The Sociological Review
Social Theory | Sociology of Everyday Life | Sociology of Organizations, Institutions & Structure
The Sociological Review is also home to a prestigious Monograph Series that publishes collections of outstanding and original scholarly articles on issues of general sociological interest. Dedicated to showcasing the very best and most innovative sociologically informed work, and to promoting emerging as well as established academics, the series has for over fifty years produced intellectually stimulating, coherent volumes of the highest quality. Subscribers to The Sociological Review also receive the monograph series, but the books are available to buy separately here.
The Sociological Review is published by the Sociological Review Publication Limited with the support of Keele University. The profit from the sale of the Journal is donated to the Sociological Review Foundation Limited, a registered charity whose purpose is to advance the education of the public on the subject of sociology.
The Sociological Review has been publishing high quality and innovative articles for over 100 years. During this time we have steadfastly remained a general sociological journal, selecting papers of immediate and lasting significance. Covering all branches of the discipline, including criminology, education, gender, medicine, and organization, our tradition extends to research that is anthropological or philosophical in orientation and analytical or ethnographic in approach.
We focus on questions that shape the nature and scope of sociology as well as those that address the changing forms and impact of social relations. In saying this we are not soliciting papers that seek to prescribe methods or dictate perspectives for the discipline. In opening up frontiers and publishing leading-edge research, we see these heterodox issues being settled and unsettled over time by virtue of contributors keeping the debates that occupy sociologists vital and relevant.
Papers are reviewed on the understanding that they are not under consideration elsewhere. Particularly, but not exclusively, we are interested in papers that take heed of how their topics and themes have been debated in the pages of this journal. Equally, we are likely to pass over papers that take their sociological objects for granted, or fail to acknowledge the consequences and politics of the view they are pursuing. We invite papers that are demonstrably alive to both the assumptions they are making and the wider issues they are raising. Click here for further information on The Sociological Review.
The Sociological Review is also home to a prestigious Monograph Series that publishes collections of outstanding and original scholarly articles on issues of general sociological interest. Dedicated to showcasing the very best and most innovative sociologically informed work, and to promoting emerging as well as established academics, the series has for over fifty years produced intellectually stimulating, coherent volumes of the highest quality. Subscribers to The Sociological Review also receive the monograph series. Click here for details of how to submit a proposal for the monograph series.
This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
| Xiaodong Lin (Wes Lin) | University of Warwick, UK |
| Daryl Martin | University of York, UK |
| Kirsteen Paton | University of Glasgow, UK |
| Amy Chandler | University of Edinburgh, UK |
| Bo-Wei Chen | National Kaohsiung Normal University, Taiwan |
| Sweta Rajan-Rankin | University of Kent, UK |
| Silke Roth | University of Southampton, UK |
| Carin Runciman | University of Edinburgh, UK |
| Karen Throsby | University of Leeds, UK |
| Bo-Wei Chen | National Kaohsiung Normal University, Taiwan |
| Karen Throsby | University of Leeds, UK |
| Asiya Islam | University of Leeds, UK |
| Milena Kremakova | National Pingtung University, Taiwan |
| Ash Watson | UNSW, Sydney, Australia |
| Emma Craddock | Birmingham City University, UK |
| Michael Burawoy | University of California, Berkeley, USA |
| Bev Skeggs | Lancaster University, UK |
| Kaoru Takahashi | The Sociological Review Foundation, UK |
| Attila Szanto | The Sociological Review Foundation, UK |
| Karen Shook | The Sociological Review Foundation, UK |
| Carol Rogerson | The Sociological Review Foundation, UK |
| William Zhengdong Hu | Keele University, UK |
| Jose Atiles | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA |
| Bolaji Balogun | University of Sheffield, UK |
| Michaela Benson | Lancaster University, UK |
| Talja Blokland | Humboldt University Berlin, Germany |
| Steven Brown | Nottingham Trent University, UK |
| Karis Campion | City, University of London, UK |
| Giulia Carabelli | Queen Mary University of London, UK |
| Sören Carlson | Europa-Universität Flensburg, Germany |
| Manase Kudzai Chiweshe | University of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe |
| Romit Chowdhury | Erasmus University Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Laura Connelly | University of Sheffield, UK |
| Alejandro De Cross-Corzo | University of Edinburgh, UK |
| Karen Cuthbert | University of Glasgow, UK |
| Alexandra D'Onofrio | University of Manchester, UK |
| Matt Dawson | University of Glasgow, UK |
| Sara De Benedictis | Brunel University London, UK |
| David du Toit | University of Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Yuiko Fujita | Tokyo University, Japan |
| Lisa Garforth | Newcastle University, UK |
| Sarah Green | University of Helsinki, Finland |
| Amani Hassani | Brunel University, UK |
| Terence Heng | University of Liverpool, UK |
| Pru Hobson-West | University of Nottingham, UK |
| Max Holleran | University of Melbourne, Australia |
| Billy Holzberg | King's College London, UK |
| Nicholas Hookway | University of Tasmania, Australia |
| Emma Jackson | Goldsmiths, University of London, UK |
| Marie-Andree Jacob | University of Leeds, UK |
| Benjamin N. Jacobsen | University of York, UK |
| Charlotte Jones | University of Exeter, UK |
| Jared Keyel | Colorado State University, USA |
| Sally King | King’s College London, UK |
| Marjo Kolehmainen | University of Turku, Finland |
| Cath Lambert | University of Warwick, UK |
| Claire Seungeun Lee | University of Massachusetts Lowell, USA |
| Agata Lisiak | Bard College Berlin, Germany |
| Vik Loveday | Goldsmiths, University of London, UK |
| Greg Martin | Murdoch University, Australia |
| Alan Santinele Martino | University of Calgary, Canada |
| Baris Cayli Messina | University of Lincoln, UK |
| Mike Michael | University of Exeter, UK |
| Sarah Moore | University of Bath, UK |
| Ryan Nolan | Aarhus University, Denmark |
| Dimitris Papadopoulos | University of Nottingham, UK |
| Maud Perrier | University of Bristol, UK |
| Rosie Read | Bournemouth University, UK |
| Rachel Rosen | University College London, UK |
| Charlie Rumsby | Keele University, UK |
| Carin Runciman | University of Edinburgh, UK |
| Amalia Sa’ar | University of Haifa, Israel |
| Tannistha Samanta | FLAME University, India |
| Tracey Skillington | University College Cork, Ireland |
| Eeva Sointu | York St John University, UK |
| Dhriti Sonowal | Jawaharlal Nehru University, India |
| Sarah Stopforth | University of York, UK |
| Steven Threadgold | University of Newcastle, Australia |
| Meghan Tinsley | University of Manchester, UK |
| Katherine Twamley | University College London, UK |
| Satnam Virdee | University of Glasgow, UK |
| Nicole Vitellone | University of Liverpool, UK |
Manuscript Submission Guidelines: The Sociological Review
This Journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics
Visit the Journal’s submission site https://submissions.thesociologicalreview.com
to upload your manuscript. Please note that manuscripts not conforming to these guidelines may be returned.
Additional guidance for authors is available at: https://thesociologicalreview.org/publish-with-us/journal/writing-for-the-sociological-review-journal/
Only manuscripts of sufficient quality that meet the aims and scope of The Sociological Review will be reviewed.
There are no fees payable to submit or publish in this Journal. Open Access options are available - see section 3.3 below. However, the Open Access options for publishing in the journal available that may incur an Article Processing Charge. Please see here for Sage’s open access options.
As part of the submission process you will be required to warrant that you are submitting your original work, that you have the rights in the work, that you are submitting the work for first publication in the Journal and that it is not being considered for publication elsewhere and has not already been published elsewhere, and that you have obtained and can supply all necessary permissions for the reproduction of any copyright works not owned by you.
- What do we publish?
1.1 Aims & Scope
1.2 Article types
1.3 Writing your paper - Editorial policies
2.1 Peer review policy
2.2 Authorship
2.3 Acknowledgements
2.4 Declaration of conflicting interests - Publishing policies
3.1 Publication ethics
3.2 Contributor's publishing agreement
3.3 Open access and author archiving - Preparing your manuscript
4.1 Formatting
4.2 Artwork, figures and other graphics
4.3 Supplementary material
4.4 Reference style
4.5 English language editing services - Submitting your manuscript
5.1 Information required for completing your submission
5.2 Anonymization
5.3 Permissions - On acceptance and publication
6.1 Sage Production
6.2 Online First publication
6.3 Access to your published article
6.4 Promoting your article - Further information
Before submitting your manuscript to The Sociological Review, please ensure you have read the Aims & Scope.
Original Articles
Original articles submitted to The Sociological Review should normally be within the maximum word limit of 8,000 words for the main essay including footnotes and an additional 1,000 words for the list of references. We will consider a longer version if the paper is to proceed to a later stage, subject to approval by the editor.
All other types of articles/writing should be directed to https://thesociologicalreview.org/publish-with-us/
The Sage Author Gateway has some general advice and on how to get published, plus links to further resources. Sage Author Services also offers authors a variety of ways to improve and enhance their article including English language editing, plagiarism detection, and video abstract and infographic preparation.
1.3.1 Make your article discoverable
When writing up your paper, think about how you can make it discoverable. The title, keywords and abstract are key to ensuring readers find your article through search engines such as Google. For information and guidance on how best to title your article, write your abstract and select your keywords, have a look at this page on the Gateway: How to Help Readers Find Your Article Online
If you are asked to provide the names of a peer who could be called upon to review your manuscript, please note that reviewers should be experts in their fields and should be able to provide an objective assessment of the manuscript. Please be aware of any conflicts of interest when recommending reviewers. Examples of conflicts of interest include (but are not limited to) the below:
- The reviewer should have no prior knowledge of your submission
- The reviewer should not have recently collaborated with any of the authors
- Reviewer nominees from the same institution as any of the authors are not permitted
Please note that the journal’s editors are not obliged to invite any recommended/opposed reviewers to assess your manuscript.
The Editor or members of the Editorial Board may occasionally submit their own manuscripts for possible publication in the journal. In these cases, the peer review process will be managed by alternative members of the Board and the submitting Editor/Board member will have no involvement in the decision-making process.
All parties who have made a substantive contribution to the article should be listed as authors. Principal authorship, authorship order, and other publication credits should be based on the relative scientific or professional contributions of the individuals involved, regardless of their status. A student is usually listed as principal author on any multiple-authored publication that substantially derives from the student’s dissertation or thesis.
Please note that AI chatbots, for example ChatGPT, should not be listed as authors. For more information see the policy on Use of ChatGPT and generative AI tools.
All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in an Acknowledgements section. Examples of those who might be acknowledged include a person who provided purely technical help, or a department chair who provided only general support.
2.3.1 Third party submissions
Where an individual who is not listed as an author submits a manuscript on behalf of the author(s), a statement must be included in the Acknowledgements section of the manuscript and in the accompanying cover letter. The statements must:
- Disclose this type of editorial assistance – including the individual’s name, company and level of input
- Identify any entities that paid for this assistance
- Confirm that the listed authors have authorized the submission of their manuscript via third party and approved any statements or declarations, e.g. conflicting interests, funding, etc.
Where appropriate, Sage reserves the right to deny consideration to manuscripts submitted by a third party rather than by the authors themselves.
2.4 Declaration of conflicting interests
The Sociological Review encourages authors to include a declaration of any conflicting interests and recommends you review the good practice guidelines on the Sage Journal Author Gateway
Sage is committed to upholding the integrity of the academic record. We encourage authors to refer to the Committee on Publication Ethics’ International Standards for Authors and view the Publication Ethics page on the Sage Author Gateway.
3.1.1 Plagiarism
The Sociological Review and Sage 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, for example, 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 including, but 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.
3.1.2 Prior publication
The Sociological Review does not accept for peer review papers that have been placed on pre-print servers. The journal also does not tolerate papers being placed on pre-print servers while undergoing peer review or the publication process.
Manuscripts will be considered for The Sociological Review only if they have not already been published, and are not currently under consideration for publication, elsewhere. Manuscripts should not contain substantial elements of material published or accepted for publication elsewhere.
If you wish to discuss a previously published work with the Editor, please do so via the address given below.
3.2 Contributor's publishing agreement
Before publication, Sage requires the author as the rights holder to sign a Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement. Sage’s Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement is an exclusive licence agreement which means that the author retains copyright in the work but grants Sage the sole and exclusive right and licence to publish for the full legal term of copyright. Exceptions may exist where an assignment of copyright is required or preferred by a proprietor other than Sage. In this case copyright in the work will be assigned from the author to the society. For more information please visit the Sage Author Gateway.
3.3 Open access and author archiving
The Sociological Review offers optional open access publishing via the Sage Choice programme and Open Access agreements, where authors can publish open access either discounted or free of charge depending on the agreement with Sage. Find out if your institution is participating by visiting Open Access Agreements at Sage. For more information on Open Access publishing options at Sage please visit Sage Open Access. For information on funding body compliance, and depositing your article in repositories, please visit Sage’s Author Archiving and Re-Use Guidelines and Publishing Policies.
4. Preparing your manuscript for submission
The preferred format for your manuscript is Word using the .docx format for Word 2007-365. Open Text Document format files are also accepted.
4.2 Artwork, figures and other graphics
For guidance on the preparation of illustrations, pictures and graphs in electronic format, please visit Sage’s Manuscript Submission Guidelines
Figures supplied in colour will appear in colour online regardless of whether or not these illustrations are reproduced in colour in the printed version. For specifically requested colour reproduction in print, you will receive information regarding the costs from Sage after receipt of your accepted article.
This journal is able to host additional materials online (e.g. datasets, podcasts, videos, images etc) alongside the full-text of the article. These will be subjected to peer-review alongside the article. For more information please refer to our guidelines on submitting supplementary files
The Sociological Review adheres to the APA reference style. View the APA guidelines to ensure your manuscript conforms to this reference style.
4.5 English language editing services
Authors seeking assistance with English language editing, translation, or figure and manuscript formatting to fit the journal’s specifications should consider using Sage Language Services. Visit Sage Language Services on our Journal Author Gateway for further information.
Please submit your paper via our online submission system at https://submissions.thesociologicalreview.com
5.1 Information required for completing your submission
You will be asked to provide contact details and academic affiliations for all co-authors via the submission system and identify who is to be the corresponding author. These details must match what appears on your manuscript. These details should be presented separately to the main text of the article to facilitate anonymous peer review. At this stage please ensure you have included all the required statements and declarations and uploaded any additional supplementary files (including reporting guidelines where relevant).
If you refer to your own publication, please add in-text citation as (reference removed for anonymity). Please do not describe such as (author, 2023) or (XXXXX, 2020; 2023) because in those cases, even when the author’s name is anonymized, the publication year can become a clue for referees to identify the author. Also, for the reference list, please do not include any information about your own refereed publications – instead, please just remove them completely from the reference list. For example, the following reference entries are not acceptable:
XXXXX (2020)
YYYYY
XXXX and YYYY (2021)
It is still possible for referees to identify an author by the place that an anonymized reference appears in an alphabetically ordered list.
It is also important to remove any other information that enables referees to identify the author, such as the names of particular research projects or funding bodies.
Please also ensure that you have obtained any necessary permission from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere. For further information including guidance on fair dealing for criticism and review, please see the Copyright and Permissions page on the Sage Author Gateway
6. On acceptance and publication
Your Sage Production Editor will keep you informed as to your article’s progress throughout the production process. Proofs will be sent by PDF to the corresponding author and should be returned promptly. Authors are reminded to check their proofs carefully to confirm that all author information, including names, affiliations, sequence and contact details are correct, and that Funding and Conflict of Interest statements, if any, are accurate.
Online First allows final articles (completed and approved articles awaiting assignment to a future issue) to be published online prior to their inclusion in a journal issue, which significantly reduces the lead time between submission and publication. Visit the Sage Journals help page for more details, including how to cite Online First articles.
6.3 Access to your published article
Sage provides authors with online access to their final article.
Publication is not the end of the process! You can help disseminate your paper and ensure it is as widely read and cited as possible. The Sage Author Gateway has numerous resources to help you promote your work. Visit the Promote Your Article page on the Gateway for tips and advice.
Any correspondence, queries or additional requests for information on the manuscript submission process should be sent to the The Sociological Review editorial office as follows:
Kaoru Takahashi
Editorial Manager
journal@thesociologicalreview.com