Monatsschrift für Kriminologie und Strafrechtsreform
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Edited by:
Hans-Jörg Albrecht
About this journal
The Monatsschrift für Kriminologie und Strafrechtsreform (Journal of Criminology and Penal Reform) is a forum for research and criminal policy in the fields of crime and crime control within German-speaking countries. It covers the entire spectrum of disciplines that contribute to criminological research: psychology, sociology, psychiatry, law, politics, economics, education, history, medicine, and forensic sciences. The broad scope of the journal is further demonstrated by the composition of its Advisory Board members. The publication intends to keep its readers informed of current criminological findings and policy developments. In general, articles are published in German, though some articles and special issues from abroad may be published in English.
All articles undergo a double-blind peer-review process.
The Editors are happy to share that the current turnaround time for articles from submission to acceptance, including peer review, is on average 64 days.
History
The Journal of Criminology and Penal Reform was founded in 1904 by Gustav Aschaffenburg in cooperation with Franz von Liszt and Karl von Lilienthal. The first issue was published by Verlag Winter, Heidelberg. In 2018 De Gruyter took over the journal from Carl Heymanns Verlag.
| Journal Impact Factor | 0.3 | 2024, Journal Citation Reports (Clarivate, 2025) |
| 5-year Journal Impact Factor | 0.5 | 2024, Journal Citation Reports (Clarivate, 2025) |
| Journal Citation Indicator | 0.22 | 2024, Journal Citation Reports (Clarivate, 2025) |
| CiteScore | 1.3 | 2024, Scopus (Elsevier B.V., 2025) |
| SCImago Journal Rank | 0.848 | 2024, SJR (Scimago Lab, 2025; Data Source: Scopus) |
| Source Normalized Impact per Paper | 0.680 | 2024, CWTS Journal Indicators (CWTS B.V., 2025; Data Source: Scopus) |
Manuscript submission
Please submit your paper online via https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/mks.The system will guide you step by step through the submission procedure.
Monatsschrift für Kriminologie und Strafrechtsreform (MschrKrim) has a criminological and criminal policy focus and reflects the range of disciplines which contribute to criminological research. The journal underlies a peer review process and has been listed in the Social Sciences Citation Index since January 2009.
The journal is published four times a year with an issue size of approximately 80 pages.
A special issue is published about once a year. The journal is edited by one or more members of the advisory board.
1. Type and Volume of Contributions
MschrKrim primarily publishes German-language contributions from the entire field of criminology and its neighbouring disciplines. We also welcome English-language contributions.
MschrKrim covers the columns Editorial, Articles, Reports, Forum and Book Reviews.
1.1 Articles
This column includes
- papers, which present unpublished empirical findings, including theory, method, results and interpretation of the scientific approach,
- basic theoretical contributions in which concepts, models or theories are presented, criticized, or further developed to explain known phenomena or to encourage further research,
- methodological papers on data collection and analysis procedures,
- Review articles and collective papers that summarize in a profound and understandable way the current state of research programs and fields,
- Research from other countries.
Articles are subject to peer review (anonymous evaluation by two external reviewers) and must not exceed 20 manuscript pages (12 point, single-spaced; see under 3.).
1.2 Reports
Reports on conferences, workshops, colloquia, etc. are limited to a maximum of 6 manuscript pages. The report should be limited to the most important and preferably newest findings and contents of the meeting. A résumé should include an evaluation of the conference.
1.3 Forum
Contributions in this column give a condensed report on smaller projects, important interim results of still ongoing studies or preliminary information of planned studies. The section is particularly intended to give young researchers a chance to present their work.
Manuscripts for this column are generally not subject to peer review and should not exceed 6 manuscript pages (12 point, single-spaced; see under 3.).
1.4 Book Reviews
Already completed reviews or review proposals can also be submitted online here https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/mks. Reviews preferably refer to books within the same year of publication. Book reviews will be published after consultation with the Editorial Board. Book reviews should not exceed 3 manuscript pages and should be submitted within three months of receipt of the book.
2. Manuscript Submission
Manuscripts may be submitted online at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/mks. Manuscripts should be prepared according to the guidelines listed below (see under 3.) otherwise they will be returned and can only be re-submitted once the guideline criteria are met. Authors will receive an immediate confirmation of receipt from the editorial office. Authors will be notified about the decision after the review process has been completed.
Only original contributions will be accepted, which means the submitted manuscript has not been previously published nor is it currently submitted to another journal for consideration. This also applies for excerpts of the manuscript. A second publication - also in excerpts or as a translation into another language, including making it available on the Internet - requires the consent of the publisher and the editorial staff.
With the acceptance of a manuscript, De Gruyter acquires copyright for the article - within the legal requirements - including the right of further reproduction for commercial purposes by means of photomechanical or other processes - this applies to its availability on the Internet.
3. Manuscript Format
Instructions for manuscript preparation can be found in the following linked PDF:
Hints for manuscript preparation
4. Peer Review
All submitted and potentially suitable manuscripts are submitted by the editors in anonymized form to two external researchers for review. Based on the reviews, the three editors decide whether a manuscript will be accepted for publication - if necessary, with attached conditions for revision. At the end of this process, the authors will receive the reviewers’ evaluations by e-mail as well as the editors’ final decision. The reviewers will remain anonymous.
Hybrid Open Access
In this journal, authors have the option to publish their article under an open access license. Open Access allows you as an author to retain copyright and share your findings with colleagues and interested parties worldwide without any restraints.
Please note that authors from institutions with which we have a transformative agreement can publish open access without paying an article processing charge (APC). More information on the eligible institutions and articles can be found under the "Funding and Support" tab here.
Editorial Board
Prof. Dr. phil. Thomas Bliesener, Kriminologisches Forschungsinstitut Niedersachen e.V., Hannover, (Editor-in-Chief)
Prof. Dr. iur. Klaus Boers, Institut für Kriminalwissenschaften, Universität Münster
Prof. Dr. phil. Dr. h.c. Friedrich Lösel, Cambridge/UK und Erlangen
Editorial Office
Eberhard Mecklenburg
Kriminologisches Forschungsinstitut Niedersachsen (KFN)
Lützerodestr. 9, 30161 Hannover
MschrKrim@kfn.de
+49 (0) 511 3483699
Advisory Board
Prof. Dr. phil. Katrin Brettfeld, Hamburg
Prof. Dr. jur. Kirstin Drenkhahn, Berlin
Prof. Dr. rer. soc. Stefanie Eifler, Eichstätt-Ingolstadt
Prof. Dr. iur. Roland Hefendehl, Freiburg i. Br.
Prof. Dr. rer. soc. Oec. Helmut Hirtenlehner, Linz/Österreich
Prof. Dr. soz.wiss. Susanne Karstedt, Brisbane/Australia
Prof. Dr. jur. Ralf Kölbel, München
Prof. Dr. iur. Stephan Quensel, Bremen
Prof. Dr. med. Dr. phil. Dr. h.c. Helmut Remschmidt, Marburg
Prof. Dr. phil. Karl-Heinz Reuband, Düsseldorf
Prof. Dr. iur. Klaus Sessar, Hamburg
Monatsschrift für Kriminologie und Strafrechtsreform is covered by the following services:
- Baidu Scholar
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- CNPIEC - cnpLINKer
- Dimensions
- EBSCO Discovery Service
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- Google Scholar
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- IBZ (International Bibliography of Periodical Literature in the Humanities and Social Sciences)
- J-Gate
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- PSYNDEX
- Publons
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- Scilit
- SCImago (SJR)
- SCOPUS
- Semantic Scholar
- Sherpa/RoMEO
- Summon (ProQuest)
- TDNet
- Ulrich's Periodicals Directory/ulrichsweb
- WanFang Data
- Web of Science - Social Sciences Citation Index
- WorldCat (OCLC)
- X-MOL
- Yewno Discover
Supplementary Materials
Topics
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Walter de Gruyter GmbH
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10785 Berlin
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