Journal profile · LAW
LAW AND SOCIAL INQUIRY-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN BAR FOUNDATION
ISSN 0897-6546 · eISSN 1747-4469 · Wiley-Blackwell
LAW AND SOCIAL INQUIRY-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN BAR FOUNDATION: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.46; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,550; 66 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
LAW AND SOCIAL INQUIRY-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN BAR FOUNDATION is published by Wiley-Blackwell and is in Zone 3 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Judicial and Constitutional Studies, Law in Society and Culture and Diverse Scientific and Economic Studies, together about 31.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Law and Economics and Econometrics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Law & Social Inquiry (LSI) is a multidisciplinary quarterly publication of original research articles and review essays that analyze law, legal institutions, and the legal profession from a sociolegal perspective. LSI contributors examine law-and-society issues across multiple disciplines, including anthropology, criminology, economics, history, philosophy, political science, sociology and social psychology. The journal’s combination of empirical and theoretical scholarship and critical appraisal of the latest sociolegal scholarship makes LSI an indispensable source for legal scholars and practitioners.Law & Social Inquiry is published on behalf of the American Bar Foundation. The AMERICAN BAR FOUNDATION, ABF and related seal trademarks as used by the American Bar Foundation are owned by the American Bar Association and used under license.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): LAW
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 39, Canada 4, United Kingdom 3, Australia 3, France 2 (56 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Judicial and Constitutional StudiesSocial Sciences13.7%
- Law in Society and CultureSocial Sciences9.5%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance8.4%
- Legal Education and Practice InnovationsSocial Sciences7.9%
- Legal case studies and regulationsSocial Sciences7.3%
- Law, Economics, and Judicial SystemsEconomics, Econometrics and Finance6%
- American Constitutional Law and PoliticsSocial Sciences5.7%
- Criminal Justice and Corrections AnalysisSocial Sciences5.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Law | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Law | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Law | Zone 2 |
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
- 1.46LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 92Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.58LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.05LetPub ·
- h-index
- 85OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 732OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.36OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 62.78%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 44LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,921 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 43 | 18 | 12 |
| 2025 | 66 | 46 | 67 |
| 2024 | 64 | 52 | 157 |
| 2023 | 115 | 77 | 410 |
| 2022 | 71 | 41 | 257 |
| 2021 | 94 | 40 | 643 |
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 | — | — |
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)
Article types accepted4
- articlesLaw & Social Inquiry publishes: Articles* Book Notes Review Essays* International Book Essays*Length not stated
- book notesLaw & Social Inquiry publishes: Articles* Book Notes Review Essays* International Book Essays*Length not stated
- international book essaysLaw & Social Inquiry publishes: Articles* Book Notes Review Essays* International Book Essays*Length not stated
- review essaysLaw & Social Inquiry publishes: Articles* Book Notes Review Essays* International Book Essays*Length not stated
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
- 0897-6546
- Electronic ISSN
- 1747-4469
- Society / sponsor
- American Bar Foundation
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about LAW AND SOCIAL INQUIRY-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN BAR FOUNDATION
What CAS zone is LAW AND SOCIAL INQUIRY-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN BAR FOUNDATION in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, LAW AND SOCIAL INQUIRY-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN BAR FOUNDATION is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Law. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of LAW AND SOCIAL INQUIRY-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN BAR FOUNDATION?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.46; CiteScore 2.6, h-index 85.
Where are the editorial board members of LAW AND SOCIAL INQUIRY-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN BAR FOUNDATION based?
Of the 56 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (39), Canada (4) and United Kingdom (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index LAW AND SOCIAL INQUIRY-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN BAR FOUNDATION?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, LAW AND SOCIAL INQUIRY-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN BAR FOUNDATION is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is LAW AND SOCIAL INQUIRY-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN BAR FOUNDATION open access, and what is the APC?
LAW AND SOCIAL INQUIRY-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN BAR FOUNDATION 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: .