Scope: IJSNEM publishes original scientific investigations, case studies, and scholarly reviews offering new insights into sport nutrition and exercise metabolism, as well as articles focusing on the application of the principles of biochemistry, physiology, and nutrition to sport and exercise. Original research with human subjects will be emphasized, although relevant research with experimental animal models may be published. Case studies that demonstrate systematic, rather than casual, observations made with appropriate instrumentation, as well as articles with clinical application, will be included. Please see the separate author guidelines for submission of case studies.
Manuscripts: Manuscripts must be written in English. Original research papers should include the following elements in the order indicated: title page, abstract, text, references, acknowledgments, declaration of funding sources and conflict of interest if any, figure captions, tables, and figures. The title page should include names and addresses of all authors and full contact details for the corresponding author. An abstract of no more than 250 words should be followed by 3–6 keywords that are not in the title. The abstract should contain a purpose/hypothesis statement, a brief description of methods, results, and conclusions. Manuscripts should be double-spaced with wide margins and should include continuous line numbers in the text. Number all pages in the upper right corner. Label clearly any tables and graphs, and include them on separate pages. Original research papers should not generally exceed 5,000 words in length, including all elements of the manuscript, and review papers should not generally exceed 7,000 words in length.
All funding sources and potential conflicts of interest should be declared.
Carefully proofread the final revision, check the references, and keep a copy of the manuscript. Do not submit the manuscript to another journal at the same time.
Authorship guidelines: The Journals Division at Human Kinetics limits the number of authors for each published manuscript to six. Only individuals who have made a substantial contribution to the manuscript, as described below, should be credited as co-authors, and the inclusion of additional authors will be considered only if all meet the requirements outlined below. The Journals Division at Human Kinetics adheres to the criteria for authorship as outlined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (Uniform requirements for manuscripts submitted to biomedical journals. New England Journal of Medicine, 1991, 324, 424–428). Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for the content. Authorship credit should be based only on substantial contributions to (1) conception and design, or collection, analysis and interpretation of data; (2) drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and (3) final approval of the version to be published. Individuals who do not meet the above criteria may be listed in the acknowledgments section of the manuscript.
Use of human and animal subjects: IJSNEM requires that all submitted studies using human or animal subjects conform to the policies established by the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare and the American Physiological Society. Manuscripts should include a clear statement to the effect that studies had prior approval from a formally constituted ethics review board in the case of human studies and that informed consent was obtained in writing from participants (or guardians for participants under the age of 18 years), or that they adhered to current animal welfare legislation in the case of animal studies.
Studies using commercial products: IJSNEM recognizes the importance of studies that address the efficacy and safety of commercially available products, including specialist sports foods, sports drinks, and dietary supplements. Such studies should, when relevant, include independent verification of the composition of the product under investigation. In the case of dietary supplements, this might reasonably include an analysis of the product to verify the content of the active ingredient and to exclude the presence of undeclared substances that might affect the outcome of the study. As with all studies, the inclusion of appropriate control groups or trials is important to the interpretation of any findings.
Methods in sports nutrition research: To assist with the design, implementation, and interpretation of studies in sport nutrition, IJSNEM has commenced to publish a series of reviews regarding methodologies in sport nutrition research. These articles provide commentary from experts in a variety of fields on optimal ways to conduct and report on aspects of sport nutrition research. They can be downloaded from the IJSNEM Web site here, and we recommend that all authors read these reviews before submitting manuscripts to the journal. Although the ultimate goal of these review papers is to promote better standards of sport nutrition research and help researchers enhance their outputs, they will also be used as a benchmark for reviewing papers sent to this journal. When submitted manuscripts describe methods that have been clearly advised against or fail to provide adequate description of methods according to recommendations in these methodology reviews, this is likely to be a cause of a “reject” or “reject and resubmit” outcome.
Figures and tables: Figures should be professional in appearance and have clean, crisp lines. Hand drawings and hand lettering are not acceptable. In graphs, use black and white or gray shading only, no color. Labels should be proportionate with the size of the figures on the journal page. Digital images should be 300 dpi at full size for photos and 600 dpi for line art. Tables should be formatted using the table function of the word-processing program rather than by aligning columns in text with tabs and spaces or using text boxes. Figures can be submitted electronically in .TIF or .PDF file formats. Authors are encouraged to submit illustrations rather than tables. When tabular material is necessary, it should not duplicate the text. Tables should be double-spaced on separate sheets and include brief titles.
Statistical analysis: Papers submitted to the journal may be sent for review to a statistician if the Editor is not satisfied that appropriate procedures have been followed. When data sets are normally distributed, variance should be given as the SD rather than SEM. Nonparametric statistical analysis should be used when data sets are not normally distributed.
Reference style: IJSNEM follows the style laid out in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA), 6th ed. Please consult the APA manual. http://www.apastyle.org/learn/tutorials/basics-tutorial.aspx. References should be listed in alphabetical order at the end of the text and should be cited in the text using author name(s) and date of publication. In the case of in-text citations, where there are more than two authors, each of the authors should be included in the introductory phrase or in the parentheses the first time they are named in the text. Example: “Burke, Clooney, Pitt, and Riewoldt (2009) found that supplementation achieved positive outcomes” or “Supplementation was found to achieve positive outcomes (Burke, Clooney, Pitt, & Riewoldt, 2009). Later citations of the same work can use the first author’s name followed by “et al.” Example: (Burke et al., 2009). References should not be numbered in the reference list. Examples of the three most common forms of references are shown below. For other variations, please consult the APA manual.
Chisolm, D.J., Young, J.D., & Lazarus, L. (1969). The gastrointestinal stimulus to insulin release. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 48, 1453–1460.
Wadler, G.I., & Hainline, B. (1989). Drugs and the athlete. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis.
Haymes, E. Proteins, vitamins, and iron. (1983). In M.H. Williams (Ed.), Ergogenic aids in sport (pp. 27–55). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
Submission: Manuscripts should be submitted electronically via IJSNEM’s Manuscript Central site at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/hk_ijsnem. The Manuscript Central system manages the electronic transfer of manuscripts throughout the article review process, providing step-by-step instructions and a user-friendly design.
The review process: Manuscripts are read by an editor and two reviewers; reviews will not be blind. The authors are invited to provide the names and addresses of at least four possible reviewers when they submit their manuscripts. The review process should not take more than about 7–10 weeks. Each copy of the manuscript must have a separate cover sheet including title of article, name(s) of author(s), institutional affiliation(s), running head, and e-mail address and phone number of the author who is to receive the galleys. Authors of manuscripts accepted for publication are required to transfer copyright to Human Kinetics.
Copyright Assignment Form
The case study should present a novel situation in which a sports nutrition practitioner has observed a nutrition challenge in sport or assisted in the implementation of a nutrition plan to overcome such a challenge. The aim of a case study publication is to a present a brief but insightful summary of a unique situation in sports nutrition. Authors should note the requirement that all material maintain the anonymity of the subject(s).The subject(s) should have the opportunity to read the case study in its entirety before giving their written permission for publication to the authors. The Human Ethics Committee of the Australian Institute of Sport has granted approval for case studies to be presented according to this principle. When the authors’ institutions require approval from their own human ethics committees for the presentation of such a case study, it should be documented that this was sought and granted.
The manuscript should be less than 3,500 words in total (inclusive of title page, abstract, and brief reference or reading list). The following template of headings is suggested. Authors are encouraged to write objectively in presenting the background, assessments, and nutrition plan involved in the case but may present their reflections in an active or first-person form.
Background to issue
- Summary of the topic/sport/context in which the athlete’s nutritional challenge has emerged
- Examples: Overview of an event or sport, an issue in a sport (e.g., making weight), or a clinical nutrition issue (e.g., celiac disease, Type 1 diabetes)
Presentation of athlete/subject
- Confidential presentation of the subject of the case study.
- A statement that the subject has provided written permission for publication of the case study after having read the paper. There should also be a statement that the report conforms to the principle that has been approved by the Ethics Committee of the Australian Institute of Sport or a statement that the paper has been approved by another human ethics committee.
- Details of the situation that led to the involvement of the subject and author(s) in the observation, project, or collaboration.
Athlete/Subject assessment
- Personal and sporting history
- Physique and physiological characteristics (as applicable)
- Medical or clinical history (if relevant)
- Nutritional assessment and history (as applicable)
Overview of nutrition plan/intervention
- Details of the recommended plan with scientific/nutritional support for this approach
Outcome of the implementation of the plan
Reflections
Key references or reading list
Submit manuscripts via the IJSNEM Manuscript Central site at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/hk_ijsnem. Please note in the covering letter that the paper is being submitted for consideration in the Case Study series. The title of the submission should also begin with the words Case Study: . . .
Editorial Ethics Policy
