Journal policies

Editorial Oversight

The journal selects new Lead Editors, Editors, and Associate Editors by consensus, after a thorough vetting process by all editors. Editorial Board members are scholars who are experts in their respective field.

Two Lead Editors are rotated among Senior Editors for a 2-year term. Senior Editor positions do not serve a specified term. The journal expects Corresponding Editors to serve for a 3-year term.

A caseworker (one of the Senior Editors) carefully reviews reader reports alongside the manuscript and arrives at a recommendation, which is reviewed by the two Lead Editors. In case there is a substantial disagreement between the Lead Editors and caseworking editor assigned to the paper, the entire board of Senior Editors may be consulted for their opinion.

This journal cultivates a broad and experienced Editorial Board that contains members from across different academic institutions, genders and demographics. Potential board members are approached by the editorial team while keeping this diversity in mind.

Peer Review Process

Research articles are read by one editor to determine if they should be desk-rejected or sent for review. Articles to be sent out for peer review are assigned to a member of the Editorial Board, who is responsible for steering the article from review through to rejection or acceptance and publication.

Double-anonymous review is the journal's adopted peer review method, which we believe minimizes bias in the review process.

Comments and book reviews are not peer-reviewed, but are vetted by one member of the Editorial Team so that a decision can be reached on acceptance or rejection.

The journal relies on its Editorial Board and the Editorial Team's knowledge of active researchers working in various areas of relevant expertise when selecting peer reviewers. The Editorial Board consists of two Lead Editors, a team of Editors, and a team of Associate Editors. Associate Editors serve as peer reviewers where appropriate.

Theory and Social Inquiry does not allow authors to suggest potential peer reviewers for their article, but the journal will allow authors to suggest reviewers they wish the editorial team not to consider. The journal will ask the submitting author for a substantive justification for such requests.

All author manuscripts and other accompanying files are fully anonymized for the peer review process. We send the author's paper, abstract, tables, and any supporting peer review documentation (including a revision memo, if appropriate) to peer reviewers.

According to its double-anonymous peer review policy, Theory and Social Inquiry does not publish peer review reports alongside articles, or the names of the peer reviewers who have undertaken review of the article. Anonymized peer review data is held securely and privately in the journal’s publishing platform for the author to access whenever they choose to.

Special Issues

The journal occasionally publishes special issues, which differ from standard issues only in that the papers share a common theme and are all published together. Generally, special issues are proposed by authors to the journal's editors. Theory and Social Inquiry’s standard editorial procedures are followed, i.e., the Lead Editor assigns individual papers to individual editors, who will then solicit peer reviews.

The journal does not recruit guest editors and special issues are handled entirely by the journal's Editorial Team.

Organization and Governance

Theory and Social Inquiry is owned and managed by the Theory and Social Inquiry Association, a not-for-profit scholarly association established in 2024. The Association is dedicated to preserving intellectual autonomy by ensuring that only sociologists determine the intellectual trajectory of sociology journals. The Association consists of the Lead Editors, Senior Editors, and the Editorial Board of the journal Theory and Social Inquiry. These members appoint future editors and oversee the editorial structure of the journal.

Business Practices

Advertising

This journal does not permit any advertising on the journal’s website and will never consider requests of any kind from other parties wishing to advertise in the journal or on its webpages.

Direct Marketing

This journal does not engage in any direct marketing practices.

The publisher, the Open Library of Humanities (OLH), employs a Marketing Officer who undertakes general marketing activities for the publisher including the promotion of its journals. The Marketing Officer does not, however, engage in direct marketing for any OLH journals and this does not affect the editorial decisions of OLH journals in any way.

Other Revenue

Theory and Social Inquiry's long-term publishing and hosting costs are funded by OLH’s Library Partnership Subsidy Model. The journal also accepts Voluntary Author Contributions(VACs) for articles.

The Johns Hopkins University, University of Michigan, Sociology Dept., and Columbia University, Sociology Dept. have generously contributed grants for the establishment of the journal, including editorial, administrative and other operational costs. These grants are to be paid for a 5-year period from 2024.

These streams of additional revenue this journal receives do not affect the editorial decisions of the journal in any way.