Journal profile · CRIMINOLOGY & PENOLOGY
Security Journal
ISSN 0955-1662 · eISSN 1743-4645 · Springer Nature · 4 issues per year
Security Journal: CAS Zone 4 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.06; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,090; review about 6 days (submission to first decision, publisher); 72 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Security Journal is published by Springer Nature and is in Zone 4 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Crime Patterns and Interventions, Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance and Cybercrime and Law Enforcement Studies, together about 41.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Security Journal is a dynamic publication that keeps you informed about the latest developments and techniques in security management. Written in an accessible style, it is the world's premier peer-reviewed journal for today's security researcher and professional. The journal is affiliated to ASIS International and has an advisory board which includes representatives from major associations, expert practitioners and leading academics. The Security Journal publishes papers at the cutting edge in developing ideas and improving practice, focusing on the latest research findings on all aspects of security. Regular features include personal opinions and informed comment on key issues in security, as well as incisive reviews of books, videos and official reports. What are the benefits of subscribing? Learn from evaluations of the latest security measures, policies and initiatives; keep up-to-date with new techniques for managing security, as well as the latest findings and recommendations of independent research; understand new perspectives and how they inform the theory and practice of security management. What makes the journal distinct? Articles are jargon free and independently refereed; papers are at the cutting edge in developing ideas and improving practice; we have appointed an Advisory Board which includes representatives from leading associations, skilled practitioners and the world's leading academics. How does the journal inform? The Security Journal publishes innovative papers highlighting the latest research findings on all aspects of security; incisive reviews of books, videos and official reports; personal opinions and informed comment on key issues. Topics covered include: fraud evaluations of security measures shop theft burglary organised crime computer and information security repeat victimisation violence within the work place private policing insurance regulation of the security industry CCTV tagging access control aviation security health and safety armed robbery designing out crime security staff offenders' views Please note that the journal does not accept technical or mathematic submissions or research based on formulas or prototypes.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): CRIMINOLOGY & PENOLOGY
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 13, United Kingdom 9, Australia 8, South Africa 4, Japan 2 (51 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Crime Patterns and InterventionsSocial Sciences23.2%
- Crime, Illicit Activities, and GovernanceSocial Sciences10%
- Cybercrime and Law Enforcement StudiesComputer Science8.3%
- Policing Practices and PerceptionsSocial Sciences7.2%
- Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political ViolenceSocial Sciences6.1%
- Crime, Deviance, and Social ControlSocial Sciences5.1%
- Wildlife Conservation and Criminology AnalysesEnvironmental Science4.9%
- Information and Cyber SecurityComputer Science4.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Criminology & Penology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Criminology & Penology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Criminology & Penology | 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
SCIEPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS
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
- 2.06LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.1Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.2LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.43LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.09LetPub ·
- h-index
- 57OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 463OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.71OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 37.01%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 66LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2,025Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 267,100Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,370 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 46 | 14 | 8 |
| 2025 | 72 | 29 | 172 |
| 2024 | 46 | 21 | 265 |
| 2023 | 47 | 19 | 255 |
| 2022 | 39 | 16 | 369 |
| 2021 | 51 | 16 | 699 |
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
- Submission to first decision
- 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,090 / EUR 2,490 / GBP 2,190 | — | — | |
| 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)
What to prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 125 words
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 8,000 words
- Reference style
- Chicago
Policy excerpts from the journal's websitePublication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Plagiarism, Self-archiving
- Publication ethics
Member of COPE Model summary
This journal, via its publisher Palgrave Macmillan, is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright and Permissions
Using third-party material in your articleAuthors are responsible for ensuring that any third-party material (e.g. figures, tables, photos, illustrations, trade literature, or data) is not used without permission. If such material is copyrighted, permission must be obtained and submitted with the final manuscript. The Editor and Publisher must be informed of any restricted-use content at submissio…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access & Self Archiving
Green OA self-archiving after 12-month embargo Model summary
Self-archiving (green open access)Where articles are published via the subscription route, authors are permitted to self-archive the accepted manuscript (the version post-peer review, but prior to copy-editing and typesetting) on their own personal website and/or in their funder or institutional repositories, for public release after an embargo period of 12 months after first publication.Learn mor…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
No submission fee Model summary
This journal does not charge for the submission of manuscripts to the journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism
iThenticate plagiarism screening Model summary
Manuscripts submitted to the journal are subject to checks using iThenticate to detect instances of overlapping and similar text.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Self-archiving Open Access & Self Archiving
Self-archiving (green open access)Where articles are published via the subscription route, authors are permitted to self-archive the accepted manuscript (the version post-peer review, but prior to copy-editing and typesetting) on their own personal website and/or in their funder or institutional repositories, for public release after an embargo period of 12 months after first publication.Learn mor…
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
- 4 issues per year
- ISSN
- 0955-1662
- Electronic ISSN
- 1743-4645
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Security Journal
What CAS zone is Security Journal in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Security Journal is in Zone 4 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Criminology & Penology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Security Journal?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.06; CiteScore 4.2, h-index 57.
How long does peer review take at Security Journal?
The publisher reports about 6 days (submission to first decision); first decisions include desk rejections. 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 Security Journal?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 125 words; Manuscript length: ≤ 8,000 words; Reference style: Chicago. 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 Security Journal based?
Of the 51 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (13), United Kingdom (9) and Australia (8). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Security Journal?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Security Journal is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists SCIE; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Security Journal open access, and what is the APC?
Security Journal is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,090.
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: .