On June 17, 2026, Clarivate officially released the 2025 Journal Citation Reports (JCR). The Asian Journal of Law and Society (AJLS) has seen its Journal Impact Factor (JIF) elevate from the Q2 tier to the Q1 tier in the category of law! (Note: Beginning in 2024, the JCR has expanded its coverage to include a comprehensive range of high-quality journal resources, merging the four Web of Science databases — including both SSCI and ESCI journals — into a unified ranking system by subject category.)

The Co-Editors-in-Chief, the entire Editorial Board, and the Editorial Team of AsianJLS wish to express their sincere gratitude to all guest editors, authors, peer reviewers, and readers. The journal's steady growth and groundbreaking innovations would not have been possible without the trust and unwavering support of our colleagues and contributors. Looking ahead, AsianJLS remains steadfast in its commitment to expanding the platforms for scholarly voices on socio-legal issues in Asia, and to building an interdisciplinary, transnational, and cross-civilizational knowledge community.

 

 

Journal Profile

The Asian Journal of Law and Society (AsianJLS) is jointly published by the China Institute for Socio-Legal Studies at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Cambridge University Press. The journal was officially launched in 2014 and has now marked its 12th anniversary.

The journal has steadily advanced while maintaining a firm footing. From 2014 to 2019, it published two issues per year. Starting in 2020, it increased to three issues annually. In 2024, it transitioned to a quarterly publication schedule, expanding to four issues per year to accommodate a greater volume of high-quality and substantial scholarly work. In 2025, the journal saw a year-on-year increase of 60.26% in manuscript submissions and a 31.03% increase in manuscript acceptances compared to the previous year. Since November 2025, the journal has officially transitioned to a fully open-access publication, significantly enhancing the dissemination and impact of its published articles. The journal is indexed in major databases including ProQuest, EBSCO, HeinOnline, Scopus, and ESCI. It has attracted over 8,000 institutional subscribers, and recorded over 100,000 downloads on the Cambridge University Press website in 2025 alone.

 

Editorial Board

The journal is supported by a team of 7 editors-in-chief, 37 editorial board members, and 11 editorial staff.

• Editors-in-Chief

Ji Weidong(Founding Editor)——Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Pratiksha Baxi——Jawaharlal Nehru University, India

Adriaan W. Bedner——Leiden University, the Netherlands

Lynette Chua——National University of Singapore

David Engel——State University of New York, USA

Tom Ginsburg——University of Chicago, USA

Yuka Kaneko——Kobe University, Japan

• Managing Editor

Matthias Vanhullebusch——Hasselt University, Belgium

• Associate Managing Editors

Chen Xiyi——Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Qiu Yaokun——Shanghai Jiao Tong University

 

Journal Features

The journal primarily publishes special issue contributions, research articles, book reviews, and scholarly debates. It actively encourages scholarship in socio-legal theory, empirical research, and interdisciplinary studies. Through the collective efforts of scholars from around the world, the journal explores a wide range of legal and social issues in Asia, and brings Asian perspectives to bear on globally salient theoretical and practical questions. In doing so, it fosters a deep dialogue between East and West on the construction, deconstruction, and reconstruction of social order. This is both the mission and the defining hallmark of the journal.

The journal consistently stays attuned to cutting-edge issues and responds proactively to pressing social concerns. As of June 2026, internationally renowned scholars have initiated and organized a total of 32 special issues, all of which have garnered enthusiastic responses from the academic community.

To encourage more emerging researchers to engage with Asian socio-legal issues, the journal, in partnership with the Asian Law and Society Association (ALSA), co-hosts an annual Best Graduate Student Paper Competition in the field of law and society. To date, the competition has produced 5 winning papers and 4 honorable mention papers. The 2026 competition is currently open for submissions. Winning papers have the opportunity to be published in the Asian Journal of Law and Society, and winning authors may also be eligible for research positions — either as student research assistants or postdoctoral fellows — at the Institute of Law and Society, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. (For more details, please refer to the joint announcement by the Asian Journal of Law and Society and the Asian Law and Society Association on the 2026 Graduate Student Paper Competition.)

The journal sincerely welcomes unsolicited manuscripts focusing on legal and social issues in Asia, and will continue to increase the acceptance rate of such submissions in the future, joining hands with our colleagues and contributors in building a vibrant academic community together!

 

Useful Links

• AJLS Website：

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/asian-journal-of-law-and-society

• Author Instructions：

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/asian-journal-of-law-and-society/information/author-instructions/preparing-your-materials

• Competition Announcement：

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/asian-journal-of-law-and-society/announcements/prizes-and-awards/asianjls-alsa-graduate-student-paper-competition

 

Stay Connected with AsianJLS:

• Twitter:

https://x.com/AsianJofLS

• Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/AsianJofLS/

• BlueSky:

https://bsky.app/profile/asianjls.bsky.socia