Journal profile · LAW
South African Journal on Human Rights
ISSN 0258-7203 · eISSN 1996-2126 · Taylor & Francis
South African Journal on Human Rights: CAS Zone 4 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.52; JCR Q2 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 441 days to acceptance (24 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 31% (journal website); 15 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
South African Journal on Human Rights is published by Taylor & Francis 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, Human Rights and Development and Judicial and Constitutional Studies, together about 55.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Law. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Founded in 1985 by the Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) and housed at the School of Law, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, the SAJHR is the leading South African public law journal, publishing scholarship of the highest standard for a worldwide readership. The Journal appears four times a year and is published by CALS and Taylor & Francis. SAJHR is dedicated to the advancement of scholarship on human rights and justice-related law in South Africa. While this remains the primary focus of the Journal, the editors accept submissions dealing with the enforcement of human rights in other countries where direct and substantive relevance to South Africa is demonstrated. Contributions from scholars on the African continent and the Global South that comply with this focus are encouraged. Thematically, the editors accept submissions that deal with human rights, legal philosophy, law and society, constitutional law, administrative law and public international law. Submissions taking an interdisciplinary or empirical approach to these subjects are also considered. All manuscripts submitted should be in English and must be an original, unpublished work that is not simultaneously being considered for publication by another journal. All submitted manuscripts are subject to initial appraisal by the editors, and, if found suitable for further consideration, to peer review by independent, anonymous expert referees. All peer review is double anonymized for articles, current developments and case notes, and submission is online via ScholarOne Manuscripts. See more here.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): LAW
Editor-in-chief Christopher GeversPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named South Africa 5, United States 1 (6 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Legal Issues in South AfricaSocial Sciences31%
- Human Rights and DevelopmentSocial Sciences18.1%
- Judicial and Constitutional StudiesSocial Sciences6.2%
- Comparative and International Law StudiesSocial Sciences5.9%
- International Law and Human RightsSocial Sciences3.5%
- Historical and Contemporary Political DynamicsArts and Humanities3.4%
- Law in Society and CultureSocial Sciences2.6%
- South African History and CultureSocial Sciences2.5%
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 | Law | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Law | 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 | Law | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q2 · best quartile · 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
SSCIScopusLetPub
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
- Impact factor
- 0.52LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.6Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 0.8LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 0.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.15LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.15Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.61LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.61Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 38OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 224OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.34OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 10.53%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 17LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 48,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,252 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 9 | 7 | 0 |
| 2025 | 15 | 9 | 2 |
| 2024 | 17 | 8 | 12 |
| 2023 | 17 | 7 | 13 |
| 2022 | 19 | 3 | 52 |
| 2021 | 32 | 5 | 54 |
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
441 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 288 days – 543 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 141 days (24 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 605 days
- Sample
- 24 articles with submission and acceptance dates (33 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)
- 31%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 111 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 230 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 205 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 websiteAuthorship, Open access, Peer review
- Authorship
Manuscripts must be in English, original, unpublished, and not under consideration elsewhere. Model summary
All manuscripts submitted should be in English and must be an original, unpublished work that is not simultaneously being considered for publication by another journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
South African Journal on Human Rights 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 disco…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Double anonymized peer review for articles, current developments and case notes; online submission via ScholarOne Manuscripts. Model summary
All peer review is double anonymized for articles, current developments and case notes, and submission is online via ScholarOne Manuscripts.
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
- 0258-7203
- Electronic ISSN
- 1996-2126
- Society / sponsor
- Wits University Centre for Applied Legal Studies
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 41, Issue 3-4 (2025)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about South African Journal on Human Rights
What CAS zone is South African Journal on Human Rights in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, South African Journal on Human Rights is in Zone 4 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Law. 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 South African Journal on Human Rights?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0.52; CiteScore 0.8, h-index 38.
How long does peer review take at South African Journal on Human Rights?
Based on the dates recorded on 24 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 441 days (interquartile range 288–543 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 31%. 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 South African Journal on Human Rights in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q2 (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 4 of Sociology.
Where are the editorial board members of South African Journal on Human Rights based?
Of the 6 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are South Africa (5) and United States (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index South African Journal on Human Rights?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, South African Journal on Human Rights is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is South African Journal on Human Rights open access, and what is the APC?
South African Journal on Human Rights 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: .