Journal profile · Multiple
Review of Policy Research
ISSN 1541-132X · eISSN 1541-1338 · Wiley-Blackwell
Review of Policy Research: CAS Zone 4 · Management (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 4.37; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,300; median 214 days to acceptance (82 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 12% (journal website); 91 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Review of Policy Research is published by Wiley-Blackwell and is in Zone 4 of Management in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Policy Transfer and Learning, Public Policy and Administration Research and Local Government Finance and Decentralization, together about 31.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Political Science and International Relations. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Review of Policy Research publishes original research that advances the international study of policy processes, public policy, and governance. The journal is committed to theoretically grounded scholarship that contributes to the development, refinement, and application of policy process theories across political systems and issue areas. Submissions must demonstrate clear engagement with the international policy process literature. This includes contributions that apply, test, compare, or extend established theoretical frameworks as well as work that develops new conceptual approaches grounded in the broader policy process tradition. Empirical, comparative, conceptual, and methodological contributions are welcome, provided they are explicitly linked to theoretical debates in public policy research. As the official journal of the Science, Technology and Environmental Politics section of the American Political Science Association, the journal has a particular interest in science, technology, and environmental policy. However, it also welcomes contributions from other substantive policy domains, as long as they advance international policy process scholarship. The journal does not publish purely technical, sectoral, or normative discussions that lack theoretical engagement with the policy process literature.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Nils C. BandelowPublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Policy Transfer and LearningSocial Sciences12.7%
- Public Policy and Administration ResearchSocial Sciences10.6%
- Local Government Finance and DecentralizationSocial Sciences7.9%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering5.6%
- Sustainability and Climate Change GovernanceEnvironmental Science5.2%
- Social Policy and Reform StudiesSocial Sciences4.5%
- Electoral Systems and Political ParticipationSocial Sciences4.2%
- Climate Change Policy and EconomicsEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.1%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Management Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Public Administration | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Management Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Public Administration | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Public Administration | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest, AGRICOLA, 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
- 4.37LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 4.4Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 7.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 7.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.02LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.41LetPub ·
- h-index
- 81OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 795OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.65OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 18.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 45.56%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 77LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 76Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 183,467Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,767 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 47 | 16 | 12 |
| 2025 | 91 | 58 | 180 |
| 2024 | 56 | 44 | 322 |
| 2023 | 70 | 47 | 955 |
| 2022 | 71 | 33 | 951 |
| 2021 | 63 | 18 | 906 |
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
214 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 174 days – 303 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 42 days (83 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 264 days
- Sample
- 82 articles with submission and acceptance dates (136 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)
- 12%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 12%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 5 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 5 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 204 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 47 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 3,300 / EUR 2,760 / GBP 2,220 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Submission fee
- No submission fee
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 prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Keywords
- ≤ 7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 12,000 words
- Reference style
- APA
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
Article types accepted2
- original paperArticle Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Other Requirements Original Papers reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make a …Length not stated
- original papersOriginal Papers reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make a significant contribution to knowledge usually 8,000 words, no more than 12,0…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- Authorship Authorship
All listed authors should have contributed to the manuscript substantially and have agreed to the final submitted version. Review editorial standards and scroll down for a description of authorship criteria.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Sharing and Data Availability
Data sharing expected and peer reviewed. Model summary
This journal expects and peer reviews data sharing. Review Wiley’s Data Sharing policy where you will be able to see and select the data availability statement that is right for your submission.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Reproduction of Copyright Material
If excerpts from copyrighted works owned by third parties are included, credit must be shown in the contribution. It is your responsibility to also obtain written permission for reproduction from the copyright owners. For more information visit Wiley’s Copyright Terms & Conditions FAQ. The corresponding author is responsible for obtaining written permission to reproduce the material "in print and …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access
Preprint policy: Please find the Wiley preprint policy here. This journal accepts articles previously published on preprint servers. Wiley's Preprints Policy statement for subscription/hybrid open access journals RPR will consider for review articles previously available as preprints. You may also post the submitted version of a manuscript to a preprint server at any time. You are requested to upd…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review 1. Submission and Peer Review Process
Double-anonymized peer review model. Model summary
Once the submission materials have been prepared in accordance with the Author Guidelines, manuscripts should be submitted online at https://authors.wiley.com/journal/RPR You can check the status of your submission at any time by logging on to submission.wiley.com and clikcing the 'My Submissions' button. For technical help with the submission system, please review our FAQs or contact submissionhe…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprint policy:
Preprint policy: accepts articles previously published on preprint servers. Model summary
Please find the Wiley preprint policy here. This journal accepts articles previously published on preprint servers.
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
- Wiley-Blackwell
- ISSN
- 1541-132X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1541-1338
- Society / sponsor
- Policy Studies Organization
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 43, Issue 5 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Review of Policy Research
What CAS zone is Review of Policy Research in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Review of Policy Research is in Zone 4 of Management, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Political Science / Public Administration. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Management. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Review of Policy Research?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.37; CiteScore 7.7, h-index 81.
How long does peer review take at Review of Policy Research?
Based on the dates recorded on 82 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 214 days (interquartile range 174–303 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 12% (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 Review of Policy Research?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Keywords: ≤ 7; Manuscript length: ≤ 12,000 words; Reference style: APA; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required. 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 Review of Policy Research?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Review of Policy Research is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Review of Policy Research open access, and what is the APC?
Review of Policy Research is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,300.
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: .