Journal profile · Multiple
SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY & POLICY
ISSN 0265-0525 · eISSN 1471-6437 · Cambridge University Press
SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY & POLICY: CAS Zone 4 · Philosophy (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.92; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,550; 33 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY & POLICY is published by Cambridge University Press and is in Zone 4 of Philosophy in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Political Philosophy and Ethics, Philosophical Ethics and Theory and Diverse Scientific and Economic Studies, together about 39.3% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Social Philosophy and Policy is an interdisciplinary journal with an emphasis on the philosophical underpinnings of enduring social policy debates. The issues are thematic in format, examining a specific area of concern with contributions from scholars in different disciplines, especially philosophy, economics, political science and law. While not primarily a journal of policy prescriptions, some articles in each issue will typically connect theory with practice.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 18, United Kingdom 2, Singapore 1 (21 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Political Philosophy and EthicsSocial Sciences19.5%
- Philosophical Ethics and TheoryArts and Humanities11.9%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance7.8%
- Free Will and AgencyNeuroscience6.6%
- Legal Cases and CommentaryMedicine6.3%
- American Constitutional Law and PoliticsSocial Sciences6.1%
- Economic Theory and InstitutionsEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.4%
- Political Economy and MarxismSocial Sciences4.1%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Philosophy Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Ethics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Philosophy | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Philosophy Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Ethics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Philosophy | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Philosophy Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Philosophy | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Ethics | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Philosophy | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIAHCIScopusLetPub
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
- 0.92LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 53Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 0.7LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.24LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.68LetPub ·
- h-index
- 78OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 529OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.89OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 65.43%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 29LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,211 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 15 | 11 | 0 |
| 2025 | 33 | 27 | 11 |
| 2024 | 34 | 24 | 62 |
| 2023 | 32 | 20 | 105 |
| 2022 | 32 | 21 | 44 |
| 2021 | 36 | 16 | 229 |
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.
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 3,550 / GBP 2,460 | — | — |
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.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- ISSN
- 0265-0525
- Electronic ISSN
- 1471-6437
- Society / sponsor
- Center for the Philosophy of Freedom
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY & POLICY
What CAS zone is SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY & POLICY in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY & POLICY is in Zone 4 of Philosophy, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Ethics / Philosophy / Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Philosophy. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY & POLICY?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0.92; CiteScore 0.7, h-index 78.
Where are the editorial board members of SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY & POLICY based?
Of the 21 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (18), United Kingdom (2) and Singapore (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY & POLICY?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY & POLICY is indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus.
Is SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY & POLICY open access, and what is the APC?
SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY & POLICY is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,550.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; 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: .