What Is A Good Impact Factor For A Journal In The Social Sciences?

September 29, 2025

Journal and Publication

When choosing where to publish in the field of social sciences, one of the first things researchers consider is a journal’s impact factor (IF). But what exactly counts as a good impact factor in this discipline?

Unlike STEM fields, where impact factors tend to be much higher, social sciences follow a different benchmark due to varied readership, citation practices, and niche subject areas.

Read this blog to know more about good impact factor for a journal in the social sciences. Here we have also mentioned list of social science journals with impact factor.

What does “Impact” really mean in social science? 

Social Sciences journal impact factor not only shows how often an article is mentioned, but it also reflects how research shapes policies, informs educational practices, and influences cultural understanding over time.

Unlike the natural sciences, where outcomes can often be measured through experiments and lab results, the true effect of social science research may take years to unfold within communities, institutions, and societies. Let’s find out what the impacts of a journal are in social science:

• Effect on policy: Mostly social science journals publish work on which policymakers depend for better education, healthcare and profitable systems.
• Public Engagement: Sometimes articles from social science journals go into media discussions, dealing with public debates on inequality and climate change issues.
• Multidisciplinary Reach: Mostly, effective journals develop their influence across one discipline as social science extends into economics, psychology, law and even technology.
• Useful Change: In natural science, impacts are easily seen in a medical treatment or invention, but in social science, impact is seen from social attention and stable behavioral changes in society.

Which Impact Factor Is Considered Good for a Journal in Social Science?

Most journals have impact factors above 10 in natural sciences, or even 30 and higher sometimes. But because of the different citation patterns scale in social science, it is different from others. Here are some impact factors according to research:

Impact Factor 1 to 2

This impact factor is regular and usually considered average in many reputable journals in sociology, anthropology and political science.

Impact Factor 2 to 4

This impact is commonly good and in this range, journals are broadly respected and cited across disciplines.

Impact Factor above 5

An impact factor above 5 is considered excellent in social science journal because it places the journal between the top-tier publications around the world.

If you want to publish in a journal, then an impact factor above 2 is also considered strong in social science disciplines. And it also depends on your choice of research topic, audience and scope.

Which journals are considered Good Impact Journals in Social Science?

Here are the 5 journals of social science which are known for their quality and importance:

American Journal of Sociology (AJS)

AJS journal is the oldest and most respected journal of sociology in the world. This journal is famous for its advanced publishing research in society. This journal is known for its:

• Publishing of creative research in social theory, inequality and culture
• Recognition in the world and high citation
• Classical  and latest sociological thought platform
• Long-lasting respect for the academic quality

Social Science & Medicine

This journal researches the intersection between health and society, mostly in public health and healthcare systems areas. This journal is famous for its:

• Multidisciplinary topics of sociology, psychology and medicine
• Strong worldwide audience in crises like COVID-19
• Frequently cited articles in policymaking
• Peer review system with high quality

World Development

This Journal focuses on development studies and shows poverty, inequality and sustainability in developing and developed countries. This journal is known for its:

• Research connections and effective policy applications
• Deep and wide topics from economics to social policy
• Big audience, like NGOs and policymakers
• Strong worldwide impact in development studies

British Journal of Sociology (BJS)

This British Journal is basically a leading European platform for creative sociology research, which focuses worldwide. This journal is famous for its:

• Strong focus on theory and cultural studies
• Global audience around continents
• Multidisciplinary work publishing
• Recognition for academic rigor

Annual Review of Sociology

This journal includes review articles that arrange and decide research trends by providing valuable awareness for scholars. This journal is known for its:

• Global review articles
• Excessive citation rates due to the abstract of the whole field
• Helps researchers identify current knowledge gaps
• Importance in leading the future research programs

Why is it important to publish in a Journal with Good Impact Factor?

Publishing in a journal with a good impact factor is important because it signals quality, credibility, and visibility within the academic community.

High-impact journals attract more readers and citations, helping researchers build a reputation and advance their careers. Here are other benefits of publishing in journals with good impact factor:

Credibility & Recognition

A well-respected journal is identified by a good impact factor, which makes your research more trustworthy in the eyes of peers, employers and institutions. This makes academic quality, which is important for advanced career researchers.

Clarity and Reach

Broadly read and cited journals are recognised as high-impact journals. You can reach a good and broad audience by publishing in these journals. This means that your work now has a higher chance of being seen, discussed and applied in an actual framework.

Contribution to Public

Social science deals with human issues. You can publish in reputable journals to make your research influence policy, education and learning networks.

What is the future of Social Science Publishing?

The publishing world and social science are increasing rapidly. If we look closely, many trends are already shaping its future from:

Free Access Revolution

Gradually, journals are following free access models, from which readers can freely and easily access the research. This also increases research visibility, but sometimes it charges publication fees. Luckily, some Scopus indexed international journals offer publication without any charge, which makes your research more affordable.

Digital Changes

Now journals are giving collaborative content which includes data storage, visual graphics and video abstracts, which makes your research more attractive and easier to understand for a broad audience.

Multidisciplinary Collaboration

Some issues like climate change, inequality and AI need multidisciplinary collaboration. Social science journals are publishing more collaborative work that leads to economics, law, and politics.

Review Impact

In the future, “Impact” will nearly go ahead of citations, which will make an effective change in research. It shows how research will shape public policy, social programs and cultural awareness. This will help you attract more opportunities in the future to publish freely and access platforms without thinking about publication fees.

Conclusion

So now you know what is the impact factor of social sciences journal. Mostly, an impact factor between 2 to 4 is considered good and above 5 is excellent. But it is not completely dependent on numbers. A true impact of a journal is identified from how it shapes debates, guides policies and influences social change.

American Journal of Sociology, Social Science & Medicine and World Development, these journals show that influence not only depends on citation, but it also depends on how our research affects real lives.