1. Aims & Scope

The European Journal of Sport Science (EJSS) is the official journal of the European College of Sport Science and is published 6 times per year by Taylor & Francis. The editorial policy of the Journal pursues the multi-disciplinary aims of the College: to promote the highest standards of scientific study and scholarship in respect of the following fields: (a) natural sciences of sport; including physiology, biochemistry, motor control and biomechanics (b) social and behavioural sciences and humanities (c) sports medicine; and (d) sport itself. The Journal also aims to facilitate and enhance communication across all sub-disciplines of the sport sciences. The Journal publishes original research as well as review articles of topics of contemporary importance or interest. The College is not exclusively committed to any particular schools of thought or methods of research.

2. Submission of Manuscripts

All submissions should be made online at the European Journal of Sport Science Manuscript Central site. New users should first create an account. Once a user is logged onto the site submissions should be made via the Author Centre.

Authors should prepare and upload two versions of their manuscript. One should be a complete text and when uploading this file, authors will then be able to define the non-anonymous version as “File not for review.” The second version of the manuscript should have all information identifying the author removed from the file, to allow it to be sent anonymously to referees. This file should be defined as the “Main Document.”

Review papers are normally by invitation by the Editor-in-Chief only; if authors would like to submit a review they are encouraged to contact the Editor first.

3. Review Process

Manuscripts are evaluated by a section editor and two expert reviewers through an anonymous review process. As soon as possible after the review process is concluded, you will be notified by email of the acceptance or rejection of your contribution for publication. In the event of conflicting reviews the Section Editor will normally seek further independent advice. If the authors are encouraged to resubmit a paper, any suggested changes to the manuscript will be reviewed by the same expert reviewers and same section editor. The reply to the comments should be clearly indicated in the text and the resubmission should be accompanied by a letter with a detailed response to the reviewer's comments. Highlighting the changes by using 'track changes' in Microsoft Word is NOT acceptable.

4. Originality

We require authors to confirm the originality of material by ticking the appropriate checkbox on submission of the manuscript. Material submitted will not enter the refereeing process until such an undertaking has been received. We discourage the practice of parts of one study in different journals. Authors who submit a manuscript to the European Journal of Sport Science from a study, some of these data which has been or will be published elsewhere, must provide a strong justification in the accompanying letter to the Section Editor. The justification for not publishing all the data together in one paper or as multiple papers in a single issue of the European Journal of Sport Science must also be covered in the covering letter.

5. Manuscripts

General. Manuscripts must be written in English. UK English spellings and words should be used in preference to other versions of English. The authors are encouraged to have their paper checked by a native English speaker and cannot consider papers that are seriously deficient in presentation or that depart substantially from these submission guidelines. Text should be supplied in a format compatible with Microsoft Word for Windows (PC). Charts and tables are considered textual and should also be supplied in a format compatible with Word. All figures (illustrations, diagrams, photographs) should be supplied in jpg format but must be included in the manuscript file. Authors should identify Individuals who provide writing assistance and disclose the funding source for the study if appropriate.

Format. All manuscripts must be typed in 12pt font and in double space with margins of at least 2.5 cm.

Authors should prepare manuscripts according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.) and are also referred to recent (post-2005) copies of the Journal and encouraged to copy exactly the published format of papers therein.

Manuscripts should be no more than 4000 words (unless agreed with the Editor-in-Chief) and must include 3- 6 keywords.

Abstracts. Authors submitting papers should note that abstracts (between 150-500 words) are required. These should outline the questions investigated, the design, essential findings and main conclusions of the study. In the case of original research the abstract should also contain data.

Text. This should in general, but not necessarily, be divided into sections with the headings: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion and Conclusion.

Tables and Figures. 

We welcome figures sent electronically, but care and attention to these guidelines are essential as importing graphics packages can often be problematic.

§         Figures must be saved individually and separate to text. Please do not embed figures in the paper file.

§         Avoid the use of colour and tints for purely aesthetic reasons.

§         Figures should be produced as near to the finished size as possible.

§         All figures must be numbered in the order in which they appear in the paper (e.g. figure 1, figure 2). In multi-part figures, each part should be labelled (e.g. figure 1(a), figure 1(b)).

§         Figure captions must be saved separately, as part of the file containing the complete text of the paper, and numbered correspondingly.

§         Each table and/or figure must have a legend that explains its purpose without reference to the text.

§         The filename for the graphic should be descriptive of the graphic, e.g. Figure1, Figure2a.

§         Files should be saved as one of the following formats: TIFF (tagged image file format), PostScript or EPS (encapsulated PostScript), and should contain all the necessary font information and the source file of the application (e.g. CorelDraw/Mac, CorelDraw/PC).

Please note that it is in the author's interest to provide the highest quality figure format possible. Please do not hesitate to contact our Production Department if you have any queries.

Artwork submitted for publication will not be returned and will be destroyed after publication, unless otherwise requested.

References. The European Journal of Sport Science uses the APA (Author-Date) system to indicate references in the text, tables and legends. The full references should be listed alphabetically, and presented following the text of the manuscript.

The Journal uses the following conventions for references:

To a book Costill, D. L. (1986). Inside running: Basics of sports physiology. Indianapolis, IN: Benchmark Press.

To a chapter in a book Prochaska, J. O.. & DiClemente, C. C. (1992). Stages of change in the modification of problem behaviours. In W. E. Miller & N. Heathers (Eds.), Treating addictive behaviours (pp. 3-27). London: Plenum Press.

To an article in a journal Hill, D. W. (1999). Energy system contributions in middle-distance running events. Journal of Sports Sciences, 17, 477-483.

To conference proceedings. Lindsay, M. (1996). A comparison of automated and manual digitizing. In J. Watkins (Ed.), Proceedings of British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences Biomechanics Section (Vol. 21, pp. 6-8). Leeds, UK: British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences.

To a website. AOSSM (2004). Sports medicine update. Newsletter of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. Available online at http://www.sportsmed.org/secure/reveal/admin/uploads/Documents/SMU2004MayJun.pdf (Accessed 1 January 2005).

Symbols, units and abbreviations. Symbols, units and abbreviations in papers must confirm to the Système International d'Unités (SI Units). Authors are advised to consult the National Physical Laboratory publication (R.J.Bell (ed) 1993, SI: The International System of Units. London. HMSO). For all abbreviations other than units, write the word or words to be abbreviated in full on the first mention followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. If at all possible, group these definitions together near the beginning of the manuscript. Avoid use of non-standard abbreviations, especially fabricated ones, within the text; words are much easier to read and follow than abbreviations. When numeric values are given, a space.

As indicated earlier, avoid use of non-standard abbreviations, especially fabricated ones, within the text; words are much easier to read and follow than abbreviations. When numeric values are given, a space must appear between the number and unit, as in 95.6 W and 25.0 N (exceptions are angles in degrees, e.g. 23.5º, and percentages, e.g. 15%). Separate compound units by a raised dot (N·m) and not by a space (N m); a compound unit formed from others by division should be indicated, for example, as ml·min-1 not as ml/min. Angular velocities should be expressed in rad·s-1 not degrees s-1 or º s-1. Some exceptions to the use of the SI are allowed, for example for heart rate (beats·min-1) and blood or gas pressure (mmHg). Other units and abbreviations should conform to Bell (1993) or Council of Biology Editors (1994).

Scalar variables or constants that are represented by a single letter should appear in italics (e.g. v, k, x). Where the abbreviation is of more than one letter (excluding suffices or superfices), it should be set in Roman typeface, as should abbreviations of mathematical functions (thus a = dv /dt). Vectors should be indicated in bold and italics (e.g. F, v). For further and more detailed examples, authors should consult Council of Biology Editors (1994). Equations and formulae should, wherever possible, be presented on one line.

Statistical definitions and symbols. Statistical definitions and symbols should conform to ISO3534- 1977, summarized briefly in Council of Biology Editors (1994). Some examples should make matters clear: F_2,12, H₀, t, n=10, P<0.05, r=0.71 (or for population correlation coefficient), s, (for standard deviation of sample and population), s_x- (standard error of the mean), x¯ (upper case for population mean). Mean values with standard deviations or standard errors of the mean should be reported as, for example: mean value 13.7, s = 2.5 m, or mean 15.7, s_x- =3.6 kg (no need for ±). In tables and lists, the following is convenient (mean±s) or (  ±s), with the tabulated values in the form: 13.4 ± 7.2. Authors should, therefore, avoid the use of abbreviations such as S.D. and S.E.M.

The Editor reserves the right to proceed to press without submitting page proofs to the author. However, usual practice will involve electronically sending one set to the corresponding author, unless otherwise requested. Proofs should be returned within three days by email, fax or express post. Authors will be charged for excessive correction at this stage of production.

If authors do not return page proofs within five days of receipt, the Editor reserves the right to either delay publication to a subsequent issue or to proceed to press without author corrections.

Free article access: Corresponding authors can receive 50 free reprints, free online access to their article through our website (www.informaworld.com) and a complimentary copy of the issue containing their article. Complimentary reprints are available through Rightslink® and additional reprints can be ordered through Rightslink® when proofs are received. If you have any queries, please contact our reprints department at reprints@tandf.co.uk

8. Copyright

It is a condition of publication that authors vest or license copyright in their articles, including abstracts, in the European College of Sport Science. This ensures full copyright protection and allows dissemination of the article, and the Journal, to the widest possible readership in print and electronic formats as appropriate. Authors may use the article elsewhere after publication and with prior permission from the College, provided that acknowledgement is given to the Journal as the original source of publication, and that the European College of Sport Science is notified so that its records show that the use is properly authorised.

A copyright agreement will be sent to the corresponding author of accepted manuscripts with proofs. This should be signed and returned to Taylor & Francis.