Journal profile · Health Professions-Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation
Sports Medicine and Health Science
ISSN 2666-3376 · KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. · China
Sports Medicine and Health Science: CAS Zone 3 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.1 (journal website); diamond open access (no APC); no APC; median 135 days to acceptance (85 articles, last 24 months); 82 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Sports Medicine and Health Science is published by KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. 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 Cardiovascular and exercise physiology, Exercise and Physiological Responses and Physical Activity and Health, together about 28.5% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Welcome to the Sports Medicine and Health Science (SMHS) manuscript preparation guide. Here, you will find everything that you need to know to complete your manuscript for submission to the journal. Let’s begin with the aims and scope of the journal and the types of articles published in SMHS. Aims and Scope of Journal Sports Medicine and Health Science is a peer-reviewed and open access journal of the China Sport Science Society (CSSS). The three main domains covered by the journal include: Sports Medicine-prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of sports injuries using research-based practices from Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine.Exercise Biology-human and animal investigations on the impact that exercise has on both cellular and organ system physiology. Further, studies that investigate the role that muscular exercise plays in the management of chronic diseases are also encouraged.Impact of physical activity and inactivity on public health-epidemiological or laboratory studies investigating the impact that physical activity and/or inactivity has on public health.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Health Professions-Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation
Editor-in-chief Scott PowersPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 25 in mainland China (about 28%); most named United States 30, Mainland China 25, Spain 5, Canada 5, South Korea 3 (88 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Cardiovascular and exercise physiologyMedicine11%
- Exercise and Physiological ResponsesMedicine9.1%
- Physical Activity and HealthMedicine8.5%
- Sports Performance and TrainingMedicine7.4%
- Sports injuries and preventionMedicine6.8%
- Obesity, Physical Activity, DietMedicine6.5%
- Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic ControlMedicine5.5%
- Muscle metabolism and nutritionBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4.3%
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 | Sport Sciences | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Sport Sciences | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusDOAJLetPub
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 (publisher)
- 3.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 5.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.85LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.07LetPub ·
- h-index
- 28OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 109OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.18OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.5%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 100%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 55LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 382 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 42 | 42 | 12 |
| 2025 | 82 | 82 | 195 |
| 2024 | 68 | 68 | 404 |
| 2023 | 64 | 64 | 475 |
| 2022 | 39 | 39 | 597 |
| 2021 | 43 | 43 | 1,054 |
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 PubMed · to
135 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 91 days – 193 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 3 days (85 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 141 days
- Sample
- 85 articles with submission and acceptance dates (132 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)
- about 8 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 8 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Single 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
Diamond open access (no APC)DOAJ
Every article is open access and authors pay no article processing charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | No APC | No | CC BY, CC BY-NC-ND | |
| OpenAlex | USD 0 | — | — | |
| LetPub | No APC | No | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 980 | — | — |
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
- ≥ 3
- Reference style
- AMA
- Graphical abstract
- Required
Article types accepted9, with length limits
- commentaryDescriptions of article types included in Sports Medicine and Health Science are summarized in the table below. Authors should select the appropriate article ty…Length not stated
- editorialCommentary from editors or experts on scientific topics within the scope of SMHSLength not stated
- hypothesisDescriptions of article types included in Sports Medicine and Health Science are summarized in the table below. Authors should select the appropriate article ty…Length not stated
- letter to editorLetters to editor can respond to recently published articles or can be of general interest to research community within the scope of SMHSLength not stated
- mini-reviewConcise review of current knowledge in a defined field-highlights new information and future research directionsLength not stated
- opinionDescriptions of article types included in Sports Medicine and Health Science are summarized in the table below. Authors should select the appropriate article ty…main text ≤ 2,000 words
- research articleResearch articles that include a clear rationale for the research, methods, original results, and conclusions of research findingsLength not stated
- reviewDescriptions of article types included in Sports Medicine and Health Science are summarized in the table below. Authors should select the appropriate article ty…Length not stated
- review articleDescriptions of article types included in Sports Medicine and Health Science are summarized in the table below. Authors should select the appropriate article ty…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use Declaration of generative AI in scientific writing
The guidance for use of AI provided below refers ONLY to the writing process, and not to the use of AI tools to analyze and draw insights from data as part of the research process. Where authors use generative artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process, authors should only use these technologies to improve syntax and readability of existing language. Applying …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Changes to authorship
New Policy: for manuscripts submitted after 1st February 2026 The editors of this journal generally will not consider changes to authorship once a manuscript has been submitted. It is important that authors carefully consider the authorship list and order of authors and provide a definitive author list at original submission. The policy of this journal around authorship changes: All authors must b…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of Competing Interests
Declaration of competing interests required Model summary
Please click this link to download the "Declaration of Competing Interest" (DOCI) form. We prefer DOCI submission to consistently follow this prescribed format. For more details, please go through the below paragraph. All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence (bias) their work. Examples of potential co…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Ethics approval required for studies involving human participants, human data, human tissue, or live animals Model summary
Manuscripts reporting studies involving human participants, human data, human tissue, or live animals must include an ethical approval statement that the experimental protocol used has been reviewed and approved by the appropriate institutional review board
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to complete a 'Journal Publishing Agreement. Acceptance of the agreement will ensure the widest possible dissemination of information. An email will be sent to the corresponding author confirming receipt of the manuscript together with a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' form or a link to the online version of this agreement.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
Open access publishing Model summary
Every peer-reviewed research article appearing in this journal will be published open access. This statement means that the article is universally and freely accessible via the internet in perpetuity, in an easily readable format immediately after publication. To provide open access, this journal has an open access fee (also known as an Article Processing Charge, APC) which needs to be paid by the…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer-review
This journal operates a single blind peer-review process. All contributions are sent to a minimum of two independent expert reviewers to assess the scientific quality of the paper. The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for the final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of articles. For more information on the types of peer-review, please visit: https://www.elsevier.com/reviewers/peer-review. SM…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprint references
Where a preprint has subsequently become available as a peer-reviewed publication, the formal publication should be used as the reference. If there are preprints that are central to your work or that cover crucial developments in the topic, but are not yet formally published, these may be referenced. Preprints should be clearly marked as such, for example by including the word preprint, or the nam…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines
PROSPERO registration required for systematic reviews and meta-analyses Model summary
The registration in PROSPERO is required in this journal for publication of systematic review and/or meta-analysis.
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
- KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
- Country or region
- China
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2666-3376
- Print ISSN
- 2097-6291
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Sports Medicine and Health Science
What CAS zone is Sports Medicine and Health Science in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Sports Medicine and Health Science is in Zone 3 of Medicine, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Sport Sciences. 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 Sports Medicine and Health Science?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 3.1; this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 5.1, h-index 28.
How long does peer review take at Sports Medicine and Health Science?
Based on the dates recorded on 85 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 135 days (interquartile range 91–193 days); authors report an average review time of about 8 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 Sports Medicine and Health Science?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: ≥ 3; Reference style: AMA; Graphical abstract: Required. 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 Sports Medicine and Health Science based?
Of the 88 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 25 (about 28%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (30), Mainland China (25) and Spain (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Sports Medicine and Health Science?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Sports Medicine and Health Science is indexed in ESCI, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is Sports Medicine and Health Science open access, and what is the APC?
Sports Medicine and Health Science is a diamond open-access journal (no APC). It charges no article processing charge.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website, DOAJ; 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: .