Journal profile · Social Sciences-Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
Social Sciences and Humanities Open
ISSN 2590-2911 · Elsevier · United Kingdom
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Social Sciences and Humanities Open: fully open access; APC about USD 1,350; review about 197 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 1,069 articles in 2025; indexed in Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Social Sciences and Humanities Open is published by Elsevier. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Teacher Education and Leadership Studies, EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning and Artificial Intelligence in Education, together about 25.3% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Social Sciences & Humanities Open (SSHO) is a fully open access scientific journal covering all areas of the social sciences and humanities. We adhere to the highest scientific standards through a rigorous peer-review process. Any submission reporting scientifically accurate and ethically sound research will be considered for publication.We welcome submissions from all disciplines within the social sciences and humanities. Areas of particular interest include Anthropology, Archaeology, Communication & New Media, Film Studies, Gender Studies, Geography, History, Linguistics, Literature, Political Science & International Relations, Public Health, and Sociology.Our scope is inclusive. We encourage interdisciplinary research addressing theoretical, empirical, cultural, methodological, and policy-related issues. We welcome submissions in a range of formats, including:Empirical studiesTheoretical articlesMethodological contributionsCase studiesLiterature reviewsEvidence synthesesReplication studiesStudies reporting negative findingsWe aim to feature impactful work that enhances understanding of evolving societies.Inclusive publishingSubmissions are evaluated on their scientific and methodological validity and robustness. As a fully open access journal, all articles are immediately and permanently available for anyone to read, download, cite, and share.We are committed to making publishing accessible to researchers at every stage of their career, including first-time authors, early career researchers, and researchers from underrepresented groups and geographical regions. Our editorial practices and Editorial Board reflect this commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Social Sciences-Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
Editorial board by country: 8 in mainland China (about 6%); most named United Kingdom 21, United States 20, Mainland China 8, India 8, Hong Kong, China 7 (130 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Teacher Education and Leadership StudiesSocial Sciences8.9%
- EFL/ESL Teaching and LearningArts and Humanities8.6%
- Artificial Intelligence in EducationComputer Science7.9%
- Job Satisfaction and Organizational BehaviorBusiness, Management and Accounting6.1%
- Technology Adoption and User BehaviourDecision Sciences5.8%
- Agricultural Innovations and PracticesAgricultural and Biological Sciences4.4%
- Education during COVID-19 pandemicSocial Sciences4.2%
- Employee Performance and ManagementSocial Sciences3.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CiteScore quartiles (Scopus, June 2026 release)
| Subject | Quartile | Rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Sciences (miscellaneous) | Q1 | 162/744 | 78th |
| Psychology (miscellaneous) | Q2 | 34/118 | 71st |
| Decision Sciences (miscellaneous) | Q2 | 14/46 | 70th |
Scopus ranks journals by CiteScore within each subject: the 75th percentile and above is Q1, then a quartile every 25 points. A different system from the CAS zones.LetPub
Database indexing
ScopusDOAJLetPub
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
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 3.6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.63LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.28LetPub ·
- h-index
- 59OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 597OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.88OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,874 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1,550 | 1,550 | 8,086 |
| 2025 | 1,069 | 1,069 | 6,288 |
| 2024 | 463 | 463 | 4,260 |
| 2023 | 389 | 389 | 2,868 |
| 2022 | 162 | 162 | 2,010 |
| 2021 | 130 | 130 | 955 |
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
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
197 dayssubmission to acceptance · community reports about 23 weeks
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 23 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 28 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 100 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 197 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 8 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 30 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | USD 1,350 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 1,180 / EUR 1,100 / GBP 940 / JPY 146,360 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 825 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 1,620 | — | — |
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)
Open calls for papers3, by deadline
- Transformations of Public Agendas in Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula: Political Communication, Populism, and the Quality of DemocracyDeadline
- Reading the Naval Lexicon: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Maritime Power and EcologyDeadline
- Remembrance and Resonance: Oral Tradition in Modern Historical PracticeDeadline
What to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 350 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 3
- Reference style
- APA
- Highlights
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Optional
Article types accepted6, with length limits
- research articlehor Services. Article types Full-length research article SSHO considers submitted Full Length Research Articles of around 8,000 words in length. This includes a…main text ≤ 8,000 words
- reviewat manuscripts can grow during the peer review process, but we expect manuscripts to be no longer than 10,000 words at the point of submission to the journal. F…main text ≤ 10,000 words
- review articlereviously published research. We expect Review Articles to be between 6,000 and 8,000 words in length at the point of submission to the journal. This imain text ≤ 8,000 words
- review articlesA Review Article is a comprehensive summary of the current understanding of a specific research topic based on previously published research. We expect Review A…Length not stated
- short communicationShort Communications are intended for the presentation of brief observations that do not warrant a Full Length Research Article. The content should be original …main text ≤ 4,000 words · abstract ≤ 100 words
- short communicationsShort Communications are intended for the presentation of brief observations that do not warrant a Full Length Research Article. The content should be original …Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, 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
English language only; British or US English, consistent throughout. Model summary
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 ·- Publication ethics
Authors must follow Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy. Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
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
Double anonymized review process; initial editor assessment; minimum two reviewers for suitable submissions; editors make final accept/reject decisions; appeals allowed per Elsevier's Appeal Policy (one appeal per submission). Model summary
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 sharing allowed per Elsevier's article sharing policy; does not count as prior publication; free preprint posting service on SSRN offered. Model summary
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. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
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.
Before you submit
Five checks before submitting to Social Sciences and Humanities Open
- 1ScopeRecent output centres on Teacher Education and Leadership Studies, EFL/ESL Teaching and Learning.Check scope
- 2Article type and formatAbstract: ≤ 350 words; Keywords: ≥ 3; Reference style: APA.Author guidelines ↗
- 3English languagePolish grammar and academic style before you submit: it lowers the risk of rejection for language and improves your chances of acceptance.
- 4FeesUSD 1,350 (DOAJ), waivers availableFee details
- 5Expected review time197 days · Publisher-reported, submission to acceptance · community reports about 23 weeksReview data
The checks are built from this page's data.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Elsevier
- Country or region
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2590-2911
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗DOAJ
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗DOAJ
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Social Sciences and Humanities Open
How long does peer review take at Social Sciences and Humanities Open?
The publisher reports about 197 days (submission to acceptance); authors report an average review time of about 23 weeks. 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 Sciences and Humanities Open?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 350 words; Keywords: ≥ 3; Reference style: APA; Highlights: Optional; Cover letter: 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 Sciences and Humanities Open based?
Of the 130 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 8 (about 6%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (21), United States (20) and Mainland China (8). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Social Sciences and Humanities Open?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Social Sciences and Humanities Open is indexed in Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Social Sciences and Humanities Open open access, and what is the APC?
Social Sciences and Humanities Open is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 1,350.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex, DOAJ; 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: .