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The Journal of Family Issues (JFI) is a monthly peer-reviewed social science periodical published by SAGE Publications in association with the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR). Established in March 1980 (Volume 1, Issue 1), the journal provides an interdisciplinary forum for empirical research, theoretical developments, and methodological analyses exploring contemporary family life, interpersonal household dynamics, and family policy.
For scholars evaluating target submission venues or citing foundational sociological literature, this guide details the publication’s scope, indexing profile, ScholarOne manuscript workflow, publishing fee models, and comparative standing among family studies journals.
| Journal Specification | Verified Details |
|---|---|
| Full Title | Journal of Family Issues |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (Thousand Oaks, California) |
| Sponsoring Association | National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) |
| Print ISSN | 0192-513X |
| Electronic ISSN | 1552-5481 |
| NLM Unique ID | 8005417 (Medline TA: J Fam Issues) |
| Publication Frequency | Monthly (12 issues per volume) |
| Peer Review Model | Double-anonymized peer review |
| Publishing Model | Hybrid (Subscription with optional SAGE Choice Gold Open Access) |
| Author Submission Fee | $0 (Free for standard subscription publishing) |
| Article Processing Charge (APC) | $3,650 USD / £2,676 GBP (SAGE Choice option) |
| Submission Management System | ScholarOne Manuscripts (mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jfi) |
What it is
The Journal of Family Issues is a scholarly research journal devoted to understanding family structures, relationship processes, and household transitions. As an established publication indexed in the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) and Scopus, it emphasizes quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method empirical investigations connecting micro-level relational dynamics with macro-level institutional forces.
The journal enforces rigorous methodological standards, requiring manuscripts to document sample recruitment, measurement validity, and analytic reproducibility. Submissions must adhere to standardized manuscript format for journal submission protocols and clear reporting standards. Every article receives permanent digital preservation and tracking through Crossref DOI registration, with over 3,080 cumulative records deposited since 1980.
Bibliometric databases, including Clarivate’s Journal Citation Reports and OpenAlex, track the publication’s research output and academic impact. Authors interested in bibliometric measures can review how the journal impact factor is calculated to understand citation window mechanics across sociological journals.
Who runs it and what it covers
The Journal of Family Issues is published by SAGE Publications in editorial collaboration with the National Council on Family Relations. Editorial oversight is directed by Editor-in-Chief Constance L. Shehan (University of Florida), supported by an international editorial board of sociologists, family demographers, and developmental psychologists.
Thematic Research Scope
The journal accepts original manuscripts examining families across the life course, specifically emphasizing:
- Family Dynamics and Relationship Formation: Empirical studies on dating, cohabitation, marriage, divorce, and blended family structures.
- Division of Household Labor and Gender: Investigations into domestic labor allocation, parental responsibilities, and emotional labor.
- Work-Family Integration: Research on workplace family leave policies, employment precarity, and dual-earner economic strains.
- Intergenerational Relationships: Studies evaluating adult child-parent interactions, grandparent caregiving, and elder care responsibilities.
- Child and Adolescent Development: Analyses of parenting styles and child wellbeing across changing household environments.
- Family Adversity and Resilience: Research assessing economic distress, military family transitions, and structural inequality.
The journal prioritizes research grounded in primary data or recognized secondary surveys rather than uncontextualized opinion or clinical case notes.
How to search or use it
Submitting an article to the Journal of Family Issues requires following the official ScholarOne Manuscripts editorial pipeline. Authors can manage their submission through the following eight operational steps:
- Access the Submission Portal: Navigate to the journal’s official manuscript submission portal at
mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jfiand log in or select “Create An Account”. - Prepare Anonymized Files: Prepare a blinded “Main Document” with author names and institutional affiliations excised for double-anonymized review. Prepare a separate unblinded “Title Page” containing complete author metadata.
- Enter Manuscript Metadata: Select the manuscript type (“Original Research Article”), paste the title, and input an unstructured abstract between 150 and 250 words summarizing objectives, methods, findings, and implications.
- Link Author Identifiers: Enter all contributing co-authors with institutional email addresses and authenticated ORCID iD records to ensure accurate attribution.
- Upload Formatted Documents: Upload files using designated file tags (“Main Document”, “Title Page”, and individual “Figure” or “Table” files). Ensure references follow APA Style (7th edition) guidelines and cite verified peer-reviewed references.
- Complete Ethics and Conflict Disclosures: Confirm Institutional Review Board (IRB) human subjects approval, declare commercial financial interests, and state grant support details.
- Suggest Referees: Provide contact details and affiliations for 3 to 4 recommended independent peer reviewers, noting any non-preferred reviewers due to conflicts of interest.
- Inspect PDF Proof and Submit: Generate the merged system PDF inspection proof, verify that tables and formatting render without corruption, and click “Submit” to advance the manuscript into editorial triage.
Strengths and limits
Evaluating whether the Journal of Family Issues suits a prospective study involves weighing its publishing strengths against its operational constraints.
Key Strengths
- Established Disciplinary Visibility: Continuous monthly publication since 1980 provides high visibility within sociology and family studies.
- No Author Fees for Subscription Publishing: Authors can publish accepted manuscripts under the traditional subscription model with zero submission fees or page charges.
- Broad Interdisciplinary Indexing: Articles are indexed across SSCI, Scopus, and Sociological Abstracts.
- Double-Anonymized Evaluation: Reviewer anonymity shields emerging researchers from institutional and geographic evaluation bias.
Operational Limits
- Length Constraints: Standard empirical manuscripts are strictly capped between 4,000 and 8,000 words (including abstract and body text), with references capped at approximately 100 citations.
- Selective Acceptance Rates: As a prominent disciplinary journal receiving high submission volumes, desk-reject rates are common for papers lacking theoretical grounding.
- High Hybrid APC Costs: Authors mandated by funders to provide immediate Gold open access must fund an Article Processing Charge of $3,650 USD unless covered by an institutional transformative agreement.
Alternatives
Researchers deciding where to submit family science manuscripts can compare the Journal of Family Issues with related periodicals in the table below:
| Journal Name | Publisher & Affiliation | Primary Focus | Peer Review Model | Publishing Route |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Journal of Family Issues | SAGE Publications / NCFR | Interdisciplinary family dynamics, divorce, work-family life, and household sociology | Double-anonymized | Hybrid ($3,650 APC) / Free Subscription |
| Journal of Marriage and Family | Wiley / NCFR | Flagship theoretical and empirical demographic investigations of marriage and family life | Double-anonymized | Hybrid / Free Subscription |
| Family Relations | Wiley / NCFR | Applied family science, educational interventions, clinical practice, and public policy | Double-anonymized | Hybrid / Free Subscription |
| Journal of Family Violence | Springer Nature | Clinical and sociological research on intimate partner violence, abuse, and trauma | Double-anonymized | Hybrid / Free Subscription |
| Journal of Social and Personal Relationships | SAGE Publications / IARR | Social psychology, interpersonal communication, close friendships, and romantic dyads | Double-anonymized | Hybrid ($3,650 APC) / Free Subscription |
FAQ
Is the Journal of Family Issues an open access journal?
No, the Journal of Family Issues is a hybrid subscription journal, not a fully open access journal. Standard publication in the journal is completely free of charge to authors under the traditional subscription model. Authors who wish or are required by funders to publish open access may choose the SAGE Choice option by paying an Article Processing Charge of $3,650 USD.
What citation and manuscript style does the journal require?
The journal requires complete compliance with the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA 7th edition). All manuscript elements, including in-text citations, section headings, statistical symbols, tables, and reference lists, must follow APA guidelines.
What word count limit applies to research articles?
Original research articles submitted to the Journal of Family Issues typically range between 4,000 and 8,000 words, inclusive of the abstract, main text, and tables. In addition, reference lists are generally expected to remain under 100 citations.
What is the peer review format for submissions?
The journal operates a double-anonymized peer review process. Reviewers do not know the identities or institutional affiliations of the authors, and authors do not know the identities of the reviewers. Authors must submit a blinded manuscript file alongside a separate title page file.
Does the journal charge submission or page fees?
No. The Journal of Family Issues does not charge any manuscript submission fees, page charges, or processing fees for manuscripts published under the traditional subscription access model.
Sources
- SAGE Publications — Journal of Family Issues Journal Overview and Author Guidelines. URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/jfi (Accessed November 10, 2026).
- ScholarOne Manuscripts — SAGE Journal of Family Issues Submission Portal. URL: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jfi (Accessed November 10, 2026).
- Crossref Official Registry — Serial Record for Journal of Family Issues (ISSN: 0192-513X, 1552-5481). URL: https://api.crossref.org/journals/0192-513X (Accessed November 10, 2026).
- U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM) Catalog — Journal of family issues Serial Record (NLM ID: 8005417). URL: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nlmcatalog/8005417 (Accessed November 10, 2026).
- OpenAlex Knowledge Graph — Source Profile for Journal of Family Issues (Source ID: S82455696). URL: https://api.openalex.org/sources?filter=issn:0192-513X (Accessed November 10, 2026).
