Journal profile · Multiple
Qualitative Research in Sport Exercise and Health
ISSN 2159-676X · eISSN 2159-6778 · ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD · ENGLAND
Qualitative Research in Sport Exercise and Health: CAS Zone 2 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.3; JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 210 days to acceptance (100 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 9% (journal website); 49 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Qualitative Research in Sport Exercise and Health is published by ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD and is in Zone 2 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Sport Psychology and Performance, Sports, Gender, and Society and Sport and Mega-Event Impacts, together about 40.1% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health is the first international journal solely dedicated to the advancement and debate of qualitative research within sport and exercise psychology, sport sociology, sports coaching, and sports and exercise medicine. Providing a forum for qualitative researchers within all the social scientific areas of sport, exercise, and health the journal offers researchers, practitioners, and students access to cutting edge empirical inquiry, scholarly dialogues, and the latest developments in qualitative methodologies and methods. Open to all qualitative approaches, Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health aims to be eclectic in content. It publishes original empirical work that uses qualitative approaches as well as qualitative meta-syntheses and review articles on the methods and methodologies of qualitative research. Peer Review Policy All submitted manuscripts are subject to initial appraisal by the Editor, and, if found suitable for further consideration, to peer review by independent, anonymous expert referees. Submission is online via ScholarOne Manuscripts. Click here to be taken to the submission site.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Kerry R. McGannonPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United Kingdom 2, Canada 2, United States 1 (5 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Sport Psychology and PerformancePsychology16.1%
- Sports, Gender, and SocietySocial Sciences12.7%
- Sport and Mega-Event ImpactsSocial Sciences11.3%
- Physical Education and PedagogyHealth Professions10%
- Motivation and Self-Concept in SportsPsychology8.5%
- Youth Development and Social SupportSocial Sciences5.5%
- Sports injuries and preventionMedicine3.9%
- Diversity and Impact of DancePsychology3.7%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Psychology, Applied | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Sport Sciences | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Psychology, Applied | Zone 3 |
| 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 | Psychology, Applied | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Sport Sciences | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q1 · 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
SCIESSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
ESCICAB AbstractsPublisher website
Other: ProQuest, Global Health, Leisure Tourism Database, Nutrition and Food Sciences Database, EBSCOhost - Current Abstracts, ProQuest - Professional ProQuest Central, ProQuest 5000, ProQuest 5000 International, ProQuest Central, ProQuest Research Library
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
- 3.3LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.4Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 7.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 7.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.41LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 1.41Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.08LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 2.08Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 63OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 479OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.52OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 14.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 29.41%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 49LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 382,000Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 382,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 770 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 48 | 34 | 9 |
| 2025 | 49 | 27 | 84 |
| 2024 | 32 | 22 | 232 |
| 2023 | 38 | 24 | 351 |
| 2022 | 47 | 25 | 973 |
| 2021 | 53 | 34 | 927 |
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
210 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 167 days – 279 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 7 days (100 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 221 days
- Sample
- 100 articles with submission and acceptance dates (107 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)
- 9%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 9%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 65 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 65 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 66 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review 2025
- 66 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 9 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 9 daysPublisher 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
- research articleResearch ArticleLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health 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? Incre…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review Policy
Peer review policy Model summary
All submitted manuscripts are subject to initial appraisal by the Editor, and, if found suitable for further consideration, to peer review by independent, anonymous expert referees. Submission is online via ScholarOne Manuscripts. Click here to be taken to the submission site.
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
- ROUTLEDGE JOURNALS, TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2159-676X
- Electronic ISSN
- 2159-6778
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 18, Issue 5 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Qualitative Research in Sport Exercise and Health
What CAS zone is Qualitative Research in Sport Exercise and Health in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Qualitative Research in Sport Exercise and Health is in Zone 2 of Medicine, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Psychology, Applied / Sport Sciences / Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism. 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 Qualitative Research in Sport Exercise and Health?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.3; CiteScore 7.7, h-index 63.
How long does peer review take at Qualitative Research in Sport Exercise and Health?
Based on the dates recorded on 100 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 210 days (interquartile range 167–279 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 9% (2025). 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 Qualitative Research in Sport Exercise and Health in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q1 (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 2 of Medicine.
Where are the editorial board members of Qualitative Research in Sport Exercise and Health based?
Of the 5 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (2), Canada (2) and United States (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Qualitative Research in Sport Exercise and Health?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Qualitative Research in Sport Exercise and Health is indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists ESCI and CAB Abstracts; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Qualitative Research in Sport Exercise and Health open access, and what is the APC?
Qualitative Research in Sport Exercise and Health 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: .