What is the Impact Factor of Social Problems?

According to the latest Clarivate Journal Citation Reports (JCR), the Journal Impact Factor of Social Problems is 2.50, ranking in quartile Q1 of Web of Science (SCIE).

Is Social Problems indexed in Web of Science or Scopus?

Yes, Social Problems is indexed in Web of Science (SCIE, Q1 quartile). Furthermore, in Scopus (SCImago), it holds an SJR rating of 1.695 (Q1) and an H-index of 125.

Who publishes Social Problems and what is the Article Processing Charge (APC)?

Social Problems is published by Oxford University Press. The estimated Article Processing Charge (APC) is approximately $3,702 USD, subject to institutional waivers and corresponding author affiliations.

WoS SCIE Q1Scopus Q1SCImago #1,954Top JournalHybrid

Social Problems

Identifier (ISSN):0037-7791(Print)/1533-8533(Online)

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Publisher:Oxford University Press

Clarivate JCR Index Advisory: Active (SSCI)

Official Website Submission Portal Compare

Clarivate IF (2026)

2.5↓ -0.4

Journal Impact Factor

IF Trend↓

WoS Quartile

WoS SCIETop Tier

Clarivate WoS JCR

WoS Categories↓

JCR Release Date: 2026-06-17

Impact Factor Trend (2022–2026)

Clarivate IF trend for Social Problems

WoS Q1

Annual Impact Factor Metric

Current (2026):2.5

Scopus SJR & RankScopus Q1

1.695

#1,954

SCImago Journal Rank citation prestige weighting

Scopus Year: 2025

H-Index (2025)

125

125 papers with at least that number of citations each

WoS: SCIE / JCRTop Tier

Self-Citation Rate6.7%

Safe Level (< 15%)Warning Level (> 20%)

Self-citation below 15% indicates strong scholarly independence.

Volume & Open AccessHybrid

99articles/year

18.6% Gold OA•100% Original Research

Aims & Scope

Social Problems brings to the fore influential sociological findings and theories that have the ability to help us both better understand--and better deal with--our complex social environment. Some of the areas covered by the journal include: •Conflict, Social Action, and Change •Crime and Juvenile Delinquency •Drinking and Drugs •Health, Health Policy, and Health Services •Mental Health •Poverty, Class, and Inequality •Racial and Ethnic Minorities •Sexual Behavior, Politics, and Communities •Youth, Aging, and the Life Course

Topics Covered (Recognized by AI)

Sociology73.8%Psychology53.6%Political science49.7%Law40.7%Economics31.4%Philosophy26.6%Physics23.7%Geography23.5%Criminology22%Computer science20.7%Biology20.7%

Primary Research Areas

Sociology

Official Website NLM PubMed Catalog SCImago Profile

0 calls

Special Issues

Calls for Papers

No active Calls for Papers found for this journal.

Expand

WoS Categories & Quartiles

Detailed JCR / JCI category rankings and quartile breakdown from Clarivate

Clarivate JCR & JCI

JCRSSCI2026

SOCIOLOGY

Rank52/222

IndexSSCI

JCISSCI2026

SOCIOLOGY

Rank36/222

IndexSSCI

Category	Index	Rank	Quartile
SOCIOLOGY	JCRSSCI	52/222	Q1
SOCIOLOGY	JCISSCI	36/222	Q1

Annual Historical Statistics & Publications

Track annual publication volume, total citations, and Impact Factor evolution

12 year

2026Latest

IF2.5

Articles / Year42

Total Citations2

2025

IF2.9

Articles / Year81

Total Citations90

2024

IF3

Articles / Year78

Total Citations313

2023

IF3.2

Articles / Year65

Total Citations441

2022

IF5.397

Articles / Year58

Total Citations725

Year	Impact Factor	Articles / Year	Total Citations
2026	2.5	42	2
2025	2.9	81	90
2024	3	78	313
2023	3.2	65	441
2022	5.397	58	725
2021	—	94	1,415
2020	—	78	2,154
2019	—	59	1,750
2018	—	41	1,087
2017	—	69	2,342
2016	—	40	2,191
2015	—	33	1,770

SCImago & Scopus Journal Intelligence

Global SCImago ranking, SJR prestige index, Scopus coverage, and societal policy impact

Rank #1,954Scopus Q1SCImago Profile

Scopus Coverage:1971, 1973-1975, 1977-1984, 1988-1990, 1993-2026

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Scopus Broad Areas:Social Sciences

Scopus Citation Rank (SJR)Q1

1.695

Weighted prestige citation metric per document indexed in the Scopus database.

Quartile: Scopus Q1

Citations / Doc (2 years)

4.11

Average citations received per document published in the 2-year window.

2-Year Citation Window

Estimated Publication Fee (APC)

$3,702 USD

Estimated Article Processing Charge for Open Access publication.

Estimated cost / article

Scopus 3-Year Publication & Citation Window

3-Year Citations810

3-Year Documents179

Citable Documents178

Aggregated from Scopus database across the 3-year SJR evaluation window.

Societal Impact & Inclusivity (SCImago)

Policy Citations (Overton)2

Citations in government and international policy documents

Female Author Rate61.3%

Percentage of female authors published in the journal

Real-world societal policy reach and author gender diversity tracked by SCImago.

Scopus Subject Categories

Sociology and Political ScienceQ1

Academic Metric Intelligence

Journal Metrics & Citation Visualizations

Total Cites vs Self-Cites

Evaluation of scholarly independence and citation reach

Total citations steady growth

Self-citation: 6.7%

Citations per Document

Citation metric windows across 2, 3, and 4 years

Cites / Doc (4 years)Cites / Doc (3 years)Cites / Doc (2 years)

Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Classification

Major / minor zone classification and CAS Early Warning List history

Major Category (Broad Field):

1区 (Zone 1)Sociology

Minor Category (Specific Field):

2区SOCIOLOGY

CAS Early Warning List History:

Updated annually: 2020 – 2024

2020

Not warned

2021

Not warned

2022

Not warned

2023

Not warned

2024

Not warned

Academic Intelligence Overview & Context

ImpaQ Analysis

Social Problems (ISSN: 0037-7791) is a peer-reviewed international scholarly journal in the field of SOCIOLOGY, published by Oxford University Press in United States. The periodical holds a Journal Impact Factor (JIF) of 2.50, ranking in quartile Q1 of Web of Science (SCIE), a Scopus SJR indicator of 1.695 (Q1), an H-index of 125.

The journal enforces rigorous peer evaluation with an annual output of approximately 99 scientific articles. In terms of accessibility and author fees, it operates under the Hybrid model with an estimated APC of $3,702 USD. It serves as a benchmark publication platform for academics, researchers, and doctoral candidates seeking global research visibility.