Journal profile · MANAGEMENT
Research Policy
ISSN 0048-7333 · eISSN 1873-7625 · Elsevier
Research Policy: CAS Zone 1 · Management (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 8.46; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,280; review about 469 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 172 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Research Policy is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 1 of Management in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Innovation and Knowledge Management, Innovation Policy and R&D and Firm Innovation and Growth, together about 39.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Economics and Econometrics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Policy, management and economic studies of science, technology and innovationResearch Policy (RP) articles examine empirically and theoretically the interaction between innovation, technology or research, on the one hand, and economic, social, political and organizational processes, on the other. All RP papers are expected to yield findings that have implications for policy or management.Before submitting, please read the Research Policy Guide for Authors, as well as our guidelines on Journal keywords for submission, and notes for proposing a special issue. If you would like to obtain more information about the scope of RP or the submission process, or if you have any further questions, please see the long list of FAQs at https://www.journals.elsevier.com/research-policy/policies/rp-faqsAims and Scope: Research Policy (RP) is a multi-disciplinary journal devoted to analyzing, understanding and effectively responding to the economic, policy, management, organizational, environmental and other challenges posed by innovation, technology, R&D and science. This includes a number of related activities concerned with the creation of knowledge (through research), the diffusion and acquisition of knowledge (e.g. through organizational learning), and its exploitation in the form of new or improved products, processes or services. RP is generally acknowledged to be the leading journal in the field of innovation studies, with its academic status and influence being reflected in a remarkably high 'Impact Factor' for a multi-disciplinary social science journal (please see below). Authors intending to submit a paper to RP should first check whether that paper is consistent with the journal's Editorial Strategy as detailed in the Guide for Authors. RP uses an online submission process, https://www.editorialmanager.com/RESPOL/default.aspx and all papers are subject to a 'double-blind' review process, details as in the Guide for Authors. Besides research articles and notes, RP also publishes a variety of other types of papers including Special Issues (or shorter Special Sections) occasional discussion papers on important topical issues, and book reviews, again further information in the Guide for Authors.Main Subjects Covered: Economics of Innovation/Technology/Science; Entrepreneurs/Entrepreneurship; Evolutionary or (neo-)Schumpeterian Economics; Geography of Innovation - e.g. industrial clusters; Indicators - science, technology, R&D, innovation etc.; Innovation and Sustainability; Innovation Management/Organization/Policy/Strategy; Innovation Systems - national, regional, sectoral, technological; Knowledge - creation/production, diffusion/transfer/exchange, adoption/exploitation etc.; Learning (e.g. organizational) and Experimentation; Product and Process Development; Networks - e.g. research/ R&D collaboration, university-industry links, regional clusters, supply chains; Research and Development (R&D) Management/Policy/Strategy; Research Policy; Resource-Based View of the Firm - competence/capability (e.g. absorptive, core, dynamic); Science Policy; Sociotechnical Paradigms/Regimes; Technological Paradigms/Trajectories; Technological problem-solving; Technology Management/Policy/Strategy.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): MANAGEMENT
Editorial board by country: 5 in mainland China (about 4%); most named United States 30, United Kingdom 22, Italy 10, Netherlands 8, Japan 7 (124 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Innovation and Knowledge ManagementBusiness, Management and Accounting15%
- Innovation Policy and R&DEconomics, Econometrics and Finance13.9%
- Firm Innovation and GrowthEconomics, Econometrics and Finance10.4%
- Economic Growth and ProductivityEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5.9%
- Entrepreneurship Studies and InfluencesBusiness, Management and Accounting5.9%
- Intellectual Property and PatentsBusiness, Management and Accounting5.3%
- scientometrics and bibliometrics researchDecision Sciences4.1%
- Private Equity and Venture CapitalBusiness, Management and Accounting3.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Management Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Management | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Management Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Management | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Management Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Management | 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
- 8.46LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 8.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 17.6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 17.6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 4.47LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 3.59LetPub ·
- h-index
- 412OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 3,912OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 8.45OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 62.64%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 149LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 5,315 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 172 | 126 | 190 |
| 2025 | 172 | 130 | 1,059 |
| 2024 | 158 | 117 | 2,991 |
| 2023 | 163 | 108 | 5,361 |
| 2022 | 178 | 121 | 7,969 |
| 2021 | 192 | 125 | 11,977 |
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
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
469 dayssubmission to acceptance
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Submission to first decision
- 24 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 111 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 469 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 14 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 4,280 / EUR 4,000 / GBP 3,430 / JPY 530,850 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 4,500 | — | — |
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)
Open calls for papers3, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
Article types accepted9, with length limits
- book reviewRP publishes:• Research Articles - full-length papers of up to 8-10,000 words• Special Issues and Special Sections (see below)• Research Notes - typically of 3-…Length not stated
- book reviewsBook Reviews - commissioned by RP Book Review Editor.Length not stated
- discussion papersDiscussion Papers - occasionally published on important topical issues where views differLength not stated
- full research articleRP publishes:• Research Articles - full-length papers of up to 8-10,000 words• Special Issues and Special Sections (see below)• Research Notes - typically of 3-…Length not stated
- literature reviewRP publishes:• Research Articles - full-length papers of up to 8-10,000 words• Special Issues and Special Sections (see below)• Research Notes - typically of 3-…Length not stated
- research articleRP publishes:• Research Articles - full-length papers of up to 8-10,000 words• Special Issues and Special Sections (see below)• Research Notes - typically of 3-…main text ≤ 10,000 words
- research articlesResearch Articles - full-length papers of up to 8-10,000 wordsLength not stated
- research notesResearch Notes - typically of 3-5,000 wordsLength not stated
- special issues and special sectionsSpecial Issues and Special Sections (see below)Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Ethics in publishing Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Double anonymized peer review Model summary
This journal follows a double anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
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
- Elsevier
- ISSN
- 0048-7333
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-7625
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Research Policy
What CAS zone is Research Policy in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Research Policy is in Zone 1 of Management, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Management; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Management. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Research Policy?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 8.46; CiteScore 17.6, h-index 412.
How long does peer review take at Research Policy?
The publisher reports about 469 days (submission to acceptance). 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 Policy?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation. 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 Research Policy based?
Of the 124 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 5 (about 4%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (30), United Kingdom (22) and Italy (10). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Research Policy?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Research Policy is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Research Policy open access, and what is the APC?
Research Policy is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,280.
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: .