World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Theoretical Criminology
H-index 8

Theoretical Criminology

1362-4806

Published by: SAGE

https://journals.sagepub.com/home/tcr

Ranking & Metrics

Discipline name Position Best Scientists Publications D-Index
Law 72 6 6 2
Social Sciences and Humanities 755 10 12 7

Additional Metrics

Number of Best Scientists*: 16
Documents by Best Scientists*: 18
Top 100 Ranked Scientists*: 2
SCIMAGO H-index: 93
SCIMAGO SJR: 0.975
Impact Factor: 1.7

Overview

Top Research Topics at Theoretical Criminology?

The journal focuses on Criminology, Law, Politics, Media studies and Criminal justice. While work presented in it provided substantial information on Criminology, it also covered topics in Economic Justice and Gender studies. The journal features studies on Law, including topics such as State (polity).

The research on Politics discussed in it draws on the closely related field of Political economy. The Criminal justice research dealing mostly with Theory of criminal justice is the focus of Theoretical Criminology.

  • Criminology (53.92%)
  • Law (13.82%)
  • Politics (10.49%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

  • The viewer society : Michel Foucault’s ‘Panopticon’ revisited (510 citations)
  • `Governmentality' and the Problem of Crime:: Foucault, Criminology, Sociology (483 citations)
  • Preparing for prison?: The criminalization of school discipline in the USA (409 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at Theoretical Criminology:

The most cited articles tackle a plethora of topics, such as Criminology, Law, Politics, Social psychology and Criminal justice. The Criminology research presented in the most cited papers focuses mostly on Economic Justice and, on occasion, topics in Environmental ethics. The published papers explore research in Corporate governance and overlapping concepts in Governmentality to expand the discourse in Law.

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

  • Law
  • World War II
  • Social science

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

The journal generally zeroes in on subjects such as Criminology, Criminal justice, Ethnography, Law and Politics. In addition to Criminology research, it aims to explore topics under Performativity and Race (biology). While Criminal justice is the focus of it, it also provided insights into the studies of International law, Globalization, Risk assessment and Patriarchy.

Ethnography research presented in the journal encompasses a variety of subjects, including Urban studies, Boundary-work, Ethnology and Crimes against humanity. The overlapping concepts between Spectacle and Political economy are the key highlights of Politics study. The journal addresses concerns in Prison which are intertwined with other disciplines, such as Turnover and Resocialization.

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

  • Borders as penal transplants: Control of territory, mobility and illegality in West Africa: (3 citations)
  • States of exception, human rights, and social harm: Towards a border zemiology: (3 citations)
  • The whiteness of white-collar crime in the United States: Examining the role of race in a culture of elite white-collar offending: (3 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 Theoretical Criminology (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Nicole Rafter (9 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Eugene McLaughlin (8 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Pat O'Malley (8 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Kevin D. Haggerty (7 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Mary Bosworth (7 papers) absent 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 Theoretical Criminology (based on the number of publications) are:

  • University of Oxford (37 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition, 2 less than at the previous edition,
  • University of Toronto (31 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Keele University (19 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • University of Oslo (18 papers) published 4 papers at the last edition, 1 more than at the previous edition,
  • Eastern Kentucky University (17 papers) absent at the last 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, 9.09% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 18.00% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 6.00% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 22.00% of all publications and 54.00% 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.

Top Publications

  • The prison as a reinventive institution

    Unknown

    (2020)
    122 Citations
  • Youth justice and racialization: Comparative reflections:

    Chris Cunneen

    (2020)
    40 Citations
  • The anatomy of police legitimacy: dialogue, power and procedural justice

    Richard Martin;Ben Bradford

    (2021)
    22 Citations
  • Storytelling, resilience and transitional justice: Reversing narrative social bulimia:

    Janine Natalya Clark

    (2020)
    21 Citations
  • Charting the place of islands in criminology: On isolation, integration and insularity:

    John Scott;Zoe Staines

    (2021)
    12 Citations
  • The pains of detainment: Experience of time and coping strategies at immigration detention centres:

    Liridona Gashi;Willy Pedersen;Thomas Ugelvik

    (2021)
    12 Citations
  • Re-theorizing the progress of women in policing: An alternative perspective from the Global South

    (2022)
    11 Citations
  • The collective body: Legacies of monastic discipline in the post-Soviet prison:

    Lyuba Azbel;Evan Winter Morse;Tim Rhodes

    (2020)
    11 Citations
  • Trajectories of hope/lessness among men and women in the late stage of a life sentence

    (2022)
    9 Citations
  • Governing against the tide: Populism, power and the party conference

    (2022)
    8 Citations

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

Exploring Social Sciences and Humanities opens numerous career pathways, with online education making these fields more accessible. For those interested in information and library management, pursuing an ala accredited schools can offer specialized training aligned with industry standards.

Students seeking to develop expertise in organizing and managing information might consider earning a library science degree. This degree equips graduates for roles in library administration, digital archiving, and knowledge management across diverse settings.

Sociology remains a popular social science option, with many institutions offering flexible options such as the best online bachelors in sociology programs. These degree programs provide foundational knowledge on societal behavior and research methods essential for careers in social research, policy analysis, and community development.

For those drawn to counseling professions, investing in advanced education is key. Affordable options like the online counseling phd programs help prepare students for leadership roles in mental health, therapy, and academic settings, combining flexibility with rigorous training.

Best Scientists Contributing to This Journal

Recently Published Articles