About this journal

Aims and scope

Established in 1976, Social History publishes high quality and innovative historical scholarship without restrictions of period or place. This peer reviewed journal, published quarterly, encourages research articles that take as their starting point much longer periods of time than is now the norm, and have an ambition of scale that is commonplace in historical sociology, historical geography and demography. Case studies, particularly when integrated with broader considerations, will continue to have their place in the pages of Social History.


The journal wishes to broaden its scope by publishing more material on the medieval period and the contemporary, including the present and very recent past. In so doing, Social History will explore the liminal zones that mark the points of rupture and continuity between late antiquity and the medieval, and between the present and the future.


Social History welcomes work which recognises the significance of those who are hidden, marginalised, neglected and invariably speechless. The journal also seeks to understand how power and rule is exercised and to analyse the role of intermediaries in the management and regulation of everyday life. Social History publishes articles that explain and analyse the operation of social behaviours, attitudes, roles, formations and structures, and processes of social and moral regulation.


Social History is a journal for the academic community and for all those interested in the study of social change. All research articles published in Social History have undergone peer review, involving initial editor screening and consideration by at least two anonymous referees.

Journal metrics

Usage

  • 84K annual downloads/views

Citation metrics

  • 1.1 (2023) Impact Factor
  • Q1 Impact Factor Best Quartile
  • 0.8 (2023) 5 year IF
  • 1.1 (2023) CiteScore (Scopus)
  • Q1 CiteScore Best Quartile
  • 0.000 (2023) SNIP
  • 0.166 (2023) SJR

Editorial board

Editors: Louise Jackson - University of Edinburgh, UK, Gordon Johnston - University of Edinburgh, UK

Reviews Editor: Eloise Moss - University of Manchester, UK

Social History Blog Editor: Gráinne Goodwin -   Leeds Beckett University, UK


Editorial Board:

Paulina Alberto - University of Michigan, USA

Mónica Burguera - UNED, Madrid, Spain

Vinayak Chaturvedi - University of California, Irvine, USA

Samuel Cohn - University of Glasgow, UK

David Crew -  University of Texas at Austin, USA 

Celia Donert - Wolfson College, Cambridge, UK

Geoff Eley - University of Michigan, USA

John Foster

Larry Frohman - State University of New York, USA

Young-Sun Hong - State University of New York, USA

Emma Hunter - University of Edinburgh, UK

Katrina Navickas University of Hertfordshire, UK

John Seed - Roehampton University, London, UK

Michael Sonenscher - King's College, Cambridge, UK

Corresponding Members:

Sweden David Gaunt (Huddinge); Germany Lutz Niethammer (Jena); USA Jeffrey N. Wasserstrom (Indiana); UK Alyson Brown (Edge Hill)

Founding Editors:

Janet Blackman and Keith Nield

Guardian obituary of Keith Nield, co-founder and co-editor of Social History for 35 years: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/aug/10/keith-nield-obituary

Guardian obituary of Janet Blackman, co-founder and co-editor of Social History.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/feb/14/janet-blackman-obituary

Abstracting and indexing

Social History is abstracted/indexed in:


America: History and Life; British Humanities Index; C S A Worldwide Political Science Abstracts (Cambridge Scientific Abstracts); Current Abstracts; Historical Abstracts; Humanities Index; Humanities International Index; International Bibliography of the Social Sciences; OCLC; Periodicals Index Online; ProQuest Central; SCOPUS; Social Services Abstracts; Sociological Abstracts; Studies on Women and Gender Abstracts; Thomson Reuters Arts & Humanities Citation Index.

Open access

Social History 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?

  1. Increase the discoverability and readership of your article
  2. Make an impact and reach new readers, not just those with easy access to a research library
  3. Freely share your work with anyone, anywhere
  4. Comply with funding mandates and meet the requirements of your institution, employer or funder
  5. 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

News, offers and calls for papers

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