Journal profile · Social Sciences-Social Sciences (all)
International Social Science Journal
ISSN 0020-8701 · eISSN 1468-2451 · Wiley-Blackwell
International Social Science Journal: subscription journal; APC about USD 2,760; median 153 days to acceptance (80 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 10% (journal website); 89 articles in 2025; indexed in Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
International Social Science Journal is published by Wiley-Blackwell. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice, Social Science and Policy Research and Migration, Refugees, and Integration, together about 19% of its articles. Its main subfields are Political Science and International Relations and Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The International Social Science Journal bridges social science communities across disciplines and continents with a view to sharing information and debate with the widest possible audience. The ISSJ has a particular focus on interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary work that pushes the boundaries of current approaches, and welcomes both applied and theoretical research. Originally founded by UNESCO in 1949, ISSJ has since grown into a forum for innovative review, reflection and discussion informed by recent and ongoing international, social science research. It provides a home for work that asks questions in new ways and/or employs original methods to classic problems and whose insights have implications across the disciplines and beyond the academy. The journal publishes regular editions featuring rigorous, peer-reviewed research articles that reflect its international and heterodox scope. ISSJ also publishes special issues devoted to specific themes that the Editorial Office typically commissions from an external Editorial Adviser who acts as curator and guest editor. The journal may release a call for papers for these special issues.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Social Sciences-Social Sciences (all)
Editor-in-chief Baris CayliPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 7%); most named Italy 9, United States 5, United Kingdom 3, Mainland China 2, Brazil 2 (29 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Contemporary Sociological Theory and PracticeSocial Sciences6.6%
- Social Science and Policy ResearchSocial Sciences6.4%
- Migration, Refugees, and IntegrationSocial Sciences6%
- Income, Poverty, and InequalitySocial Sciences5.4%
- Political Science Research and EducationSocial Sciences4.9%
- Research, Science, and AcademiaDecision Sciences4.7%
- International Relations and Foreign PolicySocial Sciences4.5%
- Urban Planning and GovernanceSocial Sciences4.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CiteScore quartiles (Scopus, June 2026 release)
| Subject | Quartile | Rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Social Sciences | Q2 | 95/286 | 66th |
Scopus ranks journals by CiteScore within each subject: the 75th percentile and above is Q1, then a quartile every 25 points. A different system from the CAS zones.LetPub
Database indexing
ScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
EBSCO, ProQuestPublisher 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
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.8LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 2.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.31LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.64LetPub ·
- h-index
- 73OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 541OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.66OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 72Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 103,487Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,984 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 45 | 22 | 1,302 |
| 2025 | 89 | 44 | 1,598 |
| 2024 | 73 | 39 | 1,629 |
| 2023 | 99 | 46 | 1,861 |
| 2022 | 81 | 17 | 1,811 |
| 2021 | 51 | 15 | 1,709 |
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
153 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 107 days – 214 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 14 days (81 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 171 days
- Sample
- 80 articles with submission and acceptance dates (132 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
- 10%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 4 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 168 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 14 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer review, Open 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
Subscription journalLetPub
A subscription journal: articles are read by subscription or purchase, and authors usually pay no publication charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 2,760 / EUR 2,280 / GBP 1,840 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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 prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 8,000 words
- Reference style
- Harvard
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
Article types accepted4
- articleArticle manuscripts should normally be between 6,000 and 8,000 words, including all notes, tables, graphics and references.Length not stated
- editorialEditorial manuscripts should normally be shorter than regular or special issue submissions, including any notes, tables, graphics and references.Length not stated
- reviewThe ISSJ aims to complete the review process of all articles that have passed the initial editorial process within three months of submission. However, the time…Length not stated
- special issue articleSpecial Issue Article manuscripts are invited or submitted in response to a call for papers and should normally be between 6,000 and 8,000 words, including all …Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- Authorship Authorship
All listed authors should have contributed to the manuscript substantially and have agreed to the final submitted version. Review editorial standards and scroll down for a description of authorship criteria.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Sharing and Data Availability
This journal encourages data sharing. Review Wiley’s Data Sharing policy where you will be able to see and select the data availability statement that is right for your submission.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Reproduction of Copyright Material
If excerpts from copyrighted works owned by third parties are included, credit must be shown in the contribution. It is your responsibility to also obtain written permission for reproduction from the copyright owners. For more information visit Wiley’s Copyright Terms & Conditions FAQ.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access
International Social Science Journal is a subscription journal that offers an Open Access option. You’ll have the option to make your article Open Access after acceptance, which will be subject to an Article Publication Charge (APC). Details about the journal's APC are available here. For more general information about APCs, click here.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review 1. Submission and Peer Review Process
Double blind peer review Model summary
New submissions should be made via the Research Exchange submission portal https://authors.wiley.com/journal/ISSJ.Should your manuscript proceed to the revision stage, you will be directed to make your revisions via the same submission portal. You may check the status of your submission at anytime by logging on to authors.wiley.com and clicking the “My Submissions” button. For technical help with …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints
Preprints accepted Model summary
This journal accepts articles previously published on preprint servers.
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
- 0020-8701
- Electronic ISSN
- 1468-2451
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 76, Issue 261 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about International Social Science Journal
How long does peer review take at International Social Science Journal?
Based on the dates recorded on 80 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 153 days (interquartile range 107–214 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 10% (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 International Social Science Journal?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Manuscript length: ≤ 8,000 words; Reference style: Harvard; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required. 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 International Social Science Journal based?
Of the 29 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 7%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Italy (9), United States (5) and United Kingdom (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index International Social Science Journal?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, International Social Science Journal is indexed in Scopus.
Is International Social Science Journal open access, and what is the APC?
International Social Science Journal is a subscription journal. APC about USD 2,760.
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: .