Journal profile · SPORT SCIENCES
Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise
ISSN 2096-6709 · eISSN 2662-1371 · Springer Nature
Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,290; median 144 days to acceptance (77 articles, last 24 months); 32 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise is published by Springer Nature and is in Zone 4 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Sports Performance and Training, Sports injuries and prevention and Cardiovascular and exercise physiology, together about 49.3% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise (SSEJ) is a peer-reviewed, hybrid international journal dedicated to advancing fundamental and applied research in sport science. Our mission is to bridge laboratory discoveries, technological innovation, and field-tested applications in physical performance enhancement, health promotion, and disease management from the perspective of sport and exercise. Fields of interest include, but are not limited to: 1. Effects of exercise in disease prevention & management 2. Sport injury prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation strategies 3. Biomechanics and motor control 4. Nutrition and diet in sports and exercise 5. Epidemiology of physical activity and fitness 6. Traditional Chinese sports in health promotion 7. Human performance optimization 8. Psychological aspects of sports and exercise 9. Sports analytics
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): SPORT SCIENCES
Editor-in-chief Ping HongPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 31 in mainland China (about 49%); most named Mainland China 31, United States 9, Australia 4, Hong Kong, China 2, Taiwan, China 2 (63 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Sports Performance and TrainingMedicine23%
- Sports injuries and preventionMedicine18%
- Cardiovascular and exercise physiologyMedicine8.3%
- Exercise and Physiological ResponsesMedicine5.5%
- Muscle metabolism and nutritionBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.9%
- Muscle activation and electromyography studiesEngineering3.8%
- Sport Psychology and PerformancePsychology3.7%
- Physical Activity and HealthMedicine3.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Sport Sciences | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Sport Sciences | Zone 4 |
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
- 1.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 3.7LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.57LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.66LetPub ·
- h-index
- 22OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 70OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.69OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 40.11%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 29LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 181,100Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 398 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 49 | 25 | 14 |
| 2025 | 32 | 17 | 56 |
| 2024 | 62 | 38 | 314 |
| 2023 | 47 | 22 | 256 |
| 2022 | 64 | 28 | 437 |
| 2021 | 53 | 24 | 413 |
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
144 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 117 days – 205 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 62 days (77 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 217 days
- Sample
- 77 articles with submission and acceptance dates (91 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
- 8 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 2,290 / EUR 2,090 / GBP 1,890 | — | — |
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 prepare7 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 4,000 words
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted3, with length limits
- editorialDouble-blind peer review This journal follows a double-blind reviewing procedure. This means that the author will remain anonymous to the reviewers throughout p…Length not stated
- original articletal details to support the conclusions. Original Articles should be no more than 4000 words and should not include more than 6 display items (tables anmain text ≤ 4,000 words
- reviewor figures) or more than 60 references. Reviews Review articles have a word limit of 6000 words excluding abstract, references, tables and figures. Reviewmain text ≤ 6,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use Generative AI Images
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 ·- Authorship Authorship principles
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosures and declarations
All authors are requested to include information regarding sources of funding, financial or non-financial interests, study-specific approval by the appropriate ethics committee for research involving humans and/or animals, informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved animals (as appropriate). The decision whether such …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
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 ·- 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 Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Double-blind peer review
This journal follows a double-blind reviewing procedure. This means that the author will remain anonymous to the reviewers throughout peer review. It is the responsibility of the author to anonymize the manuscript and any associated materials. Author names, affiliations and any other potentially identifying information should be removed from the manuscript text and any accompanying files (such as …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
The journal accepts preprints provided that a preprint version would not prevent publication of the submitted manuscript after peer review. The authors are required to disclose the website or URL of the preprint version in the cover letter accompanying submission of the manuscript, and should mention the existence of a preprint in the acknowledgement section.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Clinical Trial Registration
The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of a clinical trial is "any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes". The WHO defines health interventions as “A health intervention is an act performed for, with or on behalf of a person or population whose purpose is to ass…
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
- ISSN
- 2096-6709
- Electronic ISSN
- 2662-1371
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 8, Issue 3 (August 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise
What CAS zone is Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Sport Sciences. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise?
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 3.7, h-index 22.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise?
Based on the dates recorded on 77 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 144 days (interquartile range 117–205 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 Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 4,000 words; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Graphical abstract: Optional; Cover letter: 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 Science in Sport and Exercise based?
Of the 63 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 31 (about 49%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (31), United States (9) and Australia (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise is indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Is Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of Science in Sport and Exercise is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,290.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .