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Journal decision profile

Journal of Democracy

Social Sciences
Johns Hopkins University PressUnited StatespISSN 1045-5736eISSN 1086-3214
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Journal Metrics Score
i
Journal Metrics ScoreThe raw score is citations received in the latest complete year by works from the two previous years, divided by the number of those works. It is calculated from OpenAlex open data (CC0) and is not a percentage grade.
2026
3.4

Journal Metrics Score 2026 · 2021–2024 window citedness 6.25.

Submission-to-acceptance
i
Submission-to-acceptanceCalendar days between the received and accepted dates reported in recent PubMed records. This interval includes editorial handling and author revisions, so it is not time to first decision or pure peer-review time.
PUBMED

Not available — there are not enough recent PubMed records with both received and accepted dates.

Indicative APC
i
Indicative APCThis journal-level estimate comes from the OpenAlex source record. It is not a verified quote and may exclude taxes, waivers, society discounts, or article-type charges. Check the journal's official website before deciding.
OPENALEX · VERIFY
Not available

No journal-level APC is available in the current OpenAlex snapshot. Cost is excluded from scoring.

At a glance

Journal decision profile

Each spoke is a 0–100 percentile within a comparable journal cohort—not a percentage grade or a single black-box rating.

Relative profile

Metrics ScoreThe raw 2026 Journal Metrics Score is the recent two-year citation average shown above. The radar converts it to a 0–100 cohort percentile: farther out means a higher score than more comparable journals. It is not a percentage grade.iSource outputThe raw rank compares lifetime output inside the journal’s leading-topic source set. The radar then compares that rank position across Decision Profile journals in the same primary OpenAlex field; when that field has too few profiles, it uses the broader profile set. Farther out means relatively more output, not better research quality.iTop 10% shareThe share of recent papers in the global top 10% for citations after comparing papers of the same type, publication year, and subfield. The radar converts that share to a 0–100 cohort percentile; it does not predict how a new paper will perform.iMedian FWCICitation performance of the middle recent paper after field, year, and work type are considered. A raw FWCI of 1.0 is the expected citation level for comparable papers; the radar shows its 0–100 cohort percentile.iOutput volumeAverage works published per year in the recent analysis window, converted to a 0–100 cohort percentile. Farther out means the journal publishes more papers; it does not mean those papers are better.i
Cost is intentionally excluded. Missing APC data is never converted to a zero-dollar fee or a fabricated cost score.

Raw values behind the shape

Always visible
Metrics Score
i
Metrics ScoreThe 2026 raw Journal Metrics Score shown above. The bar is its 0–100 percentile within the radar's comparable journal cohort; it is not a percentage score.
3.42026 · OPENALEX
Source output rank
i
Source output rankThis lifetime journal-wide output rank compares works published by the OpenAlex source with sources associated with the journal’s leading topic. More output does not mean higher quality.
#52 / 1,750LIFETIME OUTPUT
Highly cited papers
i
Highly cited papersShare of recent works in the global top 10% for citations after comparing papers of the same type, publication year, and subfield.
62.5%FIELD-NORMALIZED TOP 10%
Field-normalized impact
i
Field-normalized impactCitation performance of the middle recent paper after field, year, and work type are considered. A raw FWCI of 1.0 is the expected level for comparable work.
5.27MEDIAN FWCI
Submission-to-acceptance
i
Submission-to-acceptanceReceived-to-accepted calendar days from qualified PubMed records. It includes editorial handling and author revisions; it is not time to first decision or pure peer-review time.
—NOT AVAILABLE
Recent output
i
Recent outputAverage works published per year across the complete analysis window. This is a volume measure, not a quality score.
66 / yr2021–2024 AVG
Field-normalized top 10% share62.5%

165 of 264 works · same type, year & subfield

Field-normalized top 1% share24.6%

65 works · same type, year & subfield

Median FWCI5.27×

Above field-year expectation

Source output rank#52

of 1,750 topic-associated OpenAlex sources by lifetime output

What does Median FWCI mean?

FWCI compares papers with the same publication year, type, and field. 1.0 is the world average; above 1.0 is above expectation. This journal's median is 5.27, so its typical recent paper runs about 427% above its field benchmark.

What does Top 10% Share mean?

62.5% of recent papers rank in the global top 10% after field normalization. This is easier to compare across specialties than raw citation totals.

Publishing pattern

Publication volume and article mix

Volume is separated from citation accumulation so newer papers are not presented as weaker simply because they are newer.

Works published by year

OpenAlex source records · 2016–2025

782016
822017
772018
732019
692020
632021
602022
782023
632024
602025

Recent work-type mix

264 OpenAlex works · 2021–2024

Article100%
OpenAlex article is broader than “original research.” PubMed Publication Types can add case-report and clinical-study detail.
Fit signals

Topics and research coverage

OpenAlex topics show the research communities this journal serves.

Leading OpenAlex topics

2021–2024 works
Legal case studies and regulations16
Political Conflict and Governance13
Populism, Right-Wing Movements11
China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance9
Politics and Society in Latin America9
South Asian Studies and Conflicts9
European and Russian Geopolitical Military Strategies8
Crime, Illicit Activities, and Governance7
Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East7
Russia and Soviet political economy7
Methodology: OpenAlex snapshot 2026-08-12. FWCI, percentile badges, topics, and type mix use 264 works published 2021–2024. Radar normalization is versioned in the cached profile, and no cost score is assigned without reliable APC data.

Recommended alternatives

Candidates share the leading OpenAlex topic, then subfield or field when needed, and are ranked by current Journal Metrics Score.

OpenAlex topic-neighbor model · Preview
International Studies QuarterlyTopic-neighbor alternative4.3Metrics Score—Submission → acceptance$$$Cost*Journal of Peace ResearchTopic-neighbor alternative3.7Metrics Score—Submission → acceptance$—Cost*DemocratizationTopic-neighbor alternative2.6Metrics Score—Submission → acceptance$—Cost*Contemporary PoliticsTopic-neighbor alternative2.5Metrics Score—Submission → acceptance$—Cost*Conflict Management and Peace ScienceTopic-neighbor alternative2.1Metrics Score—Submission → acceptance$—Cost*Journal of Global Security StudiesTopic-neighbor alternative2.1Metrics Score—Submission → acceptance$—Cost*

More alternative journals

Journal of Conflict ResolutionComparative PoliticsMobilizationInternational InteractionsPeace Economics Peace Science and Public PolicyCivil Wars

* Cost is indicative only. APCs, taxes, waivers, and member discounts can change—always verify on the journal's official website.

Subject Category Quartiles

Quartiles computed within each OpenAlex subfield
CategoryQuartile
Sociology and Political ScienceQ1
LawQ1
Political Science and International RelationsQ1

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Q1
Subfield Quartile
B4
CAS Block

Ranking and source check

#612
of 7,087 Social Sciences field journals
#612
among Q1 Social Sciences journals

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Journal Details

OpenAlex Works
2,753
H-Index
154
Fully Open Access
No
Recent OA Works
135
Subject Areas
Sociology and Political ScienceLawPolitical Science and International RelationsPolitical Science and International Relations

Source: the current OpenAlex source record. OpenAlex works can include multiple work types. Fully Open Access is a source-level flag. Recent OA Works is summed from OpenAlex's counts_by_year series (up to the latest ten years); it is not a lifetime OA percentage. Any APC shown here is an indicative OpenAlex value—verify current charges on the journal's official website.

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