Journal profile · POLITICAL SCIENCE
POLITICAL QUARTERLY
ISSN 0032-3179 · eISSN 1467-923X · Wiley-Blackwell
POLITICAL QUARTERLY: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.49; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,520; 137 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
POLITICAL QUARTERLY is published by Wiley-Blackwell 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 Political and Economic history of UK and US, Political Systems and Governance and Irish and British Studies, together about 42.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Political Science and International Relations. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Political Quarterly publishes analysis, insight and informed opinion on politics and public policy in the UK and globally. It aims to provide access to current academic debates and draw on critical intellectual arguments, but its hallmark is the use of plain English, avoiding theoretical and technical jargon. It is run by an independent editorial board and currently published by Wiley Blackwell. As well as the journal, the Political Quarterly publishes books, organises political debates and events and sponsors the prestigious Orwell Prize for political writing. The Political Quarterly is broadly centre-left in outlook, but publishes a wide range of authors and viewpoints. The current editors are Deborah Mabbett and Ben Jackson.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): POLITICAL SCIENCE
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Political and Economic history of UK and USSocial Sciences19.6%
- Political Systems and GovernanceSocial Sciences15.9%
- Irish and British StudiesSocial Sciences6.6%
- Social Policy and Reform StudiesSocial Sciences5.2%
- Scottish History and National IdentityArts and Humanities4.7%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering4.4%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4%
- Housing, Finance, and NeoliberalismEconomics, Econometrics and Finance3.8%
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 | Political Science | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
AHCICurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, 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
- 1.49LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 2.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 2.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.58LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.41LetPub ·
- h-index
- 81OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 972OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.11OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 71.37%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 87LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 129Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 404,254Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 6,535 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 94 | 58 | 6 |
| 2025 | 137 | 91 | 90 |
| 2024 | 147 | 102 | 322 |
| 2023 | 131 | 93 | 362 |
| 2022 | 125 | 57 | 613 |
| 2021 | 171 | 63 | 916 |
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 3,520 / EUR 2,920 / 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
- Abstract
- ≤ 150 words
- Keywords
- ≤ 6
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 5,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, License & copyright
- AI use Policy on the use of AI
All submissions to Political Quarterly must abide by our policy on the use of generative AI technologies. The use of AI is not forbidden but is strictly restricted in order to ensure that every article we publish is a work of original authorship, an essential component of the editorial mission of PQ. All authors should consult the below rules before drafting, and they must declare any usage of AI …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Exclusive Licence Form
Authors will be required to sign an Exclusive Licence Form (ELF) for all papers accepted for publication. Signature of the ELF is a condition of publication and papers will not be passed to the publisher for typesetting unless a signed form has been received. Please note that signature of the Exclusive Licence Form does not affect ownership of copyright in the material. (Government employees need …
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
- 0032-3179
- Electronic ISSN
- 1467-923X
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 97, Issue 3 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about POLITICAL QUARTERLY
What CAS zone is POLITICAL QUARTERLY in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, POLITICAL QUARTERLY is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Political Science. 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 POLITICAL QUARTERLY?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.49; CiteScore 2.7, h-index 81.
What are the manuscript requirements of POLITICAL QUARTERLY?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 150 words; Keywords: ≤ 6; Manuscript length: ≤ 5,000 words. 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.
Which databases index POLITICAL QUARTERLY?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, POLITICAL QUARTERLY is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists AHCI and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is POLITICAL QUARTERLY open access, and what is the APC?
POLITICAL QUARTERLY is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,520.
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: .