Journal profile · SOCIOLOGY
British Journal of Sociology
ISSN 0007-1315 · eISSN 1468-4446 · Wiley-Blackwell
British Journal of Sociology: CAS Zone 1 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 2.63; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,840; median 193 days to acceptance (89 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 20% (journal website); 136 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
British Journal of Sociology is published by Wiley-Blackwell and is in Zone 1 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice, Social and Cultural Dynamics and Social Policy and Reform Studies, together about 29.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The British Journal of Sociology (BJS) is a leading international sociological journal published on behalf of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Established in 1950, the journal features rigorous, original research that speaks to a general sociological audience and draws on an array of quantitative and qualitative methods. The BJS has a proud tradition of featuring work that advances both scholarly debate and broader understandings of key social and political questions. The BJS includes a book reviews section that engages with notable new publications from junior and senior scholars, with occasional book symposia and multiple-title book review essays. The journal also publishes occasional special issues, organised around themes of political or theoretical significance. Mission Statement To be a leading sociology journal in terms of academic substance, scholarly reputation , with relevance to and impact on the social and democratic questions of our times To publish papers demonstrating the highest standards of scholarship in sociology from authors worldwide; To carry papers from across the full range of sociological research and knowledge To lead debate on key methodological and theoretical questions and controversies in contemporary sociology, for example through the annual lecture special issue To highlight new areas of sociological research, new developments in sociological theory, and new methodological innovations, for example through timely special sections and special issues To react quickly to major publishing and/or world events by producing special issues and/or sections To publish the best work from scholars in new and emerging regions where sociology is developing To encourage new and aspiring sociologists to submit papers to the journal, and to spotlight their work through the early career prize To engage with the sociological community – academics as well as students – in the UK and abroad, through social media, and a journal blog. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Statement The British Journal of Sociology actively seeks to publish research that recognises the diverse nature of society and the full range of sociological research and knowledge. We recognize that many groups are under-represented in research, and we are committed to promoting diversity in research and publishing scholarship from all ethnicities, races, colors, religions, sexes, sexual orientations, gender identities, national origins, disabilities, ages, or
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): SOCIOLOGY
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 2%); most named United Kingdom 19, United States 13, Australia 5, Japan 4, Canada 2 (53 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Contemporary Sociological Theory and PracticeSocial Sciences12%
- Social and Cultural DynamicsSocial Sciences9.6%
- Social Policy and Reform StudiesSocial Sciences8.3%
- Political Economy and MarxismSocial Sciences6.2%
- Labor Movements and UnionsSocial Sciences5.7%
- Religion and Society InteractionsSocial Sciences4.7%
- Housing, Finance, and NeoliberalismEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.3%
- Intergenerational and Educational Inequality StudiesSocial Sciences3.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Sociology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Sociology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Sociology | 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
PubMedPsycINFOCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, 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
- 2.63LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 5.2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.37LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.18LetPub ·
- h-index
- 271OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 3,359OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.54OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 81.22%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 92LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 125Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 591,325Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 7,141 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 106 | 76 | 13 |
| 2025 | 136 | 103 | 222 |
| 2024 | 107 | 80 | 303 |
| 2023 | 92 | 70 | 652 |
| 2022 | 77 | 49 | 1,125 |
| 2021 | 111 | 55 | 1,374 |
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
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
193 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 115 days – 264 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 11 days (89 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 204 days
- Sample
- 89 articles with submission and acceptance dates (263 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 20%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 25 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 169 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 9 daysPublisher website ·
- 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 | USD 3,840 / EUR 3,240 / GBP 2,870 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 300 words
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 8,000 words
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Required, 3
Article types accepted5, with length limits
- book reviewopyright-_301.html Guidelines for Multi-Book Review Essays: Length as agreed with Book Reviews Editor, but typically between 5,000 and 6,000 words. Purpose: thr…main text ≤ 6,000 words
- book reviewsBook Reviews: Invited book reviews, or multi-book review essays, of a length specified by the Book Reviews Editor.Length not stated
- multi-book review essaysLength as agreed with Book Reviews Editor, but typically between 5,000 and 6,000 words.Length not stated
- researchResearch Manuscripts should normally be approximately 8,000 words in length (including the Notes/Bibliography section).Length not stated
- research notes/commentariesResearch notes/commentaries making contemporary contributions to the Journal’s fields of interest will also be considered by the Editors but these should not be…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Open access, Preprints
- AI use Disclosing the use of artificial intelligence (AI)
If you or your co-authors have used Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC) tools such as ChatGPT and others based on large language models (LLMs) to develop any portion of a manuscript, their use must be described transparently and in detail in the Methods section.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship
The list of authors should accurately illustrate who contributed to the work and how. All those listed as authors should qualify for authorship according to the following criteria:
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access For Authors choosing open access
Open access licensing Model summary
If the open access option is selected, the corresponding author will have a choice of the following Creative Commons License Open Access Agreements (OAA):
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints
Preprint policy Model summary
Please find the Wiley preprint policy here.
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
- Wiley-Blackwell
- ISSN
- 0007-1315
- Electronic ISSN
- 1468-4446
- Society / sponsor
- London School of Economics and Political Science
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 77, Issue 4 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about British Journal of Sociology
What CAS zone is British Journal of Sociology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, British Journal of Sociology is in Zone 1 of Sociology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Sociology; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of British Journal of Sociology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.63; CiteScore 5.2, h-index 271.
How long does peer review take at British Journal of Sociology?
Based on the dates recorded on 89 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 193 days (interquartile range 115–264 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 20% (2025). 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.
What are the manuscript requirements of British Journal of Sociology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 300 words; Manuscript length: ≤ 8,000 words; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Required, 3. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of British Journal of Sociology based?
Of the 53 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 (13) and Australia (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index British Journal of Sociology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, British Journal of Sociology is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists PubMed, PsycINFO and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is British Journal of Sociology open access, and what is the APC?
British Journal of Sociology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,840.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; 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: .