Journal profile · EDUCATION, SPECIAL
JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION
ISSN 0022-4669 · eISSN 1538-4764 · SAGE
JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION: CAS Zone 4 · Education (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.71; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,650; review about 5 days (submission to first decision, publisher); acceptance rate 6.3% (journal website); 19 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION is published by SAGE 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 Disability Education and Employment, Behavioral and Psychological Studies and Family and Disability Support Research, together about 32.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Developmental and Educational Psychology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Special Education (JSE) publishes reports of research and scholarly reviews on improving education and services for individuals with disabilities. Before submitting your manuscript, please read and adhere to the author submission guidelines. To submit an article to the journal, please click here: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jse. View full journal description This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): EDUCATION, SPECIAL
Editor-in-chief Fred SpoonerPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 61, Canada 1, Netherlands 1, United Arab Emirates 1, Cyprus 1 (65 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Disability Education and EmploymentSocial Sciences11.4%
- Behavioral and Psychological StudiesPsychology11.3%
- Family and Disability Support ResearchPsychology9.5%
- Reading and Literacy DevelopmentPsychology6.4%
- Education Discipline and InequalitySocial Sciences5.7%
- Autism Spectrum Disorder ResearchNeuroscience5.6%
- Cognitive and developmental aspects of mathematical skillsMathematics5.3%
- Educational and Psychological AssessmentsPsychology5.2%
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 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Education, Special | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Education Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Education, Special | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
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
- 1.71LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.8Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher)
- 2.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.1LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.73LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.6LetPub ·
- h-index
- 129OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,104OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.83OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 11.48%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 19LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 3Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,250 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 15 | 4 | 4 |
| 2025 | 19 | 8 | 21 |
| 2024 | 18 | 11 | 70 |
| 2023 | 24 | 9 | 152 |
| 2022 | 17 | 3 | 128 |
| 2021 | 18 | 1 | 280 |
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
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 6.3%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 5 daysPublisher 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 3,650 / GBP 2,676 | — | — |
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.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- SAGE
- ISSN
- 0022-4669
- Electronic ISSN
- 1538-4764
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION
What CAS zone is JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION 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 4 of Education. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.71; CiteScore 4.1, h-index 129.
How long does peer review take at JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION?
The publisher reports about 5 days (submission to first decision); first decisions include desk rejections; the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 6.3%. 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 SPECIAL EDUCATION based?
Of the 65 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (61), Canada (1) and Netherlands (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION open access, and what is the APC?
JOURNAL OF SPECIAL EDUCATION is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,650.
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: .