Journal profile · CRIMINOLOGY & PENOLOGY
South African Crime Quarterly-SACQ
ISSN 1991-3877 · Institute for Security Studies (ISS) · South Africa
South African Crime Quarterly-SACQ: CAS Zone 4 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); fully open access; no APC; review about 16 weeks (community reports); 8 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI; the journal's website says submissions are paused or closed.
The journal's website says submissions are paused or closed: This journal is not accepting submissions at this time. Source ↗Publisher website ·
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
South African Crime Quarterly-SACQ is published by Institute for Security Studies (ISS) 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 Legal Issues in South Africa, South African History and Culture and Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis, together about 50.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
We welcome submissions that align with SACQ’s focus on crime, justice, and safety. Articles may be based on original research, conceptual analysis, or applied insights. While the journal’s primary focus is South Africa, we also consider submissions from elsewhere in Africa if their relevance to the South African context is clearly demonstrated and explicitly stated.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): CRIMINOLOGY & PENOLOGY
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named South Africa 7, United Kingdom 1 (8 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Legal Issues in South AfricaSocial Sciences29.7%
- South African History and CultureSocial Sciences12.6%
- Criminal Justice and Corrections AnalysisSocial Sciences8%
- Policing Practices and PerceptionsSocial Sciences6.3%
- Crime Patterns and InterventionsSocial Sciences4.8%
- Intimate Partner and Family ViolenceSocial Sciences3.6%
- Sex work and related issuesSocial Sciences3.4%
- Child Abuse and TraumaPsychology2.9%
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 | Criminology & Penology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Criminology & Penology | 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
ESCILetPub
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
- h-index
- 22OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 99OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.33OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 92.86%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 7LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 929 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8 | 8 | 3 |
| 2024 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| 2023 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 2022 | 9 | 9 | 13 |
| 2021 | 9 | 9 | 6 |
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 16 weeksLetPub ·
- Peer review
- Double blind peer reviewLetPub
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 accessOpenAlex
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LetPub | No APC | No | — | |
| Publisher website | No APC | — | — |
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
- Abstract
- 100–150 words
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 6,000 words
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
Article types accepted1
- articlesArticles should be between 3,000 and 6,000 words, including endnotes.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, License & copyright, Peer review, Plagiarism
- Authorship
ORCID required for prospective authors Model summary
Prospective authors are required to register for an ORCID at http://orcid.org/ and to link their ORCID to their profile on the portal through the author information page.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright Notice
Creative Commons CC BY licence Model summary
SACQ is licenced under a creative commons licence (CC BY) that allows others to distribute, remix, tweak, and build upon your work, even commercially, as long a they give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. They may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. Copyright for articles publish…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Double-blind peer review Model summary
All submissions are subject to double-blind peer review.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism Plagiarism and Ethics
Plagiarism check via iThenticate; detected plagiarism results in automatic rejection Model summary
All submissions will undergo a plagiarism check via iThenticate. Detected plagiarism will result in automatic rejection without an opportunity to revise.
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
- Institute for Security Studies (ISS)
- Country or region
- South Africa
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 1991-3877
- Print ISSN
- 2413-3108
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about South African Crime Quarterly-SACQ
What CAS zone is South African Crime Quarterly-SACQ in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, South African Crime Quarterly-SACQ is in Zone 4 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Criminology & Penology. 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 South African Crime Quarterly-SACQ?
Authors report an average review time of about 16 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 South African Crime Quarterly-SACQ?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 100–150 words; Manuscript length: ≤ 6,000 words; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation. 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 South African Crime Quarterly-SACQ based?
Of the 8 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are South Africa (7) and United Kingdom (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index South African Crime Quarterly-SACQ?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, South African Crime Quarterly-SACQ is indexed in ESCI.
Is South African Crime Quarterly-SACQ open access, and what is the APC?
South African Crime Quarterly-SACQ is a fully open-access journal. It charges no article processing charge.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .