Journal profile · Multiple
Social Semiotics
ISSN 1035-0330 · eISSN 1470-1219 · Taylor & Francis
Social Semiotics: CAS Zone 2 · Literature (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.36; JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 164 days to acceptance (38 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 11% (journal website); 83 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Social Semiotics is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 2 of Literature in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Discourse Analysis in Language Studies, Language, Metaphor, and Cognition and Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies, together about 31% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Social Semiotics is a peer reviewed journal that publishes high quality papers that deal with the study of semiotic resources and practices including words, images, behaviours, settings, sounds, design, etc., and the way these are connected to the organization of societies and everyday lives. Articles must focus on a specific semiotic phenomenon and embody, in their argument and conclusion, a critique of the limitations on and variations in the ways in which semiotic resources/practices may perpetuate biases, imbalance or legitimize and maintain kinds of power interests. Semiotic analysis in articles might draw on linguistic analysis, visual analysis, content analysis, ethnography, interviews, as well as production studies, and can be tied to political economy. The journal especially welcomes papers that analyse everyday phenomena and the sociopolitical significance of representations. Social Semiotics does not accept self-appointed book reviews. The journal commissions reviews of carefully selected books that fit with its scope and aims. Peer Review Policy: All papers in this journal have undergone editorial screening and peer review. Manuscripts submitted should be original, not under review by any other publication and not published elsewhere.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Discourse Analysis in Language StudiesArts and Humanities13.8%
- Language, Metaphor, and CognitionPsychology9.8%
- Language, Discourse, Communication StrategiesArts and Humanities7.4%
- Gender, Feminism, and MediaSocial Sciences6%
- Multilingual Education and PolicySocial Sciences5.8%
- Rhetoric and Communication StudiesArts and Humanities5.1%
- Media Studies and CommunicationSocial Sciences4.8%
- Digital Communication and LanguageComputer Science4.4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Literature Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Humanities, Multidisciplinary | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Communication | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Linguistics | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Literature Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Humanities, Multidisciplinary | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Communication | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Linguistics | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Literature Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Humanities, Multidisciplinary | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Communication | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Linguistics | 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
SSCIAHCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Current ContentsPublisher website
Other: OCLC, Alternative Press Index, Communication Abstracts, Educational Research Abstracts Online, Electronic Collections Online, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, Left Index, Linguistics Abstracts, Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts, MLA Directory of Periodicals, Multicultural Education Abstracts, Social Planning/Policy & Development Abstracts, Social Services Abstracts, Social Theory: A bibliographic Series, Sociological Abstracts, Sociology of Education Abstracts, Studies on Women and Gender Abstracts, Ulrich's Directory of Periodicals
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
- 2.36LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.4Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.72LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.72Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 2Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 64OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 494OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.37OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 8.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 19.44%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 47LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 226,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,405 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 74 | 15 | 17 |
| 2025 | 83 | 20 | 108 |
| 2024 | 51 | 12 | 159 |
| 2023 | 44 | 11 | 239 |
| 2022 | 56 | 19 | 461 |
| 2021 | 57 | 21 | 701 |
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
164 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 89 days – 236 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 11 days (38 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 185 days
- Sample
- 38 articles with submission and acceptance dates (174 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) 2025
- 11%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 9 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 13 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, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Social Semiotics 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 and reader…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Peer review policy Model summary
All papers in this journal have undergone editorial screening and peer review.
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
- ISSN
- 1035-0330
- Electronic ISSN
- 1470-1219
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 36, Issue 4 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Social Semiotics
What CAS zone is Social Semiotics in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Social Semiotics is in Zone 2 of Literature, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Humanities, Multidisciplinary / Communication / Linguistics. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Literature. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Social Semiotics?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.36; CiteScore 5, h-index 64.
How long does peer review take at Social Semiotics?
Based on the dates recorded on 38 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 164 days (interquartile range 89–236 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 11% (2025). 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 Semiotics 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 2 of Literature.
Which databases index Social Semiotics?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Social Semiotics is indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Social Semiotics open access, and what is the APC?
Social Semiotics 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: .