HomeSearchJournal of Democracy

Journal of Democracy

Johns Hopkins University Press · United States · Est. 1990

ISSN1045-5736eISSN1086-3214
SJR Q1WOS SSCIScopus / SJR
90
/ 100
High Trust
PubScope credibility score from verifiable indexing & ethics signals
Score Breakdown
WoS flagship (SCIE/SSCI/AHCI)78
✓ Corroboration (2 more)+12
Total90
Level data: Norwegian Register (HK-dir), NLOD 2.0. · Third-party records · how this is calculated · Report an error →
⚡ Speed vs Prestige
How does this journal balance review speed with impact level?
Publication speed: not measurable
publisher doesn’t disclose per-article submission dates — we never estimate
Q1
SJR Rank
Top 25% in field
Impact Factor & Quartile · Web of Science (JCR)

✓ Indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection (SSCI) — Clarivate publishes an official Journal Impact Factor and JCR quartile for this journal.

See the official Impact Factor & quartile on the journal’s page ↗

The Impact Factor & JCR quartile are licensed by Clarivate — we link you to the official source instead of reprinting a number that can go out of date. Open metrics below: SCImago Q1. Source: Clarivate Journal Citation Reports.

SJR Scorei
3.142
H-Indexi
152
CiteScore
View ↗
Scopus metric · on the journal’s page
SNIPi
4.067
Total Worksi
2,737
Total Citationsi
139,020
2yr Mean Citednessi
2.62
Open Impact Factor alternative

Aims & Scope

The Journal of Democracy is the world’s leading publication on the theory and practice of democracy. Since its founding in 1990, the Journal has engaged leading scholars, writers, and activists in critical discussions about the prospects and perils for democracy across the globe. The Journal of Democracy is published by Johns Hopkins University Press. The Journal ’s editors take no editorial positions, but are guided by the mission of providing analysis of the major political, social, and economic challenges that confront democracy. The Journal of Democracy is led solely by the best judgment of its editors, who act freely and independently. The Journal ’s editors alone are responsible for all editorial decisions. No outside party determines, reviews, or endorses the Journal’s choices, and funders do not participate in commissioning authors, developing essays, or editing manuscripts. Each decision is made with the aim of providing a range of viewpoints and analysis that furthers our understanding of democracy today.

General Information

Country / RegionUnited States
Primary LanguageEnglish
1st Year Published1990
FrequencyAnnual
StatusActive
Total Publications2,737
Publisher OrgJohns Hopkins University Press
Visit Journal Website

Submission Info

Publishing ModelSubscription
Peer ReviewNot formally peer-reviewed
Review Time
Acceptance Rate
OA License
OA Rate

Ethics & Quality

COPE Member✗ No
OASPA Member✗ No
Not on Predatory Lists✓ Yes

Think.Check.Submit Compliance

7/12 · 58%
Do you know the journal / publisher?
Johns Hopkins University Press
Does the journal have a website?
✓ Linked
Is the ISSN verified?
1045-5736 / 1086-3214
Indexed in a trusted database?
WoS, Scopus
Peer review process documented?
Not formally peer-reviewed
Follows ethical publishing standards (COPE)?
N/A
APC fees clearly disclosed?
N/A
Not on predatory/blacklists?
✓ Clean
Long-term digital preservation?
N/A
Plagiarism detection in place?
N/A
Listed in DOAJ (verified OA)?
N/A
Primary language documented?
English

Based on the Think.Check.Submit framework by DOAJ, COPE & OASPA. All data from verified open sources.

Publication & Citation Trend

Articles published
Citations received
73
3.6k
2019
69
2.1k
2020
63
1.8k
2021
60
1.3k
2022
78
1.2k
2023
63
386
2024
60
103
2025
31
2
2026

Source: OpenAlex · Each year’s green bar = citations earned by that year’s papers, counted to date — so recent years look lower simply because their papers haven’t had time to be cited yet.

SJR Quartile by Discipline

Scimago ranks this journal separately in each subject category — its quartile can differ by discipline.

Sociology and Political ScienceQ1

Subject Classification

Web of Science Categories

Political Science

Scopus Categories

Sociology and Political Science

Research Topics (OpenAlex)

Political Conflict and GovernanceJudicial and Constitutional StudiesPolitical Theory and InfluencePopulism, Right-Wing MovementsLegal case studies and regulations

Frequently asked questions about Journal of Democracy

Is Journal of Democracy a predatory journal?

PubScope has no integrity flags on record for Journal of Democracy: it is indexed in Web of Science, Scopus, and is not on DOAJ's withdrawn list. Its PubScope Trust Score is 90/100. Indexing is a transparency signal, not a guarantee — always confirm fit and policies before submitting.

What is the impact factor of Journal of Democracy?

Journal of Democracy is indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection, so Clarivate publishes an official Journal Impact Factor for it (since the 2023 Journal Citation Reports, every Core Collection journal — including Arts & Humanities and Emerging Sources titles — receives one). PubScope links to Clarivate's official source rather than reprinting the number, which can be out of date. Its open 2-year mean citedness is 2.62.

Is Journal of Democracy indexed in Scopus and Web of Science?

Journal of Democracy is indexed in Web of Science, Scopus.

What is the aims and scope of Journal of Democracy?

The Journal of Democracy is the world’s leading publication on the theory and practice of democracy. Since its founding in 1990, the Journal has engaged leading scholars, writers, and activists in critical discussions about the prospects and perils for democracy across the globe. The Journal of Democracy is published by Johns Hopkins University Press. The Journal ’s editors take no editorial positions, but are guided by the mission of providing analysis of the major political, social, and economic challenges that confront democracy. The Journal of Democracy is led solely by the best judgment o

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How to tell if a journal is predatoryWhat Q1–Q4 quartiles meanWeb of Science vs Scopus vs DOAJWhat is an APC?

Data updated: 2026-05-22 · Sources: SJR, DOAJ, OpenAlex, WoS, Crossref