Journal profile · Multiple
LEADERSHIP QUARTERLY
ISSN 1048-9843 · eISSN 1873-3409 · Elsevier
LEADERSHIP QUARTERLY: CAS Zone 1 · Management (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 9.62; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,330; review about 476 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 34 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
LEADERSHIP QUARTERLY is published by Elsevier and is in Zone 1 of Management in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior, Management and Organizational Studies and Emotional Intelligence and Performance, together about 34.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
An International Journal of Political, Social and Behavioral ScienceThe Leadership Quarterly is a social-science journal dedicated to advancing our understanding of leadership as a phenomenon, how to study it, as well as its practical implications.The journal seeks contributions from various disciplinary perspectives, including psychology broadly defined (i.e., industrial-organizational, social, evolutionary, biological, differential), management (i.e., organizational behavior, strategy, organizational theory), political science, sociology, economics (i.e., personnel, behavioral, labor), anthropology, history, and methodology. Equally desirable are contributions from multidisciplinary perspectives.The aim of the journal is to publish scholarly research, theory, and developmental application from diverse fields of inquiry about leadership. The journal will consider studies of leaders from all walks of social life, including formal or informal leaders of any type of group or organization; non-human leadership will also be considered.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief George C. BanksPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 72, Netherlands 21, United Kingdom 16, Germany 16, Australia 12 (169 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Job Satisfaction and Organizational BehaviorBusiness, Management and Accounting20.6%
- Management and Organizational StudiesBusiness, Management and Accounting8.8%
- Emotional Intelligence and PerformancePsychology5.6%
- Gender Diversity and InequalitySocial Sciences5.5%
- Cultural Differences and ValuesPsychology4.8%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering4.8%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.8%
- Social and Intergroup PsychologySocial Sciences4.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Management Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Management | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Psychology, Applied | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Management Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Psychology, Applied | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Management | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Management Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Psychology, Applied | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Management | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
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
- 9.62LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 10Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2024
- 10Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 19.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 19.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2024
- 19.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 6.12LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 3.9LetPub ·
- h-index
- 279OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,461OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 7.69OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 18%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 38.79%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 35LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,087 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 25 | 16 | 49 |
| 2025 | 34 | 21 | 159 |
| 2024 | 43 | 25 | 576 |
| 2023 | 36 | 13 | 1,113 |
| 2022 | 42 | 15 | 1,647 |
| 2021 | 53 | 23 | 2,929 |
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
476 dayssubmission to acceptance
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
- Submission to first decision
- 3 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 82 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 476 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 19 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single 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 4,330 / EUR 4,050 / GBP 3,470 / JPY 537,050 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 4,550 | — | — |
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)
Open calls for papers2, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare2 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- 1–7
Article types accepted9, with length limits
- commentariesCommentaries of published articles should highlight issues that extend, reinterpret, or question findings presented.Length not stated
- commentaryApart from special issue calls or the Yearly Review issue call, which provide specific submissions instructions, The Leadership Quarterly will consider articles…Length not stated
- letterApart from special issue calls or the Yearly Review issue call, which provide specific submissions instructions, The Leadership Quarterly will consider articles…Length not stated
- meta-analysisApart from special issue calls or the Yearly Review issue call, which provide specific submissions instructions, The Leadership Quarterly will consider articles…Length not stated
- narrative reviewApart from special issue calls or the Yearly Review issue call, which provide specific submissions instructions, The Leadership Quarterly will consider articles…Length not stated
- proposalsProposals-these include proposals regarding (a) registered reports [see detailed guidelines], or (b) results-masked articles.Length not stated
- registered reportApart from special issue calls or the Yearly Review issue call, which provide specific submissions instructions, The Leadership Quarterly will consider articles…Length not stated
- reviewApart from special issue calls or the Yearly Review issue call, which provide specific submissions instructions, The Leadership Quarterly will consider articles…Length not stated
- short communicationApart from special issue calls or the Yearly Review issue call, which provide specific submissions instructions, The Leadership Quarterly will consider articles…main text ≤ 10,000 words
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 use
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 Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Ethical guidelines Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Single anonymized review process Model summary
This journal follows a single anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing allowed Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication. In support of Open Science, this journal offers its authors a free preprint posting service on SSRN, Elsevier’s preprint and early research …
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
- ISSN
- 1048-9843
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-3409
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about LEADERSHIP QUARTERLY
What CAS zone is LEADERSHIP QUARTERLY in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, LEADERSHIP QUARTERLY is in Zone 1 of Management, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Management / Psychology, Applied; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Management. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of LEADERSHIP QUARTERLY?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 9.62; CiteScore 19.1, h-index 279.
How long does peer review take at LEADERSHIP QUARTERLY?
The publisher reports about 476 days (submission to acceptance). 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 LEADERSHIP QUARTERLY?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: 1–7. 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 LEADERSHIP QUARTERLY based?
Of the 169 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (72), Netherlands (21) and United Kingdom (16). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index LEADERSHIP QUARTERLY?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, LEADERSHIP QUARTERLY is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is LEADERSHIP QUARTERLY open access, and what is the APC?
LEADERSHIP QUARTERLY is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,330.
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: .