 | 630 |
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
224 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 143 days – 305 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 15 days (97 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 237 days
- Sample
- 97 articles with submission and acceptance dates (198 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)
- 16%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 16%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 24 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 24 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 210 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 13 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 3,470 / EUR 2,900 / GBP 2,330 | — | — |
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 prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 8,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
Article types accepted9
- editorialArticle Types Descriptions Word Count Original Article Reports of original research, with methods, findings and conclusions. Articles should normally be between…Length not stated
- media reviewMedia Review Short review on the usefulness/quality of one or more books or other media, to aid readers in decision-making 6,000 - 8,000 words, excluding the ti…Length not stated
- opinionArticle Types Descriptions Word Count Original Article Reports of original research, with methods, findings and conclusions. Articles should normally be between…Length not stated
- original articleArticle Types Descriptions Word Count Original Article Reports of original research, with methods, findings and conclusions. Articles should normally be between…Length not stated
- original researchArticle Types Descriptions Word Count Original Article Reports of original research, with methods, findings and conclusions. Articles should normally be between…Length not stated
- reviewArticle Types Descriptions Word Count Original Article Reports of original research, with methods, findings and conclusions. Articles should normally be between…Length not stated
- sen policy research forumSEN Policy Research Forum Public statement of what a representative group of experts agree to be evidence-based and state-of-the-art knowledge on an aspect of p…Length not stated
- senco policy paperSENCO Policy Paper Public statement of what a representative group of experts agree to be evidence-based and state-of-the-art knowledge on an aspect of practice…Length not stated
- short reviewArticle Types Descriptions Word Count Original Article Reports of original research, with methods, findings and conclusions. Articles should normally be between…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use Disclosing the use of artificial intelligence (AI)
If you or your co-authors have used Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC) tools such as ChatGPT and others based on large language models (LLMs) to develop any portion of a manuscript, their use must be described transparently and in detail in the Methods section.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Reproduction of Copyright Material
If excerpts from copyrighted works owned by third parties are included, credit must be shown in the contribution. It is your responsibility to also obtain written permission for reproduction from the copyright owners. For more information visit Wiley’s Copyright Terms & Conditions FAQ.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access
Free format submission offered. Model summary
The Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs now offers Free Format submission for a simplified and streamlined submission process.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review 1. Submission and Peer Review Process
Double-anonymized peer review policy; anonymize manuscript and supply separate title page file. Model summary
New submissions should be made via the Research Exchange submission portal at the following web address https://wiley.atyponrex.com/journal/JORSEN. Should your manuscript proceed to the revision stage, you will be directed to make your revisions via the same submission portal. You may check the status of your submission at any time by logging on to submission.wiley.com and clicking the “My Submiss…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Reporting Guidelines
The Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs aims to publish high-quality empirical research. Thus, in order to avoid a potential desk rejection, please ensure that your manuscript follows appropriate methodological qualitative, quantitative or mixed-methods reporting guidelines.Authorship
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
- Wiley-Blackwell
- ISSN
- 1471-3802
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 26, Issue 4 (October 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs
What CAS zone is Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs is in Zone 4 of Education, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Education, Special. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Education. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 1.8 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 2.7, h-index 63.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs?
Based on the dates recorded on 97 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 224 days (interquartile range 143–305 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 16% (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.
What are the manuscript requirements of Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Manuscript length: ≤ 8,000 words; Reference style: Author–date; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not 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 Research in Special Educational Needs based?
Of the 31 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (8), Australia (6) and United States (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs is indexed in ESCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, PsycINFO and ERIC; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,470.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .