Journal profile · Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Quality of Life Research
ISSN 0962-9343 · eISSN 1573-2649 · Springer International Publishing · NETHERLANDS · Bimonthly · Founded 1992
Quality of Life Research: CAS Zone 3 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.35; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,890; median 144 days to acceptance (59 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: easy; 238 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Quality of Life Research is published by Springer International Publishing and is in Zone 3 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life, Cancer survivorship and care and Childhood Cancer Survivors' Quality of Life, together about 41.3% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Quality of Life Research is an international, multidisciplinary journal of original research, theoretical articles, and methodological reports related to the field of health related quality of life (HRQL), in all the health sciences. The journal’s focus is on the HRQL aspects of treatment, care, and rehabilitation (e.g., illness/health related, health care, at-risk of disease, population health), reflecting the wide application of HRQL assessment and research in the biological and social sciences. The journal also offers editorials, correspondence, registered reports, and conference abstracts. Quality of life has become a prominent issue in philosophy, social science, clinical medicine, health services and outcomes research. The journal's scope reflects the application of subjectively reported health related quality of life assessment as relates to conditions and treatment. All original work is subject to peer review for originality, scientific quality, and relevance to a broad readership.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Editor-in-chief Brittany LapinPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 4%); most named United States 12, United Kingdom 11, Australia 7, Germany 3, Netherlands 3 (57 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of LifeEconomics, Econometrics and Finance16.9%
- Cancer survivorship and careMedicine16.1%
- Childhood Cancer Survivors' Quality of LifeMedicine8.3%
- Health disparities and outcomesSocial Sciences6.6%
- Psychometric Methodologies and TestingDecision Sciences4.6%
- Chronic Disease Management StrategiesMedicine4.4%
- Diabetes Management and EducationMedicine3.4%
- Cardiac Health and Mental HealthMedicine2.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Health Care Sciences & Services | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Health Policy & Services | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Public, Environmental & Occupational Health | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Health Care Sciences & Services | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Health Policy & Services | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Public, Environmental & Occupational Health | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Health Policy & Services | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Public, Environmental & Occupational Health | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Health Care Sciences & Services | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIESSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINEEmbasePsycINFOCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS, Semantic Scholar
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
- 3.35LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.4Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.9LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.15LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.52LetPub ·
- h-index
- 128LetPub ·
- h-index
- 232OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 4,775OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.63OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 56.3%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 210LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 2,025Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 2,200,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 6,706 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 281 | 198 | 116 |
| 2025 | 238 | 158 | 697 |
| 2024 | 303 | 196 | 2,173 |
| 2023 | 247 | 170 | 2,724 |
| 2022 | 261 | 174 | 3,315 |
| 2021 | 343 | 206 | 9,168 |
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 100 days – 174 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 18 days (107 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 172 days
- Sample
- 59 articles with submission and acceptance dates (597 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
- Average review time (community reports)
- 3–8 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- EasyLetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 7 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous 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 3,890 / EUR 2,990 / GBP 2,590 | — | — |
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 papers1, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare5 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
Article types accepted11, with length limits
- commentaryQuality of Life Research welcomes scientific articles in the following categories: • Original Articles Original articles are a maximum of 4,000 words, exclusive…Length not stated
- editorialQuality of Life Research welcomes scientific articles in the following categories: • Original Articles Original articles are a maximum of 4,000 words, exclusive…Length not stated
- letterQuality of Life Research welcomes scientific articles in the following categories: • Original Articles Original articles are a maximum of 4,000 words, exclusive…main text ≤ 1,000 words
- letters to the editorQuality of Life Research welcomes scientific articles in the following categories: • Original Articles Original articles are a maximum of 4,000 words, exclusive…Length not stated
- original articleQuality of Life Research welcomes scientific articles in the following categories: • Original Articles Original articles are a maximum of 4,000 words, exclusive…main text ≤ 4,000 words
- original articles• Original Articles Original articles are a maximum of 4,000 words, exclusive of a 250-word structured abstract, figures, tables, and references.Length not stated
- other types of articles• Other Types of Articles The journal also publishes commentaries and editorials; reviews of the literature; reviews of recent books and software advances; and …Length not stated
- registered reportQuality of Life Research welcomes scientific articles in the following categories: • Original Articles Original articles are a maximum of 4,000 words, exclusive…Length not stated
- registered reports• Registered Reports The journal is pleased to offer Registered Reports for authors submitting to the journal.Length not stated
- reviewQuality of Life Research welcomes scientific articles in the following categories: • Original Articles Original articles are a maximum of 4,000 words, exclusive…Length not stated
- viewpointQuality of Life Research welcomes scientific articles in the following categories: • Original Articles Original articles are a maximum of 4,000 words, exclusive…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, 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
Data transparency Model summary
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 ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
COPE membership Model summary
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
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 Quality of Life Research, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Single-blind peer review
Single-blind peer review Model summary
This journal follows a single-blind reviewing procedure. This journal also publishes special/guest-edited issues. The peer review process for these articles is the same as the peer review process of the journal in general. Additionally, if a guest editor authors an article in their issue/collection, they will not handle the peer review process. Back to top
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 International Publishing
- Country or region
- NETHERLANDS
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1992
- ISSN
- 0962-9343
- Electronic ISSN
- 1573-2649
- Society / sponsor
- International Society of Quality of Life Research
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Quality of Life Research
What CAS zone is Quality of Life Research in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Quality of Life Research is in Zone 3 of Medicine, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Health Care Sciences & Services / Health Policy & Services / Public, Environmental & Occupational Health. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Quality of Life Research?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.35; CiteScore 5.9, h-index 232.
How long does peer review take at Quality of Life Research?
Based on the dates recorded on 59 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 144 days (interquartile range 100–174 days); authors report an average review time of 3–8 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Easy”. 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 Quality of Life Research?
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. 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 Quality of Life Research based?
Of the 57 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 4%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (12), United Kingdom (11) and Australia (7). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Quality of Life Research?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Quality of Life Research is indexed in SCIE, SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Quality of Life Research open access, and what is the APC?
Quality of Life Research is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,890.
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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .