Lectio Socialis is a journal that was first published in September 2017, focusing on the fields of social sciences and humanities. The journal has both print and electronic versions, with print ISSN 2602-2524 and e-ISSN 2602-2443. Initially, it was published by a Turkish NGO called the Association of Istanbul Hope Movement (İstanbul Umut Hareketi Derneği) until 2022.

In 2019, Lectio Socialis gained international status by inviting academics from all over the world to serve as board members and area editors. The NGO transferred the publishing rights of the journal to the founding editor-in-chief, Assoc. Prof. Emrah Konuralp, in 2022. This step has strengthened the editorial independence of the journal. Konuralp became both the publisher and the editor-in-chief of Lectio Socialis.

Since Konuralp became the journal's publisher, it has been published exclusively as an electronic journal, and the print ISSN (2602-2524) was closed as of 28 March 2022. Additionally, the journal narrowed down its scope to policy-relevant issues in the social sciences.

Starting from 2025, Lectio Socialis will adopt a continuous publication model, where accepted articles are assigned a DOI and published immediately after finalization. Rather than waiting for specific issue release dates, articles will be made available online as soon as they are ready. At the end of each year, all articles published during the year will be compiled into a single issue. This change allows for faster dissemination of research and improved accessibility for readers.

Lectio Socialis has also signed two key declarations that reinforce its commitment to transparency and accessibility in scientific publishing. On March 13, 2021, the journal signed the DORA Declaration (San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment), committing to a fair and unbiased evaluation of scientific research, moving beyond traditional journal metrics such as impact factors. By signing DORA, Lectio Socialis aims to promote a more realistic and comprehensive assessment of research quality.

Furthermore, the journal has signed the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI), reflecting its dedication to open access publishing. By adhering to the principles of BOAI, Lectio Socialis ensures that all its published articles are freely accessible online, removing barriers such as subscription fees or paywalls. This commitment promotes broader knowledge sharing and increases the visibility and impact of the work published in the journal.

These changes and commitments have enhanced the global credibility of Lectio Socialis, which continues to prioritize internationalization through diverse editorship, refereeing, board membership, and authorship. As of 2023, the journal has published 62 studies by 61 authors, including one book review, six review articles, and 55 research articles. In the last three issues, seven of the 17 authors were from Turkey, while ten were from other countries.