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American Journal of Political Science
H-index 28

American Journal of Political Science

Ranking & Metrics

Discipline name Position Best Scientists Publications D-Index
Political Science 14 82 75 24

Additional Metrics

Number of Best Scientists*: 104
Documents by Best Scientists*: 92
Top 100 Ranked Scientists*: 12
SCIMAGO H-index: 215
SCIMAGO SJR: 6.28
Impact Factor: 5.6

Overview

Top Research Topics at American Journal of Political Science?

American Journal of Political Science aims to foster the development of research in Politics, Political economy, Social psychology, Public administration and Voting. The research on Politics tackled can also make contributions to studies in the areas of Government and Public relations. The journal dives deep in exploring the relationship between the study of Political economy and State (polity).

Social psychology research discussed connects with the study of Positive economics. The journal addresses concerns in Public administration which are intertwined with other disciplines, such as Legislature and Presidential system. The journal explores research in Legislature and the adjacent study of Public economics.

Voting behavior is a focus of the Voting works in the journal. Most of the works presented in American Journal of Political Science deals with Law but it intersects with the subject of Law and economics.

  • Politics (38.05%)
  • Political economy (18.62%)
  • Social psychology (13.60%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

  • Making the Most of Statistical Analyses: Improving Interpretation and Presentation (2584 citations)
  • Motivated Skepticism in the Evaluation of Political Beliefs (1982 citations)
  • Taking Time Seriously: Time-Series-Cross-Section Analysis with a Binary Dependent Variable (1980 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at American Journal of Political Science:

The published articles investigate areas of study like Politics, Social psychology, Political economy, Voting and Public administration. The most cited articles explore topics in Politics which can be helpful for research in disciplines like Government, Positive economics and Public relations. While the primary focus in the journal publications is Public administration, they also dissect topics surrounding Legislature and Public economics as a whole.

What topics the last edition of the journal is best known for?

  • Law
  • World War II
  • Politics

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

The journal investigates areas of study like Politics, Political economy, Public administration, Social psychology and Law and economics. Topics in Politics explored in the journal were investigated in conjunction with research in Affect (psychology), Action (philosophy), State (polity), Government and Power (social and political). In addition to Government research, it aims to explore topics under Context (language use) and Public economics.

The Political economy works featured in American Journal of Political Science incorporate elements from Ideology, Elite and Democracy, Autocracy. The journal explores the study of Democracy to improve our understanding of the broader topic of Law. The featured Public administration studies mainly concentrate on Bureaucracy but also cover areas of interest in Accountability.

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

  • (Almost) Everything in Moderation: New Evidence on Americans' Online Media Diets (20 citations)
  • Pleasing the Principal: U.S. Influence in World Bank Policymaking (11 citations)
  • Policy Diffusion: The Issue‐Definition Stage (10 citations)

Papers citation over time

A key indicator for each journal is its effectiveness in reaching other researchers with the papers published at that venue.

The chart below presents the interquartile range (first quartile 25%, median 50% and third quartile 75%) of the number of citations of articles over time.

The top authors publishing in American Journal of Political Science (based on the number of publications) are:

  • James M. Snyder (21 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • James L. Gibson (16 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Gary W. Cox (15 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Keith Krehbiel (14 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Gary King (14 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition.

The overall trend for top authors publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top authors.

Only papers with recognized affiliations are considered

The top affiliations publishing in American Journal of Political Science (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Harvard University (81 papers) published 9 papers at the last edition, 3 more than at the previous edition,
  • Princeton University (71 papers) published 8 papers at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition,
  • Stanford University (55 papers) published 8 papers at the last edition, 7 more than at the previous edition,
  • Yale University (54 papers) published 7 papers at the last edition, 5 more than at the previous edition,
  • Texas A&M University (53 papers) published 3 papers at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition.

The overall trend for top affiliations publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top affiliations.

Publication chance based on affiliation

The publication chance index shows the ratio of articles published by the best research institutions in the journal edition to all articles published within that journal. The best research institutions were selected based on the largest number of articles published during all editions of the journal.

The chart below presents the percentage ratio of articles from top institutions (based on their ranking of total papers).Top affiliations were grouped by their rank into the following tiers: top 1-10, top 11-20, top 21-50, and top 51+. Only articles with a recognized affiliation are considered.

During the most recent 2021 edition, 3.45% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 36.61% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 17.86% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 22.32% of all publications and 23.21% were from other institutions.

Returning Authors Index

A very common phenomenon observed among researchers publishing scientific articles is the intentional selection of journals they have already attended in the past. In particular, it is worth analyzing the case when the authors participate in the same journal from year to year.

The Returning Authors Index presented below illustrates the ratio of authors who participated in both a given as well as the previous edition of the journal in relation to all participants in a given year.

Returning Institution Index

The graph below shows the Returning Institution Index, illustrating the ratio of institutions that participated in both a given and the previous edition of the conference in relation to all affiliations present in a given year.

The experience to innovation index

Our experience to innovation index was created to show a cross-section of the experience level of authors publishing in a journal. The index includes the authors publishing at the last edition of a journal, grouped by total number of publications throughout their academic career (P) and the total number of citations of these publications ever received (C).

The group intervals were selected empirically to best show the diversity of the authors' experiences, their labels were selected as a convenience, not as judgment. The authors were divided into the following groups:

  • Novice - P < 5 or C < 25 (the number of publications less than 5 or the number of citations less than 25),
  • Competent - P < 10 or C < 100 (the number of publications less than 10 or the number of citations less than 100),
  • Experienced - P < 25 or C < 625 (the number of publications less than 25 or the number of citations less than 625),
  • Master - P < 50 or C < 2500 (the number of publications less than 50 or the number of citations less than 2500),
  • Star - P ≥ 50 and C ≥ 2500 (both the number of publications greater than 50 and the number of citations greater than 2500).

The chart below illustrates experience levels of first authors in cases of publications with multiple authors.

Educational Requirements for Political Science Research

In order to contribute to the research topics explored in the American Journal of Political Science, a strong foundation in the field is necessary. This often requires at minimum a bachelor's degree in political science or a related field. Some research positions may require a master's degree or even a Ph.D. in political science, public administration, or a related field. For those interested in certain specialist roles, such as becoming a librarian with a focus on political science resources, specific training and education may be required. For instance, becoming a librarian typically requires a master's degree in library science. You can find more specifics about this on our page about how to become a librarian in Oklahoma.

In addition to degree credentials, researchers should have a strong understanding of research methods, statistical analysis, and subject-specific knowledge. Good writing skills are also critical, as the results of research will often need to be published in journals like the American Journal of Political Science. Finally, the ability to present findings in a clear, concise manner--whether orally or in written form--will only enhance a researcher's contributions to the field of political science.

Top Publications

  • Does Affective Polarization Undermine Democratic Norms or Accountability? Maybe Not

    Unknown

    (2022)
    183 Citations
  • The Nature of Affective Polarization: Disentangling Policy Disagreement from Partisan Identity

    Nicholas Dias;Yphtach Lelkes

    (2021)
    177 Citations
  • American Politics in Two Dimensions: Partisan and Ideological Identities versus Anti-Establishment Orientations

    Joseph E. Uscinski;Adam M. Enders;Michelle I. Seelig;Casey A. Klofstad

    (2021)
    129 Citations
  • The Policy Basis of Measured Partisan Animosity in the United States

    Lilla V. Orr;Gregory A. Huber

    (2020)
    128 Citations
  • Partisan Gaps in Political Information and Information‐Seeking Behavior: Motivated Reasoning or Cheerleading?

    Erik Peterson;Shanto Iyengar

    (2021)
    128 Citations
  • The Unequal Distribution of Opportunity: A National Audit Study of Bureaucratic Discrimination in Primary School Access

    Asmus Leth Olsen;Jonas Høgh Kyhse-Andersen;Donald Moynihan

    (2020)
    59 Citations
  • Placebo Tests for Causal Inference

    (2023)
    59 Citations
  • Policy Diffusion: The Issue-Definition Stage

    Fabrizio Gilardi;Charles R. Shipan;Bruno Wüest

    (2021)
    54 Citations
  • Coalition government, legislative institutions, and public policy in parliamentary democracies

    Lanny W. Martin;Georg Vanberg

    (2020)
    54 Citations
  • Which Narrative Strategies Durably Reduce Prejudice? Evidence from Field and Survey Experiments Supporting the Efficacy of Perspective-Getting

    Joshua L. Kalla;David E. Broockman

    (2021)
    44 Citations

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

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For those aiming for academic or high-level policy research, pursuing an online Ph.D. can be ideal. Options like an online phd no dissertation offer a flexible pathway to advanced credentials without the traditional dissertation, accommodating working professionals.

Additionally, a Master of Public Administration is a popular choice for Political Science graduates seeking leadership roles. Many students benefit from accelerated options such as 1 year mpa programs, which combine efficiency with comprehensive training in governance and policy-making.

Best Scientists Contributing to This Journal