Journal profile · LAW
International Sports Law Journal
ISSN 1567-7559 · eISSN 2213-5154 · Springer Nature · 4 issues per year
International Sports Law Journal: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,290; median 126 days to acceptance (40 articles, last 24 months); 42 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
International Sports Law Journal is published by Springer Nature and is in Zone 3 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Doping in Sports, Sports Analytics and Performance and Sports, Gender, and Society, together about 60.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Strategy and Management. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The International Sports Law Journal (ISLJ) is a quarterly (two double issues, April and October) peer-reviewed journal in the emerging specialty area of international sports law. The ISLJ welcomes manuscripts in English language, and maintains an impressive Editorial Board of international experts. The main purpose of the ISLJ is to provide vital legal analysis, insightful commentary, and important information to those interested in or impacted by sports and the law — whether academics, practitioners, sports officials, sports enthusiasts, or others — about legally relevant developments in the world of sport from national and international perspectives. What makes the ISLJ unique is that it is the only truly “international” sports law journal consistently offering broad content coverage by a diverse group of impressive international authors. The ISLJ is an important resource that experts, practitioners and academics rely on for providing interesting, necessary and valuable information regarding sports law related issues. With special topic coverage in each edition, the ISLJ is a necessary tool for anyone interested in sports and the law.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): LAW
Editor-in-chief Mark JamesPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 6%); most named United Kingdom 7, United States 6, Netherlands 4, Australia 3, Mainland China 2 (34 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Doping in SportsSocial Sciences29.3%
- Sports Analytics and PerformanceEconomics, Econometrics and Finance17.8%
- Sports, Gender, and SocietySocial Sciences13.7%
- Sport and Mega-Event ImpactsSocial Sciences9.7%
- Digitalization, Law, and RegulationSocial Sciences4.1%
- Dispute Resolution and Class ActionsBusiness, Management and Accounting2.5%
- International Arbitration and Investment LawBusiness, Management and Accounting2.3%
- Hormonal and reproductive studiesMedicine2.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Law | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Law | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSSPublisher website
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
- 2.1Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.9LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.56LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.3LetPub ·
- h-index
- 19OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 71OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.07OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 38.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 57.65%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 40LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2,025Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 208,500Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 655 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 22 | 15 | 10 |
| 2025 | 42 | 28 | 71 |
| 2024 | 21 | 15 | 95 |
| 2023 | 32 | 22 | 137 |
| 2022 | 31 | 22 | 207 |
| 2021 | 21 | 14 | 170 |
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
126 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 98 days – 179 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 20 days (59 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 160 days
- Sample
- 40 articles with submission and acceptance dates (69 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
- Submission to first decision
- 17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,290 / EUR 2,690 / GBP 2,390 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Author–date
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access
- AI use Generative AI Images
LLMs do not satisfy authorship criteria; AI-assisted copy editing need not be declared Model summary
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Competing Interests
Competing interests disclosure required Model summary
Authors are requested to disclose interests that are directly or indirectly related to the work submitted for publication. Interests within the last 3 years of beginning the work (conducting the research and preparing the work for submission) should be reported. Interests outside the 3-year time frame must be disclosed if they could reasonably be perceived as influencing the submitted work. Disclo…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
Data availability statement required for original research Model summary
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
COPE member; follows COPE guidelines on misconduct Model summary
This journal is committed to upholding the integrity of the scientific record. As a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) the journal will follow the COPE guidelines on how to deal with potential acts of misconduct.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in The International Sports Law Journal, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
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
- Springer Nature
- Frequency
- 4 issues per year
- ISSN
- 1567-7559
- Electronic ISSN
- 2213-5154
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 26, Issue 3 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about International Sports Law Journal
What CAS zone is International Sports Law Journal in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, International Sports Law Journal is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Law. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of International Sports Law Journal?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 2.1 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 2.9, h-index 19.
How long does peer review take at International Sports Law Journal?
Based on the dates recorded on 40 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 126 days (interquartile range 98–179 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 are the manuscript requirements of International Sports Law Journal?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Author–date; Suggested reviewers: Optional. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of International Sports Law Journal based?
Of the 34 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 6%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (7), United States (6) and Netherlands (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index International Sports Law Journal?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, International Sports Law Journal is indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Is International Sports Law Journal open access, and what is the APC?
International Sports Law Journal is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,290.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; 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 2026-08-30). Last updated: .