Journal profile · Multiple
Journal of Leisure Research
ISSN 0022-2216 · eISSN 2159-6417 · National Recreation and Park Association
Journal of Leisure Research: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.32; JCR Q2 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 95 days (first decision after review, publisher); acceptance rate 5% (journal website); 20 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Leisure Research is published by National Recreation and Park Association 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 Recreation, Leisure, Wilderness Management, Sport and Mega-Event Impacts and Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research, together about 54.7% of its articles. Its main subfields are Social Psychology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Leisure Research ( JLR) is an international scholarly journal that publishes innovative and interdisciplinary research that addresses critical issues of access to and engagement in leisure behaviors as they affect health and well-being across sectors (i.e., parks, recreation, leisure, sport, tourism, events) at individual, group, community and societal levels. (Please note that the journal receives a very large number of tourism papers many of which make no connection to leisure—only those tourism papers that make connections to leisure will be considered for review.) Research from disciplines that offer theoretical and methodological insights into various (e.g., positive, negative) aspects of leisure in all its forms, such as social, psychological, cultural, political and environmental contexts is presented. Since it was first published in 1968, JLR has and continues to welcome rigorous original research, conceptual papers, rejoinders, research notes, reviews, meta-analyses, and reflective commentaries from around the world. JLR is an official publication of the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). The Journal of Leisure Research is indexed by the Social Science Citations Index (SSCI). Peer Review Policy: All articles submitted to this journal undergo a “double-anonymous” peer review by two to three referees, based on initial editor screening.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Kindal ShoresPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 3, Canada 1 (4 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Recreation, Leisure, Wilderness ManagementPsychology31.5%
- Sport and Mega-Event ImpactsSocial Sciences14.7%
- Diverse Aspects of Tourism ResearchSocial Sciences8.6%
- Economic and Environmental ValuationEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5.5%
- Adventure Sports and Sensation SeekingPsychology5.1%
- Urban Transport and AccessibilitySocial Sciences4.2%
- Urban Green Space and HealthEnvironmental Science4%
- Sports, Gender, and SocietySocial Sciences4%
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 | Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Sociology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Sociology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
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
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
SCIEERICPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest, CABS - Leisure, Recreation and Tourism Abstracts, CABI - Leisure Tourism Database, EBSCO - Hospitality & Tourism Index, EBSCO - SPORTDiscus, ERIC - Education Resources Information Center, ProQuest - Humanities Index, ProQuest - Social Science Database, Scimago
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
- 2.32LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.3Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.3LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 5.3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.76LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.76Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.41LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.41Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 139OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,195OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.8OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 7.44%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 19LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 95,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,026 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 18 | 4 | 3 |
| 2025 | 20 | 4 | 33 |
| 2024 | 37 | 11 | 174 |
| 2023 | 70 | 15 | 575 |
| 2022 | 24 | 3 | 289 |
| 2021 | 39 | 7 | 571 |
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
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
95 daysfirst decision after review
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 5%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 4 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 95 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 36 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 accepted1
- original researchJLR has and continues to welcome rigorous original research, conceptual papers, rejoinders, research notes, reviews, meta-analyses, and reflective commentaries …Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Journal 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-anonymous peer review by two to three referees, based on initial editor screening. Model summary
All articles submitted to this journal undergo a “double-anonymous” peer review by two to three referees, based on initial editor screening.
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
- National Recreation and Park Association
- ISSN
- 0022-2216
- Electronic ISSN
- 2159-6417
- Society / sponsor
- National Recreation and Park Association
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 57, Issue 4 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Leisure Research
What CAS zone is Journal of Leisure Research in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Leisure Research is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism / Sociology. 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 Journal of Leisure Research?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.32; CiteScore 5.3, h-index 139.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Leisure Research?
The publisher reports about 95 days (first decision after review); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 5%. 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 Journal of Leisure Research 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 3 of Sociology.
Where are the editorial board members of Journal of Leisure Research based?
Of the 4 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (3) and Canada (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Leisure Research?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Leisure Research is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists SCIE and ERIC; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Journal of Leisure Research open access, and what is the APC?
Journal 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .