Journal profile · SOCIOLOGY
Innovation-The European Journal of Social Science Research
ISSN 1351-1610 · eISSN 1469-8412 · Taylor & Francis
Innovation-The European Journal of Social Science Research: CAS Zone 4 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.26; hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 427 days to acceptance (89 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 22% (journal website); 87 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Innovation-The European Journal of Social Science Research is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 4 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Human auditory perception and evaluation, Diverse Scientific and Economic Studies and European Union Policy and Governance, together about 19% of its articles. Its main subfields are Political Science and International Relations. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research is a social science journal on innovation, change, and transformation of organisations, institutions, and societies at large. It combines analytical and descriptive rigour with an attempt to provide and discuss solutions, visions, roadmaps as well as threat scenarios and dystopias. We consider this combination of hermeneutical analysis and application of deconstruction and construction as the cornerstone of the journal, which is open for all social and cultural sciences. The journal is not focusing on Europe alone but publishes articles on all parts of the world. However, authors, which submit manuscripts on non-European regions, are encouraged to include a comparative chapter or paragraph with a European region, Europe at large or highlight the relevance of their research results for said regions, as we see the journal as a developer of solutions to further European integration. European integration and enlargement pose fundamental challenges for policy, politics, citizenship, culture, and democracy. Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research provides a unique forum for discussing these processes. It welcomes articles on all aspects of European developments that contribute to the improvement of social science knowledge and the setting of a policy-focused European research agenda. This does not exclude theoretical reflections. For as we know: “There is nothing more practical than a good theory” (Kurt Lewin) Our aim is to develop societal innovations, contribute to methodological innovations in the social sciences and to create solutions for Europe. We welcome articles that can be included in the following categories: Analyses • Public Policy Analysis • Polity Analysis and Multilevel Governance • Institutional Analysis from a Societal and Political Perspective Tools and instruments • Managing Political and Socio-Economic Transformations • Scenarios and Strategic Planning Topics • Democracy and Civil Society • Social Structures and Integration • Social Justice and Inequality • Digital Transformation and the Future of Societies • Sustainability and Ecological Modernisation • Science-Technology-Society Relations While generally open, our non-special issues are bound by thematic foci identified by the responsible editors. This allows to further strengthen the journal’s goal of supporting interdisciplinarity and comparative research perspectives. We expect articles in methodological ter
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): SOCIOLOGY
Editor-in-chief Hans-Liudger DienelPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Austria 2, Germany 1 (3 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering6.6%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance6.4%
- European Union Policy and GovernanceSocial Sciences6%
- Educational Robotics and EngineeringComputer Science5.8%
- Regional Development and PolicySocial Sciences5.7%
- Regional Economic and Spatial AnalysisEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5.7%
- University-Industry-Government Innovation ModelsBusiness, Management and Accounting5%
- Social Policy and Reform StudiesSocial Sciences4.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Sociology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Sociology | Zone 4 |
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 | Sociology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- CiteScore Q1 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
OCLC, ASSIA, CSA Worldwide Political Science Abstracts, Educational Research Abstracts Online, Geobase, IBSS, Research into Higher Education Abstracts, Social Services Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, Studies on Women and Gender Abstracts, PAIS International in PrintPublisher website
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
- 1.26LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.3Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 5.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.67LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.67Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.35LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.35Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 60OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 503OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.71OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 18.85%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 82LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 187,000Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 187,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,581 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 68 | 25 | 13 |
| 2025 | 87 | 31 | 158 |
| 2024 | 71 | 37 | 216 |
| 2023 | 51 | 20 | 251 |
| 2022 | 59 | 34 | 465 |
| 2021 | 74 | 32 | 1,014 |
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
427 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 308 days – 570 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 15 days (92 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 440 days
- Sample
- 89 articles with submission and acceptance dates (173 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)
- 22%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 22%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 34 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 34 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 141 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review 2025
- 141 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 16 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 16 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication
- 210 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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 accepted3
- research articlesBesides regular Research Articles, the journal publishes Research Notes and Research Discussions.Length not stated
- research discussionsResearch Discussions provide statements to current scientific discussions and theoretical debates (e.g., as a statement or a literature survey).Length not stated
- research notesResearch Notes are typically shorter in length than articles (e.g., 1,500-3,000 words) and may involve less conventional outputs and preliminary findings, and m…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Open access, Peer review
- Authorship
Language Model summary
The language of the journal is English only.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open acce…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Peer review process Model summary
All scientific papers in this journal undergo a rigorous peer-review process. Initially, every submitted article is evaluated by the editors. They decide to either accept it for peer-review or desk-reject it immediately if, for example, it does not fit the Aims & Scope or does not fulfil basic academic standards.
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
- Taylor & Francis
- ISSN
- 1351-1610
- Electronic ISSN
- 1469-8412
- Society / sponsor
- European Association for the Advancement of the Social Sciences & ICCR
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 39, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Innovation-The European Journal of Social Science Research
What CAS zone is Innovation-The European Journal of Social Science Research in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Innovation-The European Journal of Social Science Research is in Zone 4 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Sociology. 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 Innovation-The European Journal of Social Science Research?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.26; CiteScore 5.1, h-index 60.
How long does peer review take at Innovation-The European Journal of Social Science Research?
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 427 days (interquartile range 308–570 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 22% (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.
Where are the editorial board members of Innovation-The European Journal of Social Science Research based?
Of the 3 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Austria (2) and Germany (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Innovation-The European Journal of Social Science Research?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Innovation-The European Journal of Social Science Research is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Innovation-The European Journal of Social Science Research open access, and what is the APC?
Innovation-The European Journal of Social Science Research is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC charged, amount not published.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .