Research Guides: Anthropology and Sociology: Recommended Peer-Reviewed Journals

Journals for Literature Reviews

Why use a literature review?

Literature reviews can help you gain an overview of existing research, identify gaps to avoid duplicating effort, and place your own work within a broader scholarly context. A literature review helps you develop theories and explore research questions & methods by providing a comprehensive and critical analysis of what is known about a topic.

Annual review of sociology
Provides literature reviews of sociology topics.
Annual review of anthropology
Provides literature reviews on Anthropology topics.
Human ecology review
A journal that publishes interdisciplinary research on human–environment interactions. In addition to scholarly articles, it features essays, forums, reviews, commentary, and occasional papers on philosophy and social–environmental sustainability.

Sociology Journals

The sociological review
A long-standing, peer-reviewed journal that publishes innovative and influential research across all areas of sociology. Its scope includes topics such as criminology, education, gender, medicine, and organizations, as well as work with anthropological, philosophical, analytical, or ethnographic approaches.
American sociological review
The flagship journal of the American Sociological Association, publishes original, high-quality research and theoretical developments that advance understanding of fundamental social processes. Covering all areas of sociology, it emphasizes broad disciplinary interest and methodological innovation. *Does not include book reviews.
American journal of sociology
The first U.S. scholarly journal in its field, publishes influential research from all areas of sociology with a focus on theory building and methodological innovation. It welcomes interdisciplinary contributions that engage sociological literature and features an extensive book review section highlighting significant social science scholarship.

Anthropology Journals

American anthropologist
American Anthropologist, the flagship journal of the American Anthropological Association, publishes scholarship that advances, integrates, and interprets anthropological knowledge. Each issue features research articles, commentaries, essays on key disciplinary issues, and reviews of books, films, recordings, and exhibits.
American ethnologist
"An international journal concerned with social and cultural anthropology in the broadest sense of the term. The journal’s articles combine ethnographic specificity with original theoretical thinking, conveying the relevance of the ethnographic imagination to the contemporary world."
American journal of human biology
"The American Journal of Human Biology publishes reports of original research, theoretical articles and timely reviews, and brief communications in the interdisciplinary field of human biology."
Cultural anthropology
Publishes innovative ethnographic research on both traditional and emerging topics, informed by diverse theoretical perspectives. It also features essays on ethnographic methods, research design, and the role of cultural analysis in engaging broader public audiences.
Current anthropology
A transnational journal that publishes research spanning all areas of anthropology, from human cultures to primate studies. It fosters cross-disciplinary dialogue with articles on social, cultural, and physical anthropology, as well as archaeology, ethnology, folklore, linguistics, and related fields.
Evolutionary anthropology
A journal that highlights current and transformative research on human evolution. Covering topics such as biological anthropology, primatology, paleoanthropology, archaeology, human biology, and genomics, it fosters new perspectives and advances in this rapidly evolving field.
Journal of ecological anthropology
Forum for innovative exploration of the interface between humans and their sociocultural and biophysical environments.

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Subject areas include, but are not limited to, historical ecology, anthropology of development and conservation, evolution of human ecosystems, indigenous and local knowledge, ethnoecology, ecology of health, wellness, and nutrition, environmental change, resources management, multi-species relations, anthropology of food and agriculture, nature and society, political ecology, socio-ecological systems, paleoecology, complex systems, primate socioecology, and information ecology.