Journal profile
Journal of Legal Anthropology
ISSN 1758-9576 · eISSN 1758-9584 · Berghahn Books · United States
Journal of Legal Anthropology: diamond open access (no APC); no APC; review about 12 weeks (community reports); 11 articles in 2025.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Legal Anthropology is published by Berghahn Books. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Anthropological Studies and Insights, Indigenous Peoples' Rights and Law and Migration, Refugees, and Integration, together about 32.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Law and Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Legal Anthropology (JLA) is a peer-reviewed journal committed to anthropological understandings of socio-legal and cultural encounters. The journal develops ethnographic and theoretical approaches to a wide range of issues that reveal the significance and presence of legal phenomena in everyday life. Articles, review essays, and book reviews published in the JLA emphasize innovative work and data-led analysis across a range of socio-political and socio-cultural legal contexts. The journal also considers, in broad terms, how the legal may enter into social constructions of persons and how the 'legal' might change meaning in terms of particular 'everyday' interpretations. Together with the journal's forum section, the JLA draws on cross-disciplinary exchanges to demonstrate how anthropology can effectively contribute to the current debates on contemporary socio-legal and related issues.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Editor-in-chief Narmala HalsteadPublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Anthropological Studies and InsightsSocial Sciences14.5%
- Indigenous Peoples' Rights and LawSocial Sciences9.4%
- Migration, Refugees, and IntegrationSocial Sciences8.1%
- Law in Society and CultureSocial Sciences6%
- Multicultural Socio-Legal StudiesSocial Sciences5.6%
- Migration, Racism, and Human RightsSocial Sciences5.6%
- Migration and Exile StudiesSocial Sciences5.1%
- Anthropology: Ethics, History, CultureSocial Sciences4.3%
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.
Database indexing
DOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
ERIH PLUSPublisher website
Other: Bibliometric Research Indicator List (BFI)
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
- h-index
- 13OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 18OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.52OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 145 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0 | 0 | 124 |
| 2025 | 11 | 11 | 107 |
| 2024 | 10 | 10 | 102 |
| 2023 | 10 | 10 | 82 |
| 2022 | 12 | 12 | 65 |
| 2021 | 12 | 12 | 43 |
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 12 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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
Diamond open access (no APC)DOAJ
Every article is open access and authors pay no article processing charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | No APC | No | CC BY, CC BY-ND, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| LetPub | No APC | No | — | |
| Publisher website | No APC | — | — |
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
- Abstract
- 100–150 words
- Keywords
- 6–8
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 10,000 words
Article types accepted6, with length limits
- articlesArticles should be typed double-spaced throughout (including notes and bibliography). Notes should be endnotes. We will consider articles between 9,000 to 10,00…Length not stated
- book reviewfive lines of biographical information. Book reviews may be between 800 and 1000 words. Book review essays of two or more books may be between 1,5main text ≤ 1,000 words
- book review essaysBook review essays of two or more books may be between 1,500 to 2,000 words.Length not stated
- book reviewsBook reviews may be between 800 and 1000 words.Length not stated
- forum lead submissionsWe also invite lead submissions for our Forum section, which may incorporate research and debate/reflect on a key issue or issues.Length not stated
- shorter essaysWe will also consider shorter essays between 4,000 to 5,000 words, excluding notes and bibliography.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- Authorship
Original articles only; no simultaneous submission or prior publication. Model summary
We will consider original articles which are not under simultaneous consideration elsewhere and which have not been previously published.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License Agreement
As part of the Berghahn Open Anthro initiative, articles in this journal are published open access under a Creative Commons license. As a contributor to a Berghahn Books Journal, you are responsible for completing, signing, and returning one of the signed license agreements for each author with your submitted article. Submit forms to copyright@berghahnjournals.com. By default Authors will use the …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access
Open access under Creative Commons license via Berghahn Open Anthro. Model summary
As part of the Berghahn Open Anthro initiative, articles in this journal are published open access under a Creative Commons license.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Original articles not under simultaneous consideration elsewhere and not previously published. Model summary
The Journal of Legal Anthropology is a refereed journal. We will consider original articles which are not under simultaneous consideration elsewhere and which have not been previously published.
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
- Berghahn Books
- Country or region
- United States
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 1758-9576
- Electronic ISSN
- 1758-9584
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 9, Issue 2 (2025)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗DOAJ
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Legal Anthropology
How long does peer review take at Journal of Legal Anthropology?
Authors report an average review time of about 12 weeks. 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 Journal of Legal Anthropology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 100–150 words; Keywords: 6–8; Manuscript length: ≤ 10,000 words. 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.
Which databases index Journal of Legal Anthropology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Legal Anthropology is indexed in DOAJ. The journal's website also lists ERIH PLUS; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Legal Anthropology open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Legal Anthropology is a diamond open-access journal (no APC). It charges no article processing charge.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, DOAJ, Publisher website; 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: .