Journal profile · SOCIAL WORK
BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WORK
ISSN 0045-3102 · eISSN 1468-263X · Oxford University Press
BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WORK: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.19; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,492; 315 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WORK is published by Oxford 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 Social Work Education and Practice, Healthcare innovation and challenges and Homelessness and Social Issues, together about 46.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are General Health Professions. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The British Journal of Social Work is an international, high-impact, academic social work journal, published in the UK and owned by the British Association of Social Workers. The Journal was founded by the British Association of Social Workers in 1970. Each year we publish one ‘Volume’ of the Journal. The 50th Volume was published in 2020, including the 50th anniversary virtual Issue. Each Volume has eight Journal editions, called ‘Issues’. Each Issue includes between 15-30 articles, and 2-6 book reviews. You can read the latest Issue of the Journal here. The Journal welcomes submissions related to social work theory, research and practice from across the globe. Internationally, social work is understood, practiced, and researched in a variety of ways. International Federation of Social Workers defines social work as: “a practice-based profession, and an academic discipline that promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people. Principles of social justice, human rights, collective responsibility and respect for diversities are central to social work. Underpinned by theories of social work, social sciences, humanities and indigenous knowledges, social work engages people and structures to address life challenges and enhance wellbeing. The above definition may be amplified at national and/or regional levels.” Foregrounding of experiential knowledge of social work in our editorial and publishing practice is important to ensure that social work knowledge and resultant practice are developed in partnership with and reflect the needs of the communities, groups, families, and individuals we work with. We are proud that Issue 3 of the 53rd Volume of the Journal (published in April 2023) was a Special Issue on the voice and influence of lived experience of social work. The Issue was Co-Edited by people with lived experience of social work and all the articles in this Issue were either authored or led by people with lived experience of social work, too. We welcome and support articles authored or led by people with lived experience of social work. Please read Author Guidelines for further information. What Do We Publish? The Journal welcomes submissions which focus on social work research, theory, and/or practice. We particularly welcome submissions which foreground the voice and influence of people who use social work services. Journal readership includes social work researchers, educators, students, practitione
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): SOCIAL WORK
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 2%); most named United Kingdom 19, United States 16, Canada 3, Ireland 2, Mainland China 1 (48 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Social Work Education and PracticeSocial Sciences27.5%
- Healthcare innovation and challengesSocial Sciences10.4%
- Homelessness and Social IssuesHealth Professions9%
- Mental Health and Patient InvolvementHealth Professions7.1%
- Research in Social SciencesSocial Sciences5.1%
- Child Abuse and TraumaPsychology5%
- Child Welfare and AdoptionSocial Sciences5%
- Social Policy and Reform StudiesSocial Sciences4.7%
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 | Social Work | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Social Work | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Social Work | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
PsycINFOCINAHLCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: ProQuest
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
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
- 2.19LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.9Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 3.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.9LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.37LetPub ·
- h-index
- 128OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,437OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.76OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 13.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 54.25%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 230LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 5Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 982,817Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 8,278 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 181 | 97 | 38 |
| 2025 | 315 | 165 | 377 |
| 2024 | 205 | 115 | 819 |
| 2023 | 272 | 187 | 1,473 |
| 2022 | 241 | 108 | 1,503 |
| 2021 | 275 | 125 | 3,062 |
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
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
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
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | GBP 3,406 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
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 accepted6, with length limits
- book reviewsBook reviews - publishers with books for review and authors wishing to write a book review, please direct all enquiries to bjsw.editorialoffice@theeditorialhub.…Length not stated
- commentarybe considered by the Editors - Critical Commentaries should be less than 7,000 words long (inclusive). Book reviews - publishers with books formain text ≤ 7,000 words
- critical commentariesCritical Commentaries should be submitted through the S1M submission site to be considered by the Editors - Critical Commentaries should be less than 7,000 word…Length not stated
- original articlesOriginal articles on any aspect of social work research and theory. Articles should be between 5,000 to 7,000 words, but not exceed 8,000 words in length, exclu…Length not stated
- reflective contributions by experts by experienceReflective contributions by experts by experience– one of the options to promote the voice and influence of people who have experience of using social and/or he…Length not stated
- short replies to published articlesShort replies to published articles (maximum 1,500 words) can be published if thought by the editor (s) to be of interest to the readership.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteConflicts of interest, Publication ethics, Open access, Peer review
- Conflicts of interest Conflict of Interest Policy
Editor submission policy Model summary
Editors Submission by Editor Submission by the Editor or Co-Editor is not permitted. Submission by author at same institution as an Editor A paper submitted by an author who is at the same institution as the Editor or one of the Co-Editors will be handled by one of the other Co-Editors or by an Associate Editor who is not at that institution. The Editor or Co-Editor who is at the same institution …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Manuscript screening for integrity issues Model summary
Manuscripts may also be screened, including with services provided by third parties, to help detect integrity issues such as inappropriate image alteration and papermill activity.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access with BJSW
On this page, explore recently published Open Access articles from BJSW as well as learn how to submit OA with the journal. Discover more
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review The peer review process
Double-blind peer review Model summary
Each submission to the Journal undergoes a double-blind peer review process. This means that an anonymised version of each submitted paper is reviewed by two to three reviewers who are knowledgeable about the topic of your work and/or it’s context. Our reviewers include social work researchers, teachers, practitioners and people with lived experience of social work from across the globe. Following…
Source ↗Publisher website ·
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
- Oxford University Press
- ISSN
- 0045-3102
- Electronic ISSN
- 1468-263X
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 56, Issue 5 (July 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WORK
What CAS zone is BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WORK in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WORK is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Social Work. 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 BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WORK?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.19; CiteScore 3.9, h-index 128.
Where are the editorial board members of BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WORK based?
Of the 48 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 2%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (19), United States (16) and Canada (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WORK?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WORK is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists PsycINFO, CINAHL and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WORK open access, and what is the APC?
BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL WORK is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,492.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; 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: .