Oleic acid is the monounsaturated fatty acid in soybean seed triacylglycerols with an average concentration of 230 g kg^-1 in soybean germplasm. While the polyunsaturated fatty acids are responsible for unfavorable odors and flavors due to oxidation, oleic acid improves the nutritional value and oxidative stability of soybean oil. The need for genetic improvement of oleate trait entails the elucidation of the genetic factors conditioning oleic acid seed content. This study aims to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with oleate trait in soybean oilseeds. A mapping population of 118 F5-derived lines from the cross of N97-3363-3 x PI423893 was genotyped with SSR markers across the 20 linkage groups of soybean genome. Phenotypic evaluations for fatty acid and agronomic traits were conducted in replicated trials in two years and several locations. An additional mapping population of 231 F3-derived lines from the cross of N98-4445A x PI423893 was used in order to confirm the QTL detected in the F5-derived population. The genetic effects of the detected QTL and the amount of variation explained for oleate trait as well as the epistatic interactions and the QTL by environment interactions are discussed. Moreover, the locations of the QTL detected are compared with the locations of the oleate desaturase genes in order to determine whether the fatty acid biosynthesis genes explain the observed variation in oleate trait. The results of this study will be applied in soybean breeding programs for marker assisted selection of alleles associated with increased oleic acid content.