Journal profile · Health Professions-Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation
South African Journal of Sports Medicine
ISSN 1015-5163 · eISSN 2078-516X · South African Sports Medicine Association · South Africa
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South African Journal of Sports Medicine: fully open access; APC about USD 400; review about 12 weeks (community reports); 33 articles in 2025; indexed in Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
South African Journal of Sports Medicine is published by South African Sports Medicine Association. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Sports injuries and prevention, Sports Performance and Training and Sport Psychology and Performance, together about 43% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The South African Journal of Sports Medicine is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes original research articles, reviews, commentaries, letters and case studies on topics related to the disciplines represented by the South African Sports Medicine Association. One volume is published a year with articles added as they are ready for publication. These disciplines include sports medicine, biokinetics, physiotherapy, exercise and sports science, dietetics and psychology. Material that is particularly unique and relevant to South Africa and its inhabitants are given preference; however, any other material of general interest and relevance will also be considered.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Health Professions-Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation
Editor-in-chief Mike LambertPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named South Africa 5, Australia 1 (6 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Sports injuries and preventionMedicine20.6%
- Sports Performance and TrainingMedicine14.9%
- Sport Psychology and PerformancePsychology7.6%
- Physical Activity and HealthMedicine7.3%
- Lower Extremity Biomechanics and PathologiesEngineering4.7%
- Knee injuries and reconstruction techniquesMedicine4.6%
- Cardiovascular and exercise physiologyMedicine4.5%
- Injury Epidemiology and PreventionMedicine3.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CiteScore quartiles (Scopus, June 2026 release)
| Subject | Quartile | Rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation | Q3 | 170/257 | 34th |
| Orthopedics and Sports Medicine | Q3 | 233/340 | 31st |
Scopus ranks journals by CiteScore within each subject: the 75th percentile and above is Q1, then a quartile every 25 points. A different system from the CAS zones.LetPub
Database indexing
ScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
PMCSciELOPublisher website
Other: Crossref
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
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.4LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.4LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.35LetPub ·
- h-index
- 27OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 131OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.8OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,099 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 23 | 23 | 255 |
| 2025 | 33 | 33 | 360 |
| 2024 | 20 | 20 | 353 |
| 2023 | 24 | 24 | 331 |
| 2022 | 36 | 36 | 320 |
| 2021 | 35 | 35 | 388 |
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 12 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 12 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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
Fully open accessDOAJ
Every article is open access; authors usually pay an article processing charge (APC).
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | ZAR 7,000 / USD 400 / EUR 380 | No | CC BY | |
| LetPub | No APC | No | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 320 / USD 400 / EUR 300 / EUR 380 | — | — |
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 prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- ≤ 5
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 3,000 words
- Reference style
- Vancouver
Article types accepted11, with length limits
- case studiesCase Studies are brief reports of one patient or a small number of patients describing a clearly defined clinical problem, assessment, diagnosis, management, ou…Length not stated
- commentaryon and Conclusion(s). Short Reports and Commentaries should each be 1,500 words or less (excluding abstract and references), with one tablemain text ≤ 1,500 words
- conference proceedingsConference proceedings are accepted for submission after discussion with the editor. Abstracts should be structured and not exceed 250 words.Length not stated
- editorials, opinions, etc.Editorials, Opinions, etc. should be about 1000 words and are welcome, but unless invited, will be subjected to the SAJSM peer review process.Length not stated
- letters to the editorLetters to the Editor, for publication, should be about 400 words with only one illustration or table, and must include a correspondence address.Length not stated
- narrative review articlesNarrative Review articles are rarely accepted unless invited.Length not stated
- obituariesObituaries should be about 400 words and may be accompanied by a photograph.Length not stated
- original articled be stated at the end of each article. Original articles should not exceed 3000 words (excluding references), should have up to 6 tables or illusmain text ≤ 3,000 words
- qualitative articlesQualitative articles not exceeding 5000 words (excluding references), with an unstructured abstract not exceeding 250 words. References should be limited to 20.Length not stated
- short reports and commentariesShort Reports and Commentaries should each be 1,500 words or less (excluding abstract and references), with one table or illustration and no more than six refer…Length not stated
- systematic reviewsSystematic reviews are accepted for submission after discussions with the editor. The decision on its suitability for publication is made after the reviewers’ r…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Plagiarism
- AI use Use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools and resources
AI use disclosure Model summary
The South African Journal of Sports Medicine subscribes to the ASSAf and SciELO guidelines on the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in research communication: only humans can be authors, and authors remain fully accountable for all content. Any substantive use of AI tools (e.g., for drafting, translation, data analysis, image editing) must be transparently disclosed in the manuscript…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship AUTHORSHIP
Copyright and CC BY 4.0 license Model summary
Named authors must consent to publication. Each author's given name(s) and family name(s) must be inserted, and check that all names are spelled correctly. Authorship should be based on substantial contribution to: (i) conception, design, analysis and interpretation of data; (ii) drafting or critical revision for important intellectual content; and (iii) approval of the version to be published. Th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Conflict of interest declaration Model summary
Authors must declare all sources of support for the research and any association with a product or subject that may constitute conflict of interest. If no funding was received for the research, kindly state that no funding was received from any funding agencies in the public, commercial or non-profit sectors.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Research ethics committee approval Model summary
Provide evidence of Research Ethics Committee approval of the research where relevant.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright Notice
The South African Journal of Sports Medicine reserves copyright of the material published. The work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) International License. Material submitted for publication in the South African Journal of Sports Medicine is accepted provided it has not been published elsewhere. The South African Journal of Sports Medicine does not hold itself respo…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access Policy
All articles published by the South African Journal of Sports Medicine are made freely and permanently accessible online immediately upon publication, without subscription charges or registration barriers. The journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. Articles form this…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review Process
The peer review process is handled and recorded via an online editorial system. After a manuscript is submitted via the online system by a researcher, the Editor-in-Chief screens the manuscript and rejects unsuitable or poor-quality manuscripts at this point. Articles deemed appropriate for peer review are sent to 2 - 3 reviewers selected by the Editor-in-Chief and/or members of the editorial boar…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined as the use of another's work, words or ideas without attribution or permission, and representation of them as one’s own original work. Plagiarism may take many forms, ranging from major plagiarism (the copy-and-paste of large amounts of text), to minor plagiarism without dishonest intent (e.g. when an author uses parts of an introduction from an earlier paper) and even self-p…
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.
Before you submit
Five checks before submitting to South African Journal of Sports Medicine
- 1ScopeRecent output centres on Sports injuries and prevention, Sports Performance and Training.Check scope
- 2Article type and formatAbstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: ≤ 5; Manuscript length: ≤ 3,000 words.Author guidelines ↗
- 3English languagePolish grammar and academic style before you submit: it lowers the risk of rejection for language and improves your chances of acceptance.
- 4FeesZAR 7,000 (DOAJ)Fee details
- 5Expected review timeabout 12 weeks · Community averageReview data
The checks are built from this page's data.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- South African Sports Medicine Association
- Country or region
- South Africa
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 1015-5163
- Electronic ISSN
- 2078-516X
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 38, Issue 1 (2026)
- Official links
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about South African Journal of Sports Medicine
How long does peer review take at South African Journal of Sports Medicine?
Authors report an average review time of about 12 weeks. 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 South African Journal of Sports Medicine?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: ≤ 5; Manuscript length: ≤ 3,000 words; Reference style: Vancouver. 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 South African Journal of Sports Medicine based?
Of the 6 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are South Africa (5) and Australia (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index South African Journal of Sports Medicine?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, South African Journal of Sports Medicine is indexed in Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists PMC and SciELO; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is South African Journal of Sports Medicine open access, and what is the APC?
South African Journal of Sports Medicine is a fully open-access journal. APC about USD 400.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, DOAJ, 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: .