Journal profile · Social Sciences-Education
Prospects
ISSN 0033-1538 · eISSN 1573-9090 · Springer Nature · 4 issues per year
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Prospects: subscription journal; APC about USD 3,190; median 114 days to acceptance (20 articles, last 24 months); 30 articles in 2025; indexed in Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Prospects is published by Springer Nature. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Global Educational Policies and Reforms, Global Education Systems and Policies and Education Pedagogy and Practices, together about 35.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Education. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Prospects provides comparative and international perspectives on key current issues in curriculum, learning, and assessment. The principal features of the journal are the innovative and critical insights it offers into the equitable provision of quality and relevant education for all; and the cross-disciplinary perspectives it engages, drawing on a range of domains that include culture, development, economics, ethics, gender, inclusion, politics, sociology, sustainability, and education. Prospects aims to influence a wide range of actors in the field of education and development, whether academics, policy-makers, curriculum-developers, assessors, teachers or students. Unlike other journals in the field, which deal only with theoretical or research-related aspects, Prospects also focuses on policy implementation and aims at improving the extent and effectiveness of communication between theorists and researchers, on one side, and policy makers and practitioners, on the other. The journal thus welcomes innovative empirical research, case studies of policy and practice, conceptual analyses and policy evaluations, as well as critical analyses of published research and existing policy. Founded in 1970 and published in English by Springer, Prospects is among the most well-established journals in the field. Editions in Arabic and Mandarin Chinese are available as well. The journal is edited by the International Bureau of Education (IBE), in Geneva. A leading UNESCO Institute and a global center of excellence in curriculum and related matters, the IBE is recognized and valued for the specialist knowledge and expertise that it brings to Member States, promoting new shared global understanding of curriculum, teaching, learning, and assessment. Unless otherwise stated in the Editorial or Introduction article, Special Issues are curated by the Editor in Chief. Primary research or secondary analysis of primary research request a minimum of two peer reviewers and follow external peer-review according to the journal’s editorial procedures as described here. Further details on how reviewers are selected can be found here.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Social Sciences-Education
Editor-in-chief Simona PopaPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 6, United Kingdom 3, South Africa 2, France 1, Spain 1 (19 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Global Educational Policies and ReformsSocial Sciences15.7%
- Global Education Systems and PoliciesSocial Sciences13.4%
- Education Pedagogy and PracticesSocial Sciences6.6%
- African Education and PoliticsSocial Sciences5.3%
- Higher Education Governance and DevelopmentSocial Sciences5%
- Historical Education Studies WorldwideSocial Sciences4.6%
- School Choice and PerformanceSocial Sciences4.4%
- Peace and Human Rights EducationSocial Sciences4.3%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education | Q1 | 260/1698 | 84th |
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
Indexing the journal's website claims
ERICPublisher 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
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.8LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.78LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.39LetPub ·
- h-index
- 68OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 621OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.01OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2,025Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 367,800Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,737 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 23 | 15 | 1,518 |
| 2025 | 30 | 20 | 1,944 |
| 2024 | 44 | 17 | 2,535 |
| 2023 | 43 | 30 | 2,814 |
| 2022 | 43 | 27 | 3,092 |
| 2021 | 62 | 52 | 2,418 |
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
114 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 86 days – 144 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 66 days (57 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 205 days
- Sample
- 20 articles with submission and acceptance dates (65 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
- 12 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 3,190 / EUR 2,590 / GBP 2,290 | — | — |
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Page charges
- Charged; see the journal's website for the amount
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 prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 8,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted2, with length limits
- editorialDouble-blind peer review This journal follows a double-blind reviewing procedure. This means that the author will remain anonymous to the reviewers throughout p…main text ≤ 8,000 words
- viewpointEach article should contain between 7000 and 8000 words and must be accompanied by a summary of 100-150 words and a short note of biographical details. Viewpoin…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, Open access, Peer review, Plagiarism
- AI use Generative AI Images
LLMs do not satisfy authorship criteria; AI-assisted copy editing need not be declared. Model summary
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 ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
Competing interests disclosure required. Model summary
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 ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in PROSPECTS, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Double-blind peer review
Double-blind peer review: authors remain anonymous to reviewers throughout peer review. Model summary
This journal follows a double-blind reviewing procedure. This means that the author will remain anonymous to the reviewers throughout peer review. It is the responsibility of the author to anonymize the manuscript and any associated materials. Author names, affiliations and any other potentially identifying information should be removed from the manuscript text and any accompanying files (such as …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism
Plagiarism screening software may be used. Model summary
The journal may use software to screen for plagiarism.
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.
Before you submit
Five checks before submitting to Prospects
- 1ScopeRecent output centres on Global Educational Policies and Reforms, Global Education Systems and Policies.Check scope
- 2Article type and formatAbstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 8,000 words.Author guidelines ↗
- 3English languagePolish grammar and academic style before you submit: it lowers the risk of rejection for language and improves your chances of acceptance.
- 4FeesUSD 3,190 (OpenAlex)Fee details
- 5Expected review time114 days · Median, submission to acceptance · 20 articles, last 24 months · CrossrefReview data
The checks are built from this page's data.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Frequency
- 4 issues per year
- ISSN
- 0033-1538
- Electronic ISSN
- 1573-9090
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 56, Issue 1-2 (June 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Prospects
How long does peer review take at Prospects?
Based on the dates recorded on 20 articles published between November 2024 and November 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 114 days (interquartile range 86–144 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 Prospects?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 8,000 words; Reference style: Author–date; 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 Prospects based?
Of the 19 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (6), United Kingdom (3) and South Africa (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Prospects?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Prospects is indexed in Scopus. The journal's website also lists ERIC; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Prospects open access, and what is the APC?
Prospects is a subscription journal. APC about USD 3,190.
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: .