Journal profile · SOCIOLOGY
Social Problems
ISSN 0037-7791 · eISSN 1533-8533 · Oxford University Press
Social Problems: CAS Zone 2 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 2.35; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,073; 81 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Social Problems is published by Oxford University Press and is in Zone 2 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Crime Patterns and Interventions, Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice and Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies, together about 25% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Research area (LetPub): SOCIOLOGY
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Crime Patterns and InterventionsSocial Sciences9.4%
- Contemporary Sociological Theory and PracticeSocial Sciences8%
- Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation StudiesSocial Sciences7.6%
- Criminal Justice and Corrections AnalysisSocial Sciences5.7%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering5.4%
- Homelessness and Social IssuesHealth Professions5.2%
- Labor Movements and UnionsSocial Sciences5%
- Race, History, and American SocietySocial Sciences4.9%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | 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 | Sociology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Sociology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview 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
- 2.35LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.7LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.29LetPub ·
- h-index
- 206OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,657OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.34OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 18.6%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 81LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 6,870 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 69 | 26 | 6 |
| 2025 | 81 | 34 | 146 |
| 2024 | 78 | 25 | 382 |
| 2023 | 63 | 17 | 485 |
| 2022 | 60 | 11 | 819 |
| 2021 | 94 | 14 | 1,509 |
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 4,073 | — | — |
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
- Oxford University Press
- ISSN
- 0037-7791
- Electronic ISSN
- 1533-8533
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Social Problems
What CAS zone is Social Problems in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Social Problems is in Zone 2 of Sociology, and in Zone 2 of the minor category 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 Problems?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.35; CiteScore 7, h-index 206.
Which databases index Social Problems?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Social Problems is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Social Problems open access, and what is the APC?
Social Problems is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,073.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, 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 2026-08-24). Last updated: .