Journal of Legal Studies

Aims & Scope

The Journal of Legal Studies publishes interdisciplinary academic research that tests or develops a particular legal or social scientific theory about law and legal institutions, including short submissions that critique or extend articles published in previous issues of the JLS.

The JLS emphasizes social science approaches, especially those of economics, political science, and psychology, but it also publishes the work of historians, philosophers, and others who are interested in legal theory.

The Journal was founded in 1972.

View Aims & Scope

---

Metrics & Ranking

Impact Factor

Year	Value
2025	1.1
2024	0.90

Journal Rank

Year	Value
2024	16953

Journal Citation Indicator

Year	Value
2024	51

SJR (SCImago Journal Rank)

Year	Value
2024	0.290

Quartile

Year	Value
2024	Q2

h-index

Year	Value
2024	71

---

---

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.

---

Licensing & Copyright

This journal operates under an Open Access model. Articles are freely accessible to the public immediately upon publication. The content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), allowing users to share and adapt the work with proper attribution.

Copyright remains with the author(s), and no permission is required for non-commercial use, provided the original source is cited.

---

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.

• A Fine is a Price

  Citation: 1226

  Authors: Uri, Aldo

• Law Enforcement, Malfeasance, and Compensation of Enforcers

  Citation: 1095

  Authors: Gary S., George J.

• The Selection of Disputes for Litigation

  Citation: 794

  Authors: George L., Benjamin

• Opting out of the Legal System: Extralegal Contractual Relations in the Diamond Industry

  Citation: 567

  Authors: Lisa

• The Dirt on Coming Clean: Perverse Effects of Disclosing Conflicts of Interest

  Citation: 444

  Authors: Daylian M., George, Don A.

• Strict Liability versus Negligence

  Citation: 436

  Authors: Steven

• Entitlements, Rights, and Fairness: An Experimental Examination of Subjects' Concepts of Distributive Justice

  Citation: 389

  Authors: Elizabeth, Matthew L.

• An Economic Approach to Legal Procedure and Judicial Administration

  Citation: 377

  Authors: Richard A.

• What Is Privacy Worth?

  Citation: 375

  Authors: Alessandro, Leslie K., George

• Toward an Economic Theory of Liability

  Citation: 357

  Authors: John Prather

---