Journal profile · EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
Research in Higher Education
ISSN 0361-0365 · eISSN 1573-188X · Springer Nature · 8 issues per year
Research in Higher Education: CAS Zone 3 · Education (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.2; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,990; median 206 days to acceptance (87 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 3% (journal website); 44 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Research in Higher Education is published by Springer Nature and is in Zone 3 of Education in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Higher Education Research Studies, Evaluation of Teaching Practices and Higher Education Governance and Development, together about 50.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Education. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Research in Higher Education publishes studies that examine issues pertaining to postsecondary education. The journal is open to studies using a wide range of methods, but has particular interest in studies that apply advanced quantitative research methods to issues in postsecondary education or address postsecondary education policy issues. Authors should directly address why their analytic sample is appropriate for addressing their research questions and how the study’s findings could be applicable to other contexts, situations, times, and populations. Among the topics of interest to the journal are: access and retention; student success; equity; faculty issues; institutional productivity and assessment; postsecondary education governance; curriculum and instruction; state and federal higher education policy; and financing of postsecondary education. The journal encourages submissions from scholars in disciplines outside of higher education, and studies from outside the United States that address issues that are of interest to the readership. To be considered a contribution to this journal, manuscripts should engage with literature published in journals in the field of higher education and draw out the implications of the results for higher education. The journal will on occasion publish short notes of a methodological nature, literature reviews of topics pertaining to postsecondary research, and “research and practice” studies illustrating how postsecondary research can inform decision making.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Higher Education Research StudiesSocial Sciences31.4%
- Evaluation of Teaching PracticesSocial Sciences11.4%
- Higher Education Governance and DevelopmentSocial Sciences7.8%
- School Choice and PerformanceSocial Sciences7.4%
- Innovations in Educational MethodsSocial Sciences5.5%
- Labor market dynamics and wage inequalityEconomics, Econometrics and Finance3.5%
- Online and Blended LearningSocial Sciences3.4%
- Career Development and DiversitySocial Sciences3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Education Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Education & Educational Research | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Education Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Education & Educational Research | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Education Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Education & Educational Research | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
SCIEPsycINFOERICERIH PLUSCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS, RePEc
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
- 2.2LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.2Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.7LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.97LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.85LetPub ·
- h-index
- 180OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,485OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.75OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 36.17%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 45LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2,025Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 422,900Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,460 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 51 | 28 | 29 |
| 2025 | 44 | 21 | 83 |
| 2024 | 63 | 25 | 322 |
| 2023 | 37 | 17 | 357 |
| 2022 | 60 | 32 | 924 |
| 2021 | 50 | 23 | 659 |
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
206 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 170 days – 262 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 26 days (87 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 240 days
- Sample
- 87 articles with submission and acceptance dates (108 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) 2025
- 3%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 7 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 2,990 / EUR 2,390 / GBP 2,090 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 10,000 words
- Reference style
- APA
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted1
- 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…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
- 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
Original work, not under consideration elsewhere, approved by co-authors and responsible authorities Model summary
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 Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Sharing and Data Documentation
Data sharing expected for accepted manuscripts Model summary
Data Sharing It is expected that authors of accepted manuscripts will make their data available to other researchers to replicate their findings. Authors may either upload a suitable data file to Springer that would enable readers to replicate their findings (see instructions for “Electronic Supplementary Materials”), or agree to share such data with other researchers upon request. Authors using p…
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 ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Research in Higher Education, 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 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 ·
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
- 8 issues per year
- ISSN
- 0361-0365
- Electronic ISSN
- 1573-188X
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Research in Higher Education
What CAS zone is Research in Higher Education in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Research in Higher Education is in Zone 3 of Education, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Education & Educational Research. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Education. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Research in Higher Education?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.2; CiteScore 4.7, h-index 180.
How long does peer review take at Research in Higher Education?
Based on the dates recorded on 87 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 206 days (interquartile range 170–262 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 3% (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 Research in Higher Education?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 10,000 words; Reference style: APA; 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.
Which databases index Research in Higher Education?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Research in Higher Education is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists SCIE, PsycINFO, ERIC, ERIH PLUS and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Research in Higher Education open access, and what is the APC?
Research in Higher Education is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,990.
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: .