American Journal of Sociology

The American Journal of Sociology (AJS) is a bimonthly peer-reviewed academic journal published by the University of Chicago Press. Founded in 1895 by Albion Small, it is the oldest sociological journal in the United States, publishing pioneering theoretical and empirical research across the discipline. Its citation performance is tracked by Clarivate in the Journal Citation Reports, where it ranks in Quartile 1 of the Sociology category.

ByCASRAI Editorial Board

· Last updated 7 Nov 2026

Historical Scope and Editorial Governance

The American Journal of Sociology was founded in 1895 by pioneering sociologist Albion Small at the University of Chicago. Often referred to colloquially as the journal of american sociology or an indispensable american sociology journal, AJS has continuously shaped sociological inquiry from the emergence of the Chicago School through modern computational social science. It appears six times annually (bimonthly) under Print ISSN 0002-9602 and Electronic ISSN 1537-5390.

Editorial operations are based in the Department of Sociology at the University of Chicago, with publication and distribution managed by the University of Chicago Press. Submissions to the american journal sociology undergo rigorous double-blind peer review coordinated through the Editorial Manager submission system. Reviewers evaluate manuscripts anonymously, and authors must submit anonymized text files alongside a separate unblinded title page. AJS welcomes innovative theoretical treatises, macro-comparative analyses, and qualitative studies, including research focused on structuring a case study paper to address systemic institutional dynamics.

American Journal of Sociology Impact Factor and Metric Calculation

The american journal of sociology impact factor is published annually in Clarivate’s Journal Citation Reports (JCR) under the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI). The two-year Journal Impact Factor (JIF) is calculated by dividing citations accrued in a given year to articles published in the two preceding years by the total count of citable research articles and reviews published in that same timeframe.

According to Clarivate JCR metrics reported by the University of Chicago Press (read 2026-11-07), AJS holds a two-year Journal Impact Factor of 4.3. Because major sociological contributions frequently build influence over decades rather than short citation windows, Clarivate also calculates a five-year Impact Factor for AJS, which stands at 6.1. In Scopus metrics, AJS maintains a CiteScore of 6.7, confirming substantial multi-year citation longevity across the social sciences.

Disciplinary Quartile and Comparative Standing

Within the JCR Sociology category, AJS ranks #7 out of 222 indexed journals, placing it securely within the first quartile (Q1). Alongside the American Sociological Review, AJS is widely recognized as one of the two premier general-interest journals in sociology. While specialized field publications focus on narrower subject niches, AJS prioritizes manuscripts that advance fundamental conceptual frameworks, methodological rigor, and broad empirical significance.

Responsible Research Assessment Considerations

Bibliometric indicators such as the Journal Impact Factor reflect journal-wide citation aggregates and are heavily influenced by highly cited theoretical breakthroughs or review essays. Consequently, guidelines from the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA) caution tenure boards, hiring committees, and funding agencies against using the AJS impact factor as a direct measure of an individual author’s scientific merit. Scholarly assessment should emphasize the substantive quality, transparency, and methodological integrity of each specific contribution.

Sources

University of Chicago Press. American Journal of Sociology Overview and Current Issue. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/toc/ajs/current (read 2026-11-07).
University of Chicago Press. American Journal of Sociology Manuscript Preparation and Submission Guidelines. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/journals/ajs/instruct (read 2026-11-07).
Clarivate. Journal Citation Reports: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) Sociology Category. https://mjl.clarivate.com/ (read 2026-11-07).

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