Journal profile · Multiple
Social Epistemology
ISSN 0269-1728 · eISSN 1464-5297 · Taylor & Francis
Social Epistemology: CAS Zone 2 · Philosophy (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.73; JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 216 days to acceptance (72 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 28% (journal website); 74 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Social Epistemology is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 2 of Philosophy in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics, Feminist Epistemology and Gender Studies and Philosophy and History of Science, together about 37.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Social Epistemology provides a forum for philosophical and social scientific enquiry that incorporates the work of scholars from a variety of disciplines who share a concern with the production, assessment and validation of knowledge. The journal covers both empirical research into the origination and transmission of knowledge and normative considerations which arise as such research is implemented, serving as a guide for directing contemporary knowledge enterprises. Peer Review Policy: All research articles published in this journal have undergone peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by at least two referees. Readership: Philosophers, sociologists, psychologists, cultural historians, social studies of science researchers, political theorists, and education researchers.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Eric KerrPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 2, United Kingdom 2, Singapore 2, Australia 1, Netherlands 1 (10 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Epistemology, Ethics, and MetaphysicsArts and Humanities17.1%
- Feminist Epistemology and Gender StudiesSocial Sciences10.8%
- Philosophy and History of ScienceArts and Humanities9.7%
- Political Philosophy and EthicsSocial Sciences6.2%
- Misinformation and Its ImpactsSocial Sciences5.6%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.9%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering4.9%
- Educational Robotics and EngineeringComputer Science4.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Philosophy Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Philosophy | Zone 2 |
| Minor | History & Philosophy Of Science | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Philosophy Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 1 |
| Minor | History & Philosophy Of Science | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Philosophy | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Philosophy Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 2 |
| Minor | History & Philosophy Of Science | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Philosophy | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q1 · best quartile · 2025
- CiteScore Q1 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
SSCIAHCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
OCLC, Current Abstracts, Philosopher's Index, Social Services Abstracts, Sociological AbstractsPublisher website
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
- 1.73LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.1Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 4.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.87LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.87Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.6LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 62OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 473OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.12OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 9.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 35.89%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 74LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 302,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,598 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 40 | 21 | 8 |
| 2025 | 74 | 46 | 261 |
| 2024 | 70 | 42 | 305 |
| 2023 | 67 | 35 | 572 |
| 2022 | 70 | 40 | 793 |
| 2021 | 46 | 21 | 523 |
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
216 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 23 days – 323 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 34 days (72 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 263 days
- Sample
- 72 articles with submission and acceptance dates (144 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)
- 28%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 51 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 114 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 35 daysPublisher 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Social Epistemology is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the discoverability and rea…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
All research articles undergo peer review based on initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by at least two referees. Model summary
All research articles published in this journal have undergone peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by at least two referees.
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
- Taylor & Francis
- ISSN
- 0269-1728
- Electronic ISSN
- 1464-5297
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 40, Issue 5 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Social Epistemology
What CAS zone is Social Epistemology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Social Epistemology is in Zone 2 of Philosophy, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Philosophy / History & Philosophy Of Science / Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Philosophy. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Social Epistemology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.73; CiteScore 4.5, h-index 62.
How long does peer review take at Social Epistemology?
Based on the dates recorded on 72 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 216 days (interquartile range 23–323 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 28%. 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 JCR quartile is Social Epistemology in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q1 (best quartile). JCR quartiles are Clarivate's to confirm and a different system from the CAS zones; in the CAS ranking the journal is in Zone 2 of Philosophy.
Where are the editorial board members of Social Epistemology based?
Of the 10 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (2), United Kingdom (2) and Singapore (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Social Epistemology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Social Epistemology is indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus.
Is Social Epistemology open access, and what is the APC?
Social Epistemology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC charged, amount not published.
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: .