Journal profile · HOSPITALITY, LEISURE, SPORT & TOURISM
Annals of Leisure Research
ISSN 1174-5398 · eISSN 2159-6816 · Taylor & Francis
Annals of Leisure Research: CAS Zone 3 · Management (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 214 days to acceptance (76 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 28% (journal website); 50 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Annals of Leisure Research is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 3 of Management in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Recreation, Leisure, Wilderness Management, Sport and Mega-Event Impacts and Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research, together about 50.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Social Psychology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Annals of Leisure Research (ALR) publishes theoretically informed, methodologically rigorous, and empirically grounded research that contributes original insights to the study of leisure, recreation, sport, tourism, events, arts, media, and related fields. ALR is the official journal of the Australian and New Zealand Association for Leisure Studies (ANZALS). It serves as an international forum for advancing critical and interdisciplinary scholarship on leisure in all its forms and as such, submissions are expected to be grounded in leisure-related concepts, theories, or processes. Purely descriptive studies without engagement with critical social sciences theory(ies) and/or informed by the field of leisure studies do not fit the journal’s aims and scope and, therefore, are not considered for peer review. The journal welcomes diverse perspectives on leisure, including social, cultural, psychological, political, economic, environmental, experiential and critically reflexive dimensions. It encourages submissions that critically examine leisure’s role in shaping and being shaped by broader societal structures, including issues of equity, power, well-being, sustainability, and justice. Annals of Leisure Research is particularly committed to fostering research that reflects the unique cultural and geographical contexts of Australasia, the Pacific, and Indigenous communities, while also embracing global and comparative perspectives. Contributions that engage with Māori, Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander, Pasifika and other Indigenous knowledges and methodologies are especially encouraged. The journal invites a variety of manuscript types, including: Original research articles (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods) Critical reviews and systematic literature reviews Theoretical and conceptual essays Methodological innovations and reflections Policy analyses Shorter research notes, commentaries, debates, and book reviews Creative submissions, including poetry and visual arts-based works that communicate scholarly arguments or findings related to leisure. Annals of Leisure Research supports interdisciplinary dialogue and welcomes contributions from across the social sciences, humanities, health sciences, environmental studies, and beyond. It is a key resource for academics, policymakers, practitioners, and students engaged in leisure research, education, and practice. Peer Review Statement All research articles in this journal have undergone rigorous double-a
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): HOSPITALITY, LEISURE, SPORT & TOURISM
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named New Zealand 4, Norway 1 (5 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Recreation, Leisure, Wilderness ManagementPsychology21.2%
- Sport and Mega-Event ImpactsSocial Sciences19.5%
- Diverse Aspects of Tourism ResearchSocial Sciences10.1%
- Adventure Sports and Sensation SeekingPsychology9.3%
- Sports, Gender, and SocietySocial Sciences8.1%
- Cultural Industries and Urban DevelopmentSocial Sciences4.1%
- Outdoor and Experiential EducationPsychology2.7%
- Tourism, Volunteerism, and DevelopmentSocial Sciences2.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Management Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Management Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- CiteScore Q1 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
CAB AbstractsPublisher website
Other: Chartered Association of Business Schools (ABS), Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC), Environmental Impact, Global Health, Leisure Tourism Database, Nutrition and Food Sciences Database, Rural Development Abstracts, World Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology Abstracts, EBSCOhost, Current Abstracts, Hospitality & Tourism Complete, Hospitality & Tourism Index, SPORTDiscus, TOC Premier
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 5.6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.65LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.65Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.07LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.07Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 56OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 449OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.51OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 10%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 26.92%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 42LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 141,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,032 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 37 | 15 | 12 |
| 2025 | 50 | 32 | 61 |
| 2024 | 23 | 16 | 93 |
| 2023 | 21 | 13 | 117 |
| 2022 | 39 | 15 | 377 |
| 2021 | 49 | 10 | 532 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
214 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 154 days – 270 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 12 days (76 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 225 days
- Sample
- 76 articles with submission and acceptance dates (95 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 28%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 60 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 61 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 10 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Article types accepted9
- book reviewBook ReviewLength not stated
- creative submissionsCreative submissions, including poetry and visual arts-based works that communicate scholarly arguments or findings related to leisure.Length not stated
- critical reviews and systematic literature reviewsCritical reviews and systematic literature reviewsLength not stated
- editorialEditorialLength not stated
- methodological innovations and reflectionsMethodological innovations and reflectionsLength not stated
- original researchOriginal ResearchLength not stated
- original research articlesOriginal research articles (qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods)Length not stated
- policy analysesPolicy analysesLength not stated
- theoretical and conceptual essaysTheoretical and conceptual essaysLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Annals of Leisure Research is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the discoverability …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Double-anonymised peer review with at least two anonymous reviewers. Model summary
All research articles in this journal have undergone rigorous double-anonymised peer review, based on initial editor screening and refereeing by at least two anonymous reviewers.
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- ISSN
- 1174-5398
- Electronic ISSN
- 2159-6816
- Society / sponsor
- Australian & New Zealand Association of Leisure Studies
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 29, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Annals of Leisure Research
What CAS zone is Annals of Leisure Research in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Annals of Leisure Research is in Zone 3 of Management, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Management. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Annals of Leisure Research?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 2 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 5.6, h-index 56.
How long does peer review take at Annals of Leisure Research?
Based on the dates recorded on 76 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 214 days (interquartile range 154–270 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 28%. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
Where are the editorial board members of Annals of Leisure Research based?
Of the 5 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are New Zealand (4) and Norway (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Annals of Leisure Research?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Annals of Leisure Research is indexed in ESCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists CAB Abstracts; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Annals of Leisure Research open access, and what is the APC?
Annals of Leisure Research is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC charged, amount not published.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .