Journal profile · Social Sciences-Cultural Studies
International Journal of Play
ISSN 2159-4953 · Taylor & Francis
International Journal of Play: CAS Zone 4 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.3 (journal website); JCR Q2 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 123 days to acceptance (50 articles, last 24 months); 43 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
International Journal of Play is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 4 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Children's Rights and Participation, Early Childhood Education and Development and Child Therapy and Development, together about 40.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Education. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The International Journal of Play is an inter-disciplinary publication focusing on all facets of play. It aims to provide an international forum for mono- and multi-disciplinary papers and scholarly debate on all aspects of play theory, policy and practice from across the globe and across the lifespan, and in all kinds of cultural settings, institutions and communities. The journal will be of interest to anthropologists, educationalists, folklorists, historians, linguists, philosophers, playworkers, psychologists, sociologists, therapists and zoologists. We welcome: Reports on research projects Review work across an area of research Papers concerned with theory-practice links Policy critiques and expositions Reviews and analysis of contemporary and historical publications Essays, memoirs, and other forms of reflective writing Writing that builds on the experience and voices of children and young people Theoretical position papers Peer Review Policy: All research articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by at least two anonymous referees.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Social Sciences-Cultural Studies
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United Kingdom 2, Germany 1 (3 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Children's Rights and ParticipationSocial Sciences14.3%
- Early Childhood Education and DevelopmentSocial Sciences14.1%
- Child Therapy and DevelopmentPsychology12.4%
- Child Development and Digital TechnologySocial Sciences11.4%
- Digital Games and MediaSocial Sciences3.9%
- Theatre and Performance StudiesArts and Humanities3.8%
- Urban Green Space and HealthEnvironmental Science3.3%
- Educational Environments and Student OutcomesSocial Sciences3.1%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Education & Educational Research | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Psychology, Multidisciplinary | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Education & Educational Research | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Psychology, Multidisciplinary | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary | 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
- JCR Q2 · best quartile · 2025
- 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
PsycINFOPublisher website
Other: ACER
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
- 1.3Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 1.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.27LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.27Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.89LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.89Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 33OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 122OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.05OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 7.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 11.7%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 36LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 122,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 664 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 37 | 10 | 4 |
| 2025 | 43 | 21 | 36 |
| 2024 | 44 | 13 | 90 |
| 2023 | 50 | 12 | 90 |
| 2022 | 79 | 13 | 292 |
| 2021 | 44 | 13 | 245 |
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
123 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 44 days – 343 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 82 days (49 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 258 days
- Sample
- 50 articles with submission and acceptance dates (90 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 to publication
- 145 daysPublisher 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 accepted7
- essays, memoirs, and other forms of reflective writingEssays, memoirs, and other forms of reflective writingLength not stated
- papers concerned with theory-practice linksPapers concerned with theory-practice linksLength not stated
- policy critiques and expositionsPolicy critiques and expositionsLength not stated
- reports on research projectsReports on research projectsLength not stated
- research articleResearch Article | Published online: 24 Aug 2026Length not stated
- review work across an area of researchReview work across an area of researchLength not stated
- theoretical position papersTheoretical position papersLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
International Journal of Play 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 discoverabili…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review Policy:
Peer review policy: initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by at least two anonymous referees. Model summary
All research articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymized refereeing by at least two anonymous referees.
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
- 2159-4953
- Print ISSN
- 2159-4937
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 15, Issue 2 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about International Journal of Play
What CAS zone is International Journal of Play in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, International Journal of Play is in Zone 4 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Education & Educational Research / Psychology, Multidisciplinary / Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of International Journal of Play?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 1.3 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 1.5, h-index 33.
How long does peer review take at International Journal of Play?
Based on the dates recorded on 50 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 123 days (interquartile range 44–343 days). 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.
What JCR quartile is International Journal of Play in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q2 (best quartile). JCR quartiles are Clarivate's to confirm and a different system from the CAS zones; in the CAS ranking the journal is in Zone 4 of Sociology.
Where are the editorial board members of International Journal of Play based?
Of the 3 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (2) and Germany (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index International Journal of Play?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, International Journal of Play is indexed in ESCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists PsycINFO; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is International Journal of Play open access, and what is the APC?
International Journal of Play 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .