Journal profile · POLITICAL SCIENCE
West European Politics
ISSN 0140-2382 · eISSN 1743-9655 · Taylor & Francis
West European Politics: CAS Zone 1 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 3.84; JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 65 days (first decision after review, publisher); acceptance rate 16% (journal website); 79 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
West European Politics is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 1 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are European Union Policy and Governance, Electoral Systems and Political Participation and Social Policy and Reform Studies, together about 40.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Political Science and International Relations. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
West European Politics ( WEP ) has established itself as one of the most authoritative journals covering politics, government and public policy in Western Europe. Its comprehensive scope, embracing the major political developments, including the European Union, and its coverage of all national elections in Western Europe, make it essential reading for both academics and practitioners. The journal normally publishes at least two special issues per volume. Awards The Vincent Wright and Gordon Smith Memorial Prize were established to honour the memory the two founding editors of West European Politics. Two prizes are awarded annually on the recommendation of members of the Editorial Advisory Board for the best articles published in WEP during the preceding year. Peer Review All research articles,research notes and review articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on editor screening and anonymized refereeing by anonymous referees. Election reports are commissioned, and reviewed by, the responsible editor.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): POLITICAL SCIENCE
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United Kingdom 1, Netherlands 1, Denmark 1, Austria 1 (4 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- European Union Policy and GovernanceSocial Sciences15%
- Electoral Systems and Political ParticipationSocial Sciences13.6%
- Social Policy and Reform StudiesSocial Sciences12.2%
- Populism, Right-Wing MovementsSocial Sciences8.8%
- Political Influence and Corporate StrategiesBusiness, Management and Accounting7%
- Political Systems and GovernanceSocial Sciences6.1%
- European and International Law StudiesSocial Sciences4.5%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering3.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q1 · best quartile · 2025
- CiteScore Q1 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePublisher website
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
- 3.84LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 9.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 9.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.64LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 2.64Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.67LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 2.67Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 159OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,877OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.33OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 10%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 48.88%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 88LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 638,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,232 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 54 | 43 | 21 |
| 2025 | 79 | 63 | 396 |
| 2024 | 65 | 61 | 638 |
| 2023 | 77 | 69 | 1,421 |
| 2022 | 69 | 64 | 1,664 |
| 2021 | 70 | 62 | 3,540 |
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
65 daysfirst decision after review
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
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 16%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 8 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 65 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 44 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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)
Article types accepted1
- research articleResearch Article | Published online: 10 Sep 2026Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
West European Politics 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 discoverability and …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Peer review policy Model summary
All research articles,research notes and review articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on editor screening and anonymized refereeing by 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
- 0140-2382
- Electronic ISSN
- 1743-9655
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 49, Issue 6 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about West European Politics
What CAS zone is West European Politics in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, West European Politics is in Zone 1 of Sociology, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Political Science; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of West European Politics?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.84; CiteScore 9.7, h-index 159.
How long does peer review take at West European Politics?
The publisher reports about 65 days (first decision after review); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 16%. 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 JCR quartile is West European Politics in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q1 (best quartile). JCR quartiles are Clarivate's to confirm and a different system from the CAS zones; in the CAS ranking the journal is in Zone 1 of Sociology.
Where are the editorial board members of West European Politics based?
Of the 4 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (1), Netherlands (1) and Denmark (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index West European Politics?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, West European Politics is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is West European Politics open access, and what is the APC?
West European Politics 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .