Peer-reviewed Open-Access Journals
One of the favored outlets for scholarly work among criminologists, whether they are faculty or graduate students, are peer-reviewed journals. Many of them exist, and many of them do not have submission fees in the field of criminology. I will write another post at a later date addressing journal submission fees in more detail. Likewise, I will provide my own perception of journal rankings in a later post too. This entry will specifically talk about open-access journals in the fields of criminology and criminal justice. Open-access journals are journals that make their articles available online to the general public as soon as they are published. While some open-access journals charge extreme submission/publication fees or have questionable review processes, there are others that have prestigious editorial boards, stringent review process, and do not charge extreme submission/publication fees. This post will focus on some interesting criminology and criminal justice journals that make valuable contributions to the discipline.
Open-access journals became more readily available because journals can now be published in their entirety online, without the need of ink, paper, or printing services. Another thing that makes open-access journals attractive to scholars is that they often fill niche areas of interest. Areas of interest that may not receive the attention they deserve in larger journals might find a home in these types of journals that cater to specific areas or methods of research.
Here is a list, in no particular order, of open-access journals relevant to criminology and criminal justice. Brief descriptions of their value or contribution to the discipline are discussed. If anyone cares to add one I may have missed, do not hesitate to comment, and I will be happy to add it to the list. After all, the internet is a large place and I might have missed something.
- Journal of Qualitative Criminal Justice and Criminology - As the name implies, this journal caters to criminal justice and criminology articles that use qualitative research methods. Arguably, this was desperately needed in the discipline because many journals seem to favor accepting articles that use advanced quantitative methods. I strongly recommend this journal.
- Internet Journal of Criminology - This might be the most interesting journal on the list. It is an intriguing option because it uses an "open" peer review process to review articles. I have yet to see this type of review process with any other criminology or criminal justice journal.
- International Journal for Crime, Justice and Social Democracy - This blind peer-reviewed journal is free to download and also does not charge publication fees. It's website boasts that it provides an outlet for critical studies concerning the challenges confronting criminal justice systems all over the world.
- The Journal of Criminology,Criminal Justice, Law & Society - This interdisciplinary peer-reviewed journal seeks to publish papers about the causes of crime, crime prevention, crime control, as well as papers about the social institutions and individuals involved in the criminal justice system.
- Critical Issues in Justice and Politics - This peer-reviewed journal that is published once a year bridges the divide between political science, criminal justice, and criminology.
- Crime Science - Crime Science is an interdisciplinary peer-reviewed journal that publishes research articles, theoretical articles, systematic reviews, and even short contributions about current policy issues, crime trends, and justice practices. I stumbled across this journal because they have many articles that have been examining the crime decline nationally and internationally.
- Health & Justice - As the name implies, this interdisciplinary journal bridges the gap between criminal justice research and health studies. It also publishes shorter scholarly contributions as well as meta analyses, as well as original research.
- Journal of Prison Education and Reentry - This peer-reviewed journal focuses on prisoner education and reentry.
- Law, Crime & History - This might be one of the most interesting journals I have stumbled across because of how it seeks to bridge the gap between history, law, and criminal justice studies.
