Journal profile · Multiple
Critical Social Policy
ISSN 0261-0183 · eISSN 1461-703X · SAGE
Critical Social Policy: CAS Zone 2 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.7; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,650; 23 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Critical Social Policy is published by SAGE and is in Zone 2 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Social Policy and Reform Studies, Housing, Finance, and Neoliberalism and Healthcare innovation and challenges, together about 40.9% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Social Policy and Reform StudiesSocial Sciences20.4%
- Housing, Finance, and NeoliberalismEconomics, Econometrics and Finance12.5%
- Healthcare innovation and challengesSocial Sciences8%
- Homelessness and Social IssuesHealth Professions7.6%
- Social Work Education and PracticeSocial Sciences6.1%
- Employment and Welfare StudiesHealth Professions5.9%
- Political and Economic history of UK and USSocial Sciences5.8%
- Migration, Refugees, and IntegrationSocial Sciences4.1%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Social Issues | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Social Issues | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Social Issues | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
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
- 1.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.3LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.88LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.62LetPub ·
- h-index
- 96OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 780OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.69OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.6%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 82.19%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 20LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,310 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 25 | 24 | 3 |
| 2025 | 23 | 15 | 14 |
| 2024 | 62 | 41 | 169 |
| 2023 | 45 | 23 | 104 |
| 2022 | 55 | 32 | 443 |
| 2021 | 67 | 29 | 801 |
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.
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 3,650 / GBP 2,676 | — | — |
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.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- SAGE
- ISSN
- 0261-0183
- Electronic ISSN
- 1461-703X
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Critical Social Policy
What CAS zone is Critical Social Policy in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Critical Social Policy is in Zone 2 of Sociology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Social Issues / Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Critical Social Policy?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.7; CiteScore 5.3, h-index 96.
Which databases index Critical Social Policy?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Critical Social Policy is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Critical Social Policy open access, and what is the APC?
Critical Social Policy is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,650.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .