Journal profile · SOCIOLOGY
Sociological Forum
ISSN 0884-8971 · eISSN 1573-7861 · Wiley-Blackwell
Sociological Forum: CAS Zone 2 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.57; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,240; median 173 days to acceptance (82 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 20% (journal website); 80 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Sociological Forum is published by Wiley-Blackwell and is in Zone 2 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Social and Cultural Dynamics, Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice and Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies, together about 31.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Sociological Forum is the flagship journal of the Eastern Sociological Society. The journal is peer reviewed and committed to publishing high quality research on substantive issues of fundamental importance to the study of society. The journal’s mission is broad in scope, encompassing empirical works (both quantitative and qualitative), as well as works that develop theories, concepts or methodological strategies. We also consider important replications and timely commentary. All areas of sociology are welcome in Sociological Forum, as the journal strives to create a site of learning and exchange for scholars and students of the social sciences.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): SOCIOLOGY
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 43, United Kingdom 3, Canada 1, Switzerland 1, Sweden 1 (49 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Social and Cultural DynamicsSocial Sciences13.6%
- Contemporary Sociological Theory and PracticeSocial Sciences11.2%
- Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation StudiesSocial Sciences6.6%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5.2%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering5.1%
- Social Capital and NetworksSocial Sciences4.3%
- Migration and Labor DynamicsSocial Sciences3.8%
- Religion and Society InteractionsSocial Sciences3.7%
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 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Sociology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Sociology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
PsycINFOPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest
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
- 1.57LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.6Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher)
- 2.34Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 3.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 3.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.78LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.23LetPub ·
- h-index
- 112OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,068OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.4OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 45.73%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 52LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2Publisher website ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 70Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 205,141Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,631 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 62 | 31 | 9 |
| 2025 | 80 | 42 | 56 |
| 2024 | 67 | 39 | 227 |
| 2023 | 108 | 73 | 370 |
| 2022 | 94 | 27 | 646 |
| 2021 | 115 | 19 | 770 |
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
173 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 55 days – 264 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 13 days (82 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 193 days
- Sample
- 82 articles with submission and acceptance dates (153 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)
- 20%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 20%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 12 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 12 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 131 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 13 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 3,240 / EUR 2,730 / GBP 2,160 | — | — |
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
- ≤ 200 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 3
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 12,000 words
- Reference style
- Chicago
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
Article types accepted2, with length limits
- research paperes: 1. Original Empirical & Theoretical Research Papers: Original research papers (up to 12,000 words), featuring empirical or theoretical analyses, that advanc…main text ≤ 12,000 words
- review articlequent issues in “The Forum Mailbox.” 3. Review Articles: Critical engagement with a particular area of research (up to 12,000 words). They capture the current s…main text ≤ 12,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access
- Authorship Author contributions
For all articles, the journal mandates the CRediT (Contribution Roles Taxonomy), for more information please see Author Services.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Publication Ethics
Sociological Forum abides to the ethical guidelines developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) during the 2nd World Conference on Research Integrity in Singapore in 2010 (see http://publicationethics.org/resources/international-standards).
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright Transfer Agreement
If your paper is accepted, the author identified as the formal corresponding author for the paper will receive an email prompting them to log in to Author Services; where via the Wiley Author Licensing Service (WALS) they will be able to complete the license agreement on behalf of all authors on the paper.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access For authors choosing open access
If the open access option is selected, the corresponding author will have a choice of the following Creative Commons License Open Access Agreements (OAA):
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
- Wiley-Blackwell
- ISSN
- 0884-8971
- Electronic ISSN
- 1573-7861
- Society / sponsor
- Eastern Sociological Society
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 41, Issue 3 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Sociological Forum
What CAS zone is Sociological Forum in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Sociological Forum is in Zone 2 of Sociology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Sociology. 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 Sociological Forum?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.57; CiteScore 3.4, h-index 112.
How long does peer review take at Sociological Forum?
Based on the dates recorded on 82 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 173 days (interquartile range 55–264 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 20% (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 are the manuscript requirements of Sociological Forum?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 200 words; Keywords: ≥ 3; Manuscript length: ≤ 12,000 words; Reference style: Chicago; 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 Sociological Forum based?
Of the 49 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (43), United Kingdom (3) and Canada (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Sociological Forum?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Sociological Forum is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists PsycINFO; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Sociological Forum open access, and what is the APC?
Sociological Forum is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,240.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .