Journal profile · PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY
Psychological Science
ISSN 0956-7976 · eISSN 1467-9280 · SAGE
Psychological Science: CAS Zone 1 · Psychology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 4.95; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,900; 65 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Psychological Science is published by SAGE and is in Zone 1 of Psychology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies, Social and Intergroup Psychology and Visual perception and processing mechanisms, together about 24.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Cognitive Neuroscience. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Psychological Science, the flagship journal of the Association for Psychological Science, is the highest ranked empirical journal in psychology and is truly a leader in the field. The journal publishes cutting-edge research articles and short reports, spanning the entire spectrum of the science of psychology. This journal is the source for the latest findings in cognitive, social, developmental, and health psychology, as well as behavioral neuroscience and biopsychology. View full journal description This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY
Editor-in-chief Simine VazirePublisher website
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 2%); most named United States 55, United Kingdom 12, Germany 10, Canada 8, Switzerland 6 (125 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Neural and Behavioral Psychology StudiesNeuroscience9.2%
- Social and Intergroup PsychologySocial Sciences7.8%
- Visual perception and processing mechanismsNeuroscience7.1%
- Child and Animal Learning DevelopmentPsychology6.5%
- Psychology of Moral and Emotional JudgmentNeuroscience6%
- Cultural Differences and ValuesPsychology5.1%
- Decision-Making and Behavioral EconomicsDecision Sciences5%
- Evolutionary Psychology and Human BehaviorPsychology5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Psychology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Psychology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Psychology, Multidisciplinary | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Psychology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Psychology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Psychology, Multidisciplinary | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Psychology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Psychology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Psychology, Multidisciplinary | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
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
Impact
- Impact factor
- 4.95LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 9.9LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.31LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.04LetPub ·
- h-index
- 420OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 4,834OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 6.26OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 1.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 46.58%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 61LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 3Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 6,104 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 46 | 33 | 42 |
| 2025 | 65 | 46 | 258 |
| 2024 | 93 | 58 | 978 |
| 2023 | 96 | 68 | 1,677 |
| 2022 | 164 | 106 | 3,992 |
| 2021 | 199 | 115 | 5,953 |
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 3,900 / GBP 2,859 | — | — |
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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websitePeer review
- Peer review
Editorial policies from APS Publications Committee Model summary
Read the latest editorial policies from the APS Publications Committee.
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
- SAGE
- ISSN
- 0956-7976
- Electronic ISSN
- 1467-9280
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Psychological Science
What CAS zone is Psychological Science in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Psychological Science is in Zone 1 of Psychology, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Psychology, Multidisciplinary; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Psychology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Psychological Science?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.95; CiteScore 9.9, h-index 420.
Where are the editorial board members of Psychological Science based?
Of the 125 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 2%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (55), United Kingdom (12) and Germany (10). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Psychological Science?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Psychological Science is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Psychological Science open access, and what is the APC?
Psychological Science is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,900.
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: .