Journal profile · Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Applications
Mathematical Social Sciences
ISSN 0165-4896 · eISSN 1879-3118 · Elsevier · NETHERLANDS · Bimonthly · Founded 1980
Mathematical Social Sciences: CAS Zone 4 · Economics (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.71; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,850; review about 211 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); community-reported acceptance: easy; 71 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Mathematical Social Sciences is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 4 of Economics in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Game Theory and Voting Systems, Economic theories and models and Game Theory and Applications, together about 42.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Economics and Econometrics and Management Science and Operations Research. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The international, interdisciplinary journal Mathematical Social Sciences publishes original research articles, survey papers, short notes and book reviews. The journal emphasizes the unity of mathematical modelling in economics, psychology, political sciences, sociology and other social sciences.Topics of particular interest include the fundamental aspects of choice, information, and preferences (decision science) and of interaction (game theory and economic theory), the measurement of utility, welfare and inequality, the formal theories of justice and implementation, voting rules, cooperative games, fair division, cost allocation, bargaining, matching, social networks, and evolutionary and other dynamics models.Papers published by the journal are mathematically rigorous but no bounds, from above or from below, limits their technical level. All mathematical techniques may be used. The articles should be self-contained and readable by social scientists trained in mathematics.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Applications
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 3%); most named United States 16, Spain 9, Australia 6, United Kingdom 4, France 4 (74 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Game Theory and Voting SystemsEconomics, Econometrics and Finance18.8%
- Economic theories and modelsEconomics, Econometrics and Finance12.5%
- Game Theory and ApplicationsDecision Sciences11.2%
- Auction Theory and ApplicationsDecision Sciences9.1%
- Decision-Making and Behavioral EconomicsDecision Sciences6.1%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.1%
- Experimental Behavioral Economics StudiesSocial Sciences4%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Economics Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Economics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Applications | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Mathematical Methods | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Economics Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Economics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Applications | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Mathematical Methods | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Economics Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Economics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Economics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Applications | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Mathematical Methods | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIESSCIScopusLetPub
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
- 0.71LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 0.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 1.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.25LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.6LetPub ·
- h-index
- 33LetPub ·
- h-index
- 83OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 918OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 35.91%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 64LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,943 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 61 | 37 | 7 |
| 2025 | 71 | 36 | 47 |
| 2024 | 65 | 42 | 143 |
| 2023 | 64 | 37 | 199 |
| 2022 | 57 | 30 | 179 |
| 2021 | 77 | 44 | 293 |
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
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
211 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports 6–12 weeks
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Average review time (community reports)
- 6–12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 76 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 211 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 9 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single 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 2,850 / EUR 2,670 / GBP 2,280 / JPY 353,490 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 2,820 | — | — |
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
- book reviewbook reviewsLength not stated
- research articleOriginal research articlesLength not stated
- review articlesurvey papersLength not stated
- short communicationshort notesLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Single anonymized review process Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
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
- Elsevier
- Country or region
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1980
- ISSN
- 0165-4896
- Electronic ISSN
- 1879-3118
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Mathematical Social Sciences
What CAS zone is Mathematical Social Sciences in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Mathematical Social Sciences is in Zone 4 of Economics, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Economics / Mathematics, Interdisciplinary Applications / Social Sciences, Mathematical Methods. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Economics. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Mathematical Social Sciences?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0.71; CiteScore 1.1, h-index 83.
How long does peer review take at Mathematical Social Sciences?
The publisher reports about 211 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of 6–12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”. 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Mathematical Social Sciences based?
Of the 74 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 3%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (16), Spain (9) and Australia (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Mathematical Social Sciences?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Mathematical Social Sciences is indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus.
Is Mathematical Social Sciences open access, and what is the APC?
Mathematical Social Sciences is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,850.
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: .