Journal profile · SOCIOLOGY
Social Science Research
ISSN 0049-089X · eISSN 1096-0317 · Elsevier
Social Science Research: CAS Zone 2 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 2.84; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,020; median 264 days to acceptance (39 articles, last 24 months); 114 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Social Science Research is published by Elsevier 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 Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies, Gender, Labor, and Family Dynamics and Health disparities and outcomes, together about 21.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Social Science Research publishes papers devoted to quantitative social science research and methodology. The journal features articles that illustrate the use of quantitative methods to empirically test social science theory. The journal emphasizes research concerned with issues or methods that cut across traditional disciplinary lines. Special attention is given to methods that have been used by only one particular social science discipline, but that may have application to a broader range of areas with an ultimate goal of testing social science theory.Social Science Research welcomes submissions that significantly advance quantitative research methods. Judgment of significance will be based on three criteria: 1. Whether or not the problem that the author(s) attempts to solve represents a major obstacle in theory testing; 2. How prevalent the problem is across different social science disciplines and research areas; 3. Whether or not the proposed solution is feasible and definitively superior to existing approaches in a wide range of settings.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): SOCIOLOGY
Editor-in-chief Yang CaoPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 8 in mainland China (about 5%); most named United States 71, Italy 17, United Kingdom 12, Mainland China 8, Germany 7 (148 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation StudiesSocial Sciences9.5%
- Gender, Labor, and Family DynamicsSocial Sciences6.7%
- Health disparities and outcomesSocial Sciences5.7%
- Family Dynamics and RelationshipsSocial Sciences5.4%
- Employment and Welfare StudiesHealth Professions5.4%
- Intergenerational and Educational Inequality StudiesSocial Sciences5.2%
- School Choice and PerformanceSocial Sciences4.5%
- Labor market dynamics and wage inequalityEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.3%
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 3 |
Top journal: noReview 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
- 2.84LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 3.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.8LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 5.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.27LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.75LetPub ·
- h-index
- 162OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,038OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.11OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 3.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 42.07%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 102LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,120 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 101 | 68 | 19 |
| 2025 | 114 | 69 | 217 |
| 2024 | 108 | 63 | 447 |
| 2023 | 78 | 38 | 575 |
| 2022 | 92 | 36 | 2,003 |
| 2021 | 103 | 41 | 1,786 |
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 PubMed · to
264 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 221 days – 298 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 10 days (39 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 277 days
- Sample
- 39 articles with submission and acceptance dates (65 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
- Submission to first decision
- 4 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 85 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 270 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,020 / EUR 2,830 / GBP 2,420 / JPY 374,570 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,980 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Highlights
- Optional
Article types accepted4
- commentarySSR is dedicated to quantitative social science research. We publish full-fledged research articles aimed at testing and advancing social science theory. The fo…Length not stated
- meta-analysisSSR is dedicated to quantitative social science research. We publish full-fledged research articles aimed at testing and advancing social science theory. The fo…Length not stated
- research articleSSR is dedicated to quantitative social science research. We publish full-fledged research articles aimed at testing and advancing social science theory. The fo…Length not stated
- review articleSSR is dedicated to quantitative social science research. We publish full-fledged research articles aimed at testing and advancing social science theory. The fo…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
This journal follows a double anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication.
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
- Elsevier
- ISSN
- 0049-089X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1096-0317
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Social Science Research
What CAS zone is Social Science Research in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Social Science Research 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 Science Research?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.84; CiteScore 5.8, h-index 162.
How long does peer review take at Social Science Research?
Based on the dates recorded on 39 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 264 days (interquartile range 221–298 days). 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 are the manuscript requirements of Social Science Research?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Highlights: Optional. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Social Science Research based?
Of the 148 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 8 (about 5%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (71), Italy (17) and United Kingdom (12). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Social Science Research?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Social Science Research is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Social Science Research open access, and what is the APC?
Social Science Research is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,020.
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: .