Journal profile · LAW
Law & Policy
ISSN 0265-8240 · eISSN 1467-9930 · Wiley-Blackwell
Law & Policy: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.82; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,040; median 223 days to acceptance (24 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 4% (journal website); 18 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Law & Policy 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 Regulation and Compliance Studies, Judicial and Constitutional Studies and Law, Economics, and Judicial Systems, together about 33.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Economics and Econometrics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
International and interdisciplinary in scope, Law & Policy embraces varied research methodologies that interrogate law, governance, and public policy worldwide. Law & Policy makes a vital contribution to the current dialogue on contemporary policy by publishing innovative, peer-reviewed articles on such critical topics as: • government and self-regulation • health • environment • family • gender • taxation and finance • legal decision-making • criminal justice • human rights The following excerpt is taken from an essay presented at the Midwest Political Science Association, April, 2005 by Lynn Mather, Director, Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy. The essay was also published in the summer 2005 issue of Law and Courts Newsletter. “A … feature of the journal is its international scope and focus. Law & Policy has an excellent record of publishing research by non-U.S. based scholars; about 40 percent of the contributors in the last five years have come from outside the United States, with particularly strong representation of authors from Britain, Australia, and Canada. The journal also frequently features comparative analyses of legal policy issues. Examples include special issues of the journal devoted to regulation and enforcement in the U.S. and Japan; marriage and cohabitation policy in the North America and the U.K.; law, technology, and development; and lay participation in the legal system in Spain, Russia, and elsewhere. The journal is committed to a global perspective in its scholarship and this has led to a strong international readership.”
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): LAW
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 18, Canada 2, Japan 1, Germany 1, Netherlands 1 (27 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Regulation and Compliance StudiesBusiness, Management and Accounting12.5%
- Judicial and Constitutional StudiesSocial Sciences11.3%
- Law, Economics, and Judicial SystemsEconomics, Econometrics and Finance9.8%
- Criminal Justice and Corrections AnalysisSocial Sciences7.6%
- Crime Patterns and InterventionsSocial Sciences6.4%
- Legal Education and Practice InnovationsSocial Sciences5.7%
- Legal and Constitutional StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.5%
- Wildlife Conservation and Criminology AnalysesEnvironmental Science3.7%
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 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Law | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Law | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Current ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest
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
- 1.82LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.9Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.3LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 3.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 3.3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.56LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.1LetPub ·
- h-index
- 81OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 494OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.18OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 57.89%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 6LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 10Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 75,596Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,242 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 17 | 9 | 0 |
| 2025 | 18 | 9 | 12 |
| 2024 | 30 | 18 | 130 |
| 2023 | 36 | 25 | 117 |
| 2022 | 27 | 15 | 179 |
| 2021 | 23 | 0 | 91 |
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
223 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 188 days – 359 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 21 days (24 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 250 days
- Sample
- 24 articles with submission and acceptance dates (34 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)
- 4%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 4%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 20 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 20 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 286 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 20 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double 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 3,040 / EUR 2,580 / GBP 2,010 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Submission fee
- No submission fee
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 prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Keywords
- ≤ 7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 15,000 words
- Reference style
- Chicago
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
Article types accepted2, with length limits
- original articleOriginal Articles Original articles should be between 12,000 and 15,000 words, including references. Law & Policy publishes innovative, peer-reviewed articles t…main text ≤ 15,000 words
- original articlesOriginal articles should be between 12,000 and 15,000 words, including references.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Code availability, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use
AI use must be disclosed in Acknowledgements or notes at initial submission. Model summary
If you used any AI-assisted technologies, you must comply with Wiley's guidelines regarding the use of artificial intelligence (see AI guidelines for researchers | Wiley). You must disclose exactly what you used and how you used it.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship
All listed authors should have contributed to the manuscript substantially and have agreed to the final submitted version. Review editorial standards and scroll down for a description of authorship criteria.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Code availability
Chicago reference style; formatting not required at submission. Model summary
This journal uses the Chicago reference style; however, this is for information only and you do not need to format the references in your article.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Sharing and Data Availability
This journal encourages data sharing. Review Wiley’s Data Sharing policy where you will be able to see and select the data availability statement that is right for your submission.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
COPE core practices; iThenticate CrossCheck screening. Model summary
This journal follows the core practices of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and handles cases of research and publication misconduct accordingly.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Reproduction of Copyright Material
If excerpts from copyrighted works owned by third parties are included, credit must be shown in the contribution. It is your responsibility to also obtain written permission for reproduction from the copyright owners. For more information visit Wiley’s Copyright Terms & Conditions FAQ.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access
This journal is a subscription journal that offers an open access option. You’ll have the option to choose to make your article open access after acceptance, which will be subject to an APC, unless a waiver applies. Read more about APCs here.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review 1. Submission and Peer Review Process
Double-blind peer review; anonymized manuscript plus separate title page. Model summary
New submissions should be made via the Wiley Authors submission portal. You may check the status of your submission at any time by logging on to submission.wiley.com and clicking the “My Submissions” button. For technical help with the submission system, please review our FAQs or contact submissionhelp@wiley.com. Manuscripts must not have been published already, or be underconsideration by another…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints
Preprints allowed before and during review. Model summary
This journal accepts articles previously published on preprint servers.
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
- 0265-8240
- Electronic ISSN
- 1467-9930
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 48, Issue 4 (October 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Law & Policy
What CAS zone is Law & Policy in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Law & Policy is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Law. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Law & Policy?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.82; CiteScore 3.3, h-index 81.
How long does peer review take at Law & Policy?
Based on the dates recorded on 24 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 223 days (interquartile range 188–359 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 4% (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 Law & Policy?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Keywords: ≤ 7; Manuscript length: ≤ 15,000 words; Reference style: Chicago; 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Law & Policy based?
Of the 27 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (18), Canada (2) and Japan (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Law & Policy?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Law & Policy is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Law & Policy open access, and what is the APC?
Law & Policy is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,040.
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: .