Author Guidelines

Sport Science – International Scientific Journal of Kinesiology welcomes original scholarly contributions in kinesiology, exercise science, physical education, sports medicine, biomechanics, sport psychology, and related disciplines. Manuscripts submitted for publication must demonstrate scientific originality, methodological rigor, academic integrity, and relevance to the journal's aims and scope.

Authors are required to follow the guidelines below when preparing and submitting manuscripts. Submissions that do not meet the journal's editorial and formatting requirements may be returned for correction before further consideration.

1. Types of Manuscripts

The journal considers the following categories of scholarly contributions:

Original Research Articles: Empirical investigations presenting original findings from experimental, observational, quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods research.
Review Articles: Critical evaluations and syntheses of existing scientific literature, including systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
Methodological Articles: Studies introducing or evaluating research methods, measurement instruments, analytical procedures, or assessment techniques relevant to sport science and kinesiology.

All submissions must demonstrate a substantive contribution to the scientific literature and comply with the journal's publication ethics requirements.

2. Language and Manuscript Preparation

Manuscripts must be prepared in clear, grammatically correct academic English. Authors should use precise scientific terminology, maintain consistency in spelling and abbreviations, and avoid unnecessary repetition or unsupported statements.

Manuscripts should be submitted in an editable Microsoft Word format (.doc or .docx). The text should be presented in a readable font with consistent spacing, clearly distinguished headings, and consecutively numbered pages. Tables, figures, and references must be appropriately identified and cited within the manuscript.

Measurements should be expressed using the International System of Units (SI), where applicable. Abbreviations must be defined at first mention and used consistently throughout the text.

3. Title Page

The title page should contain the following information:

Full manuscript title, accurately reflecting the subject and objectives of the study;
Full names of all authors in the intended order of publication;
Institutional affiliations, including department, institution, city, and country;
ORCID identifiers, where available;
Name and email address of the corresponding author;
Funding information and relevant declarations, where applicable.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all listed authors have approved the submitted manuscript and agreed to its submission.

4. Abstract and Keywords

Each manuscript must include an informative abstract that accurately summarizes the study's objectives, methods, principal findings, and conclusions. Abstracts for original research articles should preferably follow a structured format comprising Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusions.

The abstract must be understandable independently of the main text and should not contain references, unexplained abbreviations, or findings not presented in the manuscript.

Authors should provide three to six relevant keywords that accurately represent the subject of the article. Keywords should facilitate the indexing and retrieval of published research.

5. Organization of the Manuscript

Original research articles should generally follow the Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD) structure, followed by Conclusions and relevant declarations.

Introduction: Present the scientific background, relevant literature, rationale, research problem, and clearly defined objectives or hypotheses. The introduction should establish the significance of the investigation without unnecessarily repeating established knowledge.

Materials and Methods: Describe the study design, setting, participants, eligibility criteria, sampling procedures, research instruments, data collection protocols, and analytical methods in sufficient detail to permit scientific evaluation. Ethical approval and informed consent should be documented where applicable.

Results: Present findings objectively and systematically, using appropriate statistical information, tables, and figures. Results should correspond to the stated research objectives and should not unnecessarily duplicate information presented in illustrations.

Discussion: Interpret the principal findings in relation to existing scientific literature, explain their theoretical and practical significance, and address methodological strengths and limitations. Conclusions drawn from the findings should be consistent with the study design and available evidence.

Conclusions: Summarize the principal scientific contributions and implications of the research without introducing new findings or unsupported interpretations.

Review and methodological articles may employ alternative structures appropriate to their research objectives and established reporting standards.

6. Tables and Figures

Tables and figures must be relevant, clearly presented, and directly related to the manuscript's scientific content. Each table and figure must be numbered consecutively using Arabic numerals according to its first appearance in the text.

Tables must include concise, descriptive titles and clearly identified variables and units of measurement.
Figures must be accompanied by informative captions explaining their scientific content.
All abbreviations, symbols, and statistical indicators must be defined where necessary.
Photographs, graphs, and illustrations must be of sufficient quality for electronic publication.
Tables and figures must be cited in the manuscript and should not duplicate information unnecessarily.
Previously published material must be properly acknowledged, and permission must be obtained where required.

Authors may be requested to provide original high-quality figure files during editorial processing or production.

7. Statistical Reporting

Statistical methods must be appropriate to the study design, research objectives, and characteristics of the collected data. Authors should identify the statistical procedures employed and report relevant descriptive and inferential statistics with sufficient precision.

Where applicable, results should include measures of variability, effect sizes, confidence intervals, and exact p-values. Statistical significance must not be interpreted as equivalent to clinical or practical importance. Authors should distinguish exploratory findings from confirmatory analyses and avoid causal interpretations that are unsupported by the study design.

8. References and Citation Style

The journal follows the Vancouver referencing style, consistent with the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM).

References must be numbered consecutively in the order in which they first appear in the manuscript. In-text citations must use Arabic numerals enclosed in parentheses, for example (1), (2,3), or (4-6). Each reference must retain its originally assigned number when cited again. References must not be arranged alphabetically.

References cited for the first time in tables or figure legends must be numbered according to the position at which the relevant table or figure is first identified in the manuscript.

The reference list must appear at the end of the manuscript and contain complete bibliographic information for all cited sources. Journal titles should be abbreviated according to the National Library of Medicine journal title abbreviations. Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) should be included where available.

For journal articles with up to six authors, all authors should be listed. For articles with more than six authors, list the first six followed by "et al."

Examples of In-Text Citations

Regular physical activity contributes to improvements in cardiovascular health and physical performance (1). Several investigations have examined the physiological adaptations associated with resistance training (2,3). Additional evidence supports the importance of structured exercise interventions for health and performance outcomes (4-6).

Reference Formatting Examples

Journal Article:
1. Author AA, Author BB, Author CC. Title of the article. Abbreviated Journal Title. Year;volume(issue):firstpage-lastpage. doi:DOI

Journal Article with More Than Six Authors:
2. Author AA, Author BB, Author CC, Author DD, Author EE, Author FF, et al. Title of the article. Abbreviated Journal Title. Year;volume(issue):firstpage-lastpage. doi:DOI

Book:
3. Author AA, Author BB. Title of the book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher; Year.

Book Chapter:
4. Author AA. Title of the chapter. In: Editor AA, Editor BB, editors. Title of the book. Edition. Place of publication: Publisher; Year. p. firstpage-lastpage.

Online Resource:
5. Author or Organization. Title of the resource [Internet]. Place of publication: Publisher; Year [cited Year Mon Day]. Available from: URL

The examples above illustrate bibliographic formatting; the numbers assigned to actual references must always reflect their order of first citation in the manuscript.

Authors are responsible for verifying the accuracy and completeness of all references. Cited literature should be relevant, reliable, and appropriately acknowledged. References to retracted publications must be avoided unless the retraction itself is being discussed.

Authors are encouraged to consult the National Library of Medicine's Samples of Formatted References and Citing Medicine for detailed guidance.

9. Research Ethics and Informed Consent

Research involving human participants must comply with applicable ethical standards, including the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki where relevant. Authors must obtain approval from a recognized ethics committee or institutional review board when required and include the approval details in the manuscript.

Informed consent must be obtained where applicable. Research involving children, athletes, patients, or other potentially vulnerable populations must include appropriate ethical safeguards. Animal research must comply with relevant institutional and national animal welfare regulations.

Clinical trials should be registered in an appropriate publicly accessible clinical trial registry in accordance with applicable reporting and registration requirements.

10. Authorship and Contributions

Authorship must reflect substantial intellectual contributions to the research and preparation of the manuscript. All authors must approve the final submitted version and accept responsibility for the integrity of their contributions.

Guest, honorary, and ghost authorship are unacceptable. Individuals who contributed to the research but do not qualify for authorship should be acknowledged appropriately. Any proposed changes to authorship after submission must be explained and supported by the agreement of the authors concerned.

11. Funding, Conflicts of Interest, and Data Availability

Authors must disclose all sources of financial support and relevant institutional funding. Any financial, professional, institutional, or personal relationships that could reasonably influence the research must be declared. Where no conflicts of interest exist, an explicit statement should be included.

Authors should provide a data availability statement indicating whether the data supporting the findings are publicly accessible, available upon reasonable request, or subject to legitimate ethical, legal, or confidentiality restrictions.

Contributions from individuals or organizations not qualifying for authorship should be acknowledged with appropriate permission.

12. Originality and Publication Ethics

Submitted manuscripts must represent original scientific work and must not be simultaneously under consideration for publication elsewhere. Authors must disclose any related manuscripts, previous dissemination, or preprint versions relevant to the submission.

Plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, redundant publication, inappropriate image manipulation, citation manipulation, and other forms of scientific misconduct are prohibited. Manuscripts may be examined for textual similarity and compliance with publication ethics standards.

Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of all submitted material, including content prepared with the assistance of artificial intelligence tools. Substantive use of generative artificial intelligence must be disclosed appropriately, and such tools cannot be listed as authors.

13. Peer Review and Editorial Decisions

The journal follows a single-blind peer review process in which reviewers are informed of the authors' identities, while reviewer identities remain confidential. Manuscripts undergo preliminary editorial assessment before being considered for external peer review.

Editorial decisions are based on scientific originality, methodological quality, analytical reliability, ethical compliance, and relevance to the journal's aims and scope. Authors may be requested to undertake minor or major revisions and provide a detailed response to reviewer comments.

Submission of a manuscript does not guarantee acceptance. The final publication decision rests with the Editor-in-Chief or an authorized handling editor.

14. Copyright and Open Access

Sport Science operates under a diamond open access publishing model. The journal does not charge article processing charges (APCs), manuscript submission fees, or publication fees.

Authors retain copyright to their published work and grant the journal the right of first publication. Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license, permitting reproduction, distribution, sharing, and adaptation, including commercial reuse, provided that appropriate attribution is given.

15. Online Submission

Manuscripts must be submitted electronically through the journal's online submission system at https://sportscience.ba/.

Authors should register or log in to their accounts, initiate a new submission, select the appropriate manuscript category, upload the required files, and provide complete article metadata, including title, abstract, keywords, author information, and relevant declarations.

Before finalizing the submission, authors must verify that all files and bibliographic details are accurate and that the manuscript complies with the journal's author guidelines and publication ethics policies.

16. Submission Preparation Checklist

Before submitting a manuscript, authors should confirm that:

The manuscript is original and is not under consideration by another journal.
The subject is consistent with the journal's aims and scope.
The manuscript is written in clear academic English.
All authors have approved the submission and their authorship details are accurate.
The abstract and keywords accurately reflect the manuscript.
Tables and figures are numbered, appropriately captioned, and cited in the text.
All references follow Vancouver style and are numbered in their order of first appearance in the text.
Ethical approval and informed consent are documented where required.
Funding, conflicts of interest, and data availability are declared as applicable.
Relevant copyright permissions have been obtained.
The manuscript complies with the journal's publication ethics and editorial policies.

17. Editorial Correspondence

For questions regarding manuscript preparation, submission requirements, or editorial procedures, authors may contact:

Editorial Office
Sport Science – International Scientific Journal of Kinesiology
Email: editor@sportscience.ba
Website: https://sportscience.ba/