Journal rankings · indicator year 2012
Choose a field to open its ranking, or a journal to find its row in its subfield’s list.
Field ranking · 2012
Social Sciences journal rankings 2012
2,450 ranked journals · Field in Social Sciences
Social Sciences has 2,450 ranked journals in 2012. Its median journal scores above the world average: OJR 1.40 against 1.00, down 0.02 on 2011. A journal needs OJR 2.67 to reach Q1. The top three are STUDI ORGANIZZATIVI, Canadian Journal of University Continuing Education, and American Sociological Review.
Ranks and citation indicators: 2012. Journal access status and listed APC: source snapshot September 23, 2026.
Journals whose main subfield sits in this category and that published at least 30 citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) in 2009–2011, the window the 2012 score is computed on.
The OpenJournalRank Indicator (OJR) is a free, publicly available metric of a journal’s field-normalized citation impact, computed from open OpenAlex citation data. It compares citations to a journal’s papers from the previous three years with the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so 1.00 is the world average and values can be compared across fields. It is computed with the NCI3 method.
The middle OJR among ranked journals in this category: half score higher, half lower. 1.00 is the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type.
The dot is this category, the solid tick is the median of all ranked journals and the dashed line is the world average.
Share of ranked journals in this category that are fully open access, so every paper is free to read. Hybrid journals, which sell subscriptions and open single papers for a fee, are not counted.
Median list price of the article processing charge, in US dollars, among ranked journals in this category that list a price above zero. Journals with a listed APC of $0 and journals with no known price are left out of this median. The At a glance table below gives a second median that includes the $0 prices.
Subfields in Social Sciences (22)
Up to Social Sciences2,450 ranked journals
Filters
Rank is the position by OJR within the list on screen; 1 is the highest. | OJR is field-normalized 3-year citation impact: 1.00 is the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so values compare across fields. The badge is the journal’s quartile in this list. | Citations per paper over a two-year window, counted from OpenAlex. It is not field-normalized, so compare it only between journals of the same field. ▲ or ▼ is the change from 2011. This is OpenJournalRank’s own count, not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. | Citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) published in 2009–2011, the window the 2012 OJR is computed on. A journal needs at least 30 to be ranked. | Share of the journal’s 2009–2011 papers that are free to read in any open-access form. The green OA tag next to a title marks a fully open-access journal. | List price of the article processing charge in US dollars. “$0 listed” means the listed price is zero; a dash means no price is listed. | The line is the journal’s OJR from 2003 to 2012. | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1STUDI ORGANIZZATIVIFrancoAngeli · Italy | 23.59Q1 | 0.00 18.98 down from 2011 | 58 | 0% | — | ||
2Canadian Journal of University Continuing EducationOAUniversity of Alberta Library · Canada | 19.78Q1 | 7.54 5.29 down from 2011 | 59 | 100% | — | ||
3American Sociological ReviewSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 15.44Q1 | 7.22 0.09 up from 2011 | 135 | 26% | $3,900 | ||
4American Journal of Political ScienceWiley · United States | 14.88Q1 | 4.40 0.36 up from 2011 | 199 | 14% | $4,100 | ||
5Journal of Teacher EducationSAGE Publishing · United States | 14.78Q1 | 3.76 1.05 down from 2011 | 119 | 11% | $3,900 | ||
6American Political Science ReviewCambridge University Press · United States | 13.58Q1 | 5.18 1.08 up from 2011 | 157 | 22% | $3,550 | ||
7MIS QuarterlyMIS Quarterly · United States | 12.81Q1 | 9.37 0.83 up from 2011 | 252 | 4% | — | ||
8American Educational Research JournalSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 12.80Q1 | 4.96 0.03 down from 2011 | 112 | 7% | $2,500 | ||
9CriminologyWiley · United Kingdom | 11.61Q1 | 5.91 0.68 up from 2011 | 120 | 18% | $3,570 | ||
10The Future of ChildrenPrinceton School of Public and International Affairs · United States | 11.49Q1 | 6.28 0.48 up from 2011 | 59 | 12% | — | ||
11Review of Research in EducationSAGE Publishing · United States | 11.31Q1 | 5.25 0.21 down from 2011 | 33 | 0% | $2,500 | ||
12The Internet and Higher EducationElsevier BV · United States | 11.13Q1 | 4.92 0.51 up from 2011 | 126 | 10% | $4,120 | ||
13Sociology of EducationSAGE Publishing · United States | 10.51Q1 | 4.40 0.82 up from 2011 | 60 | 42% | $3,650 | ||
14Journal of Research in Crime and DelinquencySAGE Publishing · United States | 10.41Q1 | 3.91 0.84 down from 2011 | 92 | 11% | $3,650 | ||
15Progress in Human GeographySAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 10.34Q1 | 5.29 1.05 up from 2011 | 188 | 15% | $3,900 | ||
16Global Environmental ChangeElsevier BV · United Kingdom | 10.18Q1 | 7.77 1.86 down from 2011 | 294 | 21% | $6,440 | ||
17Global NetworksWiley · United Kingdom | 9.76Q1 | 2.31 1.11 down from 2011 | 85 | 22% | $4,050 | ||
18Journal of Research in Science TeachingWiley · United States | 9.75Q1 | 5.03 0.33 up from 2011 | 171 | 28% | $3,910 | ||
19American Journal of SociologyUniversity of Chicago Press · United States | 9.42Q1 | 4.49 0.24 up from 2011 | 138 | 6% | — | ||
20Sociological TheorySAGE Publishing · United States | 9.41Q1 | 5.21 2.52 up from 2011 | 59 | 6% | $3,900 | ||
21Journal of Applied PsychologyAmerican Psychological Association · United States | 9.36Q1 | 7.71 0.03 up from 2011 | 340 | 17% | — | ||
22European Union PoliticsSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 9.22Q1 | 3.02 0.81 up from 2011 | 89 | 15% | $3,650 | ||
23Information & ManagementElsevier BV · Netherlands | 9.12Q1 | 4.85 1.35 down from 2011 | 151 | 7% | $4,540 | ||
24Journal of European Public PolicyRoutledge · United Kingdom | 9.10Q1 | 2.46 0.41 down from 2011 | 232 | 18% | — | ||
25Comparative Political StudiesSAGE Publishing · United States | 9.05Q1 | 2.63 0.38 down from 2011 | 171 | 11% | $3,900 | ||
26Transactions of the Institute of British GeographersWiley · United Kingdom | 8.93Q1 | 4.30 0.17 down from 2011 | 147 | 27% | $4,070 | ||
27Politics & SocietySAGE Publishing · United States | 8.92Q1 | 3.26 0.13 up from 2011 | 75 | 4% | $3,650 | ||
28Review of Educational ResearchSAGE Publishing · United States | 8.92Q1 | 10.48 2.98 up from 2011 | 83 | 0% | $2,500 | ||
28International SecurityThe MIT Press · United States | 8.92Q1 | 2.85 0.30 up from 2011 | 99 | 16% | — | ||
30Journal of Peace ResearchSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 8.67Q1 | 3.65 0.46 up from 2011 | 165 | 16% | $3,900 | ||
31Journal of Consumer CultureSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 8.53Q1 | 6.55 3.38 up from 2011 | 45 | 11% | $3,900 | ||
32Educational Administration QuarterlySAGE Publishing · United States | 8.50Q1 | 4.43 1.62 up from 2011 | 84 | 3% | $3,900 | ||
33Proceedings of the International AAAI Conference on Web and Social MediaOAPublisher not listed | 8.46Q1 | 9.46 4.76 up from 2011 | 146 | — | — | ||
34Journal of European Social PolicySAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 8.28Q1 | 3.39 0.35 down from 2011 | 99 | 22% | $3,650 | ||
35Journal of Conflict ResolutionSAGE Publishing · United States | 8.20Q1 | 2.64 0.47 down from 2011 | 125 | 13% | $3,650 | ||
36Government Information QuarterlyElsevier BV · United States | 8.15Q1 | 4.02 1.03 up from 2011 | 228 | 6% | $4,360 | ||
37Tourism ManagementElsevier BV · Netherlands | 8.05Q1 | 3.57 0.05 up from 2011 | 486 | 11% | $4,690 | ||
38Journal of Political PhilosophyWiley · United Kingdom | 8.03Q1 | 1.62 0.03 down from 2011 | 84 | 20% | $4,030 | ||
39European Journal of Information SystemsPalgrave Macmillan · United Kingdom | 7.88Q1 | 3.76 0.28 up from 2011 | 177 | 31% | — | ||
40World PoliticsCambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 7.87Q1 | 1.95 1.03 down from 2011 | 99 | 32% | — | ||
41British Journal of Political ScienceOACambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 7.83Q1 | 2.25 0.22 up from 2011 | 159 | 30% | $3,550 | ||
42New Media & SocietySAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 7.82Q1 | 4.15 0.15 up from 2011 | 269 | 17% | $3,900 | ||
43Business HorizonsElsevier BV · United States | 7.80Q1 | 2.06 1.28 down from 2011 | 209 | 6% | $3,410 | ||
44Crime and JusticeUniversity of Chicago Press · United States | 7.78Q1 | 2.73 1.05 down from 2011 | 30 | 8% | — | ||
45American Journal of EducationUniversity of Chicago · United States | 7.76Q1 | 2.45 0.27 up from 2011 | 56 | 17% | — | ||
46Journal of Marriage and the FamilyWiley · United Kingdom | 7.68Q1 | 5.41 1.60 up from 2011 | 287 | 41% | $4,050 | ||
47Epidemiologic ReviewsOxford University Press · United States | 7.68Q1 | 10.45 2.13 down from 2011 | 53 | 44% | $5,085 | ||
48Career Development for Exceptional IndividualsSAGE Publishing · United States | 7.64Q1 | 2.52 0.69 down from 2011 | 42 | — | — | ||
49West European PoliticsTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 7.62Q1 | 2.29 0.11 up from 2011 | 219 | 11% | — | ||
50Philosophy & Public AffairsWiley · United States | 7.58Q1 | 2.08 0.11 up from 2011 | 52 | 11% | $3,460 |
Subfields of Social Sciences, compared.
- Sociology and Political Science1,049
- Education564
- Political Science and International Relations287
- Gender Studies57
- Communication54
- Safety Research49
- Public Administration48
- Health43
- Transportation40
- Library and Information Sciences39
- Linguistics and Language38
- Law37
- Anthropology36
- Urban Studies36
- Demography33
- Geography, Planning and Development24
- Cultural Studies10
- Development3
- General Social Sciences2
- Human Factors and Ergonomics1
- Archeology0
- Life-span and Life-course Studies0
Journals
Citations made in 2012. Corpus-wide, 75.7% of core-journal articles and reviews published that year have at least one matched reference; the share varies by journal and field.
786 additional Social Sciences journals with metrics are unranked under this release’s eligibility rules: a journal needs at least 30 citable documents in 2009–2011, at least 80% of them with a subfield, and a positive world-average expectation. Ranks are within the whole category; filters hide rows without re-ranking. OJR excludes self-citations.
At a glance
Indicator year: 2012. Publication window: 2009–2011. How these summaries are calculated
- Ranked journals
- 2,450
- Window papers (baseline)
- 1,185,358 +25.2% from indicator year 2009
- Median OJR
- 1.40 +1.5% from indicator year 2009
- Rising journals (2025)
- 134Comparison-group list (134)
Window papers are the baseline paper population: citable papers (articles, reviews and conference papers) from 2009–2011 in all journals of the world-average baseline, including non-core journals, counted by each paper’s own subfield. They are not the papers of the ranked journals alone.
| Measure | Year series | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranked journals | 1,406 | 1,451 | 1,539 | 1,622 | 1,698 | 1,765 | 1,844 | 1,932 | 2,018 | 2,111 | 2,231 | 2,335 | 2,450 | 2,548 | 2,662 | 2,755 | 2,851 | 2,959 | 2,994 | 3,028 | 3,056 | 3,141 | 3,149 | 3,144 | 3,107 | 3,066 | |
| Window papers (baseline) | 443,953 | 481,120 | 524,797 | 573,040 | 615,403 | 666,449 | 723,952 | 792,817 | 867,532 | 946,631 | 1,027,940 | 1,103,353 | 1,185,358 | 1,256,728 | 1,323,833 | 1,400,086 | 1,483,492 | 1,554,301 | 1,600,611 | 1,663,801 | 1,760,718 | 1,914,483 | 2,065,185 | 2,148,493 | 2,214,535 | 2,302,259 | |
| Median OJR | 0.86 | 0.91 | 0.92 | 0.97 | 1.03 | 1.09 | 1.16 | 1.30 | 1.365 | 1.382 | 1.43 | 1.42 | 1.40 | 1.377 | 1.356 | 1.352 | 1.353 | 1.346 | 1.31 | 1.33 | 1.32 | 1.23 | 1.194 | 1.187 | 1.18 | 1.20 |
| Measure | Category statistic | Eligible population |
|---|---|---|
| Journal self-citation share | Median: 4.7% | 1,882 journals |
| Retracted papers per 1,000 | Pooled rate: 0.498 per 1,000 | 1,610 journals |
| Output growth | Median: -2.6% | 2,852 journals |
| Open access share | Median: 58.5% | 3,066 journals |
| Listed APC (USD) | Median including $0 listed prices: $3,400 | 1,164 ranked journals with a known listed price, including $0 listed prices |
| International collaboration share | Median: 18.2% | 2,785 journals |
| Review share | Median: 0.0% | 3,066 journals |
| Articles-only OJR | Median: 1.22 | 3,041 journals |
| Uncited share | Median: 44.4% | 3,066 journals |
| Citation concentration | Median: 49.7% | 3,059 journals |
How to read these rankings
- OJR, the OpenJournalRank Indicator
- A field-normalized 3-year citation impact, computed from OpenAlex with the NCI3 method. It divides the citations a journal’s papers received by the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so 1.00 is the world average and 2.00 means twice as many citations as expected. Because it is normalized, it can be compared across fields. Read the methodology
- Quartiles
- Q1 to Q4 split the ranked journals of the list you are viewing into four equal groups by OJR. A journal’s quartile depends on the list: the same journal can be Q1 in its subfield and Q2 among all journals.
- Impact factor (2-year)
- Citations per paper over a two-year window, counted from OpenAlex. It is easy to compare with familiar impact factors but is not field-normalized, so compare it only within a field. It is not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. Why it differs from the Journal Impact Factor
- Rank ranges
- Each rank in the latest year carries a likely range from 1,000 resamples of the journal’s papers. Where two journals’ ranges overlap, the data cannot tell them apart, so treat neighbouring ranks as ties.