Journal profile · HOSPITALITY, LEISURE, SPORT & TOURISM
Leisure Studies
ISSN 0261-4367 · eISSN 1466-4496 · Taylor & Francis
Leisure Studies: CAS Zone 3 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.74; JCR Q2 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 222 days to acceptance (89 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 17% (journal website); 107 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Leisure Studies is published by Taylor & Francis 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 Sport and Mega-Event Impacts, Recreation, Leisure, Wilderness Management and Sports, Gender, and Society, together about 54.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Leisure Studies is a leading international journal that publishes innovative theoretically-informed, methodologically rigorous, empirical, conceptual and applied leisure research within the Social Sciences and Humanities. The journal publishes qualitative and quantitative research which critically analyses both the creation and consumption of leisure, including sport, travel and tourism, hospitality, media (including digital media), events, heritage, and the arts. Articles which examine the inter-relationships between leisure and work, civic engagement, health and wellbeing, major resources of social inequality and forms of social (in)justice are also published. Reflecting the journal's concern with developing culturally diverse and nuanced understandings of leisure, research which examines leisure in the Global South is welcomed alongside studies of leisure in the Global North. Leisure Studies is the journal of the Leisure Studies Association. A special rate is available to members of the Association and membership details can be obtained from Routledge Customer Services, Sheepen Place, Colchester, Essex, CO3 3LP, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 207 017 5544 Email: societies@tandf.co.uk or from the LSA website. Peer Review Statement All papers submitted to the journal are screened by the managing editors, and all papers that are subsequently published (whether full papers or research notes) have undergone double anonymized peer review.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): HOSPITALITY, LEISURE, SPORT & TOURISM
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United Kingdom 7, Australia 2, New Zealand 1 (10 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Sport and Mega-Event ImpactsSocial Sciences23.3%
- Recreation, Leisure, Wilderness ManagementPsychology19.3%
- Sports, Gender, and SocietySocial Sciences11.9%
- Adventure Sports and Sensation SeekingPsychology7.2%
- Diverse Aspects of Tourism ResearchSocial Sciences6.6%
- Cultural Industries and Urban DevelopmentSocial Sciences6.2%
- Diversity and Impact of DancePsychology2.2%
- Urban Green Space and HealthEnvironmental Science1.9%
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 |
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 |
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 | Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism | Zone 3 |
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
PsycINFOCAB AbstractsPublisher website
Other: ProQuest, OCLC, De Gruyter Saur - Dietrich's Index Philosophicus, EBSCOhost - Academic Search Alumni Edition, 4/1/1996-, Elsevier BV - GEOBASE, International Hospitality and Tourism Database CD-ROM
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
- 2.74LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.8Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.8LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 5.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.81LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.81Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.73LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.73Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 104OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,057OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.45OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 17.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 16.39%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 88LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 310,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,963 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 100 | 37 | 33 |
| 2025 | 107 | 40 | 253 |
| 2024 | 91 | 33 | 444 |
| 2023 | 85 | 36 | 793 |
| 2022 | 104 | 34 | 1,163 |
| 2021 | 76 | 19 | 1,191 |
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
222 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 162 days – 319 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 11 days (89 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 236 days
- Sample
- 89 articles with submission and acceptance dates (224 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
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 17%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 15 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 84 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 11 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)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Leisure Studies 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 and readers…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review Statement
Double anonymized peer review for all published papers; managing editors screen all submissions. Model summary
All papers submitted to the journal are screened by the managing editors, and all papers that are subsequently published (whether full papers or research notes) have undergone double anonymized peer review.
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
- Taylor & Francis
- ISSN
- 0261-4367
- Electronic ISSN
- 1466-4496
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 45, Issue 4 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Leisure Studies
What CAS zone is Leisure Studies in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Leisure Studies is in Zone 3 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism. 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 Leisure Studies?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.74; CiteScore 5.8, h-index 104.
How long does peer review take at Leisure Studies?
Based on the dates recorded on 89 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 222 days (interquartile range 162–319 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 17%. 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 Leisure Studies 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 Leisure Studies based?
Of the 10 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (7), Australia (2) and New Zealand (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Leisure Studies?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Leisure Studies is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists PsycINFO and CAB Abstracts; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Leisure Studies open access, and what is the APC?
Leisure Studies 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: .