Journal profile · Multiple
Social Movement Studies
ISSN 1474-2837 · eISSN 1474-2829 · Taylor & Francis
Social Movement Studies: CAS Zone 1 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 2.36; JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 282 days to acceptance (66 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 15% (journal website); 54 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Social Movement Studies is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 1 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Social Media and Politics, Political Conflict and Governance and Labor Movements and Unions, together about 29.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science and Political Science and International Relations. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Social Movement Studies is an international and inter-disciplinary journal providing a forum for academic debate and analysis of extra-parliamentary political, cultural and social movements throughout the world. Social Movement Studies has a broad, inter-disciplinary approach designed to accommodate papers engaging with any theoretical school and which study the origins, development, organisation, values, context and impact of historical and contemporary movements active in all parts of the world. We understand our inter-disciplinary approach to include both contributions that engage with particular schools of thought relevant to social movements and popular protest and contributions that extend across disciplinary boundaries. Social Movement Studies aims to publish soundly researched analyses and to re-establish writing as intervention. From this broad and inclusive perspective we are interested in contributions dealing with social movements, popular protests and networks that support protest. This includes contributions dealing with but not restricted to movements of all types including gender, race, sexuality, indigenous people’s rights, disability, ecology, peace, youth, age, religion, animal rights and others, forms of communication, media and representation engaged with social change, including the Internet and cybercultures, networks of support and broad ’ways of life’ engaged with alternative social systems, appraisals of popular reactionary movements or populist movements of the ’right’, subcultures and countercultures, including such things as the place of dance, pleasure or music in resistance, identities and the construction of collective identities, relations between protests and social structures, including situating movements in local, regional, national, international and global socio-economic and cultural contexts, theoretical reflections on the significance of social movements and protest. If you work in these or related areas we would be very pleased to hear from you with a contribution. The journal invites four kinds of contribution: articles, profiles, interventions and reviews. For details and editorial contacts please see the Instructions for Authors. Peer Review All research articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by at least two anonymous referees. Please note that this journal only publishes manuscripts in English. Peer review policy Taylor & Francis
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Cristina Flesher FominayaPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United Kingdom 2, United States 1, Sweden 1 (4 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Social Media and PoliticsSocial Sciences11.3%
- Political Conflict and GovernanceSocial Sciences10.3%
- Labor Movements and UnionsSocial Sciences7.9%
- Social and Cultural DynamicsSocial Sciences6.5%
- Social Policy and Reform StudiesSocial Sciences6.4%
- Populism, Right-Wing MovementsSocial Sciences6.2%
- Electoral Systems and Political ParticipationSocial Sciences5.1%
- Gender Politics and RepresentationSocial Sciences4.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Sociology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Sociology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Sociology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview 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
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
OCLC, CSA Worldwide Political Science Abstracts, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS), 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
- 2.36LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.5Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 7.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.16LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 1.16Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.13LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 2.13Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 82OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 584OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.86OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 24.06%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 44LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 258,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,153 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 42 | 13 | 1 |
| 2025 | 54 | 22 | 42 |
| 2024 | 65 | 30 | 256 |
| 2023 | 46 | 19 | 386 |
| 2022 | 62 | 28 | 701 |
| 2021 | 74 | 22 | 1,479 |
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
282 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 230 days – 361 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 36 days (66 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 331 days
- Sample
- 66 articles with submission and acceptance dates (121 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)
- 15%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 45 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 124 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 45 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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)
Article types accepted4
- articlesThe journal invites four kinds of contribution: articles, profiles, interventions and reviews.Length not stated
- interventionsThe journal invites four kinds of contribution: articles, profiles, interventions and reviews.Length not stated
- profilesThe journal invites four kinds of contribution: articles, profiles, interventions and reviews.Length not stated
- reviewsThe journal invites four kinds of contribution: articles, profiles, interventions and reviews.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Social Movement Studies 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…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review policy
Peer review policy: All research articles undergo rigorous peer review based on initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by at least two anonymous referees. Model summary
Taylor & Francis is committed to peer-review integrity and upholding the highest standards of review. Once your paper has been assessed for suitability by the editor, it will then be double anonymized peer reviewed by independent, anonymous expert referees. Find out more about what to expect during peer review and read our guidance on publishing ethics.
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
- 1474-2837
- Electronic ISSN
- 1474-2829
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 25, Issue 4-5 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Social Movement Studies
What CAS zone is Social Movement Studies in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Social Movement Studies is in Zone 1 of Sociology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Political Science / Sociology; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Social Movement Studies?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.36; CiteScore 7.5, h-index 82.
How long does peer review take at Social Movement Studies?
Based on the dates recorded on 66 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 282 days (interquartile range 230–361 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 15%. 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 Movement Studies 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 1 of Sociology.
Where are the editorial board members of Social Movement Studies based?
Of the 4 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (2), United States (1) and Sweden (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Social Movement Studies?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Social Movement Studies is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Social Movement Studies open access, and what is the APC?
Social Movement Studies 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .