About this journal
Aims and scope
The Social Science Journal is the official journal of the Western Social Science Association . The principal purpose of the journal is to publish scholarly work in the social sciences. The research that is published may take a theoretical or speculative model as well as statistical and mathematical. Contributions are welcome from all fields which have relevant and insightful comments to make about the social sciences.
The journal also includes a Research Note section which is devoted to supporting scholarly research that is in progress. The journal has a well-established book review section which reflects the academic and intellectual diversity within the WSSA. While The Social Science Journal is the publication of a regional association, it attracts submissions from a wide range of countries.
Journal metrics
Usage
- 145K annual downloads/views
Citation metrics
- 1.8 (2023) Impact Factor
- Q2 Impact Factor Best Quartile
- 2.0 (2023) 5 year IF
- 4.7 (2023) CiteScore (Scopus)
- Q1 CiteScore Best Quartile
- 0.793 (2023) SNIP
- 0.548 (2023) SJR
Speed/acceptance
- 91 days avg. from submission to first decision
- 17% acceptance rate
Understanding and using journal metrics
Journal metrics can be a useful tool for readers, as well as for authors who are deciding where to submit their next manuscript for publication. However, any one metric only tells a part of the story of a journal’s quality and impact. Each metric has its limitations which means that it should never be considered in isolation, and metrics should be used to support and not replace qualitative review.
We strongly recommend that you always use a number of metrics, alongside other qualitative factors such as a journal’s aims & scope, its readership, and a review of past content published in the journal. In addition, a single article should always be assessed on its own merits and never based on the metrics of the journal it was published in.
For more details, please read the Author Services guide to understanding journal metrics.
Journal metrics in brief
Usage and acceptance rate data above are for the last full calendar year and are updated annually in February. Speed data is updated every six months, based on the prior six months. Citation metrics are updated annually mid-year. Please note that some journals do not display all of the following metrics (find out why).
- Usage: the total number of times articles in the journal were viewed by users of Taylor & Francis Online in the previous calendar year, rounded to the nearest thousand.
Citation Metrics
- Impact Factor*: the average number of citations received by articles published in the journal within a two-year window. Only journals in the Clarivate Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI) and the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) have an Impact Factor.
- Impact Factor Best Quartile*: the journal’s highest subject category ranking in the Journal Citation Reports. Q1 = 25% of journals with the highest Impact Factors.
- 5 Year Impact Factor*: the average number of citations received by articles in the journal within a five-year window.
- CiteScore (Scopus)†: the average number of citations received by articles in the journal over a four-year period.
- CiteScore Best Quartile†: the journal’s highest CiteScore ranking in a Scopus subject category. Q1 = 25% of journals with the highest CiteScores.
- SNIP (Source Normalized Impact per Paper): the number of citations per paper in the journal, divided by citation potential in the field.
- SJR (Scimago Journal Rank): Average number of (weighted) citations in one year, divided by the number of articles published in the journal in the previous three years.
Speed/acceptance
- From submission to first decision: the average (median) number of days for a manuscript submitted to the journal to receive a first decision. Based on manuscripts receiving a first decision in the last six months.
- From submission to first post-review decision: the average (median) number of days for a manuscript submitted to the journal to receive a first decision if it is sent out for peer review. Based on manuscripts receiving a post-review first decision in the last six months.
- From acceptance to online publication: the average (median) number of days from acceptance of a manuscript to online publication of the Version of Record. Based on articles published in the last six months.
- Acceptance rate: articles accepted for publication by the journal in the previous calendar year as percentage of all papers receiving a final decision.
For more details on the data above, please read the Author Services guide to understanding journal metrics.
*Copyright: Journal Citation Reports®, Clarivate Analytics
†Copyright: CiteScore™, Scopus
Editorial board
Editor-in-Chief
Diane Calloway-Graham, Utah State University
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Rick Wheelock, Fort Lewis College
Managing Editor
Kate Herke, World Social Science Association
Book Review Editor
Jon Westover, Utah Valley University
Associate Editors
Richard Adkisson, New Mexico State University
Mandi Bates Bailey, Valdosta State University
Erin L. Borry, University of Alabama, Birmingham
Erica Bower, Tennessee Tech University
Robert Boyd, Mississippi State University
Ronald (Chip) Burns, Texas Christian University
Renee Buster, Texas Women's University
James Gerard Caillier, University of Alabama
Jeremiah Castle, Metropolitan State University of Denver
Adam Chamberlain, Coastal Carolina University
Chau-kiu Cheung, City University of Hong Kong
Christopher A. Cooper, Western Carolina University
Malcolm Cort, Athens State University
Christopher Donoghue, Montclair State University
Francisco Dumanig, University of Hawaii, Hilo
Roderick Graham, Old Dominion University
Donald Haider-Markel, University of Kansas
Marissa Harrison, Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg
Jay Hmielowski, Washington State University
Mark Joslyn, University of Kansas
Andre Kehn, University of North Dakota
Ae-Sook Kim, Quinnipiac University
Jihyun Kim, University of Central Florida
Hakseon Lee, James Madison University
Jiyoung Lee, Sungkyunkwan University
Yu-Feng Lee, New Mexico State University
Sang Hun Lim, Kyung Hee University
Yanqin Lu, Bowling Green State University
Donna Lybecker, Idaho State University
Benjamin Lyons, University of Exeter
Thomas N. Maloney, The University of Utah
Todd Lee Matthews, Sacred Heart University
Kenneth Moffett, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
Aditi Paul, Pace University
Eric Primm, University of Pikeville
Dave Rausch, West Texas A&M University
William Reese, Augusta State University (deceased)
James Rice, New Mexico State University
Antonio Saravia, Mercer University
Sebastian Scherr, University of Augsburg
Kimberly Eretzian Smirles, Emmanuel College
Shunfeng Song, University of Nevada, Reno
Justin Strickland, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Michael Touchton, University of Miami
Kelly Tzoumis, DePaul University
Brian Urlacher, University of North Dakota
J. Mitchell Vaterlaus, Montana State University
Rebecca Vidourek, University of Cincinnati
Lacey Wallace, Pennsylvania State University, Altoona
Ching-Hsing Wang, National Cheng Kung University
Bradley Wilson, Midwestern State University
Zheng Yang, California State University, Dominguez Hills
L.J Zigerell, Illinois State University
Former Editors
Oscar H. Lentz, Jr., Colorado School of Mines
Stephen E. Schoderbek, U.S. Air Force Academy
Cortland P. Auser, U.S. Air Force Academy
Sidney Heitman, Colorado State University
D. Stanley Eitzen, Colorado State University
R.P. Cuzzort, University of Colorado
Robert M. Regoli, University of Colorado
David Howard Davis, University of Wyoming
Michael A. Katovich, Texas Christian University
David A. Freeman, Washburn University
N. Prabha Unnithan, Colorado State University
Scott Alan Carson, University of Texas, Permian Basin
Stephanie Witt, Boise State University
Krista Lynn Minnotte, University of North Dakota
Daphne Pedersen, University of North Dakota
Abstracting and indexing
The Social Science Journal is abstracted/indexed in:
Scopus
Sociology of Education Abstracts
Studies on Women Abstracts
America: History and Life
Current Geographical Publications
Economic Abstracts
Historical Abstracts
Index to Periodical Articles Related to Law
Human Resources Abstracts
International Political Science Abstracts
PAIS Bulletin
Public Affairs Information Service Bulletin
Sage Urban Studies Abstracts
Sociological Abstracts
Social Sciences Citation Index (Web of Science)
Open access
The Social Science Journal is a hybrid open access journal that is part of our 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 discoverability and readership of your article
- Make an impact and reach new readers, not just those with easy access to a research library
- Freely share your work with anyone, anywhere
- Comply with funding mandates and meet the requirements of your institution, employer or funder
- Rigorous peer review for every open access article
Article Publishing Charges (APC)
If you choose to publish open access in this journal you may be asked to pay an Article Publishing Charge (APC). You may be able to publish your article at no cost to yourself or with a reduced APC if your institution or research funder has an open access agreement or membership with Taylor & Francis.
Use our APC finder to calculate your article publishing charge
4 issues per year
Advertising information
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Western Social Science Association and our publisher Taylor & Francis make every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the "Content") contained in our publications. However, Western Social Science Association and our publisher Taylor & Francis, our agents (including the editor, any member of the editorial team or editorial board, and any guest editors), and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Western Social Science Association and our publisher Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Western Social Science Association and our publisher Taylor & Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to, or arising out of the use of the Content. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions .
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