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Sociology, an official journal of the British Sociological Association, is acknowledged as one of the leading journals in its field. For more than five decades, the journal has made a major contribution to the debates that have shaped the discipline and has an undisputed international reputation for publishing original research of the highest academic standard. The scope of Sociology is wide ranging - both geographically and substantively - and it includes shorter notes, comments, reviews of recent developments and book reviews as well as core theoretical and empirical research papers. It also publishes occasional special issues principally devoted to particular themes.

“ Sociology has been an important venue for sociologists from around the world as well as from the UK. I am pleased to have been involved both as an author and as an international advisory board member, and I look forward to new issues with pleasure. Putting out a journal is always a balancing act, and Sociology has done very well in exploring cutting-edge themes while maintaining an impressive standard of quality.” Raewyn Connell, University of Sydney, Australia

“ Sociology is the journal for the sociologists working in the UK, for UK sociologists established internationally and for a global sociological readership. Anyone looking for evidence of the rigour, relevance and value of sociological research need look no further.” Tom Hall, Cardiff University, UK

“ Sociology continues to be one of, if not the leading journal for sociologists and others both in and well beyond the UK. It is very successful in attracting and publishing excellent papers dealing with cutting edge research and original ideas, which utilize wide range of empirical and theoretical approaches. I have read Sociology regularly since I was a student and it is hard to imagine being a sociologist without it. I come to each new issue with high expectations based on my trust in the strength of its editorial and peer reviewing practices, which mean that I can also be proud of having published in it.” Sue Scott, York University, UK

“ Sociology is a key journal in the discipline, representing not only the United Kingdom, but an international scope and perspective, with authors and reviewers from a range of backgrounds and locations. The editors have been very good to work with -- a solid and thoughtful review process, excellent choices. It has been and continues to be a pleasure to work with them in support of their fine work.” Barbara Katz Rothman, City University of New York, USA

“It's honoured to be working as International Advisory Board Member of the journal.

And also pretty enjoyable experience for me to read every issue of the journal whose authors vary extensively from young, promising talents to expert veterans in the discipline.

It provides a great platform for authors and readers alike to be updated with some ongoing topics and to encounter with deep reflections of sociological endeavour, and above all to develop further discussions with global members.” Hiroki Ogasawara, Kobe University, Japan

“Sociology as the flagship journal of the BSA makes an enormous contribution to the development of the discipline, sociological debates, creativity and ideas. The anniversary editions of the journal are a ‘must read’ reflecting the strengths of and challenges for sociology in contemporary times.” Maggie O'Neill, York University, UK.

All issues of  Sociology are available to browse online . This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) .

The objective of Sociology is to publish outstanding and original peer-reviewed articles which advance the theoretical understanding of, and promote and report empirical research about the widest range of sociological topics. The journal encourages, and welcomes, submission of papers which report findings using both quantitative and qualitative research methods; articles challenging conventional concepts and proposing new conceptual approaches; and accounts of methodological innovation and the research process. Research Notes provide a means of briefly summarising results from recent or current studies or short discussions of methodological problems and solutions. Critical review essays and book reviews are seen as ways of promoting vigorous scholarly debate. While the journal is intended to serve the interests of members of the British Sociological Association, it does not restrict its coverage to issues about British society, nor does it require authors to be members of the BSA.

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High Impact Sociology Research

Oxford University Press publishes a portfolio of leading Sociology journals. To keep up to date with the latest research your peers are reading and citing, browse our selection of high impact articles on a diverse breadth of topics below.  

All articles are freely available to read, download, and enjoy until May 2023.

• Community Development Journal
• European Sociological Review 
• International Political Sociology 
• Journal of Human Rights Practice 
• Journal of Refugee Studies
• Refugee Survey Quarterly 
• Social Forces 
• Social Politics 
• Social Problems
• Social Science Japan Journal 
• Sociology of Religion 
• The British Journal of Criminology 

Community Development Journal  

Covid-19 and community development Sue Kenny Community Development Journal , Volume 55, Issue 4, October 2020, Pages 699–703, https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bsaa020

Financialization, real estate and COVID-19 in the UK Grace Blakeley Community Development Journal , Volume 56, Issue 1, January 2021, Pages 79–99, https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bsaa056

Financial subordination and uneven financialization in 21st century Africa Ingrid Harvold Kvangraven, Kai Koddenbrock, Ndongo Samba Sylla  Community Development Journal , Volume 56, Issue 1, January 2021, Pages 119–140, https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bsaa047

CDJ Editorial—What is this Covid-19 crisis? Rosie R. Meade  Community Development Journal , Volume 55, Issue 3, July 2020, Pages 379–381, https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bsaa013

There’s a time and a place: temporal aspects of place-based stigma Alice Butler-Warke Community Development Journal , Volume 56, Issue 2, April 2021, Pages 203–219, https://doi.org/10.1093/cdj/bsaa040

European Sociological Review  

Cohort Changes in the Level and Dispersion of Gender Ideology after German Reunification: Results from a Natural Experiment Christian Ebner, Michael Kühhirt, Philipp Lersch European Sociological Review , Volume 36, Issue 5, October 2020, Pages 814–828, https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcaa015

‘Cologne Changed Everything’—The Effect of Threatening Events on the Frequency and Distribution of Intergroup Conflict in Germany Arun Frey European Sociological Review , Volume 36, Issue 5, October 2020, Pages 684–699, https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcaa007

The Accumulation of Wealth in Marriage: Over-Time Change and Within-Couple Inequalities Nicole Kapelle, Philipp M. Lersch European Sociological Review , Volume 36, Issue 4, August 2020, Pages 580–593, https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcaa006

Three Worlds of Vocational Education: Specialized and General Craftsmanship in France, Germany, and The Netherlands Jesper Rözer, Herman G. van de Werfhorst European Sociological Review , Volume 36, Issue 5, October 2020, Pages 780–797, https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcaa025

Intergenerational Class Mobility among Men and Women in Europe: Gender Differences or Gender Similarities? Erzsébet Bukodi, Marii Paskov European Sociological Review , Volume 36, Issue 4, August 2020, Pages 495–512, https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcaa001

International Political Sociology  

Confronting the International Political Sociology of the New Right Rita Abrahamsen, Jean-François Drolet, Alexandra Gheciu, Karin Narita, Srdjan Vucetic, Michael Williams International Political Sociology , Volume 14, Issue 1, March 2020, Pages 94–107, https://doi.org/10.1093/ips/olaa001

Collective Discussion: Toward Critical Approaches to Intelligence as a Social Phenomenon Hager Ben Jaffel, Alvina Hoffmann, Oliver Kearns, Sebastian Larsson International Political Sociology , Volume 14, Issue 3, September 2020, Pages 323–344, https://doi.org/10.1093/ips/olaa015

The Cruel Optimism of Militarism: Feminist Curiosity, Affect, and Global Security Amanda Chisholm, Hanna Ketola International Political Sociology, Volume 14 , Issue 3, September 2020, Pages 270–285, https://doi.org/10.1093/ips/olaa005

Feminist Commodity Activism: The New Political Economy of Feminist Protest Jemima Repo International Political Sociology , Volume 14, Issue 2, June 2020, Pages 215–232, https://doi.org/10.1093/ips/olz033

Affect and the Response to Terror: Commemoration and Communities of Sense Angharad Closs Stephens, Martin Coward, Samuel Merrill, Shanti Sumartojo International Political Sociology , Volume 15, Issue 1, March 2021, Pages 22–40, https://doi.org/10.1093/ips/olaa020

Journal of Human Rights Practice  

Africa, Prisons and COVID-19 Lukas M. Muntingh Journal of Human Rights Practice , Volume 12, Issue 2, July 2020, Pages 284–292, https://doi.org/10.1093/jhuman/huaa031

Pandemic Powers: Why Human Rights Organizations Should Not Lose Focus on Civil and Political Rights Eda Seyhan Journal of Human Rights Practice , Volume 12, Issue 2, July 2020, Pages 268–275, https://doi.org/10.1093/jhuman/huaa035

Affirming Radical Equality in the Context of COVID-19: Human Rights of Older People and People with Disabilities Supriya Akerkar Journal of Human Rights Practice , Volume 12, Issue 2, July 2020, Pages 276–283, https://doi.org/10.1093/jhuman/huaa032

Digital Dead Body Management (DDBM): Time to Think it Through Kristin Bergtora Sandvik Journal of Human Rights Practice, Volume 12 , Issue 2, July 2020, Pages 428–443, https://doi.org/10.1093/jhuman/huaa002

Legal Reasoning for Legitimation of Child Marriage in West Java: Accommodation of Local Norms at Islamic Courts and the Paradox of Child Protection Hoko Horii Journal of Human Rights Practice , Volume 12, Issue 3, November 2020, Pages 501–523, https://doi.org/10.1093/jhuman/huaa041

Journal of Refugee Studies  

Refugee-Integration-Opportunity Structures: Shifting the Focus From Refugees to Context Jenny Phillimore Journal of Refugee Studies , Volume 34, Issue 2, June 2021, Pages 1946–1966, https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/feaa012

What Difference do Mayors Make? The Role of Municipal Authorities in Turkey and Lebanon's Response to Syrian Refugees Alexander Betts, Fulya MemiŞoĞlu, Ali Ali Journal of Refugee Studies , Volume 34, Issue 1, March 2021, Pages 491–519, https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/feaa011

Old Concepts Making New History: Refugee Self-reliance, Livelihoods and the ‘Refugee Entrepreneur’ Claudena Skran, Evan Easton-Calabria Journal of Refugee Studies , Volume 33, Issue 1, March 2020, Pages 1–21, https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/fez061

Research with Refugees in Fragile Political Contexts: How Ethical Reflections Impact Methodological Choices Lea Müller-Funk Journal of Refugee Studies , Volume 34, Issue 2, June 2021, Pages 2308–2332, https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/feaa013

The Kalobeyei Settlement: A Self-reliance Model for Refugees? Alexander Betts, Naohiko Omata, Olivier Sterck Journal of Refugee Studies , Volume 33, Issue 1, March 2020, Pages 189–223, https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/fez063

Migration Studies  

International migration management in the age of artificial intelligence Ana Beduschi Migration Studies , Volume 9, Issue 3, September 2021, Pages 576–596, https://doi.org/10.1093/migration/mnaa003

Migration as Adaptation? Kira Vinke, Jonas Bergmann, Julia Blocher, Himani Upadhyay, Roman Hoffmann Migration Studies , Volume 8, Issue 4, December 2020, Pages 626–634, https://doi.org/10.1093/migration/mnaa029

Research on climate change and migration where are we and where are we going? Elizabeth Ferris Migration Studies , Volume 8, Issue 4, December 2020, Pages 612–625, https://doi.org/10.1093/migration/mnaa028

The emotional journey of motherhood in migration. The case of Southern European mothers in Norway Raquel Herrero-Arias, Ragnhild Hollekim, Haldis Haukanes, Åse Vagli Migration Studies , Volume 9, Issue 3, September 2021, Pages 1230–1249, https://doi.org/10.1093/migration/mnaa006

'I felt like the mountains were coming for me.'-The role of place attachment and local lifestyle opportunities for labour migrants' staying aspirations in two Norwegian rural municipalities Brit Lynnebakke Migration Studies , Volume 9, Issue 3, September 2021, Pages 759–782, https://doi.org/10.1093/migration/mnaa002

Refugee Survey Quarterly  

Refugee Rights Across Regions: A Comparative Overview of Legislative Good Practices in Latin America and the EU Luisa Feline Freier, Jean-Pierre Gauci Refugee Survey Quarterly , Volume 39, Issue 3, September 2020, Pages 321–362, https://doi.org/10.1093/rsq/hdaa011

Syrian Refugee Migration, Transitions in Migrant Statuses and Future Scenarios of Syrian Mobility Marko Valenta, Jo Jakobsen, Drago Župarić-Iljić, Hariz Halilovich Refugee Survey Quarterly , Volume 39, Issue 2, June 2020, Pages 153–176, https://doi.org/10.1093/rsq/hdaa002

Ambiguous Encounters: Revisiting Foucault and Goffman at an Activation Programme for Asylum-seekers Katrine Syppli Kohl Refugee Survey Quarterly , Volume 39, Issue 2, June 2020, Pages 177–206, https://doi.org/10.1093/rsq/hdaa004

Behind the Scenes of South Africa’s Asylum Procedure: A Qualitative Study on Long-term Asylum-Seekers from the Democratic Republic of Congo Liesbeth Schockaert, Emilie Venables, Maria-Teresa Gil-Bazo, Garret Barnwell, Rodd Gerstenhaber, Katherine Whitehouse Refugee Survey Quarterly , Volume 39, Issue 1, March 2020, Pages 26–55, https://doi.org/10.1093/rsq/hdz018

Improving SOGI Asylum Adjudication: Putting Persecution Ahead of Identity Moira Dustin, Nuno Ferreira Refugee Survey Quarterly , Volume 40, Issue 3, September 2021, Pages 315–347, https://doi.org/10.1093/rsq/hdab005

Social Forces  

Paths toward the Same Form of Collective Action: Direct Social Action in Times of Crisis in Italy Lorenzo Bosi, Lorenzo Zamponi Social Forces , Volume 99, Issue 2, December 2020, Pages 847–869, https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soz160

Attitudes toward Refugees in Contemporary Europe: A Longitudinal Perspective on Cross-National Differences Christian S. Czymara Social Forces , Volume 99, Issue 3, March 2021, Pages 1306–1333, https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soaa055

Opiate of the Masses? Inequality, Religion, and Political Ideology in the United States Landon Schnabel Social Forces , Volume 99, Issue 3, March 2021, Pages 979–1012, https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soaa027

Re-examining Restructuring: Racialization, Religious Conservatism, and Political Leanings in Contemporary American Life John O’Brien, Eman Abdelhadi Social Forces , Volume 99, Issue 2, December 2020, Pages 474–503, https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soaa029

Evidence from Field Experiments in Hiring Shows Substantial Additional Racial Discrimination after the Callback Lincoln Quillian, John J Lee, Mariana Oliver Social Forces , Volume 99, Issue 2, December 2020, Pages 732–759, https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soaa026

Social Politics  

Varieties of Gender Regimes Sylvia Walby Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society , Volume 27, Issue 3, Fall 2020, Pages 414–431, https://doi.org/10.1093/sp/jxaa018

The Origins and Transformations of Conservative Gender Regimes in Germany and Japan Karen A. Shire, Kumiko Nemoto Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society , Volume 27, Issue 3, Fall 2020, Pages 432–448, https://doi.org/10.1093/sp/jxaa017

Counteracting Challenges to Gender Equality in the Era of Anti-Gender Campaigns: Competing Gender Knowledges and Affective Solidarity Elżbieta Korolczuk Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society , Volume 27, Issue 4, Winter 2020, Pages 694–717, https://doi.org/10.1093/sp/jxaa021

Gender, Violence, and Political Institutions: Struggles over Sexual Harassment in the European Parliament Valentine Berthet, Johanna Kantola Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society , Volume 28, Issue 1, Spring 2021, Pages 143–167, https://doi.org/10.1093/sp/jxaa015

Gender Regime Change in Decentralized States: The Case of Spain Emanuela Lombardo, Alba Alonso Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State & Society , Volume 27, Issue 3, Fall 2020, Pages 449–466, https://doi.org/10.1093/sp/jxaa016

Social Problems  

Technologies of Crime Prediction: The Reception of Algorithms in Policing and Criminal Courts Sarah Brayne, Angèle Christin Social Problems , Volume 68, Issue 3, August 2021, Pages 608–624, https://doi.org/10.1093/socpro/spaa004

White Christian Nationalism and Relative Political Tolerance for Racists Joshua T. Davis, Samuel L. Perry Social Problems , Volume 68, Issue 3, August 2021, Pages 513–534, https://doi.org/10.1093/socpro/spaa002

The Increasing Effect of Neighborhood Racial Composition on Housing Values, 1980-2015 Junia Howell, Elizabeth Korver-Glenn Social Problems , Volume 68, Issue 4, November 2021, Pages 1051–1071, https://doi.org/10.1093/socpro/spaa033

Transition into Liminal Legality: DACA' Mixed Impacts on Education and Employment among Young Adult Immigrants in California Erin R. Hamilton, Caitlin Patler, Robin Savinar Social Problems , Volume 68, Issue 3, August 2021, Pages 675–695, https://doi.org/10.1093/socpro/spaa016

Constructing Allyship and the Persistence of Inequality J. E. Sumerau, TehQuin D. Forbes, Eric Anthony Grollman, Lain A. B. Mathers Social Problems , Volume 68, Issue 2, May 2021, Pages 358–373, https://doi.org/10.1093/socpro/spaa003

Social Science Japan Journal  

Nuclear Restart Politics: How the ‘Nuclear Village’ Lost Policy Implementation Power Florentine Koppenborg Social Science Japan Journal , Volume 24, Issue 1, Winter 2021, Pages 115–135, https://doi.org/10.1093/ssjj/jyaa046

Factors Affecting Household Disaster Preparedness Among Foreign Residents in Japan David Green, Matthew Linley, Justin Whitney, Yae Sano Social Science Japan Journal , Volume 24, Issue 1, Winter 2021, Pages 185–208, https://doi.org/10.1093/ssjj/jyaa026

Climate Change Policy: Can New Actors Affect Japan's Policy-Making in the Paris Agreement Era? Yasuko Kameyama Social Science Japan Journal , Volume 24, Issue 1, Winter 2021, Pages 67–84, https://doi.org/10.1093/ssjj/jyaa051

Japan Meets the Sharing Economy: Contending Frames Thomas G. Altura, Yuki Hashimoto, Sanford M. Jacoby, Kaoru Kanai, Kazuro Saguchi Social Science Japan Journal , Volume 24, Issue 1, Winter 2021, Pages 137–161, https://doi.org/10.1093/ssjj/jyaa041

Administrative Measures Against Far-Right Protesters: An Example of Japan’s Social Control Ayaka Löschke Social Science Japan Journal , Volume 24, Issue 2, Summer 2021, Pages 289–309, https://doi.org/10.1093/ssjj/jyab005

Sociology of Religion  

Religion in the Age of Social Distancing: How COVID-19 Presents New Directions for Research Joseph O. Baker, Gerardo Martí, Ruth Braunstein, Andrew L Whitehead, Grace Yukich Sociology of Religion , Volume 81, Issue 4, Winter 2020, Pages 357–370, https://doi.org/10.1093/socrel/sraa039

Keep America Christian (and White): Christian Nationalism, Fear of Ethnoracial Outsiders, and Intention to Vote for Donald Trump in the 2020 Presidential Election Joseph O. Baker, Samuel L. Perry, Andrew L. Whitehead Sociology of Religion , Volume 81, Issue 3, Autumn 2020, Pages 272–293, https://doi.org/10.1093/socrel/sraa015

Formal or Functional? Traditional or Inclusive? Bible Translations as Markers of Religious Subcultures Samuel L. Perry, Joshua B. Grubbs Sociology of Religion , Volume 81, Issue 3, Autumn 2020, Pages 319–342, https://doi.org/10.1093/socrel/sraa003

Political Identity and Confidence in Science and Religion in the United States Timothy L. O’Brien, Shiri Noy Sociology of Religion , Volume 81, Issue 4, Winter 2020, Pages 439–461, https://doi.org/10.1093/socrel/sraa024

Religious Freedom and Local Conflict: Religious Buildings and Zoning Issues in the New York City Region, 1992–2017 Brian J. Miller Sociology of Religion , Volume 81, Issue 4, Winter 2020, Pages 462–484, https://doi.org/10.1093/socrel/sraa006

The British Journal of Criminology  

Reporting Racist Hate Crime Victimization to the Police in the United States and the United Kingdom: A Cross-National Comparison Wesley Myers, Brendan Lantz The British Journal of Criminology , Volume 60, Issue 4, July 2020, Pages 1034–1055, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azaa008

Does Collective Efficacy Matter at the Micro Geographic Level?: Findings from a Study Of Street Segments David Weisburd, Clair White, Alese Wooditch The British Journal of Criminology , Volume 60, Issue 4, July 2020, Pages 873–891, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azaa007

Responses to Wildlife Crime in Post-Colonial Times. Who Fares Best? Ragnhild Aslaug Sollund, Siv Rebekka Runhovde The British Journal of Criminology , Volume 60, Issue 4, July 2020, Pages 1014–1033, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azaa005

‘Playing the Game’: Power, Authority and Procedural Justice in Interactions Between Police and Homeless People in London Arabella Kyprianides, Clifford Stott, Ben Bradford The British Journal of Criminology , Volume 61, Issue 3, May 2021, Pages 670–689, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azaa086

Live Facial Recognition: Trust and Legitimacy as Predictors of Public Support For Police Use of New Technology Ben Bradford, Julia A Yesberg, Jonathan Jackson, Paul Dawson The British Journal of Criminology , Volume 60, Issue 6, November 2020, Pages 1502–1522, https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azaa032

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Writing for The Sociological Review Journal

Click to View Third-Party Content. Please note you may be tracked.

The editorial team have put together this brief guidance about writing for The Sociological Review journal.

You can submit your paper through our online submission system .

Please read the following guidance before submitting. This document should be read alongside the standard submission guidance available on our publishers’ website .

About The Sociological Review journal

The Sociological Review is a peer-reviewed academic journal that has been publishing high-quality and innovative articles for over 110 years. In keeping with the journal’s history and aims, the editorial team sees the journal as a platform for promoting scholarship that challenges the mainstream of sociological thought, its geographical assumptions and disciplinary hierarchies.

We particularly welcome scholarship that

• questions the taken-for-granted understandings of the social world;
• promotes scholarly practices that address how the field of knowledge production reproduces global inequalities within the academic field;
• fosters collaborations and dialogues across disciplines (including sociology, social anthropology, cultural studies, science and technology studies, health and illness, socio-legal studies and cultural geography);
• translates diverse socio-cultural experiences into a global standpoint of knowledge through critical engagement with theories and practices;
• envisages complex understandings of the encounters, tensions and meanings of social life within a global context; and
• brings the sociological imagination to life to make meaningful interventions on the basis of rigorous theoretical, conceptual and empirical scholarship, with long-lasting significance to a global and general sociological readership.

Guidance for authors

In the guidance below, our aim is to give you a sense not only of what we are looking for from authors and papers, but also the kind of support you can expect from us at all stages in the editorial process. We have organised our guidance around a set of questions aimed at helping you navigate through it:

Is my article a good fit with The Sociological Review?

What support does the editorial team provide for authors preparing articles for submission, how do i prepare my article for submission, what are my ethical responsibilities as an author hoping to publish my work in the sociological review, how do i submit my manuscript, what happens next, how does the sociological review manage peer review, my article has been accepted for publication. what happens next, how can i promote my research, and how will it be promoted through the sociological review’s social media and communications channels, any more questions.

We regularly receive correspondence from potential authors asking us if their paper is suitable for publication in the journal. The high volume of submissions we receive means that we are not in a position to provide such pre-submission advice.

If you are worried about whether your article is suitable for the journal, we recommend that you think about how your work meets the journal’s aims and objectives as laid out in our Manifesto . You’ll be asked about how you think your article fits with the journal when you submit your paper, so it is a good idea to think through this issue as you prepare your paper for submission.

Before you submit, ask yourself whether your manuscript makes clear how it speaks to existing debates published in the pages of the journal or elsewhere; in what ways it advances scholarly understandings; and whether your contribution is founded on rigorous and demonstrable scholarship, whether theoretical, conceptual or empirical. We like to know who the authors we are in conversation with are and what dialogues and debates they are interested in, and we are keen to get a clear sense of why their submission is exciting and advances sociological understandings.

In line with our commitments to internationalisation, support for scholarship by early career researchers, equality, diversity and inclusion, and reducing the barriers that some scholars face in the publication process, we provide online workshops on writing for The Sociological Review journal and the review process. You can find out more about upcoming workshops .

You can also visit our Journal Editors’ Log , where the members of the editorial team discuss their work and provide useful advice drawn from their experience.

We receive more than 300 new submissions each year. Sadly, quite a high percentage of these are “desk rejected” (rejected prior to peer review) because they do not conform to our guidelines. Our Editorial Manager always provides advice to authors whose papers fall short of the submission guidance, in order to allow them to resubmit. However, this can delay the process for authors.

Full advice on preparing your article for submission is available from our publishers’ website , but below are some key points to remember.

Writing your title and abstract

Don’t forget that the title and abstract are the first things that the editor and any potential reviewer is going to see. The title is also the first thing that readers will see of a published paper.

In the case of the reviewer, the title is the basis on which they make a decision about whether they want to review your paper. So think carefully about it. We tend to advise authors not to lead with a pithy interview quotation, unless it really makes clear the contribution that the paper wants to make. We would recommend trying to craft your title so that it locates your paper in relation to the debates you are interested in, as well as giving a sense of the perspective you are coming from (whether this is empirical or otherwise).

When it comes to the abstract, you have a little more space to work through what the scope of the paper is, to describe the research that has gone into it, and the contribution you seek to make theoretically, conceptually and empirically.

Word length

Original articles submitted to The Sociological Review journal should be a maximum of 8,000 words in length . This word count includes the body of the article, all in-text citations and notes, but it excludes the list of references, acknowledgements and funding statements. Unless otherwise agreed with the editors, this premise stands for resubmissions.

The preferred format for your manuscript is Word. LaTeX files are also accepted, although you will need to get in touch with our Editorial Manager in advance in order to arrange a LaTeX submission.

Images, figures, tables

If your paper includes images or other visual material, such as charts, these files should be uploaded separately, along with information such as the caption and any notes regarding formatting and printing. Figures and tables should be numbered in the order discussed in the text. We can accept visual files in the following formats: JPEG and PNG. All visual media for the final publication version of your article should be of print quality. During the review stage, however, we recommend that you provide images with a smaller file size.

You can find out more about preparing your article for submission, including referencing style, publication ethics, permissions, authorship and other useful information on our publishers’ website .

We advise that you consult our publishers’ webpage to inform yourself fully, but we would like to draw your attention particularly to the question of plagiarism (with apologies for the legalese).

The Sociological Review and our publisher, SAGE Journals, take issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism or other breaches of best practice in publication very seriously. We seek to protect the rights of our authors and we always investigate claims of plagiarism or misuse of published articles. Equally, we seek to protect the reputation of the journal against malpractice. Submitted articles may be checked with duplication-checking software. Where an article is found to have plagiarised other work or included third-party copyright material without permission or with insufficient acknowledgement, or where the authorship of the article is contested, we reserve the right to take action that includes, but is not limited to: publishing an erratum or corrigendum (correction); retracting the article; taking up the matter with the head of department or dean of the author's institution and/or relevant academic bodies or societies; or taking appropriate legal action.

The Sociological Review journal operates a bespoke submission system . This enables us to tailor the peer review process to our values and practices, and ensures that our users’ data is handled in line with our ethical standards.

There are four steps in our submission process:

• STEP 1: Providing us with basic information about you and your paper
• STEP 2: Uploading your document and accompanying images
• STEP 3: Suggesting referees (If you are finding it difficult to propose suitable referees for your paper, our advice is that you don’t recommend either the ‘big names’ in your field, who are likely to be very busy, or your close friends and collaborators, who may have a conflict of interest.)
• STEP 4: Confirming and submitting

Please note: we process scholarly article submissions for The Sociological Review journal only via our submission system . Note that we also publish a range of other kinds of contributions, including book reviews, Magazine articles and sociological fiction , via our publishing platform . If you would like to write a book review, please contact [email protected] . To find out more about calls to contribute to our open-access digital Magazine, see Publish with Us – Magazine .

Once you have submitted your article, it starts its journey through our editorial process. The Editorial Manager is the first person to see your submission. Their role at this stage is to evaluate whether the paper meets the submission requirements: in other words, whether it is fully anonymised, and meets our word length and style requirements.

When a paper successfully passes this stage, it will be allocated to a member of the editorial team, who will make the judgement about whether it is a good fit with the journal. If they decide that it isn’t, they may suggest another publication that might be more appropriate.

If your paper is indeed judged to be a good fit with The Sociological Review journal, the editorial team will start to invite people to review the paper, and then you and they will have to wait for the reviews to come in. We appreciate how nerve-wracking this waiting game is for authors. But the review process depends on goodwill; we rely on reviewers finding time – often outside their working day – to sit down and give a paper their full attention so that they can write a review.

Although we aim for a fast turnaround during the reviewing stage, there are many steps in this journey and many people involved in the process, all of which introduce the possibility of delays. Our minimum turnaround time is three months, but a more realistic time frame is in the region of five to six months. We hope that the feedback our editors and reviewers provide, whether or not a paper is accepted, is worth the wait.

The Sociological Review uses double-blind peer review, in which authors’ identities are concealed from the reviewers, and vice-versa, during the review process. Anonymisation is used to protect authors and referees, and to ensure that submissions are judged on their merits. Our ambition for our peer-review process is that it facilitates constructive, if critical, dialogue between authors, reviewers and editors, with the aim of developing the content and argument of papers.

Once the reviews are in, an editor will make their editorial assessment, drawing from their close reading of the paper and the reviews. This guides the editor’s decision about the outcome of the paper. It is rare for a paper to be accepted outright after a first round of reviews. We more commonly ask people to make revisions to a paper, whether major or minor, and occasionally we have to reject a paper for publication. But whatever our decision, we will provide guidance to the authors that explains our decision and outlines next steps.

Authors who are asked to make minor or major revisions will be required to return their revised manuscript, as well as a response to the reviewers’ feedback (maximum 1,000 words) within three months of an editorial decision. Depending on the outcome of the previous review process, the revised article may go out for review for a second time before the editor makes a decision about publication.

When a paper is accepted for publication, the Editorial Manager will contact the corresponding author to ask for a de-anonymized manuscript, a signed publishing agreement, and any other necessary documents for publication. It is at this stage that the paper is handed over to SAGE Journals, our publishers, who will manage all copyright and reproduction rights including Open Access arrangements, and who will see papers through the production process.

You can find out more at the SAGE Author Gateway .

Your article will be published online as soon as it completes its journey through production. It will be allocated to an issue of the journal at a later stage (ordinarily within a year of online publication).

When your article is published, SAGE will provide you with an article sharing link that allows anyone to read your article once it is online. This is a great way for you to promote your article (and ensure that people can read it). You will also receive an author care email from SAGE which includes suggestions about promoting your paper.

We recommend that you take every opportunity to share the news of the publication of your article among your collaborators and funders, your scholarly and other circles, and relevant membership and disciplinary organisations. Do not forget to inform the communications team in your department, institution or organisation, and ask them to share the news via their channels.

As a matter of course, we promote new articles published in The Sociological Review journal through our social media accounts and other communications channels, such as our monthly email newsletter , and the journal is featured prominently on our publication platform .

You can take advantage of The Sociological Review’s significant social media reach by making sure that you tag our accounts when using X/Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Bluesky, Threads or Instagram to promote your paper.

In addition, you may be invited to work with our journal editors to contribute to our themed Magazine , which is published six times a year, or various of our public engagement initiatives.

Any correspondence, queries or additional requests for information on the manuscript submission process should be sent our Editorial Manager .

Sociology Research Network

Welcome to SociologyRN

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Sociology Preprints

Sociology is the systematic study of the society in which we live and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. The Sociology Research Network on SSRN is an open access preprint server that provides a venue for authors to showcase their research papers in our digital library, speeding up the dissemination and providing the scholarly community access to groundbreaking working papers and early stage research. SSRN provides the opportunity to share different outputs of research such as preprints, preliminary or exploratory investigations, book chapters, PhD dissertations, course and teaching materials, presentations, and posters among others. SSRN provides a platform for the early sharing of work, making it available for subsequent work to be built upon more quickly.

Sociologists investigate social inequalities related to race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and gender to enrich our understanding of the connections between individual lives and larger social structures. As a multidisciplinary field, sociology draws from a variety of other subjects within the social sciences. SSRN helps sociology scholars discover the latest research in their own and other areas of research including anthropology, political science, psychology, education, law, and economics while providing a unique opportunity for researchers to submit early and novel work for review, feedback, and use by researchers within and beyond sociology.

Sociology Papers

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ISA Journals

Current sociology, current sociology review.

• Current Sociology Monographs
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• International Sociology Reviews

Current Sociology , an official journal of the International Sociological Association, is one of the oldest and most widely cited sociology journals in the world. Contributions may be submitted in English, French, Spanish or other languages for which it is possible to identify suitable reviewers. However, the articles will be published only in English.

Current Sociology , a peer-reviewed quarterly, is interested in:

• articles discussing trends within sociology but this is within the context of a broader concern with issues: not only the analysis of issues relating to the development of sociology as a discipline but also the contribution that sociological understanding can make to the analysis of issues relating to the development of modern societies in a globalizing world
• cutting-edge papers for consideration in any sociological specialty, including areas that cut across different sub-fields
• well-argued and cogent critical responses to articles Current Sociology has already published if these responses also make an original contribution in their own right

Contact:  [email protected]

Qiushi FENG, Daniel PS GOH, Kelvin EY LOW and Joonmo SON National University of Singapore Singapore

Current Sociology Review was launched in 2013 and includes articles selected from  sociopedia.isa , the ISA's online review journal, as well as those that have been specially submitted for Current Sociology Review . The review articles provide an overview of theoretical approaches, a review of empirical evidence, an assessment of the state of the art, and a discussion of future directions that theorizing and research might take. Furthermore, each article contains a list of annotated suggested further reading. Read more...

Current Sociology monograph issues

Current Sociology monograph issues highlight themes structuring the discipline in original and novel ways. Each issue has single or joint guest editor(s), and presents a selection of papers reflecting global concerns and critical debates within and outside ISA's Research and National Associational networks and conferences. Read more...

Subscriptions

Members of the ISA will receive their copies of   Current Sociology  at a discount, if pre-paid, from the ISA Secretariat. Non-members should order directly from  SAGE Publications .

SAGE Publications

45% discount to the ISA members. To claim the discount, ISA members in the US, Canada, South America, India and Australasia, have to send this coupon to:

SAGE Publications Ltd 1 Oliver's Yard 55 City Road London EC1Y 1SP, UK Tel: +44 (0) 20 7 324 8500 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7 324 8600 [email protected]

ISA members in other countries should order the books on www.uk.sagepub.com/home.nav and enter the code UK09OB001  at the checkout.

The American Sociological Association publishes 13 scholarly journals, including general interest journals and those focused on specialized areas of knowledge .

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2.1 Approaches to Sociological Research

Learning objectives.

By the end of this section, you should be able to:

• Define and describe the scientific method.
• Explain how the scientific method is used in sociological research.
• Describe the function and importance of an interpretive framework.
• Describe the differences in accuracy, reliability and validity in a research study.

When sociologists apply the sociological perspective and begin to ask questions, no topic is off limits. Every aspect of human behavior is a source of possible investigation. Sociologists question the world that humans have created and live in. They notice patterns of behavior as people move through that world. Using sociological methods and systematic research within the framework of the scientific method and a scholarly interpretive perspective, sociologists have discovered social patterns in the workplace that have transformed industries, in families that have enlightened family members, and in education that have aided structural changes in classrooms.

Sociologists often begin the research process by asking a question about how or why things happen in this world. It might be a unique question about a new trend or an old question about a common aspect of life. Once the question is formed, the sociologist proceeds through an in-depth process to answer it. In deciding how to design that process, the researcher may adopt a scientific approach or an interpretive framework. The following sections describe these approaches to knowledge.

The Scientific Method

Sociologists make use of tried and true methods of research, such as experiments, surveys, and field research. But humans and their social interactions are so diverse that these interactions can seem impossible to chart or explain. It might seem that science is about discoveries and chemical reactions or about proving ideas right or wrong rather than about exploring the nuances of human behavior.

However, this is exactly why scientific models work for studying human behavior. A scientific process of research establishes parameters that help make sure results are objective and accurate. Scientific methods provide limitations and boundaries that focus a study and organize its results.

The scientific method involves developing and testing theories about the social world based on empirical evidence. It is defined by its commitment to systematic observation of the empirical world and strives to be objective, critical, skeptical, and logical. It involves a series of six prescribed steps that have been established over centuries of scientific scholarship.

Sociological research does not reduce knowledge to right or wrong facts. Results of studies tend to provide people with insights they did not have before—explanations of human behaviors and social practices and access to knowledge of other cultures, rituals and beliefs, or trends and attitudes.

In general, sociologists tackle questions about the role of social characteristics in outcomes or results. For example, how do different communities fare in terms of psychological well-being, community cohesiveness, range of vocation, wealth, crime rates, and so on? Are communities functioning smoothly? Sociologists often look between the cracks to discover obstacles to meeting basic human needs. They might also study environmental influences and patterns of behavior that lead to crime, substance abuse, divorce, poverty, unplanned pregnancies, or illness. And, because sociological studies are not all focused on negative behaviors or challenging situations, social researchers might study vacation trends, healthy eating habits, neighborhood organizations, higher education patterns, games, parks, and exercise habits.

Sociologists can use the scientific method not only to collect but also to interpret and analyze data. They deliberately apply scientific logic and objectivity. They are interested in—but not attached to—the results. They work outside of their own political or social agendas. This does not mean researchers do not have their own personalities, complete with preferences and opinions. But sociologists deliberately use the scientific method to maintain as much objectivity, focus, and consistency as possible in collecting and analyzing data in research studies.

With its systematic approach, the scientific method has proven useful in shaping sociological studies. The scientific method provides a systematic, organized series of steps that help ensure objectivity and consistency in exploring a social problem. They provide the means for accuracy, reliability, and validity. In the end, the scientific method provides a shared basis for discussion and analysis (Merton 1963). Typically, the scientific method has 6 steps which are described below.

Step 1: Ask a Question or Find a Research Topic

The first step of the scientific method is to ask a question, select a problem, and identify the specific area of interest. The topic should be narrow enough to study within a geographic location and time frame. “Are societies capable of sustained happiness?” would be too vague. The question should also be broad enough to have universal merit. “What do personal hygiene habits reveal about the values of students at XYZ High School?” would be too narrow. Sociologists strive to frame questions that examine well-defined patterns and relationships.

In a hygiene study, for instance, hygiene could be defined as “personal habits to maintain physical appearance (as opposed to health),” and a researcher might ask, “How do differing personal hygiene habits reflect the cultural value placed on appearance?”

Step 2: Review the Literature/Research Existing Sources

The next step researchers undertake is to conduct background research through a literature review , which is a review of any existing similar or related studies. A visit to the library, a thorough online search, and a survey of academic journals will uncover existing research about the topic of study. This step helps researchers gain a broad understanding of work previously conducted, identify gaps in understanding of the topic, and position their own research to build on prior knowledge. Researchers—including student researchers—are responsible for correctly citing existing sources they use in a study or that inform their work. While it is fine to borrow previously published material (as long as it enhances a unique viewpoint), it must be referenced properly and never plagiarized.

To study crime, a researcher might also sort through existing data from the court system, police database, prison information, interviews with criminals, guards, wardens, etc. It’s important to examine this information in addition to existing research to determine how these resources might be used to fill holes in existing knowledge. Reviewing existing sources educates researchers and helps refine and improve a research study design.

Step 3: Formulate a Hypothesis

A hypothesis is an explanation for a phenomenon based on a conjecture about the relationship between the phenomenon and one or more causal factors. In sociology, the hypothesis will often predict how one form of human behavior influences another. For example, a hypothesis might be in the form of an “if, then statement.” Let’s relate this to our topic of crime: If unemployment increases, then the crime rate will increase.

In scientific research, we formulate hypotheses to include an independent variables (IV) , which are the cause of the change, and a dependent variable (DV) , which is the effect , or thing that is changed. In the example above, unemployment is the independent variable and the crime rate is the dependent variable.

In a sociological study, the researcher would establish one form of human behavior as the independent variable and observe the influence it has on a dependent variable. How does gender (the independent variable) affect rate of income (the dependent variable)? How does one’s religion (the independent variable) affect family size (the dependent variable)? How is social class (the dependent variable) affected by level of education (the independent variable)?

Taking an example from Table 12.1, a researcher might hypothesize that teaching children proper hygiene (the independent variable) will boost their sense of self-esteem (the dependent variable). Note, however, this hypothesis can also work the other way around. A sociologist might predict that increasing a child’s sense of self-esteem (the independent variable) will increase or improve habits of hygiene (now the dependent variable). Identifying the independent and dependent variables is very important. As the hygiene example shows, simply identifying related two topics or variables is not enough. Their prospective relationship must be part of the hypothesis.

Step 4: Design and Conduct a Study

Researchers design studies to maximize reliability , which refers to how likely research results are to be replicated if the study is reproduced. Reliability increases the likelihood that what happens to one person will happen to all people in a group or what will happen in one situation will happen in another. Cooking is a science. When you follow a recipe and measure ingredients with a cooking tool, such as a measuring cup, the same results is obtained as long as the cook follows the same recipe and uses the same type of tool. The measuring cup introduces accuracy into the process. If a person uses a less accurate tool, such as their hand, to measure ingredients rather than a cup, the same result may not be replicated. Accurate tools and methods increase reliability.

Researchers also strive for validity , which refers to how well the study measures what it was designed to measure. To produce reliable and valid results, sociologists develop an operational definition , that is, they define each concept, or variable, in terms of the physical or concrete steps it takes to objectively measure it. The operational definition identifies an observable condition of the concept. By operationalizing the concept, all researchers can collect data in a systematic or replicable manner. Moreover, researchers can determine whether the experiment or method validly represent the phenomenon they intended to study.

A study asking how tutoring improves grades, for instance, might define “tutoring” as “one-on-one assistance by an expert in the field, hired by an educational institution.” However, one researcher might define a “good” grade as a C or better, while another uses a B+ as a starting point for “good.” For the results to be replicated and gain acceptance within the broader scientific community, researchers would have to use a standard operational definition. These definitions set limits and establish cut-off points that ensure consistency and replicability in a study.

We will explore research methods in greater detail in the next section of this chapter.

Step 5: Draw Conclusions

After constructing the research design, sociologists collect, tabulate or categorize, and analyze data to formulate conclusions. If the analysis supports the hypothesis, researchers can discuss the implications of the results for the theory or policy solution that they were addressing. If the analysis does not support the hypothesis, researchers may consider repeating the experiment or think of ways to improve their procedure.

However, even when results contradict a sociologist’s prediction of a study’s outcome, these results still contribute to sociological understanding. Sociologists analyze general patterns in response to a study, but they are equally interested in exceptions to patterns. In a study of education, a researcher might predict that high school dropouts have a hard time finding rewarding careers. While many assume that the higher the education, the higher the salary and degree of career happiness, there are certainly exceptions. People with little education have had stunning careers, and people with advanced degrees have had trouble finding work. A sociologist prepares a hypothesis knowing that results may substantiate or contradict it.

Sociologists carefully keep in mind how operational definitions and research designs impact the results as they draw conclusions. Consider the concept of “increase of crime,” which might be defined as the percent increase in crime from last week to this week, as in the study of Swedish crime discussed above. Yet the data used to evaluate “increase of crime” might be limited by many factors: who commits the crime, where the crimes are committed, or what type of crime is committed. If the data is gathered for “crimes committed in Houston, Texas in zip code 77021,” then it may not be generalizable to crimes committed in rural areas outside of major cities like Houston. If data is collected about vandalism, it may not be generalizable to assault.

Step 6: Report Results

Researchers report their results at conferences and in academic journals. These results are then subjected to the scrutiny of other sociologists in the field. Before the conclusions of a study become widely accepted, the studies are often repeated in the same or different environments. In this way, sociological theories and knowledge develops as the relationships between social phenomenon are established in broader contexts and different circumstances.

Interpretive Framework

While many sociologists rely on empirical data and the scientific method as a research approach, others operate from an interpretive framework . While systematic, this approach doesn’t follow the hypothesis-testing model that seeks to find generalizable results. Instead, an interpretive framework, sometimes referred to as an interpretive perspective , seeks to understand social worlds from the point of view of participants, which leads to in-depth knowledge or understanding about the human experience.

Interpretive research is generally more descriptive or narrative in its findings. Rather than formulating a hypothesis and method for testing it, an interpretive researcher will develop approaches to explore the topic at hand that may involve a significant amount of direct observation or interaction with subjects including storytelling. This type of researcher learns through the process and sometimes adjusts the research methods or processes midway to optimize findings as they evolve.

Critical Sociology

Critical sociology focuses on deconstruction of existing sociological research and theory. Informed by the work of Karl Marx, scholars known collectively as the Frankfurt School proposed that social science, as much as any academic pursuit, is embedded in the system of power constituted by the set of class, caste, race, gender, and other relationships that exist in the society. Consequently, it cannot be treated as purely objective. Critical sociologists view theories, methods, and the conclusions as serving one of two purposes: they can either legitimate and rationalize systems of social power and oppression or liberate humans from inequality and restriction on human freedom. Deconstruction can involve data collection, but the analysis of this data is not empirical or positivist.

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