Journal profile · AREA STUDIES
Modern China
ISSN 0097-7004 · eISSN 1552-6836 · SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC · Bimonthly
Modern China: CAS Zone 4 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.06; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,650; 27 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Modern China is published by SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC and is in Zone 4 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Chinese history and philosophy, China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance and Vietnamese History and Culture Studies, together about 60.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Modern China (MCX), peer-reviewed and published bi-monthly, is an indispensable source of scholarship in history and the social sciences on late-imperial, twentieth-century, and present-day China. For more than 30 years MC has presented scholarship spanning the full sweep of Chinese studies and based on new research or research that is devoted to new interpretations, new questions, and new answers to old questions. 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): AREA STUDIES
Editorial board by country: 7 in mainland China (about 23%); most named United States 16, Mainland China 7, United Kingdom 3, Hong Kong, China 1, Japan 1 (31 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Chinese history and philosophySocial Sciences31.3%
- China's Socioeconomic Reforms and GovernanceSocial Sciences18.5%
- Vietnamese History and Culture StudiesSocial Sciences10.6%
- Japanese History and CultureSocial Sciences7.8%
- China's Ethnic Minorities and RelationsSocial Sciences5.7%
- Hong Kong and Taiwan PoliticsSocial Sciences5%
- Demographic Trends and Gender PreferencesSocial Sciences2.6%
- Southeast Asian Sociopolitical StudiesSocial Sciences1.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Area Studies | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Area Studies | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Area Studies | 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
- 1.06LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.1Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher)
- 1.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.2LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.71LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.38LetPub ·
- h-index
- 70OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 472OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.38OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 9.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 27.69%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 17LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 3Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,178 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 23 | 10 | 4 |
| 2025 | 27 | 7 | 3 |
| 2024 | 37 | 9 | 26 |
| 2023 | 27 | 12 | 90 |
| 2022 | 31 | 7 | 165 |
| 2021 | 16 | 1 | 60 |
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.
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 PUBLICATIONS INC
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- ISSN
- 0097-7004
- Electronic ISSN
- 1552-6836
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Modern China
What CAS zone is Modern China in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Modern China is in Zone 4 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Area Studies. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Modern China?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.06; CiteScore 2.2, h-index 70.
Where are the editorial board members of Modern China based?
Of the 31 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 7 (about 23%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (16), Mainland China (7) and United Kingdom (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Modern China?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Modern China is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Modern China open access, and what is the APC?
Modern China is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,650.
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: .