Journal profile · Multiple
Journal of Social Issues
ISSN 0022-4537 · eISSN 1540-4560 · Wiley-Blackwell
Journal of Social Issues: CAS Zone 1 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 3.48; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,570; median 191 days to acceptance (82 articles, last 24 months); 61 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Social Issues is published by Wiley-Blackwell and is in Zone 1 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Social and Intergroup Psychology, Cultural Differences and Values and Gender Diversity and Inequality, together about 30.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (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 and Intergroup PsychologySocial Sciences16.5%
- Cultural Differences and ValuesPsychology8%
- Gender Diversity and InequalitySocial Sciences5.7%
- Racial and Ethnic Identity ResearchSocial Sciences5.5%
- Community Health and DevelopmentHealth Professions4.6%
- Social and Cultural DynamicsSocial Sciences4.6%
- Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation StudiesSocial Sciences4.1%
- Academic and Historical Perspectives in PsychologyPsychology4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Social Issues | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Psychology, Social | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Social Issues | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Psychology, Social | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Psychology, Social | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Social Issues | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview 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
- 3.48LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 9.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.31LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.89LetPub ·
- h-index
- 247OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,578OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 5.01OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 2.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 49.57%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 46LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 4,598 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 35 | 15 | 47 |
| 2025 | 61 | 44 | 153 |
| 2024 | 66 | 46 | 612 |
| 2023 | 25 | 16 | 257 |
| 2022 | 83 | 51 | 1,834 |
| 2021 | 88 | 25 | 2,249 |
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
191 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 118 days – 237 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 21 days (83 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 210 days
- Sample
- 82 articles with submission and acceptance dates (104 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".
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,570 / EUR 3,010 / GBP 2,380 | — | — |
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
- Wiley-Blackwell
- ISSN
- 0022-4537
- Electronic ISSN
- 1540-4560
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Social Issues
What CAS zone is Journal of Social Issues in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Social Issues is in Zone 1 of Sociology, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Social Issues / Psychology, Social; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Social Issues?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.48; CiteScore 9.6, h-index 247.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Social Issues?
Based on the dates recorded on 82 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 191 days (interquartile range 118–237 days). 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.
Which databases index Journal of Social Issues?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Social Issues is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Journal of Social Issues open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Social Issues is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,570.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .