World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Social Problems
H-index 9

Social Problems

0037-7791

Published by: Oxford University Press

https://academic.oup.com/socpro

Ranking & Metrics

Discipline name Position Best Scientists Publications D-Index
Social Sciences and Humanities 838 14 13 6

Additional Metrics

Number of Best Scientists*: 26
Documents by Best Scientists*: 23
Top 100 Ranked Scientists*: 1
SCIMAGO H-index: 117
SCIMAGO SJR: 2.177
Impact Factor: 2.9

Overview

Top Research Topics at Social Problems?

The aim of Social Problems is to expand the discussion of research in Social psychology, Politics, Criminology, Gender studies and Law. While work presented in the journal provided substantial information on Social psychology, it also covered topics in Juvenile delinquency, Social issues and Race (biology). The work on Politics presented in the journal focuses on Social movement in particular.

  • Social psychology (23.54%)
  • Politics (10.11%)
  • Criminology (10.04%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

  • Respondent-driven sampling : A new approach to the study of hidden populations (3205 citations)
  • The Constant Comparative Method of Qualitative Analysis (2796 citations)
  • Learning from the Outsider Within: The Sociological Significance of Black Feminist Thought (1794 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at Social Problems:

The journal articles facilitate discussions on Social psychology, Criminology, Gender studies, Social movement and Politics. The published papers explore research in Social psychology alongside concepts in Race (biology) and other areas of study in Racism and Ethnic group. The journal articles address concerns in Social movement which are intertwined with other disciplines, such as Political economy and Public relations.

What topics the last edition of the journal is best known for?

  • Law
  • World War II
  • Social psychology

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

Gender studies, Criminology, Race (biology), Social psychology and Political economy are among the topics commonly tackled in the journal. Topics in Gender studies were tackled in line with various other fields like White (horse), Immigration and Negotiation. The featured works in Punishment, which all belong in the domain if Criminology, also overlaps with concepts under Sexual assault.

Most of the Race (biology) studies addressed also intersect with Racial disparity.

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

  • Technologies of Crime Prediction: The Reception of Algorithms in Policing and Criminal Courts (16 citations)
  • White Christian Nationalism and Relative Political Tolerance for Racists (12 citations)
  • The Increasing Effect of Neighborhood Racial Composition on Housing Values, 1980–2015 (7 citations)

Papers citation over time

A key indicator for each journal is its effectiveness in reaching other researchers with the papers published at that venue.

The chart below presents the interquartile range (first quartile 25%, median 50% and third quartile 75%) of the number of citations of articles over time.

The top authors publishing in Social Problems (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Alfred McClung Lee (19 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • John F. Galliher (11 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Arnold M. Rose (11 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Ted Chiricos (10 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Edwin M. Schur (10 papers) absent at the last edition.

The overall trend for top authors publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top authors.

Only papers with recognized affiliations are considered

The top affiliations publishing in Social Problems (based on the number of publications) are:

  • University of California, Los Angeles (63 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition, 1 more than at the previous edition,
  • Northwestern University (60 papers) published 6 papers at the last edition,
  • Florida State University (56 papers) published 5 papers at the last edition,
  • University of California, Berkeley (53 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition,
  • University of Wisconsin-Madison (50 papers) absent at the last edition.

The overall trend for top affiliations publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top affiliations.

Publication chance based on affiliation

The publication chance index shows the ratio of articles published by the best research institutions in the journal edition to all articles published within that journal. The best research institutions were selected based on the largest number of articles published during all editions of the journal.

The chart below presents the percentage ratio of articles from top institutions (based on their ranking of total papers).Top affiliations were grouped by their rank into the following tiers: top 1-10, top 11-20, top 21-50, and top 51+. Only articles with a recognized affiliation are considered.

During the most recent 2021 edition, 1.87% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 19.05% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 9.52% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 27.62% of all publications and 43.81% were from other institutions.

Returning Authors Index

A very common phenomenon observed among researchers publishing scientific articles is the intentional selection of journals they have already attended in the past. In particular, it is worth analyzing the case when the authors participate in the same journal from year to year.

The Returning Authors Index presented below illustrates the ratio of authors who participated in both a given as well as the previous edition of the journal in relation to all participants in a given year.

Returning Institution Index

The graph below shows the Returning Institution Index, illustrating the ratio of institutions that participated in both a given and the previous edition of the conference in relation to all affiliations present in a given year.

The experience to innovation index

Our experience to innovation index was created to show a cross-section of the experience level of authors publishing in a journal. The index includes the authors publishing at the last edition of a journal, grouped by total number of publications throughout their academic career (P) and the total number of citations of these publications ever received (C).

The group intervals were selected empirically to best show the diversity of the authors' experiences, their labels were selected as a convenience, not as judgment. The authors were divided into the following groups:

  • Novice - P < 5 or C < 25 (the number of publications less than 5 or the number of citations less than 25),
  • Competent - P < 10 or C < 100 (the number of publications less than 10 or the number of citations less than 100),
  • Experienced - P < 25 or C < 625 (the number of publications less than 25 or the number of citations less than 625),
  • Master - P < 50 or C < 2500 (the number of publications less than 50 or the number of citations less than 2500),
  • Star - P ≥ 50 and C ≥ 2500 (both the number of publications greater than 50 and the number of citations greater than 2500).

The chart below illustrates experience levels of first authors in cases of publications with multiple authors.

Careers in Social Problems Research

An enriching area of this platform is the exploration of various careers intertwined with research in social problems. For instance, becoming a marriage and family therapist often involves engaging in research on social problems and understanding their impacts on different family structures and relationships. Moreover, several research topics covered by this journal are regularly applied in such counseling professions. For those interested in pursuing professional roles that directly contribute to resolving social problems, such as a marriage counselor, specific educational and licensing requirements apply. Being a marriage and family therapist implies embarking on a demanding yet rewarding career path that necessitates a profound understanding of human behavior, social dynamics, and therapeutic practices. Choosing to become a marriage counselor often implies acquiring specialized skills, as well as meeting certain educational and licensing prerequisites. However, it's important to remember that these may vary across different regions. An excellent resource for anyone considering this route is the guide on how to become a marriage and family therapist in Maine. Check out this Marriage counselor education requirements in Maine to familiarize yourself with the pathway to becoming a marriage and family therapist. This guide outlines all the necessary steps and provides guidance on how to navigate the journey effectively and efficiently. In addition, it offers insights into other related professions, such as social workers and psychologists, that are also instrumental in addressing and mitigating various social problems.

Top Publications

  • “The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Grease”: Rental Assistance Applicants’ Quests for a Rationed and Scarce Resource

    Danya E Keene;Alana Rosenberg;Penelope Schlesinger;Shannon Whittaker

    (2021)
    25 Citations
  • The Contradictions of Liminal Legality: Economic Attainment and Civic Engagement of Central American Immigrants on Temporary Protected Status

    Cecilia Menjivar;Victor Agadjanian;Byeongdon Oh

    (2020)
    22 Citations
  • "Healthier Than Just Healthy": Families Transmitting Health as Cultural Capital.

    Stefanie Mollborn;Bethany Rigles;Jennifer A Pace

    (2021)
    21 Citations
  • Race, Racism, and the Cool Pose: Exploring Black and White Male Masculinity

    James D Unnever;Cecilia Chouhy

    (2021)
    12 Citations
  • Persistent Inequalities in College Completion, 1980–2010

    (2022)
    10 Citations
  • Religion, Race, and Perceptions of Police Harassment

    (2022)
    8 Citations
  • Black Women as Superwomen? The Mental Health Effects of Superwoman Schema, Socioeconomic Status, and Financial Strain

    (2024)
    5 Citations
  • Earning the Role: Father Role Institutionalization and the Achievement of Contemporary Fatherhood

    (2023)
    2 Citations
  • Segregation and Group Threat: Specifying Hispanic-White Punishment Disparity

    (2023)
    2 Citations
  • Unemployment and Opioid-Related Mortality Rates in U.S. Counties: Investigating Social Capital and Social Isolation-Smoking Pathways

    Tse-Chuan Yang;Seulki Kim;Stephen A Matthews

    (2021)
    2 Citations

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Best Scientists Contributing to This Journal

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