What type of research does Sage Open publish? Does my manuscript fit in Sage Open?

Sage Open is itself a journal separate from others published by Sage.

Thematic Scope: Sage Open publishes across the humanities, social sciences, and behavioral sciences. We do not publish engineering, chemistry, physics, biology, or medical research. Here is our list of sections.

Types of Articles: Sage Open publishes the following types of articles: empirical articles, literature reviews, theoretical articles, and methodological articles. Sage Open does not consider the following types of articles: brief reports, personal essays, case studies, and book reviews. For monographs, consider Sage Open Long Form. 

Bar for Publication: Our goal is to publish “research done well.” This means we look for research that contributes to the academic record in a way that allows other scholars to connect that research to their own and build on it. We are less concerned with the size of the contribution an article makes than we are with the quality of that contribution.  For all submissions, we expect strong ties to relevant and recent research. Promising submissions tend to have at least 10-15 references. We look for a clear hypothesis, research question, or statement of purpose to serve as the focus of each article. All articles should have clear conclusions and specify the limitations and implications for future research. To be published in Sage Open, articles must pass double-blind peer review. Research on sensitive topics often undergoes additional review by our Section Editors and Editorial Board. Below are some additional guidelines by article type.

Empirical articles should include ethics statements if human subjects were used. If the study used a small sample size the article should specify why the sample size was sufficient. Empirical articles should also specify the method used to analyze the results of the study and why it was appropriate for the study.

Literature reviews, such as meta-analyses, should specify which the methods and/or theories guided the selection and analysis the literature. Literature reviews should describe any patterns, gaps, or inconsistencies the researchers observed in the literature. As noted above, Sage Open does not consider book reviews. If a single work is the focus of the article, the article should also have strong ties to related literature, for example, other works by that author or their contemporaries and secondary sources about work.

Theoretical articles and methodological articles should specify what advancements they propose to existing theory or methods. They should discuss alternate theories or methods as well as the strengths and weaknesses of their proposed contributions.

If you think you might be interested in a Sage journal with a different or narrower focus, please visit our Sage Journals platform to browse other journal options.