Journal profile · POLITICAL SCIENCE
Presidential Studies Quarterly
ISSN 0360-4918 · eISSN 1741-5705 · Center for the Study of the Presidency
Presidential Studies Quarterly: CAS Zone 4 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.25; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,300; median 127 days to acceptance (50 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 32% (journal website); 32 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Presidential Studies Quarterly is published by Center for the Study of the Presidency 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 American Constitutional Law and Politics, Electoral Systems and Political Participation and Rhetoric and Communication Studies, together about 42.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Political Science and International Relations. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Presidential Studies Quarterly (PSQ) is the only scholarly journal that focuses on the most powerful political figure in the world - the president of the United States. An indispensable resource for understanding the US presidency, Presidential Studies Quarterly offers articles, features, review essays, and book reviews covering the operations of the White House; presidential decision making; presidential relations with Congress, the courts, the bureaucracy, the public, and the press; and the president's involvement in public policy issues in both the domestic and international arenas. PSQ's insightful and thought-provoking authors are distinguished scholars and professionals in political science, history, and communications, including: Richard Neustadt John Kessel Robert Ivie Stephen Skowronek Robert Shapiro Charles O. Jones David Lowery Louis Fisher Joel Aberbach Bert Rockman Douglas Brinkley Terry Moe Samuel Kernell Paul Light Karen Hult Fred Greenstein Martha Kumar Martin Medhurst Ernest May Gary Jacobson Kathleen Hall Jamieson Jon Krosnick PSQ brings you the latest scholarly research and opinions about the presidency. It also includes features of current interest to readers such as The Law The Contemporary Presidency Elections and Polls PSQ evaluates submitted research by a double blind peer review process that ensure readers receive only the highest-quality, objective scholarship. The editorial board members include some of the finest scholars and professionals in the discipline (click on 'Editorial Board' in the 'About' menu at the top of your screen for more details on the Editors and the Editorial Board).
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): POLITICAL SCIENCE
Editor-in-chief Douglas L. KrinerPublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- American Constitutional Law and PoliticsSocial Sciences18.8%
- Electoral Systems and Political ParticipationSocial Sciences18.2%
- Rhetoric and Communication StudiesArts and Humanities5.8%
- Political and Economic history of UK and USSocial Sciences4.4%
- American History and CultureBusiness, Management and Accounting4.3%
- Political Influence and Corporate StrategiesBusiness, Management and Accounting3.8%
- Academic Freedom and PoliticsSocial Sciences3.8%
- Law, Rights, and FreedomsSocial Sciences3.5%
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 | Political Science | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 4 |
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 | 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
Web of ScienceCurrent 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
- 1.25LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.3Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 1.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 1.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.45LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.74LetPub ·
- h-index
- 52OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 505OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.4OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 35.71%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 13LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 24Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 88,062Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,322 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 42 | 21 | 4 |
| 2025 | 32 | 12 | 13 |
| 2024 | 33 | 21 | 26 |
| 2023 | 52 | 26 | 122 |
| 2022 | 54 | 13 | 136 |
| 2021 | 72 | 5 | 324 |
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
127 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 21 days – 232 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 16 days (50 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 161 days
- Sample
- 50 articles with submission and acceptance dates (76 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
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 32%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 32%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 35 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 35 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 115 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 16 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
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 3,300 / EUR 2,760 / GBP 2,220 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Submission fee
- No submission fee
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
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 10,000 words
- Reference style
- APA
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
Article types accepted7, with length limits
- original research articleOriginal research articles should be approximately 8,000 to 10,000 words, inclusive of tables, figures, and references. Longer or shorter submissions will be ev…main text ≤ 10,000 words
- original research articlesOriginal research articles should be approximately 8,000 to 10,000 words, inclusive of tables, figures, and references.Length not stated
- polls and electionsPSQ also accepts submissions that may be specifically targeted to four feature sections: The Contemporary Presidency; Polls and Elections; The Law; and The Hist…Length not stated
- research notesResearch notes should be no longer than 4,500 words, inclusive of tables, figures, and references.Length not stated
- the contemporary presidencyPSQ also accepts submissions that may be specifically targeted to four feature sections: The Contemporary Presidency; Polls and Elections; The Law; and The Hist…Length not stated
- the historical presidencyPSQ also accepts submissions that may be specifically targeted to four feature sections: The Contemporary Presidency; Polls and Elections; The Law; and The Hist…Length not stated
- the lawPSQ also accepts submissions that may be specifically targeted to four feature sections: The Contemporary Presidency; Polls and Elections; The Law; and The Hist…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review, Preprints
- Open access Open Access
This journal is a subscription journal that offers an open access option. You'll have the option to choose to make your article open access after acceptance, which will be subject to an APC, unless a waiver applies. For more information on this journal's APCs, please see the Open Access page.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review 2. Submission and Peer Review Process
No submission fees. Model summary
Submission Once the submission materials have been prepared in accordance with the Author Guidelines, manuscripts should be submitted online at https://authors.wiley.com/journal/PSQ For help with submissions, please contact: psq.office@wiley.com This journal does not charge submission fees.Free Format submission Presidential Studies Quarterly now offers Free Format submission for a simplified and …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprint policy:
Presidential Studies Quarterly will consider for review articles previously available as preprints. Authors are requested to update any pre-publication versions with a link to the final published article. Authors may also post the final published version of the article immediately after publication.Registered Reports
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
- Center for the Study of the Presidency
- ISSN
- 0360-4918
- Electronic ISSN
- 1741-5705
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 56, Issue 3 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Presidential Studies Quarterly
What CAS zone is Presidential Studies Quarterly in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Presidential Studies Quarterly is in Zone 4 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Political Science. 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 Presidential Studies Quarterly?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.25; CiteScore 1.5, h-index 52.
How long does peer review take at Presidential Studies Quarterly?
Based on the dates recorded on 50 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 127 days (interquartile range 21–232 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 32% (2025). 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 Presidential Studies Quarterly?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Manuscript length: ≤ 10,000 words; Reference style: APA; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required. 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 Presidential Studies Quarterly?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Presidential Studies Quarterly is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Presidential Studies Quarterly open access, and what is the APC?
Presidential Studies Quarterly is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,300.
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: .