American Journal of Sociology

Aims & Scope

Established in 1895 as the first US scholarly journal in its field, the American Journal of Sociology (AJS) presents pathbreaking work from all areas of sociology, with an emphasis on theory building and innovative methods.

AJS strives to speak to the general sociology reader and is open to contributions from across the social sciences—sociology, political science, economics, history, anthropology, and statistics—that seriously engage the sociological literature to forge new ways of understanding the social.

AJS offers a substantial book review section that identifies the most salient work of both emerging and enduring scholars of social science.

Commissioned review essays appear occasionally, offering readers a comparative, in-depth examination of prominent titles.

Although AJS publishes a very small percentage of the papers submitted to it, a double-blind review process is available to all qualified submissions, making the journal a center for exchange and debate "behind" the printed page and contributing to the robustness of social science research in general.

View Aims & Scope

---

Metrics & Ranking

Impact Factor

Year	Value
2025	3.6
2024	4.40

Journal Rank

Year	Value
2024	808

Journal Citation Indicator

Year	Value
2024	549

SJR (SCImago Journal Rank)

Year	Value
2024	2.811

Quartile

Year	Value
2024	Q1

---

---

Abstracting & Indexing

Journal is indexed in leading academic databases, ensuring global visibility and accessibility of our peer-reviewed research.

• Scopus
• Google Scholar
• Web of Science

---

Subjects & Keywords

Journal’s research areas, covering key disciplines and specialized sub-topics in Social Sciences, designed to support cutting-edge academic discovery.

---

Most Cited Articles

The Most Cited Articles section features the journal's most impactful research, based on citation counts. These articles have been referenced frequently by other researchers, indicating their significant contribution to their respective fields.

• The Strength of Weak Ties

  Citation: 24844

  Authors: Mark S.

• Social Capital in the Creation of Human Capital

  Citation: 19336

  Authors: James S.

• Economic Action and Social Structure: The Problem of Embeddedness

  Citation: 17756

  Authors: Mark

• Institutionalized Organizations: Formal Structure as Myth and Ceremony

  Citation: 16539

  Authors: John W., Brian

• The Population Ecology of Organizations

  Citation: 4513

  Authors: Michael T., John

• What Is Agency?

  Citation: 3912

  Authors: Mustafa, Ann

• Structural Holes and Good Ideas

  Citation: 3757

  Authors: Ronald S.

• Threshold Models of Collective Behavior

  Citation: 3737

  Authors: Mark

• Resource Mobilization and Social Movements: A Partial Theory

  Citation: 3691

  Authors: John D., Mayer N.

• The Economics of Organization: The Transaction Cost Approach

  Citation: 3689

  Authors: Oliver E.

---