Journal profile · SOCIAL WORK
Social Work-Maatskaplike Werk
ISSN 0037-8054 · eISSN 2312-7198 · Stellenbosch University · South Africa
Social Work-Maatskaplike Werk: CAS Zone 4 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); fully open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 6 weeks (community reports); 47 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Social Work-Maatskaplike Werk is published by Stellenbosch University 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 Social Work Education and Practice, Homelessness and Social Issues and Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare, together about 37.7% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
This academic peer-reviewed journal consists of articles related to social work, welfare organizations, society, social welfare, family and child care, community work, substance abuse, substance dependence, and welfare law
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): SOCIAL WORK
Editor-in-chief Lambert EngelbrechtPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named South Africa 9 (9 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Social Work Education and PracticeSocial Sciences19.2%
- Homelessness and Social IssuesHealth Professions10.7%
- Poverty, Education, and Child WelfareSocial Sciences7.8%
- Legal Issues in South AfricaSocial Sciences6.5%
- Child Abuse and TraumaPsychology5.5%
- Interprofessional Education and CollaborationHealth Professions4.6%
- Child Welfare and AdoptionSocial Sciences4.4%
- Healthcare innovation and challengesSocial Sciences4.3%
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 Work | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Social Work | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
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
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.1LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.3LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.64LetPub ·
- h-index
- 27OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 169OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.6OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 14.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 99.11%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 40LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 900 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 26 | 26 | 2 |
| 2025 | 47 | 47 | 23 |
| 2024 | 48 | 48 | 169 |
| 2023 | 37 | 37 | 98 |
| 2022 | 36 | 36 | 125 |
| 2021 | 35 | 35 | 177 |
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 6 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 6 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 | ZAR 3,420 | No | CC BY | |
| OpenAlex | ZAR 3,420 | — | — | |
| LetPub | ZAR 3,420 | No | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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 prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 11,000 words
- Reference style
- APA
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
Article types accepted1, with length limits
- book reviewor the Journal's readership. Typically, book reviews are around 2000 words and adhere to the same format and referencing style as artimain text ≤ 2,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Peer review, Self-archiving
- Authorship
Authorship definition based on substantial contributions; corresponding author designated; all authors sign Publishing Agreement; refer to Authorship Policy and Changes in Authorship Policy. Model summary
Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk defines an author as an individual who has made substantial contributions to various aspects of a manuscript.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Conflicts of interest
Authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose potential conflicts of interest; presence of a potential conflict does not necessarily result in rejection. Model summary
Authors, reviewers, and editors are obligated to disclose any potential conflicts of interest. When uncertain, it is advisable to err on the side of transparency by making a disclosure. It is essential to note that the presence of a potential conflict of interest does not necessarily result in the rejection of the submission. Please refer to the Journal’s Conflict of Interest Policy for more infor…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Journal addresses and investigates ethical issues pertaining to data; correction and retraction policies enacted if ethical concerns arise. Model summary
In the domain of data publication, Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk upholds best practices in data publishing ethics.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright Notice
All authors must sign the Journal's Publishing Agreement before publication in the predetermined order of their names. Model summary
This journal is an open access journal, and the authors and journal should be properly acknowledged when works are cited (Reference the full name of the Journal: Social Work/Maatskaplike Werk). Authors may use the publishers version for teaching purposes, in books, and with conferences. The following license applies: Attribution CC BY-4.0 This license lets others distribute, remix, tweak, and buil…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review process
Double-blind peer review; initial assessment by Editorial Office; similarity and AI detection; two reviewers from editorial advisory committee or editorial board; reviewer recommendations include accept as is, accept with minor revisions, revise and resubmit, reject, refer to another journal; Editor Model summary
All manuscripts submitted to the journal undergo double-blind peer review: (i) Submitted manuscripts undergo an initial assessment by the Editorial Office to ensure compliance with author guidelines; (ii) Manuscripts deemed potentially suitable undergo a similarity and AI detection process; (iii) If a manuscript is suitable for review, the Editor-in-Chief invites two editorial advisory committee m…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Self-archiving Confidentiality and media embargo
Authors, reviewers, and editorial staff are expected to treat all submitted manuscripts and correspondence with the Editorial Office as confidential. From the moment of submission until the online publication or rejection of the manuscript, all manuscripts are deemed to be under a media embargo. See the Journal’s Confidentiality and Media Embargoes Policy .
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
- Stellenbosch University
- Country or region
- South Africa
- Language
- English, Afrikaans
- ISSN
- 0037-8054
- Electronic ISSN
- 2312-7198
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 62, Issue 2 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Social Work-Maatskaplike Werk
What CAS zone is Social Work-Maatskaplike Werk in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Social Work-Maatskaplike Werk is in Zone 4 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Social Work. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
How long does peer review take at Social Work-Maatskaplike Werk?
Authors report an average review time of about 6 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 Work-Maatskaplike Werk?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Manuscript length: ≤ 11,000 words; Reference style: APA; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required. 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 Work-Maatskaplike Werk based?
Of the 9 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are South Africa (9). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Social Work-Maatskaplike Werk?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Social Work-Maatskaplike Werk is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Social Work-Maatskaplike Werk open access, and what is the APC?
Social Work-Maatskaplike Werk is a fully open-access journal. APC charged, amount not published.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, DOAJ, Publisher website; 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: .