Journal profile · SOCIOLOGY
Rationality and Society
ISSN 1043-4631 · eISSN 1461-7358 · SAGE
Rationality and Society: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.42; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,650; review about 272 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); acceptance rate 30% (journal website); 17 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Rationality and Society is published by SAGE 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 Experimental Behavioral Economics Studies, Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation and Game Theory and Applications, together about 35.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Rationality & Society is a peer-reviewed journal which focuses on the growing contributions of rational-action based theory, and the questions and controversies surrounding this growth. The journal provides an interdisciplinary forum in which theoretic developments, empirical research, and policy analyses that are relevant to the rational … | View full journal description This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): SOCIOLOGY
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 21, Netherlands 8, Germany 3, United Kingdom 1, France 1 (36 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Experimental Behavioral Economics StudiesSocial Sciences18.6%
- Evolutionary Game Theory and CooperationSocial Sciences9.2%
- Game Theory and ApplicationsDecision Sciences8.2%
- Economic Theory and InstitutionsEconomics, Econometrics and Finance6.7%
- Culture, Economy, and Development StudiesSocial Sciences6.2%
- Decision-Making and Behavioral EconomicsDecision Sciences5.6%
- Religion and Society InteractionsSocial Sciences4.2%
- Opinion Dynamics and Social InfluencePhysics and Astronomy3.9%
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 | Sociology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Sociology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Sociology | Zone 4 |
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
- 1.42LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.4Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher)
- 1.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.5LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.44LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.91LetPub ·
- h-index
- 86OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 377OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.86OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 39.29%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 15LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 3Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 861 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 31 | 16 | 15 |
| 2025 | 17 | 10 | 15 |
| 2024 | 18 | 11 | 27 |
| 2023 | 22 | 14 | 159 |
| 2022 | 24 | 13 | 117 |
| 2021 | 18 | 5 | 159 |
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 PubMed · to
Too few articlesOnly 1 articles from the last 24 months carry both submission and acceptance dates, too few for a median
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".
Figures by source
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 30%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 5 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 272 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 13 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 3,650 / GBP 2,676 | — | — | |
| 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.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare11 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 10,000 words
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Templates
- LaTeX and Word
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
- Not considered
- insufficient quality
Article types accepted3
- original paperAuthors are encouraged to submit original papers dealing in social theory and social research using the rational action paradigm as its foundation. The journal …Length not stated
- original papersAuthors are encouraged to submit original papers dealing in social theory and social research using the rational action paradigm as its foundation.Length not stated
- reviewAuthors are encouraged to submit original papers dealing in social theory and social research using the rational action paradigm as its foundation. The journal …Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Open access, Peer review, Plagiarism, Preprints
- Authorship Authorship
Please view our authorship policies, which includes information on criteria for authorship, who should be the corresponding author and more. Please note that AI chatbots, for example ChatGPT, should not be listed as authors. For more information see the policy on Use of ChatGPT and generative AI tools.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Publishing fees and open access
There are no fees payable to submit or publish in this journal. Figures submitted in color will be published in color in the online version of the journal at no cost. If you wish to have color figures in the printed version, the fee will be determined at Production. Optional open access publishing is available for a fee via the Sage Choice program, and Open Access agreements, where authors can pub…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review policy
Double anonymized peer review Model summary
The following summary describes the peer review process for this journal: Identity transparency: Double-anonymized Reviewer interacts with: Editor Review information published: None Your manuscript will undergo an initial evaluation. If it does not conform to the requirements laid out in these guidelines, it will be returned to you for amendments prior to peer review. Manuscripts may be desk rejec…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism Plagiarism
The journal and Sage take issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism or other breaches of best practice in publication very seriously. Please read Sage's complete policy on plagiarism and the actions we may take.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprints accepted Model summary
The journal will consider submissions of manuscripts that have been posted on preprint servers. Please enter the preprint DOI in the designated field when submitting your manuscript. We advise that you inform the Journal Editorial office about your posted preprint at submission. Note that you should not post an updated version of your manuscript on a preprint server while it is being peer reviewed…
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
- SAGE
- ISSN
- 1043-4631
- Electronic ISSN
- 1461-7358
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Rationality and Society
What CAS zone is Rationality and Society in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Rationality and Society is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Sociology. 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 Rationality and Society?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.42; CiteScore 2.5, h-index 86.
How long does peer review take at Rationality and Society?
The publisher reports about 272 days (submission to acceptance); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 30%. 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 Rationality and Society?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 10,000 words; Reference style: Author–date; Templates: LaTeX and Word; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: Optional; Cover letter: 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 Rationality and Society based?
Of the 36 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (21), Netherlands (8) and Germany (3). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Rationality and Society?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Rationality and Society is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Rationality and Society open access, and what is the APC?
Rationality and Society is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,650.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .