As the official journal of World Leisure, the purpose of the World Leisure Journal is to stimulate and communicate research, theory, and critical thought in all areas that address leisure, including play, recreation, the arts and culture, sport, festivals and celebrations, health and fitness, and travel and tourism. Empirical and theoretical manuscripts, as well as position papers, review articles, and critical essays are published in World Leisure Journal. Because World Leisure Journal is international in scope, authors from all areas of the world are encouraged to submit manuscripts. Comparative cross-national and cross-cultural research reports are especially welcome. For empirical papers, all types of research methods are appropriate and the subject matter in papers may be addressed from perspectives derived from the social, behavioral, and biological sciences, education, and the humanities. Both pure and applied research reports are appropriate for publication in the World Leisure Journal. In addition to original research reports and review essays, book reviews, research notes, comments, and methodological contributions are appropriate for publication in World Leisure Journal. The journal also publishes special issues that showcase research on single themes of particular importance to the field. The Journal is published quarterly in both print and electronic formats.
Editorial Structure
The editorial structure for the World Leisure Journal will consist of an Editor-in-Chief and an Editorial Board of between 12 and 24 associate editors. The Editor-in-Chief, who will be approved by the Board of Directors of World Leisure, will have a term of service for three years with the possibility of extensions on a year-to-year basis up to a maximum of 5 years. The members of the Editorial Board, who are chosen by the Editor-in-Chief, will represent expertise in topical areas and research methods that represent the diversity of research on leisure and recreation. Associate editors will serve for two years with the possibility of extensions on a year-to-year basis at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief.
In addition to the Editorial Board, the Board of Directors of World Leisure may appoint a panel of up to 10 advisory editors. The advisory editors, who should be senior level leisure and recreation researchers or practitioners, will advise the Editor-in-Chief with respect to the content of and direction to be pursued by the journal. Advisory Editors may also review manuscripts but that will not be their primary role.
For their service, the Editor-in-Chief, members of the Board of Editors and the Advisory Editors will receive complementary membership in World Leisure during their terms of service.
Manuscript Submission Procedure
Manuscripts should be submitted to the Editor-in-Chief in electronic format, as an e-mail attachment, single-spaced and conforming to American Psychological Association style as described in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th Ed.). If an author cannot submit an electronic copy of the paper, three copies on white bond paper, printed on one side with all four margins not less than 4 cm, are acceptable. Articles should not normally exceed 4,000 words.
Criteria for Acceptance
The primary criteria for publication are methodological soundness and contribution to our understanding of leisure, recreation, and related issues. While no contribution will be rejected solely on the basis of being excessively technical or overly applied, authors should endeavor to write in a clear, precise, and succinct manner. Manuscripts are invited and encouraged from authors from throughout the world but must be written in English. All individuals who are listed as authors must have approved the manuscript as submitted. Citations must be provided for all information either referred to or quoted in the text. Authors should receive written permission from the original author and/or publisher for the reproduction of any copyrighted material. Manuscripts must not be under review or have already been published elsewhere. The presentation of a paper at a conference or the publication of a preliminary report in conference proceedings does not constitute prior publication so long as the manuscript submitted to World Leisure Journal differs significantly from the presentation or proceedings paper.
Manuscript Review Procedure
All unsolicited manuscripts submitted to World Leisure Journal will undergo peer review. Upon receipt of a manuscript, the Editor-in-Chief will acknowledge it promptly. The Editor-in-Chief will then select an associate editor with the appropriate expertise to evaluate the article and transmit it to him or her along with the appropriate evaluation forms. The associate editor will then choose two referees and solicit their assistance. When the two additional referees have agreed to review the manuscript, the associate editor will transmit it, along with appropriate review forms, to them. Referees will be advised to maintain strict confidentiality with respect to the manuscript. Referees will be asked to return their reviews to the associate editor within 6 weeks of receiving a manuscript. When the reviewers return their evaluations to the associate editor, the associate editor will then recommend the disposition of the manuscript, based on his or her own reading plus the evaluations of the two reviewers, to the Editor-in-Chief. Final disposition of manuscripts are the sole responsibility of the Editor-in Chief.
Associate editors and referees should consider both the content and the quality of presentation in manuscripts when making their recommendations. Reviewers and associate editors can recommend the following dispositions to the Editor-in-Chief with respect to manuscripts:
- Accept, subject only to copy editing
- Accept with minor revisions
- Conditionally accept; major revisions necessary
- Reject but encourage major revision and resubmission
- Reject
The Editor-in-Chief will inform authors of the final disposition of their manuscript. If accepted for publication, the Editor-in-Chief will provide authors with a transfer of copyright form for signature and return. World Leisure retains the copyright on all published manuscripts. Final versions of manuscript should be submitted in hard copy and identical electronic form.
Revising Manuscripts
Authors will be provided with copies of all reviews of their manuscripts. If revisions are required, authors should revise and return their manuscript along with a description of how they addressed reviewer concerns and suggestions. While authors may dispute reviewer comments and suggestions, they must provide a sound argument in support of their position. When only minor revisions are needed, the Editor-in-Chief can approve revised manuscripts without the need for further review by the associate editor or the external reviewers. When more substantial revisions are required, the revisions should be approved by the associate editor and external reviewers as well as the Editor-in-Chief.
Rejected Manuscripts
Authors whose manuscripts have been rejected for publication will be informed of the reasons for the rejection by the Editor-in-Chief. In some cases, the subject matter of the manuscript will be outside of the scope of the World Leisure Journal. In these cases, the reviewers, associate editor, or Editor-in-Chief may suggest alternative outlets to the author. Rejections are final. However, authors who prepare entirely new manuscripts based on the same data or theorizing as the rejected paper may submit them for review. In this case, they will be treated as new, not as revised, manuscripts and will undergo a completely new review.
To Submit Manuscripts
Authors wishing to submit manuscripts for publication, please email them to Professor Kenneth Roberts at wlj@liverpool.ac.uk.
Editorial Board
Editor-in-chief KEN ROBERTS, Liverpool University, UK
Editoral assistant PALASH KAMRUZZAMAN, Liverpool University, UK
Editorial board
- HANS MOMMAAS, Tilburg University, The Netherlands
- ATARA SIVAN, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong
- ROBERTS A. STEBBINS, University of Calgary, Canada
- A.J. VEAL, University of Technology Sydney, Australia
International editorial advisory board
- JOSEPHINE BURDEN, Griffeith University, Australia
- SOKHO CHOE, Seoul School of Integrated Sciences and Technologies, South Korea
- JOHN CROMPTON, Texas A&M University, USA
- HEATHER GIBSON, University of Florida, USA
- KARLA HENDERSON, North Carolina State University, USA
- TESS KAY, Loughborough University, UK
- DOUGLAS KLEIBER, University of Georgia, USA
- JAN TE KLOEZE, Wageningen University, The Netherlands
- FRANCIS LOBO, Edith Cowan University, Australia
- JOSE MACHADO PAIS, University of Lisbon
- STEPHEN WEARING, University of Technology Sydney, Australia
- JIRI ZUZANEK, University of Waterloo, Canada
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