Journal profile · Multiple
Journal of Social Philosophy
ISSN 0047-2786 · eISSN 1467-9833 · Wiley-Blackwell
Journal of Social Philosophy: CAS Zone 3 · Philosophy (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.85; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,350; median 364 days to acceptance (82 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 15% (journal website); 57 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Social Philosophy is published by Wiley-Blackwell and is in Zone 3 of Philosophy in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Political Philosophy and Ethics, Feminist Epistemology and Gender Studies and Philosophical Ethics and Theory, together about 44.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science and Philosophy. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Social Philosophy seeks to publish creative approaches to practical and normative issues of contemporary social life, such as those arising from economic and other forms of globalization, violent political conflict, and the multiplicity of cultural experiences worldwide. It places new emphasis on understanding the social contexts for political, legal, moral, and cultural questions, and gives priority to the development of novel theoretical frameworks, from social ontology to care ethics to cosmopolitan theories of democracy, human rights, and global justice. The Journal's editorial process proceeds online, with blind review of articles not only by referees but also by the editor, and aims to deliver timely responses for submissions. The Journal also on occasion publishes special issues focusing on topics of vital practical concern, in the conviction that these can be better understood with the aid of disciplined and innovative philosophical analysis.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Carol C. GouldPublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Political Philosophy and EthicsSocial Sciences33.2%
- Feminist Epistemology and Gender StudiesSocial Sciences6%
- Philosophical Ethics and TheoryArts and Humanities5.7%
- Epistemology, Ethics, and MetaphysicsArts and Humanities4.3%
- Critical Theory and PhilosophySocial Sciences3.9%
- War, Ethics, and JustificationArts and Humanities3.9%
- Free Will and AgencyNeuroscience3.7%
- Psychology of Moral and Emotional JudgmentNeuroscience3.6%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Philosophy Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Philosophy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Ethics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Social Issues | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Philosophy Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Ethics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Philosophy | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Social Issues | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Philosophy Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Philosophy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Ethics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Social Issues | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIAHCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO
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
- 0.85LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 0.9Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 3.6Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 3.6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.65LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.87LetPub ·
- h-index
- 65OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 478OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.5OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 66.67%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 41LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 44Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 134,645Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,099 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 38 | 20 | 3 |
| 2025 | 57 | 40 | 22 |
| 2024 | 52 | 37 | 49 |
| 2023 | 53 | 37 | 153 |
| 2022 | 56 | 33 | 446 |
| 2021 | 68 | 26 | 418 |
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
364 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 266 days – 532 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 16 days (82 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 413 days
- Sample
- 82 articles with submission and acceptance dates (103 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)
- 15%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 15%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 45 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 45 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 438 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 15 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Triple 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,350 / EUR 2,770 / GBP 2,220 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 10,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
Article types accepted1
- editorialThe Journal of Social Philosophy practices triple-anonymous review. This means that in addition to the reviewers not knowing the identity of the each other or t…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteLicense & copyright, Open access
- License & copyright Copyright Transfer Agreement
f your paper is accepted, the author identified as the formal corresponding author for the paper will receive an email prompting them to login into Author Services; where via the Wiley Author Licensing Service (WALS) they will be able to complete the license agreement on behalf of all authors on the paper.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access For authors choosing open access
f the open access option is selected the corresponding author will have a choice of the following Creative Commons License Open Access Agreements (OAA ):
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
- 0047-2786
- Electronic ISSN
- 1467-9833
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 57, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Social Philosophy
What CAS zone is Journal of Social Philosophy in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Social Philosophy is in Zone 3 of Philosophy, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Philosophy / Ethics / Social Issues. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Philosophy. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Social Philosophy?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0.85; CiteScore 3.6, h-index 65.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Social Philosophy?
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 364 days (interquartile range 266–532 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 15% (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 Journal of Social Philosophy?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Manuscript length: ≤ 10,000 words; Reference style: Author–date; 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.
Which databases index Journal of Social Philosophy?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Social Philosophy is indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Social Philosophy open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Social Philosophy is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,350.
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: .