Aims & Scope
The Journal of Rural Studies publishes cutting-edge research that advances understanding and analysis of contemporary rural societies, economies, cultures and lifestyles; the definition and representation of rurality; the formulation, implementation and contestation of rural policy; and human interactions with the rural environment.
The journal is an interdisciplinary publication and welcomes articles from diverse theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches, which engage with and contribute to the rural social science literature, as broadly defined by the disciplines of rural geography, rural sociology, agricultural and rural economics, planning and cognate subjects.
The coverage of the journal is global in scope and solicits articles based on empirical research in any part of the world that is of relevance and interest to international readers.
The primary audience of the journal are social science researchers, teachers and students interested in contemporary rural issues, processes and experiences.
View Aims & ScopeMetrics & Ranking
Impact Factor
| Year | Value |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 5.7 |
SJR (SCImago Journal Rank)
| Year | Value |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 1.763 |
Quartile
| Year | Value |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Q1 |
h-index
| Year | Value |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 146 |
Impact Factor Trend
Abstracting & Indexing
Journal is indexed in leading academic databases, ensuring global visibility and accessibility of our peer-reviewed research.
Subjects & Keywords
Journal’s research areas, covering key disciplines and specialized sub-topics in Agricultural and Biological Sciences and Social Sciences, designed to support cutting-edge academic discovery.
Most Cited Articles
The Most Cited Articles section features the journal's most impactful research, based on citation counts. These articles have been referenced frequently by other researchers, indicating their significant contribution to their respective fields.
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Embeddedness and local food systems: notes on two types of direct agricultural market
Citation: 864
Authors: C.Clare
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Should we go “home†to eat?: toward a reflexive politics of localism
Citation: 679
Authors: E. Melanie, David
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Rural development in the digital age: A systematic literature review on unequal ICT availability, adoption, and use in rural areas
Citation: 676
Authors: Koen, Dirk, Gary
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Why some rural areas decline while some others not: An overview of rural evolution in the world
Citation: 616
Authors: Yuheng, Hans, Yansui
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Local and farmers' knowledge matters! How integrating informal and formal knowledge enhances sustainable and resilient agriculture
Citation: 503
Authors: Sandra, Ilona, Karlheinz, Agnes, Talis, Ignacio des Ios, Maria, Tzruya, Amit
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The allocation and management of critical resources in rural China under restructuring: Problems and prospects
Citation: 500
Authors: Hualou, Shuangshuang, Dazhuan, Tingting, Yansui
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Locality and social representation: Space, discourse and alternative definitions of the rural
Citation: 496
Authors: K.H.