The Journal of American Folklore, the quarterly journal of the American Folklore Society since the Society's founding in 1888, publishes scholarly articles, essays, notes, and commentaries directed to a wide audience, as well as separate sections devoted to reviews of books, sound recordings, film and videotapes, and exhibitions and events. Its contents are not restricted to folklore in the United States; in fact, the Journal publishes materials on folklore anywhere in the world.

The contents of the Journal reflect a wide range of professional concerns and points of view. Articles present significant research findings and theoretical analyses from folklore and related fields. Essays are interpretive, speculative, or polemic. Notes are narrower in scope and focus on a single, often provocative, issue of definition, interpretation, or amplification. Commentaries briefly address topics raised in earlier articles.