Journal profile · Social Sciences-Sociology and Political Science
Politics and the Life Sciences
ISSN 0730-9384 · eISSN 1471-5457 · Cambridge University Press
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Politics and the Life Sciences: subscription journal; APC about USD 3,550; 20 articles in 2025; indexed in Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Politics and the Life Sciences is published by Cambridge University Press. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior, Ethics and bioethics in healthcare and Philosophy and History of Science, together about 32.8% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Politics and the Life Sciences (PLS) is a biannual, interdisciplinary peer-reviewed journal with a global audience. PLS is the official journal of the Association for Politics and the Life Sciences, an American Political Science Association (APSA) Related Group and an American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) Member Society.PLS publishes original scholarly research at the intersection of political science and the life sciences. The topic range includes evolutionary and laboratory insights into political behavior, from decision-making to leadership, cooperation, and competition; evolutionary analysis of political intolerance and violence, from group conflict to warfare, terrorism, and torture; political and political-economic analysis of life-sciences research, health policy, agricultural and environmental policy, and biosecurity policy; philosophical analysis of bioethical controversies; and historical analysis of currently misunderstood issues at the intersection of the social and biological sciences. Contributors include political scientists, political psychologists, life scientists, clinicians, health-policy scholars, bioethicists, biosecurity and international-security experts, environmental scientists and ecological economists, moral and evolutionary philosophers, political and environmental historians, communications and public-opinion researchers, and legal scholars.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Social Sciences-Sociology and Political Science
Editor-in-chief Ashley FoxPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 44, Netherlands 3, Denmark 3, United Kingdom 2, Sweden 2 (57 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Evolutionary Psychology and Human BehaviorPsychology11.5%
- Ethics and bioethics in healthcareMedicine10.8%
- Philosophy and History of ScienceArts and Humanities10.5%
- Biomedical Ethics and RegulationMedicine6.1%
- Global Security and Public HealthSocial Sciences5.8%
- Medical and Health Sciences ResearchMedicine4.8%
- Research, Science, and AcademiaDecision Sciences4.3%
- Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical InnovationsNeuroscience3.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CiteScore quartiles (Scopus, June 2026 release)
| Subject | Quartile | Rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Sciences (miscellaneous) | Q1 | 151/744 | 79th |
| Sociology and Political Science | Q1 | 332/1530 | 78th |
| Public Administration | Q2 | 84/248 | 66th |
Scopus ranks journals by CiteScore within each subject: the 75th percentile and above is Q1, then a quartile every 25 points. A different system from the CAS zones.LetPub
Database indexing
ScopusLetPub
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
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.8LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.48LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.75LetPub ·
- h-index
- 39OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 211OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.37OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,317 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 15 | 15 | 350 |
| 2025 | 20 | 18 | 423 |
| 2024 | 19 | 15 | 478 |
| 2023 | 26 | 20 | 432 |
| 2022 | 22 | 13 | 358 |
| 2021 | 34 | 20 | 410 |
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
Subscription journalLetPub
A subscription journal: articles are read by subscription or purchase, and authors usually pay no publication charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,550 / GBP 2,460 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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)
Article types accepted3
- letterThe journal accepts the following types of article: Research Article*Research Note*Research Tool Report*Perspective Essay*Letter**Length not stated
- perspectiveThe journal accepts the following types of article: Research Article*Research Note*Research Tool Report*Perspective Essay*Letter**Length not stated
- research articleThe journal accepts the following types of article: Research Article*Research Note*Research Tool Report*Perspective Essay*Letter**Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
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.
Before you submit
Four checks before submitting to Politics and the Life Sciences
- 1ScopeRecent output centres on Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior, Ethics and bioethics in healthcare.Check scope
- 2Article type and formatPrepare text, figures and references as the author guidelines ask.Submission rules
- 3English languagePolish grammar and academic style before you submit: it lowers the risk of rejection for language and improves your chances of acceptance.
- 4FeesUSD 3,550 (OpenAlex)Fee details
The checks are built from this page's data.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- ISSN
- 0730-9384
- Electronic ISSN
- 1471-5457
- Society / sponsor
- Association for Politics and the Life Sciences
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Politics and the Life Sciences
Where are the editorial board members of Politics and the Life Sciences based?
Of the 57 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (44), Netherlands (3) and Denmark (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Politics and the Life Sciences?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Politics and the Life Sciences is indexed in Scopus.
Is Politics and the Life Sciences open access, and what is the APC?
Politics and the Life Sciences is a subscription journal. APC about USD 3,550.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .