Social work as an academic discipline was reintroduced to universities in the Chinese mainland in the 1980s. The number of universities offering social work programs has increased drastically in the past two decades. Social services provided by government organizations and NGOs have also proliferated as a response to rising social problems and needs. 

China Journal of Social Work (CJSW) is the first academic English journal jointly edited from Hong Kong and mainland China, to focus on social work development taking place in China. CJSW is an international peer-reviewed journal published by the Taylor and Francis Group, in collaboration with Peking University - The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, China Social Work Research Centre. The journal endeavours to provide a platform for scholars within and outside mainland China to share research, teaching and practice experiences and to facilitate critical dialogue between Chinese social workers and their international peers.

The journal welcomes submissions from all areas of social work theory and practice, social work education, social development, and social policy in the Chinese context. While the journal will primarily focus on the Chinese mainland, it welcomes contributions from other countries and regions, which have broad implications for social work internationally.

CJSW aims to:

CJSW is published three times a year (in April, July, and November). The journal strikes a balance between qualitative and quantitative research. All articles are published in English, but quality academic papers written in Chinese are welcomed for peer review. If the paper is accepted by the editorial board, full English translation will be provided for publication by the author. The abstracts of all papers are published in both English and Chinese.