Journal profile · SOCIOLOGY
Sociological Inquiry
ISSN 0038-0245 · eISSN 1475-682X · Wiley-Blackwell
Sociological Inquiry: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.41; hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,900; review about 189 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); acceptance rate 19% (journal website); 57 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Sociological Inquiry is published by Wiley-Blackwell and is in Zone 3 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Contemporary Sociological Theory and Practice, Social and Cultural Dynamics and Diverse Scientific and Economic Studies, together about 31.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Sociological Inquiry (SI) is the journal of Alpha Kappa Delta, the International Sociology Honor Society. SI is committed to the exploration of the human condition in all of its social and cultural complexity. We are particularly interested in well-written papers that challenge us to look anew at traditional areas or identify novel areas for us to investigate. Both theoretical and empirical work is welcome, as are the varied research methods in the study of social and cultural life.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): SOCIOLOGY
Editor-in-chief Nathaniel ChapmanPublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Contemporary Sociological Theory and PracticeSocial Sciences12.4%
- Social and Cultural DynamicsSocial Sciences10.9%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance7.8%
- Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation StudiesSocial Sciences6.1%
- Crime Patterns and InterventionsSocial Sciences5.7%
- Legal case studies and regulationsSocial Sciences4.3%
- Social Capital and NetworksSocial Sciences4.2%
- Religion and Society InteractionsSocial Sciences4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Sociology | Zone 4 |
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 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| 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
PsycINFOCurrent ContentsPublisher 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
- 1.41LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 4.4Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.7LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.23LetPub ·
- h-index
- 104OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 891OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.18OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 39.02%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 38LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 44Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 157,252Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,606 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 27 | 15 | 4 |
| 2025 | 57 | 28 | 43 |
| 2024 | 64 | 35 | 128 |
| 2023 | 62 | 37 | 232 |
| 2022 | 53 | 11 | 282 |
| 2021 | 72 | 5 | 899 |
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
189 dayssubmission to acceptance
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
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 19%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 22 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 189 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 15 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 2,900 / EUR 2,450 / GBP 1,930 | — | — |
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
- 150–175 words
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 10,000 words
- Reference style
- AMA
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted9, with length limits
- book reviewSI encourages authors to submit a wide variety of manuscripts that forward sociological thought, exploration, and examination of the social world. Below are typ…main text ≤ 1,000 words
- book reviewsBook Reviews: Book reviews are by invitation only through our Book Review Editor.Length not stated
- letterSI encourages authors to submit a wide variety of manuscripts that forward sociological thought, exploration, and examination of the social world. Below are typ…Length not stated
- original articleSI encourages authors to submit a wide variety of manuscripts that forward sociological thought, exploration, and examination of the social world. Below are typ…Length not stated
- perspectiveSI encourages authors to submit a wide variety of manuscripts that forward sociological thought, exploration, and examination of the social world. Below are typ…Length not stated
- research notesResearch Notes: Research notes are clear and concise manuscripts that present new or initial findings on a topic.Length not stated
- reviewSI encourages authors to submit a wide variety of manuscripts that forward sociological thought, exploration, and examination of the social world. Below are typ…main text ≤ 1,000 words
- review articleSI encourages authors to submit a wide variety of manuscripts that forward sociological thought, exploration, and examination of the social world. Below are typ…Length not stated
- review articlesReview Articles: Review manuscripts can be submitted that provide a presentation of new and/or exciting discussions about theory or research covering current so…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Publication ethics, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Disclosing the use of artificial intelligence (AI)
If you or your co-authors have used Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC) tools such as ChatGPT and others based on large language models (LLMs) to develop any portion of a manuscript, their use must be described transparently and in detail in the Methods section.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Publication Ethics
Submission of a manuscript to SI is taken to mean that: (1) the manuscript is not under consideration by another journal and (2) the contents of the manuscript have not been published elsewhere.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review model
Double-anonymized peer review model Model summary
We follow a double-anonymized peer review model, for applicable article types.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints
Preprint policy: accepts articles previously published on preprint servers Model summary
This journal accepts articles previously published on preprint servers.
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
- 0038-0245
- Electronic ISSN
- 1475-682X
- Society / sponsor
- Alpha Kappa Delta
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Sociological Inquiry
What CAS zone is Sociological Inquiry in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Sociological Inquiry is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 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 Inquiry?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.41; CiteScore 4.4, h-index 104.
How long does peer review take at Sociological Inquiry?
The publisher reports about 189 days (submission to acceptance); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 19% (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 Inquiry?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–175 words; Manuscript length: ≤ 10,000 words; Reference style: AMA; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Cover letter: 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.
Which databases index Sociological Inquiry?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Sociological Inquiry is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists PsycINFO and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Sociological Inquiry open access, and what is the APC?
Sociological Inquiry is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,900.
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: .