Journal profile · EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
Research in Post-Compulsory Education
ISSN 1359-6748 · eISSN 1747-5112 · Taylor & Francis
Research in Post-Compulsory Education: CAS Zone 4 · Education (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 99 days to acceptance (75 articles, last 24 months); 49 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Research in Post-Compulsory Education is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 4 of Education in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Education Systems and Policy, Innovative Education and Learning Practices and Higher Education and Employability, together about 35.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Education. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Research in Post-Compulsory Education is an international, fully-refereed journal, publishing research in the increasingly important area of post-compulsory education. Throughout the world, there is a growing awareness of the significance of vocational and post-compulsory education and training systems. The majority of countries are working hard to develop their provision, recognising the importance of post-compulsory education in providing educated and skilled people in sufficient numbers at appropriate levels to assist economic and social development. Research in Post-Compulsory Education, sponsored by the United Kingdom’s Association for Research in Post-Compulsory Education (ARPCE), recognises the need for more international research and analysis, and the generation of relevant theory in order to identify policy needs and trends as well as priorities in this growing area. While reporting current research, the journal also actively encourages the further development of research for post-compulsory education. The journal is essential reading for policy-makers and researchers, practitioners and practitioner-researchers in all the different spheres of post-compulsory education including vocational/technical education, adult and continuing education, community education, schools, further and higher education. The Editorial Board and Advisory Board members are drawn from many countries to take account of the need for wide representation and editorial expertise. Peer Review Policy: All research articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing normally by two or three anonymous referees.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH
Editor-in-chief Geoffrey ElliottPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United Kingdom 8, Greece 1 (9 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Education Systems and PolicySocial Sciences14.7%
- Innovative Education and Learning PracticesSocial Sciences11.5%
- Higher Education and EmployabilitySocial Sciences9%
- Higher Education Learning PracticesSocial Sciences8.5%
- Youth Education and Societal DynamicsSocial Sciences8.1%
- Global Educational Policies and ReformsSocial Sciences6.4%
- Teacher Education and Leadership StudiesSocial Sciences5.8%
- Higher Education Research StudiesSocial Sciences4.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Education Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Education & Educational Research | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Education Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Education | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Education & Educational Research | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
ERICPublisher website
Other: ProQuest, Academic Search Complete, ArticleFirst, British Education Index, Education Research Complete, Education Research Index, Education Source, Educational Administration Abstracts, Educational Research Abstracts online (ERA), Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), Research into Higher Education Abstracts, SocINDEX, Studies on Women & Gender Abstracts, VOCEDplus
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 (publisher) 2025
- 1.1Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 1.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.41LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.41Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.84LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.84Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 39OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 280OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.25OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 18.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 22.61%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 47LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 128,000Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 128,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 941 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 38 | 17 | 1 |
| 2025 | 49 | 36 | 37 |
| 2024 | 34 | 22 | 113 |
| 2023 | 35 | 15 | 225 |
| 2022 | 31 | 17 | 145 |
| 2021 | 27 | 9 | 286 |
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
99 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 75 days – 132 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 113 days (75 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 213 days
- Sample
- 75 articles with submission and acceptance dates (93 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 to publication
- 114 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 114 daysPublisher 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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 websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Research in Post-Compulsory Education is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the disco…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Peer review policy Model summary
All research articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing normally by two or three anonymous referees.
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
- Taylor & Francis
- ISSN
- 1359-6748
- Electronic ISSN
- 1747-5112
- Society / sponsor
- Association for Research in Post-Compulsory Education
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 31, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Research in Post-Compulsory Education
What CAS zone is Research in Post-Compulsory Education in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Research in Post-Compulsory Education is in Zone 4 of Education, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Education & Educational Research. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Education. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Research in Post-Compulsory Education?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 1.1 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 1.7, h-index 39.
How long does peer review take at Research in Post-Compulsory Education?
Based on the dates recorded on 75 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 99 days (interquartile range 75–132 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Research in Post-Compulsory Education based?
Of the 9 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (8) and Greece (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Research in Post-Compulsory Education?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Research in Post-Compulsory Education is indexed in ESCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists ERIC; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Research in Post-Compulsory Education open access, and what is the APC?
Research in Post-Compulsory Education is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC charged, amount not published.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .