Journal profile · Multiple
International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology
ISSN 1750-984X · eISSN 1750-9858 · Taylor & Francis
International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology: CAS Zone 1 · Psychology (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 6.15; JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 206 days to acceptance (50 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 12% (journal website); 23 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 1 of Psychology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Sport Psychology and Performance, Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports and Behavioral Health and Interventions, together about 54.2% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology (IRSEP) is the first scholarly, peer-reviewed journal that publishes critical reviews of research literature in sport and exercise psychology. Typically, these reviews evaluate relevant conceptual and methodological issues in the field and provide a critique of the strengths and weaknesses of empirical studies that address common themes or hypotheses. The reviews present summaries of, and conclusions about, the current state of knowledge concerning topics of interest, as well as assessments of relevant unresolved issues and future trends. Reviews of research literature on theories, topics and issues that are at the interface with mainstream psychology are especially welcome. Submissions: Although research on sport and exercise psychology is expanding rapidly, it is difficult to locate comprehensive, authoritative and up-to-date literature reviews in this field. In an attempt to fill this major gap, IRSEP welcomes submissions containing substantial (up to 8,000 words in length) critical and integrative reviews of the research literature in sport and exercise psychology. Ideally, such scholarly papers should summarise the current state of knowledge about a given research topic or question, provide critical assessments of the strengths and weaknesses of previous studies in the field, evaluate relevant conceptual and methodological issues, identify emerging trends in the literature, and outline potentially fruitful avenues for further research. Submissions presenting new theoretical frameworks are also welcome with the proviso that they are also a critical review of research literature. Some feedback from those in the field: "As a mature discipline, sport and exercise psychology must critically review its output, not only to assess what has passed, but also to point to what is to come. International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology is a welcome addition to the scholarly journals in our field for vigorously taking up this challenge." Professor Tony Morris Victoria University, Australia "For some time our field has been sufficiently advanced that there is a need for such a review journal – one that provides concise, timely summaries of current knowledge on critical topics, reviews key methodological and conceptual issues, and supports substantive-methodological synergies. IRSEP articles should be of broad interest to students and practitioners. However, in an age of specialization, they should also app
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Greg WoodPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United Kingdom 3, United States 2, Singapore 1, Ireland 1 (7 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Sport Psychology and PerformancePsychology23%
- Motivation and Self-Concept in SportsPsychology19.6%
- Behavioral Health and InterventionsPsychology11.6%
- Sports Performance and TrainingMedicine6%
- Physical Activity and HealthMedicine4.9%
- Sports injuries and preventionMedicine4.7%
- Youth Development and Social SupportSocial Sciences3.7%
- Children's Physical and Motor DevelopmentPsychology2.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Psychology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Psychology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Psychology, Applied | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: yes
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Psychology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Psychology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Psychology, Applied | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Psychology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Psychology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Psychology, Applied | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: yes
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q1 · 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
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
PsycINFOPublisher website
Other: Sport Information Resource Centre (SIRC)
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
- 6.15LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 7.4Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 10.4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 21.6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 21.6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 3.53LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 3.53Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 4.99LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 4.99Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 84OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 267OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 6.8OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 1.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 32.39%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 23LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 560,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 349 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 20 | 11 | 13 |
| 2025 | 23 | 12 | 118 |
| 2024 | 23 | 19 | 318 |
| 2023 | 26 | 13 | 502 |
| 2022 | 39 | 22 | 1,897 |
| 2021 | 34 | 21 | 1,819 |
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
206 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 150 days – 281 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 15 days (50 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 221 days
- Sample
- 50 articles with submission and acceptance dates (53 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)
- 12%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 7 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 83 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 14 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 accepted3
- critical and integrative reviewsIRSEP welcomes submissions containing substantial (up to 8,000 words in length) critical and integrative reviews of the research literature in sport and exercis…Length not stated
- new theoretical frameworksSubmissions presenting new theoretical frameworks are also welcome with the proviso that they are also a critical review of research literature.Length not stated
- reviewReviewLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Open Select (hybrid) open access Model summary
International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology 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? In…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Double anonymized peer review; online submission via ScholarOne Manuscripts. Model summary
All peer review is double anonymized and submission is online via ScholarOne Manuscripts.
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
- 1750-984X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1750-9858
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 19, Issue 2 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology
What CAS zone is International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology is in Zone 1 of Psychology, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism / Psychology, Applied; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Psychology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 6.15; CiteScore 21.6, h-index 84.
How long does peer review take at International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology?
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 206 days (interquartile range 150–281 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 12%. 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 Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q1 (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 1 of Psychology.
Where are the editorial board members of International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology based?
Of the 7 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (3), United States (2) and Singapore (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists PsycINFO; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology open access, and what is the APC?
International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology 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: .