Journal profile · Sport Sciences
Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness
ISSN 1728-869X · eISSN 2226-5104 · Elsevier · PEOPLES R CHINA · Semiannual · Founded 2003
Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness: CAS Zone 3 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.7; fully open access; APC about USD 1,150; median 132 days to acceptance (99 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 74 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 3 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Cardiovascular and exercise physiology, Sports Performance and Training and Physical Activity and Health, together about 34.6% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Official journal of the SCSEPF, HKPFA and HKASMSSThe Journal of Exercise Science and Fitness is the official peer-reviewed journal of The Society of Chinese Scholars on Exercise Physiology and Fitness (SCSEPF), the Physical Fitness Association of Hong Kong, China (HKPFA), and the Hong Kong Association of Sports Medicine and Sports Science (HKASMSS). It is published quarterly, in January, April, July and October, by Elsevier.The Journal accepts original investigations, comprehensive reviews, case studies and short communications on current topics in exercise science, physical fitness and physical education.Indexed in: CAB Abstracts, CINAHL, DOAJ, Embase, FMSHK (Journal Abstracts), Global Health, Physical Education Index (Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, USA), SCIE, ScienceDirect, Scopus, SIIC Data Bases, SPORTDiscus (Sport Information Resource Centre)
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Sport Sciences
Editor-in-chief Stephen H.S. WongPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 22 in mainland China (about 30%); most named Mainland China 22, Hong Kong, China 21, Singapore 6, United States 3, United Kingdom 3 (73 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Cardiovascular and exercise physiologyMedicine13.8%
- Sports Performance and TrainingMedicine11.1%
- Physical Activity and HealthMedicine9.8%
- Children's Physical and Motor DevelopmentPsychology8.9%
- Obesity, Physical Activity, DietMedicine8.7%
- Exercise and Physiological ResponsesMedicine6.6%
- Sports injuries and preventionMedicine4.8%
- Balance, Gait, and Falls PreventionHealth Professions3.9%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Sport Sciences | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Sport Sciences | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Sport Sciences | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
PubMedEmbaseCAB AbstractsCINAHLPublisher website
Other: Crossref, FMSHK (Journal Abstracts), GLOBAL HEALTH, ScienceDirect, SIIC Data Bases, SPORTDiscus (SIRC, Canada)
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
- 3.7LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 3.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 7.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.23LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.63LetPub ·
- h-index
- 17LetPub ·
- h-index
- 43OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 290OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.37OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 99.35%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 61LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 631 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 62 | 62 | 11 |
| 2025 | 74 | 74 | 224 |
| 2024 | 55 | 55 | 408 |
| 2023 | 47 | 47 | 531 |
| 2022 | 65 | 65 | 1,308 |
| 2021 | 36 | 36 | 638 |
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 PubMed · to
132 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 96 days – 170 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 1 days (99 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 138 days
- Sample
- 99 articles with submission and acceptance dates (134 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
- Average review time (community reports)
- over 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 56 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 130 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 1 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 20 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | USD 1,150 | Yes | CC BY, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 1,150 / EUR 1,080 / GBP 920 / JPY 142,630 | — | — | |
| LetPub | USD 1,000 | Yes | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 1,150 / USD 575 | — | — |
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Page charges
- USD 50
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 prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 3,000 words
- Reference style
- AMA
- Templates
- Word
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
Article types accepted12, with length limits
- case reportThese are short discussions of a case or case series with unique features not previously described that make an important teaching point or scientific observati…main text ≤ 250 words · abstract ≤ 250 words · references ≤ 30
- case reportsCase reports These are short discussions of a case or case series with unique features not previously described that make an important teaching point or scienti…Length not stated
- full length articles/research papersFull length articles/Research papersThese may be randomized trials, intervention studies, studies of screening and diagnostic tests, laboratory and animal studi…Length not stated
- hypothesisReview articlesThese should aim to provide the reader with a balanced overview of an important and topical subject in sport and exercise sciences and fitness, a…Length not stated
- meta-analysisReview articlesThese should aim to provide the reader with a balanced overview of an important and topical subject in sport and exercise sciences and fitness, a…Length not stated
- reviewReview articlesThese should aim to provide the reader with a balanced overview of an important and topical subject in sport and exercise sciences and fitness, a…Length not stated
- review articleThese should aim to provide the reader with a balanced overview of an important and topical subject in sport and exercise sciences and fitness, and should be sy…main text ≤ 250 words · abstract ≤ 250 words · references ≤ 80
- review articlesReview articlesThese should aim to provide the reader with a balanced overview of an important and topical subject in sport and exercise sciences and fitness, a…Length not stated
- short communicationThese are research notes on topics such as test or equipment development, profile evaluations, data reanalysis, and document verification. Section headings shou…main text ≤ 250 words · abstract ≤ 250 words · references ≤ 20
- short communicationsShort communications These are research notes on topics such as test or equipment development, profile evaluations, data reanalysis, and document verification.Length not stated
- surveyReview articlesThese should aim to provide the reader with a balanced overview of an important and topical subject in sport and exercise sciences and fitness, a…Length not stated
- systematic reviewReview articlesThese should aim to provide the reader with a balanced overview of an important and topical subject in sport and exercise sciences and fitness, a…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI in scientific writing
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Author contributions
For transparency, we encourage corresponding authors to provide co-author contributions to the manuscript using the relevant CRediT roles. The CRediT taxonomy includes 14 different roles describing each contributor's specific contribution to the scholarly output. The roles are: Conceptualization; Data curation; Formal analysis; Funding acquisition; Investigation; Methodology; Project administratio…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of interest
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence (bias) their work. Examples of potential competing interests include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations, and grants or other funding. Authors must disclose any interests in two places:…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Originality checking Model summary
To verify compliance, your article may be checked by Crossref Similarity Check and other originality or duplicate checking software.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Journal Publishing Agreement Model summary
Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to complete a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' (see more information on this). An e-mail will be sent to the corresponding author confirming receipt of the manuscript together with a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' form or a link to the online version of this agreement.Author rightsAs an author you (or your employer or institution) have certain rig…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publication fees
The Open Access APCs are set at USD1150 for Full Length Articles and Reviews and USD575 for Short Articles and Case Reports. Please note that there is no limitation on the number of pages, figures, or colour figures.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review
Double anonymized review Model summary
This journal operates a double anonymized review process. All contributions are typically sent to a minimum of two independent expert reviewers to assess the scientific quality of the paper. The Editor is responsible for the final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of articles. The Editor's decision is final. Editors are not involved in decisions about papers which they have written themse…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprint references
Keywords Model summary
Where a preprint has subsequently become available as a peer-reviewed publication, the formal publication should be used as the reference. If there are preprints that are central to your work or that cover crucial developments in the topic, but are not yet formally published, these may be referenced. Preprints should be clearly marked as such, for example by including the word preprint, or the nam…
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
- Elsevier
- Country or region
- PEOPLES R CHINA
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Semiannual
- Founded
- 2003
- ISSN
- 1728-869X
- Electronic ISSN
- 2226-5104
- Society / sponsor
- SCSEPF
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗DOAJ
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Fee waivers ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗DOAJ
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness
What CAS zone is Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness is in Zone 3 of Medicine, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Sport Sciences. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.7; CiteScore 7.1, h-index 43.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness?
Based on the dates recorded on 99 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 132 days (interquartile range 96–170 days); authors report an average review time of over 12 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”. 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 Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Manuscript length: ≤ 3,000 words; Reference style: AMA; Templates: Word; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required. 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 Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness based?
Of the 73 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 22 (about 30%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (22), Hong Kong, China (21) and Singapore (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness is indexed in SCIE, Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists PubMed, Embase, CAB Abstracts and CINAHL; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 1,150.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex, DOAJ; 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: .