Journal profile · POLITICAL SCIENCE
Politische Vierteljahresschrift
ISSN 0032-3470 · eISSN 1862-2860 · Springer Nature · 4 issues per year
Politische Vierteljahresschrift: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.42; subscription journal; APC about USD 3,490; median 184 days to acceptance (59 articles, last 24 months); 57 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Politische Vierteljahresschrift is published by Springer Nature 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 Public Administration and Political Analysis, Economic and Social Issues and German legal, social, and political studies, together about 33.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Political Science and International Relations. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
- Für die deutsche Version bitte nach unten scrollen -Politische Vierteljahresschrift (PVS) (“German Political Science Quarterly”, GPSQ) publishes the latest double-blind peer-reviewed research results from all sub-disciplines of political science. It thus includes original contributions from political theory and the history of ideas, from the analysis and comparison of political systems, from policy analysis, from the field of international relations and foreign policy, from empirical social research and methodology, from political sociology as well as political science pedagogy. Special IssuesSpecial Issues provide opportunities to contribute to important thematic and/or theoretical developments in political science or its subfields. Regular Calls for Proposals are initiated by the Editors, but potential Guest Editors may also send offers for special issues at any time. Special issues include at least six contributions to be recruited by the Guest Editors, supplemented by an introduction. Most of these contributions are critical papers, but the integration of a literature review and/or one or two research notes is also possible. All contributions need to successfully pass the double-blind peer-review process before publication. The PVS is listed in the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI). ______ Die Politische Vierteljahresschrift (PVS) – German Political Science Quarterly bietet Raum für neueste Forschungsergebnisse aus allen Teildisziplinen der Politikwissenschaft. Sie beinhaltet doppelblind begutachtete Beiträge aus der Politischen Theorie und Ideengeschichte, aus dem Bereich Analyse und Vergleich politischer Systeme, aus der Policy-Analyse, aus dem Bereich der Internationalen Beziehungen und der Außenpolitik, aus der empirischen Sozialforschung und Methodenlehre, der Politischen Soziologie sowie der Didaktik der Politikwissenschaft. Special IssuesDas Special Issue soll die Möglichkeit bieten, auf thematische und theoretische Entwicklungen im Fach insgesamt oder in einzelnen Teildisziplinen zu reagieren, denen eine fachallgemeine Bedeutung zugeschrieben werden kann. Die Redaktion akquiriert mögliche Schwerpunkte eigenständig über entsprechende Call for Proposals, ist aber für entsprechende Initiativen und Vorschläge offen.In Special Issues werden mindestens sechs von Gastherausgeber*innen einzuwerbende Beiträge zusammengefasst und durch eine inhaltliche Einleitung durch die Gastherausgeber*innen ergänzt. Die Beiträge sollen schwerpunktmäßig Abhandlu
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): POLITICAL SCIENCE
Editor-in-chief Marc DebusPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Germany 12 (12 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Public Administration and Political AnalysisSocial Sciences16.5%
- Economic and Social IssuesSocial Sciences9%
- German legal, social, and political studiesSocial Sciences8.5%
- Law and Political ScienceSocial Sciences6.4%
- European Union Policy and GovernanceSocial Sciences6.2%
- Populism, Right-Wing MovementsSocial Sciences6.1%
- Social Policy and Reform StudiesSocial Sciences5.8%
- Electoral Systems and Political ParticipationSocial Sciences5.6%
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 4 |
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: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| 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
SCIEERIH PLUSCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
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
- 2.42LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.5Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.78LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.36LetPub ·
- h-index
- 52OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 341OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.95OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 16%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 95.33%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 33LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 816,200Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,418 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 46 | 40 | 3 |
| 2025 | 57 | 51 | 60 |
| 2024 | 62 | 59 | 258 |
| 2023 | 86 | 74 | 288 |
| 2022 | 78 | 73 | 621 |
| 2021 | 77 | 66 | 151 |
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
184 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 142 days – 261 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 29 days (92 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 222 days
- Sample
- 59 articles with submission and acceptance dates (113 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
- Submission to first decision
- 19 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
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 3,490 / EUR 2,890 / GBP 2,490 | — | — |
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 prepare6 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 9,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted5, with length limits
- book reviewAs a rule, the editorial board only accepts contributions for publication that do not exceed the following maximum word count. The specifications refer to the n…Length not stated
- editorialAs a rule, the editorial board only accepts contributions for publication that do not exceed the following maximum word count. The specifications refer to the n…Length not stated
- literature reviewAs a rule, the editorial board only accepts contributions for publication that do not exceed the following maximum word count. The specifications refer to the n…main text ≤ 10,000 words
- research articleAs a rule, the editorial board only accepts contributions for publication that do not exceed the following maximum word count. The specifications refer to the n…Length not stated
- reviewAs a rule, the editorial board only accepts contributions for publication that do not exceed the following maximum word count. The specifications refer to the n…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship principles
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Competing Interests
Authors are requested to disclose interests that are directly or indirectly related to the work submitted for publication. Interests within the last 3 years of beginning the work (conducting the research and preparing the work for submission) should be reported. Interests outside the 3-year time frame must be disclosed if they could reasonably be perceived as influencing the submitted work. Disclo…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
Data availability statement required for all original research. Model summary
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright Transfer
Copyright transfer to publisher upon acceptance; not required for Open Choice articles. Model summary
Mit der Annahme des Artikels wird der Autor um Übertragung des Copyrights (bzw. das ausschließliche, räumlich und zeitlich uneingeschränkte Recht zur Publikation und zum Vertrieb) an den Verlag gebeten. Die Zeitschrift sowie alle in ihr enthaltenen einzelnen Beiträge und Abbildungen sind urheberrechtlich geschützt. Für Open Choice Artikel ist keine Übertragung des Copyrights erforderlich, da das C…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access dank Projekt DEAL
Open access publishing available at no cost for authors at participating institutions via Projekt DEAL agreement. Model summary
Die PVS profitiert von der Vereinbarung zwischen Springer Nature und dem Projekt DEAL. Autoren, die einer der teilnehmenden Einrichtungen – u.a. alle staatlichen deutschen Universitäten – angehören, können ihre Artikel kostenlos Open Access publizieren. Hierbei ist ausschließlich die Einrichtung des korrespondierenden Autors entscheidend, weitere Ko-Autoren beeinflussen die Möglichkeit der Nutzung…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review
Double-blind peer review for Research Articles, Research Notes, and Literature Reviews. Model summary
Alle publizierten Beiträge in den Rubriken Fachartikel, Research Note und Literaturübersicht durchlaufen vor der Veröffentlichung ein doppelblindes Begutachtungsverfahren. Dabei werden die Manuskripte anonymisiert von in der Regel einer/m (Research Notes und Literaturübersichten) bzw. zwei externen Gutachter*innen (Fachartikel) geprüft. Hierfür müssen bei der anonymisierten Version des Manuskripts…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints
Manuscripts must not be published or under consideration elsewhere. Model summary
Voraussetzung für das Einreichen eines Manuskriptes ist, dass die Arbeit noch nicht publiziert oder an anderer Stelle zur Publikation eingereicht wurde.
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
- Springer Nature
- Frequency
- 4 issues per year
- ISSN
- 0032-3470
- Electronic ISSN
- 1862-2860
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 67, Issue 3 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Politische Vierteljahresschrift
What CAS zone is Politische Vierteljahresschrift in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Politische Vierteljahresschrift is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 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 Politische Vierteljahresschrift?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.42; CiteScore 4.6, h-index 52.
How long does peer review take at Politische Vierteljahresschrift?
Based on the dates recorded on 59 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 184 days (interquartile range 142–261 days). 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 Politische Vierteljahresschrift?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 9,000 words; Reference style: Author–date; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Optional. 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 Politische Vierteljahresschrift based?
Of the 12 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Germany (12). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Politische Vierteljahresschrift?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Politische Vierteljahresschrift is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists SCIE, ERIH PLUS and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Politische Vierteljahresschrift open access, and what is the APC?
Politische Vierteljahresschrift is a subscription journal. APC about USD 3,490.
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: .