Journal profile · SOCIAL SCIENCES, INTERDISCIPLINARY
Social Science Journal
ISSN 0362-3319 · eISSN 1873-5355 · TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD · ENGLAND · Quarterly · Founded 1976
Social Science Journal: CAS Zone 4 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.71; JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 242 days to acceptance (45 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 5% (journal website); 16 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Social Science Journal is published by TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD and is in Zone 4 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Electoral Systems and Political Participation, Social Media and Politics and Social and Intergroup Psychology, together about 25.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Social Science Journal is the official journal of the Western Social Science Association . The principal purpose of the journal is to publish scholarly work in the social sciences. The research that is published may take a theoretical or speculative model as well as statistical and mathematical. Contributions are welcome from all fields which have relevant and insightful comments to make about the social sciences. The journal also includes a Research Note section which is devoted to supporting scholarly research that is in progress. The journal has a well-established book review section which reflects the academic and intellectual diversity within the WSSA. While The Social Science Journal is the publication of a regional association, it attracts submissions from a wide range of countries.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): SOCIAL SCIENCES, INTERDISCIPLINARY
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Electoral Systems and Political ParticipationSocial Sciences12.7%
- Social Media and PoliticsSocial Sciences7.7%
- Social and Intergroup PsychologySocial Sciences5.4%
- Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation StudiesSocial Sciences5.1%
- Gender, Labor, and Family DynamicsSocial Sciences4.3%
- Crime Patterns and InterventionsSocial Sciences3.9%
- Employment and Welfare StudiesHealth Professions3.8%
- Linguistic, Cultural, and Literary StudiesSocial Sciences3.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary | 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 | Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary | Zone 4 |
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
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePublisher website
Other: Sociology of Education Abstracts, Studies on Women Abstracts, America: History and Life, Current Geographical Publications, Economic Abstracts, Historical Abstracts, Index to Periodical Articles Related to Law, Human Resources Abstracts, International Political Science Abstracts, PAIS Bulletin, Public Affairs Information Service Bulletin, Sage Urban Studies Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts
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
- 1.71LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.3Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 6.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.54LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.54Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.09LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.09Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 97OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,102OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.59OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 7.61%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 16LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 126,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,112 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 19 | 3 | 0 |
| 2025 | 16 | 4 | 5 |
| 2024 | 55 | 8 | 48 |
| 2023 | 163 | 9 | 516 |
| 2022 | 69 | 5 | 628 |
| 2021 | 149 | 9 | 1,001 |
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
242 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 163 days – 325 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 12 days (45 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 255 days
- Sample
- 45 articles with submission and acceptance dates (50 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)
- 5%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 27 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 285 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
- Open access Open access
Hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Model summary
The Social Science Journal 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 …
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 LTD
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Quarterly
- Founded
- 1976
- ISSN
- 0362-3319
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-5355
- Society / sponsor
- World Social Science Association
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 63, Issue 4 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Social Science Journal
What CAS zone is Social Science Journal in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Social Science Journal is in Zone 4 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary. 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 Social Science Journal?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.71; CiteScore 6.4, h-index 97.
How long does peer review take at Social Science Journal?
Based on the dates recorded on 45 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 242 days (interquartile range 163–325 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 5%. 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 Science Journal 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 4 of Sociology.
Which databases index Social Science Journal?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Social Science Journal is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Social Science Journal open access, and what is the APC?
Social Science Journal 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: .