Journal profile · Multiple
Language in Society
ISSN 0047-4045 · eISSN 1469-8013 · Cambridge University Press
Language in Society: CAS Zone 1 · Literature (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 2; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,550; 113 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Language in Society is published by Cambridge University Press and is in Zone 1 of Literature in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Linguistic Variation and Morphology, Multilingual Education and Policy and Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies, together about 43.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Language and Linguistics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Language in Society is an international journal of sociolinguistics concerned with language and discourse as aspects of social life. All research content in the journal is published Gold Open Access. The journal publishes empirical articles of general theoretical, comparative or methodological interest to students and scholars in sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology, and related fields. Language in Society aims to strengthen international scholarship and interdisciplinary conversation and cooperation among researchers interested in language and society by publishing work of high quality which speaks to a wide audience. In addition to original articles, the journal publishes reviews and notices of the latest important books in the field as well as occasional theme and discussion sections.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 4%); most named United States 15, United Kingdom 9, Canada 3, Australia 3, Mainland China 2 (56 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Linguistic Variation and MorphologySocial Sciences15.8%
- Multilingual Education and PolicySocial Sciences15.3%
- Language, Discourse, Communication StrategiesArts and Humanities12.6%
- Linguistics, Language Diversity, and IdentityArts and Humanities6.7%
- Gender Studies in LanguageSocial Sciences5.5%
- Discourse Analysis in Language StudiesArts and Humanities5%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5%
- Language, Metaphor, and CognitionPsychology3.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Literature Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Linguistics | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Sociology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Literature Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Linguistics | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Sociology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Literature Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Linguistics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Sociology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview 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
- 2LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 68Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.7LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.89LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.29LetPub ·
- h-index
- 154OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 951OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.75OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 14.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 86.14%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 39LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 4,534 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 59 | 19 | 1 |
| 2025 | 113 | 52 | 59 |
| 2024 | 99 | 47 | 144 |
| 2023 | 97 | 45 | 309 |
| 2022 | 91 | 36 | 649 |
| 2021 | 93 | 31 | 508 |
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.
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 3,550 / GBP 2,460 | — | — | |
| 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.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- ISSN
- 0047-4045
- Electronic ISSN
- 1469-8013
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Language in Society
What CAS zone is Language in Society in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Language in Society is in Zone 1 of Literature, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Linguistics / Sociology; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Literature. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Language in Society?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2; CiteScore 5.7, h-index 154.
Where are the editorial board members of Language in Society based?
Of the 56 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 4%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (15), United Kingdom (9) and Canada (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Language in Society?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Language in Society is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Language in Society open access, and what is the APC?
Language in Society is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,550.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, 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: .