Journal rankings · indicator year 2021
Choose a field to open its ranking, or a journal to find its row in its subfield’s list.
Subfield ranking · 2021
Law journal rankings 2021
48 ranked journals · Subfield in Social Sciences
Law has 48 ranked journals in 2021. The median journal has an OJR of 0.85, below the world average of 1.00, down 0.05 on 2020; Q1 starts at OJR 1.54. The top three are The Journal of Legal Pluralism and Unofficial Law, Journal of Consumer Policy, and Theoretical Roman Archaeology Journal.
Ranks and citation indicators: 2021. 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 2018–2020, the window the 2021 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 of Social Sciences (22)
48 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 2020. This is OpenJournalRank’s own count, not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. | Citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) published in 2018–2020, the window the 2021 OJR is computed on. A journal needs at least 30 to be ranked. | Share of the journal’s 2018–2020 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 2012 to 2021. | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1The Journal of Legal Pluralism and Unofficial LawTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 2.33Q1 | 1.76 0.41 down from 2020 | 60 | 41% | — | ||
2Journal of Consumer PolicySpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 2.32Q1 | 2.49no change | 99 | 81% | $3,390 | ||
3Theoretical Roman Archaeology JournalOATheoretical Roman Archaeology Conference · United Kingdom | 2.27Q1 | 1.14 0.09 up from 2020 | 31 | 100% | — | ||
4The International Journal of Evidence & ProofSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 2.10Q1 | 1.44 0.03 up from 2020 | 80 | 52% | $3,650 | ||
5Law & Society ReviewCambridge University Press · United States | 1.94Q1 | 1.73 0.49 up from 2020 | 177 | 21% | $3,550 | ||
6Review of European Comparative & International Environmental LawWiley · United Kingdom | 1.91Q1 | 2.40 0.21 down from 2020 | 121 | 53% | $3,750 | ||
7Law and CritiqueSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 1.87Q1 | 1.07 0.02 down from 2020 | 59 | 53% | $3,090 | ||
8Media IndustriesOAMichigan Publishing · United States | 1.79Q1 | 1.15 0.27 down from 2020 | 44 | 100% | — | ||
9Transnational Environmental LawCambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 1.72Q1 | 1.94 0.17 up from 2020 | 93 | 50% | $3,550 | ||
10Journal of Law and SocietyWiley · United Kingdom | 1.64Q1 | 1.42 0.56 up from 2020 | 151 | 52% | $3,170 | ||
11The Law TeacherTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 1.58Q1 | 0.69 0.15 down from 2020 | 149 | 48% | — | ||
12International Journal of Law in ContextCambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 1.54Q1 | 1.01 1.20 down from 2020 | 107 | 59% | $3,550 | ||
13International Journal of Discrimination and the LawSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 1.53Q2 | 1.22 0.22 up from 2020 | 36 | 50% | $3,650 | ||
14Journal of Political EcologyOAUniversity of Arizona · United States | 1.52Q2 | 2.79 0.57 up from 2020 | 150 | 100% | — | ||
15Journal of Law and CourtsUniversity of Chicago Press | 1.42Q2 | 0.71 1.29 down from 2020 | 60 | 28% | $3,550 | ||
16Modern Law ReviewWiley · United Kingdom | 1.36Q2 | 0.96 0.09 down from 2020 | 281 | 41% | $3,400 | ||
17Philosophy Theory and Practice in BiologyOAUniversity of Michigan Library · United States | 1.31Q2 | 1.96 0.24 up from 2020 | 42 | 100% | — | ||
18International Journal for the Semiotics of Law - Revue internationale de Sémiotique juridiqueSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 1.28Q2 | 1.08 0.75 up from 2020 | 250 | 63% | $3,090 | ||
19Justice System JournalTaylor & Francis · United States | 1.23Q2 | 0.73 0.61 down from 2020 | 63 | 10% | — | ||
20Feminist Legal StudiesSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 1.21Q2 | 1.45 0.01 down from 2020 | 77 | 46% | $2,190 | ||
21Legal StudiesCambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 1.19Q2 | 1.00 0.15 up from 2020 | 138 | 78% | $3,550 | ||
22International Journal of the Legal ProfessionTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 0.96Q2 | 0.66 0.28 up from 2020 | 54 | 32% | — | ||
23Journal of Property Planning and Environmental LawEmerald Publishing Limited · United Kingdom | 0.95Q2 | 1.39 0.81 up from 2020 | 48 | 8% | — | ||
24Open Library of HumanitiesOAOpen Library of Humanities · United Kingdom | 0.87Q2 | 0.61 0.06 down from 2020 | 213 | 100% | — | ||
25Journal of Librarianship and Scholarly CommunicationOAPacific University Library · United States | 0.84Q3 | 1.20 0.05 down from 2020 | 71 | 100% | — | ||
26Tilburg Law ReviewOABrill · Netherlands | 0.82Q3 | 0.40 0.12 up from 2020 | 36 | 100% | — | ||
27Journal of Social Welfare and Family LawTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 0.79Q3 | 1.16 0.32 up from 2020 | 115 | 66% | — | ||
28Australian Feminist Law JournalRoutledge · Australia | 0.73Q3 | 0.67 0.25 down from 2020 | 51 | 60% | — | ||
29Global JuristDe Gruyter · United States | 0.69Q3 | 0.82 0.23 down from 2020 | 87 | 59% | $2,712 | ||
30Journal of Human Rights and the EnvironmentEdward Elgar Publishing | 0.64Q3 | 1.06 0.51 down from 2020 | 40 | 47% | — | ||
31Law Culture and the HumanitiesSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 0.62Q3 | 0.42 0.09 down from 2020 | 92 | 37% | $3,650 | ||
| 0.58Q3 | 0.85 0.42 up from 2020 | 49 | 100% | — | |||
33Liverpool Law ReviewSpringer Science+Business Media · Netherlands | 0.56Q3 | 0.51 0.02 down from 2020 | 59 | 52% | $3,090 | ||
34Indiana Journal of Global Legal StudiesIndiana University Press · United States | 0.49Q3 | 0.35 0.44 down from 2020 | 85 | 26% | — | ||
35Zygon®OAWiley · United States | 0.44Q3 | 0.52 0.15 down from 2020 | 252 | 93% | $2,630 | ||
36IDP Revista de Internet Derecho y PolíticaOAOpen University of Catalonia · Spain | 0.43Q3 | 0.54 0.24 up from 2020 | 95 | 100% | — | ||
37Canadian Journal of Law and Society / Revue Canadienne Droit et SociétéOACambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 0.40Q4 | 0.55 0.19 down from 2020 | 98 | 48% | $3,550 | ||
38REI - REVISTA ESTUDOS INSTITUCIONAISOAFederal University of Rio de Janeiro · Brazil | 0.37Q4 | 0.32 0.16 up from 2020 | 163 | 100% | — | ||
39Zeitschrift für RechtssoziologieDe Gruyter · Germany | 0.35Q4 | 0.30 0.44 down from 2020 | 56 | 27% | $0 listed | ||
40Environmental Policy and LawIOS Press · Netherlands | 0.34Q4 | 0.66 0.30 up from 2020 | 166 | 28% | $0 listed | ||
41International Journal of Legal DiscourseDe Gruyter · Germany | 0.33Q4 | 0.60 0.07 down from 2020 | 42 | 38% | $2,712 | ||
42GRUR InternationalOxford University Press · Germany | 0.29Q4 | 0.30 0.30 up from 2020 | 188 | 15% | $4,380 | ||
43Revista de Estudos Empíricos em DireitoOARede de Pesquisa Empírica em Direito · Brazil | 0.23Q4 | 0.23 0.03 up from 2020 | 103 | 100% | — | ||
44Datenschutz und Datensicherheit - DuDSpringer Science+Business Media | 0.23Q4 | 0.17 0.01 up from 2020 | 479 | 35% | $3,190 | ||
45Legal Information ManagementCambridge University Press · United Kingdom | 0.21Q4 | 0.31 0.12 up from 2020 | 150 | 28% | $3,550 | ||
46Derecho Animal Forum of Animal Law StudiesOAUniversitat Autonoma de Barcelona. Facultat de Dret · Spain | 0.16Q4 | 0.35 0.12 up from 2020 | 161 | 100% | — | ||
47Studies in the MaternalOAOpen Library of Humanities · United Kingdom | 0.15Q4 | 0.09 0.04 down from 2020 | 41 | 100% | — | ||
48Amicus CuriaeOAUnited Kingdom | 0.09Q4 | 0.08 0.04 up from 2020 | 103 | 100% | — |
Subfields of Social Sciences, with Law highlighted.
- Sociology and Political Science1,377
- Education762
- Political Science and International Relations333
- Communication75
- Gender Studies64
- Safety Research57
- Health55
- Public Administration52
- Urban Studies51
- Transportation50
- Law48
- Linguistics and Language48
- Demography42
- Library and Information Sciences41
- Anthropology38
- Geography, Planning and Development33
- Cultural Studies7
- Development4
- General Social Sciences3
- Human Factors and Ergonomics1
- Archeology0
- Life-span and Life-course Studies0
Journals
Citations made in 2021. Corpus-wide, 87.7% of core-journal articles and reviews published that year have at least one matched reference; the share varies by journal and field.
19 additional Law journals with metrics are unranked under this release’s eligibility rules: a journal needs at least 30 citable documents in 2018–2020, 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: 2021. Publication window: 2018–2020. How these summaries are calculated
- Ranked journals
- 48
- Window papers (baseline)
- 107,426 +14.8% from indicator year 2018
- Median OJR
- 0.85 -10.5% from indicator year 2018
- Rising journals (2025)
- 3
Window papers are the baseline paper population: citable papers (articles, reviews and conference papers) from 2018–2020 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 | 26 | 24 | 26 | 24 | 26 | 25 | 25 | 32 | 34 | 34 | 36 | 39 | 37 | 40 | 45 | 42 | 46 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 48 | 48 | 47 | 45 | 46 | 46 | |
| Window papers (baseline) | 20,760 | 23,088 | 25,138 | 27,078 | 29,298 | 32,993 | 37,542 | 42,263 | 45,900 | 49,233 | 52,379 | 56,365 | 60,266 | 63,498 | 67,376 | 75,231 | 83,225 | 90,875 | 93,598 | 96,498 | 99,517 | 107,426 | 115,990 | 118,267 | 121,355 | 126,586 | |
| Median OJR | 0.526 | 0.55 | 0.483 | 0.478 | 0.482 | 0.41 | 0.535 | 0.43 | 0.530 | 0.70 | 0.65 | 0.52 | 0.88 | 0.86 | 0.74 | 0.87 | 0.8856 | 0.91 | 0.95 | 0.99 | 0.901 | 0.85 | 0.896 | 0.8862 | 0.83 | 0.81 |
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.