Journal profile · SOCIAL SCIENCES, INTERDISCIPLINARY
International Journal of Social Research Methodology
ISSN 1364-5579 · eISSN 1464-5300 · Taylor & Francis
International Journal of Social Research Methodology: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.35; JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 272 days to acceptance (96 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 16% (journal website); 80 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
International Journal of Social Research Methodology is published by Taylor & Francis 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 Qualitative Research Methods and Ethics, Participatory Visual Research Methods and Focus Groups and Qualitative Methods, together about 37.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
A key feature of the Journal is its mixed audience of researchers within academic and other research organizations as well as practitioner-researchers in the field. The Journal therefore aims to publish high quality methodological discussions which typically draw on a mix of academic and practice-based research in professional and service settings, and those considering the relationship between the two. The Journal provides a focus for on-going and emerging methodological debates across a range of approaches, both qualitative and quantitative, and including mixed, comparative and simulation methods, as these relate to philosophical, theoretical, ethical, political and practical issues; an international medium for the publication of discussions of social research methodology and practices across a wide range of social science disciplines and substantive interests; and a forum for researchers based in all sectors to consider and evaluate methods as these relate to research practice. The International Journal of Social Research Methodology welcomes single article contributions relating to methodology and methods that: draw out the generic implications for methods or methodology that are not limited to a specific topic area or discipline; and treats the substantive findings of the research as illustrative of specific methodological approaches rather than as a substantive aspect of the article; In doing so, submitted articles: provide an original contribution to current cutting-edge methodological debates go beyond describing the research process of a particular project are more than 'how to do X?' discussions, and instead critically engage with methodological issues, concerns and debates as they relate to doing social research in general; can be appreciated by readers who may or may not be experts in a particular methodological approach or concept; critically reflect on the advantages and disadvantages of specific approaches to provide robust arguments in relation to a particular method or methodology. We encourage authors who are considering submitting to the journal to look at current and past issues as a guide to the sorts of articles that we publish. We do not consider article submissions that: Discuss a particular substantive context and findings, such that the methods are not the focus of the article (e.g. women’s educational achievement in UAE, or mixed ethnicity couple relations Focus on methods in relation to a specific disciplinary context without co
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): SOCIAL SCIENCES, INTERDISCIPLINARY
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Qualitative Research Methods and EthicsSocial Sciences18.6%
- Participatory Visual Research MethodsSocial Sciences11%
- Focus Groups and Qualitative MethodsSocial Sciences7.5%
- Survey Methodology and NonresponseSocial Sciences7.2%
- Data Analysis and ArchivingSocial Sciences6%
- Children's Rights and ParticipationSocial Sciences5.1%
- Qualitative Research Methods and ApplicationsSocial Sciences4.7%
- Evaluation and Performance AssessmentDecision Sciences4.1%
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 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 Sciences, Interdisciplinary | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q1 · best quartile · 2025
- 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
SCIEPsycINFOPublisher website
Other: Educational Research Abstracts online, CSA Worldwide Political Science Abstracts, Family and Society Studies Worldwide, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, Sociological Abstracts
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
- 2.35LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.6Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 5.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 9.2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 9.2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.42LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 1.42Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.44LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 2.44Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 119OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 793OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.82OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 43.56%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 68LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 619,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,466 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 74 | 52 | 19 |
| 2025 | 80 | 44 | 129 |
| 2024 | 45 | 32 | 214 |
| 2023 | 57 | 39 | 555 |
| 2022 | 58 | 36 | 674 |
| 2021 | 73 | 34 | 2,325 |
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
272 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 206 days – 358 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 14 days (96 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 306 days
- Sample
- 96 articles with submission and acceptance dates (168 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)
- 16%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 51 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 128 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 15 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double-anonymous peer reviewPublisher website · model-extracted
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 accepted6, with length limits
- full-length research articlesfull-length research articles (not exceeding 8000 words)Length not stated
- research articleearch notes) In addition to full-length research articles (not exceeding 8000 words), we publish short articles (not exceeding 3000 words). Shomain text ≤ 8,000 words
- reviewusually consider single book reviews. A review forum or article should not exceed 6000 words. Proposers of reviews should submit a proposal of around 20main text ≤ 6,000 words
- review articleThe International Journal of Social Research Methodology commissions review articles but also welcomes suggestions from potential reviewers. Reviews can take va…main text ≤ 6,000 words
- review articlesA review forum or article should not exceed 6000 words.Length not stated
- short articles (research notes)we publish short articles (not exceeding 3000 words). Short articles take the form of a ‘research note’Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Hybrid open access journal (Open Select). Model summary
International Journal of Social Research Methodology 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 access? Inc…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review policy
Peer review policy: initial editor screening followed by anonymized refereeing by at least two anonymous referees. Model summary
All contributions published in this journal undergo initial editor screening and unless otherwise indicated anonymized refereeing by at least two anonymous referees (see Instructions for Authors/Preparing Your Paper/Peer Review and Ethics). There are three stages to the review process. Stage 1: The Editors of the journal read all papers submitted. They agree either to send them out for peer review…
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
- 1364-5579
- Electronic ISSN
- 1464-5300
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 29, Issue 5 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about International Journal of Social Research Methodology
What CAS zone is International Journal of Social Research Methodology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, International Journal of Social Research Methodology is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category 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 International Journal of Social Research Methodology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.35; CiteScore 9.2, h-index 119.
How long does peer review take at International Journal of Social Research Methodology?
Based on the dates recorded on 96 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 272 days (interquartile range 206–358 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 16%. 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 JCR quartile is International Journal of Social Research Methodology in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q1 (best quartile). JCR quartiles are Clarivate's to confirm and a different system from the CAS zones; in the CAS ranking the journal is in Zone 3 of Sociology.
Which databases index International Journal of Social Research Methodology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, International Journal of Social Research Methodology is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists SCIE and PsycINFO; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is International Journal of Social Research Methodology open access, and what is the APC?
International Journal of Social Research Methodology 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: .