Journal profile · Social Sciences-Law
AJIL Unbound
ISSN 2398-7723 · eISSN 2161-7953 · Cambridge University Press · United Kingdom
AJIL Unbound: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 39 (journal website); diamond open access (no APC); no APC; review about 8 weeks (community reports); 55 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
AJIL Unbound is published by Cambridge University Press and is in Zone 3 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are International Law and Human Rights, International Arbitration and Investment Law and Global Peace and Security Dynamics, together about 42.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Political Science and International Relations. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Editorial boardAJIL is a leading peer-reviewed journal, published quarterly since 1907. It features articles, essays, editorial comments, current developments, and book reviews by pre-eminent scholars and practitioners from around the world addressing developments in public and private international law and foreign relations law. The Journal also contains analyses of decisions by national and international courts and tribunals as well as a section on contemporary U.S. practice in international law. AJIL and AJIL Unbound are indispensable for all professionals working in international law, economics, trade, and foreign affairs. ASIL members should log in to the American Society of International Law webpages to gain access to the full AJIL archive.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Social Sciences-Law
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- International Law and Human RightsSocial Sciences21.2%
- International Arbitration and Investment LawBusiness, Management and Accounting12.2%
- Global Peace and Security DynamicsSocial Sciences9%
- World Trade Organization LawSocial Sciences5.6%
- International Law and AviationSocial Sciences5.4%
- Corporate Law and Human RightsBusiness, Management and Accounting4.9%
- Human Rights and DevelopmentSocial Sciences4.7%
- International Maritime Law IssuesEnvironmental Science4.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Law | Zone 3 |
| Minor | International Relations | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | International Relations | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Law | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 39Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.4LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.75LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.99LetPub ·
- h-index
- 29OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 164OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.86OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 46LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 935 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 52 | 52 | 1 |
| 2025 | 55 | 55 | 10 |
| 2024 | 57 | 57 | 130 |
| 2023 | 56 | 56 | 216 |
| 2022 | 75 | 75 | 350 |
| 2021 | 82 | 82 | 401 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 8 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 8 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Unspecified peer reviewDOAJ
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Diamond open access (no APC)DOAJ
Every article is open access and authors pay no article processing charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | No APC | No | CC BY | |
| LetPub | No APC | No | — |
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Article types accepted10
- agoraAgora*Length not stated
- articleArticle*Length not stated
- book reviewBook ReviewLength not stated
- current developmentsCurrent Developments*Length not stated
- editorial commentEditorial Comment*Length not stated
- essayEssay*Length not stated
- international decisionsInternational Decisions*Length not stated
- letter to the editorLetter to the EditorLength not stated
- notes and commentsNotes and Comments*Length not stated
- review essayReview Essay*Length not stated
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Country or region
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2398-7723
- Print ISSN
- 0002-9300
- Electronic ISSN
- 2161-7953
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about AJIL Unbound
What CAS zone is AJIL Unbound in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, AJIL Unbound is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Law / International Relations. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of AJIL Unbound?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 39 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 3.4, h-index 29.
How long does peer review take at AJIL Unbound?
Authors report an average review time of about 8 weeks. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
Which databases index AJIL Unbound?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, AJIL Unbound is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is AJIL Unbound open access, and what is the APC?
AJIL Unbound is a diamond open-access journal (no APC). It charges no article processing charge.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website, DOAJ; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .