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The Journal of Black Studies (JBS) is a peer-reviewed academic journal published by SAGE Publications that focuses on the social sciences, humanities, and culture of African and African diaspora populations. Founded in 1970 by Molefi Kete Asante, it serves as a foundational venue for empirical, theoretical, and historical research across Black and Africana studies.
What it is
The Journal of Black Studies is an international, peer-reviewed forum dedicated to sustained scholarly analysis of Black experiences worldwide. Established during the formative era of academic Black studies departments in the United States, the journal publishes eight issues per year on a bimonthly schedule (Print ISSN: 0021-9347; Online ISSN: 1552-4566).
The publication operates under a hybrid publishing model. Under traditional subscription publishing, authors pay zero article processing charges (APCs) to publish their peer-reviewed work. For authors subject to institutional or funder open-access mandates, SAGE offers an optional paid route called SAGE Choice, which provides immediate gold open access under Creative Commons licenses. Authors considering these routes can consult our overview of open-access publishing models to evaluate licensing and repository rights.
Who runs it and what it covers
The journal is published by SAGE Publications under the leadership of Editor-in-Chief Christel N. Temple (Professor of Africana Studies at the University of Pittsburgh) and Deputy Editor Bayyinah Jeffries (Associate Professor of Africana Studies at the University of Tennessee). An international editorial board of scholars guides peer review, curation of special thematic issues, and discipline standards.
The editorial scope covers interdisciplinary scholarship addressing the social, economic, cultural, and political dynamics of African and diaspora communities. Core subject areas include:
- Social sciences and sociology: Empirical investigations of family structures, urban communities, educational access, criminal justice, and institutional inequality.
- Afrocentricity and critical theory: Theoretical frameworks that prioritize African agency, cultural continuity, and decolonial methodologies.
- History and political economy: Archival and analytical studies of liberation movements, civil rights organizing, public policy, and labor history across the diaspora.
- Literature, arts, and communication: Analyses of Black expressive culture, rhetoric, media representations, and literary traditions.
The Journal of Black Studies is indexed across primary bibliographic databases, including Clarivate’s Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI, Web of Science Core Collection), Current Contents/Social & Behavioral Sciences, Elsevier’s Scopus, the Educational Research Information Center (ERIC), and the International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS). Researchers evaluating journal placement can look up a journal’s impact factor through Clarivate Journal Citation Reports (JCR) and verify disciplinary standing through JCR quartile rankings in cultural studies and sociology.
How to search or use it
Navigating the Journal of Black Studies involves reader discovery on publisher platforms and structured manuscript preparation through the editorial portal. Authors and researchers follow these verified steps:
- Access the journal archive: Search published volumes and advance online articles directly through the SAGE Journals portal (
journals.sagepub.com/home/jbs) or through institutional library proxy networks. - Review manuscript length and formatting requirements: Original research manuscripts must range between 5,000 and 7,000 words, excluding the title, abstract, references, and appendices. Submissions must adhere strictly to American Psychological Association (APA) formatting for in-text citations and bibliographic entries.
- Prepare abstract and keyword metadata: Structure an abstract of 150 to 200 words that states the research problem, methodology, findings, and disciplinary significance. Include at least four relevant keywords.
- Blinded file preparation: Because the journal enforces double-anonymized peer review, authors must prepare two separate files: an unblinded Title Page (with author names, affiliations, corresponding author email, ORCID iDs, and funding acknowledgments) and an anonymized Main Document stripped of author names, institutional affiliations, and self-identifying bibliographic citations.
- Access the SAGE Track submission portal: Navigate to the ScholarOne Manuscripts portal for JBS at
mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jbs. First-time users create an account, while returning contributors log in with their credentials or authenticated ORCID iDs. For a detailed system walkthrough, see our step-by-step guide to submitting a manuscript through ScholarOne. - Upload files and complete metadata declarations: Upload the Title Page as a supplementary file not for review, upload the anonymized Main Document as the primary review file, enter article metadata, and complete mandatory conflict of interest, ethical oversight, and data availability declarations.
- Inspect the generated PDF proof and submit: Carefully inspect the system-generated PDF proof to confirm that equations, tables, and special characters render accurately and that no unblinded metadata was incorporated into the reviewer copy before finalizing submission.
Strengths and limits
Evaluating the Journal of Black Studies requires balancing its historical standing against operational publishing characteristics:
- Strengths:
- Historical authority: Over 50 years of uninterrupted publication establishes JBS as one of the earliest and most recognized academic journals in Africana studies.
- Rigorous evaluation: Strict double-anonymized peer review protects early-career and independent scholars from institutional prestige bias.
- Comprehensive indexing: Dual coverage in Web of Science (SSCI) and Scopus guarantees global discoverability and formal academic recognition for promotion and tenure portfolios.
- Zero mandatory author fees: The traditional subscription pathway requires no author payment, removing financial barriers to publication.
- Limits:
- Selective scope constraints: Manuscripts that treat Black populations purely as incidental demographic variables without substantive engagement with Africana literature or theoretical frameworks are regularly rejected during initial editorial triage.
- Paywall restrictions for standard articles: Unless authors or their institutions fund open-access processing through SAGE Choice, articles remain behind a commercial paywall, though authors may exercise green open-access self-archiving rights in institutional repositories.
- Competitive review timelines: Because the journal receives substantial international submission volumes, the multi-stage review process requires adequate project planning.
Alternatives
Authors evaluating where to publish Africana, Black studies, and diaspora scholarship should compare the Journal of Black Studies with related peer-reviewed journals in the field:
| Journal | Publisher | Primary Disciplinary Scope | Peer Review Model | Core Indexing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Journal of Black Studies | SAGE Publications | Interdisciplinary Africana culture, politics, sociology, history, and Afrocentric paradigms | Double-anonymized peer review | Web of Science (SSCI), Scopus, ERIC, IBSS |
| The Journal of African American History | University of Chicago Press (for ASALH) | African American history, archival documentation, civil rights movements, institutional history | Double-anonymized peer review | Web of Science (A&HCI), Scopus, JSTOR |
| Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race | Cambridge University Press | Social science research on race, public policy, institutional racism, empirical sociology | Double-anonymized peer review | Web of Science (SSCI), Scopus |
| The Black Scholar | Taylor & Francis / Routledge | Black studies, cultural criticism, political thought, transformative social justice | Peer-reviewed | Scopus, Project MUSE, EBSCO |
| Souls: A Critical Journal of Black Politics, Culture, and Society | Taylor & Francis | Critical Black politics, radical intellectual traditions, political theory | Peer-reviewed | Scopus, Political Science Complete |
FAQ
Is the Journal of Black Studies peer reviewed?
Yes. The Journal of Black Studies uses a double-anonymized (double-blind) peer review process. Both author identities and reviewer identities are concealed during evaluation. Manuscripts pass initial editorial screening before being reviewed by at least two independent subject-matter experts.
Does the Journal of Black Studies charge publication fees (APCs)?
No. Standard publication in the Journal of Black Studies is free of charge for authors under the traditional subscription model. Authors who choose immediate gold open access under SAGE Choice or whose funders mandate open access can opt to pay an optional article processing charge.
What citation style is required for submissions?
Submissions must follow American Psychological Association (APA) style guidelines for all in-text citations and reference list entries. Articles must range between 5,000 and 7,000 words excluding the abstract and references.
How do authors submit a manuscript to the Journal of Black Studies?
Authors submit manuscripts electronically via SAGE Track, SAGE’s branded ScholarOne Manuscripts portal at mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jbs. Submissions require separate uploads for an unblinded title page and an anonymized manuscript file.
Where is the Journal of Black Studies indexed?
The journal is indexed in Clarivate’s Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI, Web of Science Core Collection), Current Contents/Social & Behavioral Sciences, Elsevier’s Scopus, the Educational Research Information Center (ERIC), and the International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS).
Sources
- SAGE Publications. Journal of Black Studies Official Portal, Aims & Scope, and Submission Guidelines: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/jbs (read 2026-11-08)
- Clarivate. Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) — Web of Science Core Collection Master Journal List: https://mjl.clarivate.com/ (read 2026-11-08)
- Elsevier. Scopus Source List and Metrics: https://www.scopus.com/sources (read 2026-11-08)
- Princeton University Library. Africana and African American Studies Research Guide: Scholarly Serials: https://libguides.princeton.edu/ (read 2026-11-08)
