General Requirements

Journal of Sport and Exercise Studies welcomes original, methodologically sound, and ethically conducted research in the fields of sport, exercise, physical activity, health, education, performance, behavior, and society. Manuscripts should make a clear scholarly contribution to sport and exercise studies and should not be under consideration by another journal at the time of submission.

Submissions must be written in clear English. Authors may use either British or American English, but spelling and style should be consistent throughout the manuscript. Authors whose first language is not English are encouraged to have the manuscript reviewed by a fluent English speaker or professional language editor before submission.

Types of Manuscripts

The journal considers the following types of submissions. Word limits are recommended ranges and may be adjusted when justified by the nature of the study.

Manuscript Structure

Original research articles should normally include the following elements:

• Title
• Abstract
• Keywords
• Introduction
• Literature Review or Theoretical Background, where appropriate
• Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• Conclusion
• Acknowledgements, if applicable
• Funding Statement, if applicable
• Conflict of Interest Statement
• Data Availability Statement, where applicable
• Ethics Statement, where applicable
• References
• Tables, Figures, and Supplementary Materials, where applicable

Title Page

Authors should upload a separate title page containing:

• Full manuscript title;
• Full names of all authors;
• Institutional affiliations of all authors;
• Email address of the corresponding author;
• ORCID iD of each author, where available;
• Author contribution statement, where applicable;
• Funding information, if applicable;
• Conflict of interest statement.

To support double-blind peer review, the main manuscript file should not contain author names, affiliations, acknowledgements, or other information that directly identifies the authors.

Abstract and Keywords

Research articles should include an abstract of approximately 150–250 words. The abstract should clearly summarize the research background, purpose, methods, key findings, and main implications. Review articles and theoretical articles should provide a concise summary of the argument, scope, and contribution.

Authors should provide 4–6 keywords. Keywords should be specific, searchable, and relevant to the manuscript’s main topic, method, population, or theoretical focus.

Formatting Requirements

• Manuscripts should be submitted in Microsoft Word format.
• Use a standard, readable font such as Times New Roman, Arial, or Calibri.
• Use 12-point font size for the main text.
• Use double spacing or 1.5 line spacing throughout the manuscript.
• Number all pages consecutively.
• Use clear heading levels and avoid excessive formatting.
• Tables and figures should be numbered consecutively and cited in the main text.
• Authors should ensure that all abbreviations are defined at first mention.

Tables, Figures, and Supplementary Materials

Tables and figures should be clear, necessary, and directly relevant to the manuscript. Each table and figure must have a descriptive title or caption. Authors should ensure that data presented in tables and figures are consistent with the results reported in the text.

Supplementary materials may be submitted when they support the transparency, reproducibility, or completeness of the study. Supplementary files may include additional tables, survey instruments, interview protocols, datasets, code, video materials, or methodological appendices.

Reference Style

Manuscripts should follow the APA 7th edition citation and reference style. Authors are responsible for ensuring that all in-text citations correspond to entries in the reference list and that all reference list entries are cited in the manuscript.

Examples:

Reporting Standards

Authors should follow recognized reporting standards where applicable. Examples include CONSORT for randomized trials, PRISMA for systematic reviews and meta-analyses, STROBE for observational studies, COREQ or SRQR for qualitative research, and appropriate standards for case studies, intervention studies, or diagnostic and measurement research.

Authors should describe their research design, participants, procedures, measures, data analysis methods, and limitations with sufficient transparency to allow readers and reviewers to assess the validity and reliability of the study.

Research Ethics

Research involving human participants, including athletes, students, coaches, patients, or community participants, must comply with relevant ethical standards. Authors should state whether ethical approval was obtained from an institutional review board, ethics committee, or equivalent body. Where ethical approval was not required, authors should explain the reason in the manuscript.

Authors must confirm that informed consent was obtained from participants where applicable. For research involving minors, vulnerable groups, identifiable images, sensitive data, or intervention procedures, authors must provide appropriate ethical safeguards and consent procedures.

Data Availability

Authors are encouraged to provide a data availability statement. The statement should indicate whether the data supporting the findings of the study are available, where they can be accessed, and under what conditions. Where data cannot be shared due to privacy, ethical, legal, or institutional restrictions, authors should state this clearly.

For studies involving human participants, authors must ensure that data sharing complies with consent, confidentiality, and applicable data protection requirements.

Artificial Intelligence and Writing Tools

Authors who use artificial intelligence tools or other automated writing, editing, translation, coding, image-generation, or data-analysis tools should disclose their use when such tools have materially contributed to the manuscript. AI tools should not be listed as authors because authorship requires accountability, responsibility, and approval of the final work.

Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical compliance of all submitted content, including any content produced or modified with the assistance of AI tools.

Originality and Plagiarism

Submitted manuscripts must be original and must not have been published previously or be under review elsewhere. Authors must properly cite all sources, including their own previously published work. Plagiarism, self-plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication, data falsification, image manipulation, and misleading citation practices are not acceptable.

The Editorial Office may conduct similarity checks and may request clarification or revision when concerns arise regarding originality, attribution, data integrity, or publication ethics.

Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial, professional, institutional, personal, or other relationships that could be perceived to influence the research. If there are no conflicts of interest, authors should include the statement: “The authors declare no conflict of interest.”

Funding Statement

Authors should disclose all sources of financial support for the research, including grant numbers where applicable. If the research received no external funding, authors may state: “This research received no external funding.”

Submission Files

Authors should normally prepare the following files for submission:

• Anonymized manuscript file without author-identifying information;
• Title page containing author names, affiliations, corresponding author details, and declarations;
• Cover letter briefly explaining the manuscript’s contribution and confirming that the work is not under review elsewhere;
• Ethics approval or consent documentation, where applicable;
• Supplementary materials, where applicable.

Peer Review Process

Manuscripts submitted to the journal are first screened by the Editorial Office or an assigned editor for scope, quality, completeness, ethical compliance, and adherence to submission requirements. Manuscripts that are incomplete, outside the journal scope, or clearly unsuitable may be returned or declined before external review.

Manuscripts that pass initial screening are normally sent for double-blind peer review. Editorial decisions may include acceptance, minor revision, major revision, resubmission for further review, or rejection. Authors should respond to reviewer and editor comments carefully and provide a detailed response letter when submitting a revised manuscript.

Copyright and Licensing

Authors should consult the journal’s Copyright and Licensing Policy for detailed information on author rights, reuse, distribution, and licensing conditions. By submitting a manuscript, authors agree to follow the journal’s editorial policies, publication ethics standards, and licensing requirements.

Article Processing Charges

Authors should refer to the journal’s APC & Waiver Policy for information on article processing charges, payment conditions, waiver arrangements, and article types that may be exempt from charges. No payment is required at the time of initial submission.

Submission Statement

By submitting a manuscript to Journal of Sport and Exercise Studies, authors confirm that the work is original, ethically conducted, not under consideration elsewhere, and prepared in accordance with the journal’s author guidelines and editorial policies.