Journal profile · HOSPITALITY, LEISURE, SPORT & TOURISM
World Leisure Journal
ISSN 1607-8055 · eISSN 2333-4509 · Taylor & Francis
World Leisure Journal: CAS Zone 4 · Management (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.3 (journal website); JCR Q2 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 177 days to acceptance (90 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 34% (journal website); 79 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
World Leisure Journal is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 4 of Management in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Recreation, Leisure, Wilderness Management, Sport and Mega-Event Impacts and Diverse Aspects of Tourism Research, together about 51.9% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The World Leisure Journal is the official journal of the World Leisure Organization, and is an international forum aiming to stimulate a broad discussion of critical leisure research and theory in all its guises. The journal is aligned with the principles of the World Leisure Organization, and is dedicated to furthering our understanding of the benefits of leisure; advancing the quality of life, health, and well-being of individuals, communities, and nations; encouraging social inclusion and promoting social justice through leisure. The World Leisure Journal welcomes submissions from multiple areas of study that reflect the diversity of ways in which leisure can be conceptualised and approached. Papers must be grounded in one or more leisure-related concepts, theories, or processes. We welcome a global perspective on leisure that is relevant to a global or local context. We encourage submissions that bring different cultural views and Indigenous ways of knowing, knowledge, and perspectives. Comparative cross-national and cross-cultural research reports are welcome. The subject matter in papers should be leisure-centred and may be addressed from perspectives derived from the social, behavioural, and biological sciences, education, and the humanities. All are required to make an original contribution to knowledge in the leisure field. In addition to original research papers and review essays, systematic literature reviews, book reviews, research notes, commentaries, interviews, and methodological contributions are invited for consideration in the World Leisure Journal . The journal publishes special issues that showcase research on single themes of particular importance to the field, and occasional guest contributions. The Journal is published quarterly in both print and electronic formats. Peer Review Statement World Leisure Journal is an international peer-reviewed journal which publishes original research contributions to scientific knowledge. All manuscript submissions are subject to initial appraisal by the Editor, and, if found suitable for further consideration, to peer review by independent, anonymous expert referees. All peer review is double anonymized and submission is online via ScholarOne Manuscripts. Click here to be taken to the submissions website.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): HOSPITALITY, LEISURE, SPORT & TOURISM
Editor-in-chief Sandro CarnicelliPublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Recreation, Leisure, Wilderness ManagementPsychology25%
- Sport and Mega-Event ImpactsSocial Sciences19.2%
- Diverse Aspects of Tourism ResearchSocial Sciences7.7%
- Adventure Sports and Sensation SeekingPsychology5.5%
- Cultural Industries and Urban DevelopmentSocial Sciences4.4%
- Sports, Gender, and SocietySocial Sciences3.8%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering3%
- Educational Robotics and EngineeringComputer Science2.8%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Management Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Management Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
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
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceCAB AbstractsPublisher website
Other: Agricultural Economics Database, Animal Science Database, Crop Science Database, Environmental Impact, Global Health, Leisure Tourism Database, Nutrition and Food Sciences Database, Rural Development Abstracts (Online), Soil Science Database, Soils and Fertilizers (Online), Tropical Diseases Bulletin (Online), Veterinary Science Database, VetMed Resource, Wheat, Barley and Triticale Abstracts (Online), EBSCOhost - Current Abstracts, 1/1/2005-, Hospitality & Tourism Complete, 1/1/2005-, Hospitality & Tourism Index, 9/1/1989-1/1/1999, SPORTDiscus with Full Text, 1/1/2005-
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 (publisher) 2025
- 2.3Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.6LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 4.6Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.55LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.55Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.97LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.97Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 43OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 286OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.65OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 8.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 8.44%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 67LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 110,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,290 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 59 | 18 | 13 |
| 2025 | 79 | 27 | 99 |
| 2024 | 56 | 18 | 208 |
| 2023 | 46 | 11 | 469 |
| 2022 | 40 | 12 | 379 |
| 2021 | 54 | 9 | 426 |
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
177 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 112 days – 228 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 13 days (90 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 192 days
- Sample
- 90 articles with submission and acceptance dates (150 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)
- 34%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 38 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 51 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 12 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)
Article types accepted10
- book reviewsIn addition to original research papers and review essays, systematic literature reviews, book reviews, research notes, commentaries, interviews, and methodolog…Length not stated
- commentariesIn addition to original research papers and review essays, systematic literature reviews, book reviews, research notes, commentaries, interviews, and methodolog…Length not stated
- interviewsIn addition to original research papers and review essays, systematic literature reviews, book reviews, research notes, commentaries, interviews, and methodolog…Length not stated
- methodological contributionsIn addition to original research papers and review essays, systematic literature reviews, book reviews, research notes, commentaries, interviews, and methodolog…Length not stated
- original researchOriginal ResearchLength not stated
- original research papersIn addition to original research papers and review essays, systematic literature reviews, book reviews, research notes, commentaries, interviews, and methodolog…Length not stated
- research notesIn addition to original research papers and review essays, systematic literature reviews, book reviews, research notes, commentaries, interviews, and methodolog…Length not stated
- reviewReviewLength not stated
- review essaysIn addition to original research papers and review essays, systematic literature reviews, book reviews, research notes, commentaries, interviews, and methodolog…Length not stated
- systematic literature reviewsIn addition to original research papers and review essays, systematic literature reviews, book reviews, research notes, commentaries, interviews, and methodolog…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Hybrid open access journal (Taylor & Francis Open Select). Model summary
World Leisure Journal 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 r…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Double anonymized peer review; online submission via ScholarOne Manuscripts. Model summary
All peer review is double anonymized and submission is online via ScholarOne Manuscripts.
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
- 1607-8055
- Electronic ISSN
- 2333-4509
- Society / sponsor
- World Leisure Organization
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 68, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about World Leisure Journal
What CAS zone is World Leisure Journal in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, World Leisure Journal is in Zone 4 of Management, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Hospitality, Leisure, Sport & Tourism. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Management. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of World Leisure Journal?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 2.3 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 4.6, h-index 43.
How long does peer review take at World Leisure Journal?
Based on the dates recorded on 90 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 177 days (interquartile range 112–228 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 34%. 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 World Leisure Journal 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 4 of Management.
Which databases index World Leisure Journal?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, World Leisure Journal is indexed in ESCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science and CAB Abstracts; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is World Leisure Journal open access, and what is the APC?
World Leisure Journal 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .