Case Studies in Sport and Exercise Psychology
An Official Journal of the Association for Applied Sport Psychology
Indexed in: Web of Science, ProQuest, EBSCOhost, EBSCO A-to-Z, Google Scholar
Online ISSN: 2470-4857
About CSSEP
Case Studies in Sport and Exercise Psychology (CSSEP) is a journal focused on providing practitioners, scholars, students, and instructors with case studies demonstrating different approaches and methods relevant to applied sport and exercise psychology. CSSEP is jointly published by the Association for Applied Sport Psychology (AASP) and Human Kinetics as an online, peer-reviewed journal. It publishes continuously in one regular issue; case studies in special issues are also published continuously. CSSEP is searchable in libraries and databases. Since its inception in 2017, CSSEP has covered a wide variety of issues and topics that arise in the profession, from diverse sport-and-exercise contexts all around the world. Our unique collection of case studies is continually being updated and extended to ensure that the approaches and methods of psychological practice in diverse settings are showcased, unpacked, and understood by practitioners and user groups worldwide.
CSSEP is a forum for scientifically driven case studies, broadly defined to include both research and reports on practice. The journal is open to the use of diverse practical and methodological approaches derived from the international community. Manuscripts considered for publication in CSSEP will present approaches and results from high-quality systematic interventions, with each case study demonstrating practical and academic rigor that goes beyond description of processes to consider interpretive qualities and relevance outside of a single context. Case studies focusing on the implementation of empirical research are encouraged, but authors should note that manuscripts with a primary focus on original empirical research, even if in applied settings, are likely to be more suitable to other journals.
To assist authors considering a submission to CSSEP, it is suggested that case studies will begin with reflections on the context and the key agents involved, with special attention paid to the authors, their approach to practice, their philosophy, and a brief outline of the experiences that have helped shape and evolve their particular approach (strategies). Then, after a detailed explanation of the case itself and the focal interventions and outcomes, there will be a strong focus on reflection. Authors are required to reflect on their experience, the effectiveness of their approach, things they would do differently, and major lessons learned. In addition to more traditional case studies, the editorial team welcome submissions that may address the following:
- How empirical research has been used to develop systematic interventions in sport and/or exercise psychology practice
- For case work to move beyond an ‘individual’ lens to work that may be at more of a group/organizational level and/or to include key stakeholders (e.g., parents, support staff, caregivers, clinicians)
- Professional practice processes that practitioners work through (e.g., confidentiality, systemic/culture issues, barriers to entry, media and management of social media, working to contract)
The editorial team are acutely aware that many practitioners may not be able to disseminate their wealth of knowledge given that they are situated in applied practice where time is precious, rather than in academic environments where dissemination/publication is often a requirement of tenure. To support the development of manuscripts from a wider network of authors we propose two approaches:
- For practitioners to work with another individual (possibly) from an academic background to co-author a manuscript. Specifically, the manuscript could be generated via an interview with the practitioner who would be detailing their approach to practice.
- For individuals who are considering a submission but may lack the confidence and/or time to curate the work, we encourage them to liaise with one of the editorial board members to facilitate any necessary (re)shaping of the work so it conforms to CSSEP’s requirements. If there is uncertainty regarding whom to contact, please liaise with the Editor in the first instance.
The online journal serves as a searchable library of cases. Cases can be purchased individually, or users can access all cases with an individual or institutional subscription. Subscriptions provide subscribers full access to the journal’s content, as well as to digital archives of back volumes.
If you wish to contact the Editor for any reason (e.g., becoming a reviewer, interest in joining the editorial board, issue about journal policy), please e-mail Richard Thelwell at richard.thelwell@port.ac.uk.
Special Issues
The editorial team are keen to receive expressions of interest for special issues (SIs). In the first instance, individuals are required to submit a short document (no more than 2 pages) to the Editor. The document should include the rationale for the SI (how it fits with CSSEP’s mission), suggested guest co-editors (with associated short CVs—additional 2 pages each), structure of the SI (intended number of manuscripts), and intended time periods for submissions, reviews, and completion. The documentation will then be reviewed by at least one of the Associate Editors and a further member of the editorial board prior to a final decision being made by the Editor.
Once a special issue has been announced and a call for papers issued, the Editor will meet with the Guest Editors to outline the expectations for the manuscript-handling and -review process. Specifically, this will include training on the ScholarOne Manuscripts™ review system and a meeting with the Editor regarding the preferred number, quality, and timeliness of reviews. Although the process will be led by the Guest Editors, it will be overseen by the Editor, who will also conduct a final review of manuscripts prior to final acceptance. All peer reviews are anonymous to all reviewers as per the normal process for CSSEP.
Ethics Policy
Please visit the Ethics Policy page for information about the policies followed by CSSEP.
Editor
Richard Thelwell
University of Portsmouth, UK
Editors Emeriti
Stewart Cotterill (2016–2019)
AECC University College, UK
Robert Schinke (2020–2021)
Laurentian University, Canada
Associate Editors
Svenja Wachsmuth
Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, Germany
Rebecca Zakrajsek
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA
Editorial Board
Matthew P. Bejar, San José State University, USA
Rebecca Busanich, Saint Catherine University, USA
Megan Byrd, Georgia Southern University, USA
Gillian Cook, Liverpool John Moores University, UK
Brad Donohue, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA
Jana Fogaça, California State University, Long Beach, USA
Adam Gledhill, Leeds Beckett University, UK
San-Fu Kao, National Tsing Hua University, Taiwan
Nichola Kentzer, The Open University, UK
Gretchen Kerr, University of Toronto, Canada
James Lambdon, University of Bath, UK
Carsten Hvid Larsen, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark
Charlie Maher, Cleveland Indians/Rutgers University, USA
Neha Malhotra, National Youth Sports Institute, Singapore
Alister McCormick, Plymouth Marjon University, UK
Gily Meir, University of Western States, USA
Thierry Middleton, University of Portsmouth, UK
Alessandro Quartiroli, University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, USA
Fernanda Serra de Queiroz, Innera Wellbeing & Performance, Australia
Duncan Simpson, IMG Academy, USA
Kelley Strohacker, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, USA
Tshepang Tshube, University of Botswana, Botswana
Paula Watson, Made Up to Move Ltd., UK
Stacy Winter, St Mary’s University, Twickenham, UK
Human Kinetics Staff
Julia Glahn, Senior Journals Managing Editor
Prior to submission, please carefully read and follow the submission guidelines detailed below. Authors must submit their manuscripts through the journal’s ScholarOne online submission system. To submit, click the button below:
Page Content
Authorship Guidelines
The Journals Division at Human Kinetics adheres to the criteria for authorship as outlined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (http://www.icmje.org/recommendations/browse/roles-and-responsibilities/defining-the-role-of-authors-and-contributors.html). 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 all of the following:
a. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work
b. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content
c. Final approval of the version to be published
d. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved
All conditions must be met. Individuals who do not meet the above criteria may be listed in the acknowledgments section of the manuscript.
Authors who use artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted technologies (such as Large Language Models [LLMs], chatbots, or image creators) in their work must indicate how they were used in the cover letter and the work itself. These technologies cannot be listed as authors as they are unable to meet all the conditions above, particularly agreeing to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
Manuscript Guidelines
All Human Kinetics journals require that authors follow our manuscript guidelines in regards to use of copyrighted material, human and animal rights, and conflicts of interest as specified on our author resource page.
Before writing and submitting a case, please see "Writing Manuscripts for Case Studies in Sport and Exercise Psychology" and "Conducting and Publishing Case Study Research in Sport and Exercise Psychology" for guidelines. In addition, review the sample case study "One-to-One Support With a Professional Rugby League Player: A Case for Referral?"
Cases must be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word format (.docx) at the CSSEP submission site on ScholarOne (https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/hk_cssep). Cases should follow the style guidelines set forth in the latest (7th) edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, be double-spaced, use a standard 12-point Times New Roman font, and use 1-in. margins on all sides throughout. Submitted manuscripts must include an abstract of no more than 150 words. Subheadings should be used throughout the manuscript to help organize the content and guide the reader. The manuscript itself should include the following sections:
- Context: A reflection on the context and the key agents underpinning the case study. In particular, the paper should be clearly focused on the authors, their practice approach and philosophy, and briefly outline experiences that have helped shape and evolve their particular case-study approach.
- The Case: Explaining, in detail, the case itself and the focal interventions (tactics) and outcomes.
- Reflections: Authors will be required to reflect on personal experience, personal approach, things that could have been done differently to enhance the case, and recommendations for future practice.
All manuscripts should be presented as concisely as possible, and preference is to receive manuscript submissions to CSSEP that are 15–25 pages in length (4,000–6,000 words), exclusive of supplementary materials. If submitting authors have concerns with the space limitations, they are encouraged to contact the Editor in the first instance.
The writing style should be clear and engaging. Authors can achieve this by presenting their ideas in an orderly manner and by expressing them smoothly and precisely. The authors should establish a tone that conveys the essential points of the work in an interesting and systematic manner while engaging readers in their idiosyncratic approach.
Continuous line numbering should be included throughout the manuscript. Any identifying information on the title page or in the content of the manuscript must be removed or concealed prior to submission, as the journal uses an anonymous review process.
Submitting a case for review indicates that the authors (a) have not previously or concurrently submitted their manuscript to another journal, (b) agree to transfer copyright to Human Kinetics on acceptance, and (c) acknowledge that where appropriate, they have followed proper institutional review-board procedures at their respective institutions. Authors are also responsible for obtaining permissions for any copyrighted work such as figures or tables included in their paper.
Authors whose cases require supplementary materials such as additional documents, files, or video not contained in the case itself should seek preliminary approval from the Editor before submission.
Case submissions meeting these criteria will be subject to anonymous review. Reviews will be returned to authors within approximately 60 days.
Preparation of Figures and Tables
Resolution of digital images should be 300 dpi at full size for photos and 600 dpi for line art. Figures or photos should be submitted as .jpg or .tif files. Although our online articles support color figures, bear in mind that the journal prints in black and white, and most color files will be printed in black and white. Make sure that any color figures submitted will be interpretable in grayscale/black and white. Format tables using the Table Layout function in Word rather than aligning columns in text with tabs and spaces or using text boxes. See our figure guidelines for additional information.
Free Access and Open Access
Human Kinetics is pleased to allow our authors the option of having their articles published Free or Open Access. In order for an article to be published Free or Open Access, authors must complete and return the Request for Open Access form and provide payment for this option. To learn more and request Free and Open Access, please see our Open Access resource page.
Fee for Free Access
- Copyright assigned to Human Kinetics $2,000
Fees for Open Access
- Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND license $2,250
- Creative Commons CC-BY-NC license $2,450
- Creative Commons CC-BY license $2,950
Desk Rejection Policy
Before full review, submissions are examined at the editorial level. The manuscript will be sent out for full anonymous review if either the Editor or the Associate Editors believe that the case warrants full review. If the Editor or Associate Editor assigned to the manuscript believes that the submission has extensive flaws or is inconsistent with the mission and focus of the journal, the submission will receive a desk rejection.
Individuals
Online Subscriptions
Individuals may purchase online-only subscriptions directly from this website. To order, click on an article and select the subscription option you desire for the journal of interest (individual or student, 1-year or 2-year), and then click Buy. Those purchasing student subscriptions must be prepared to provide proof of student status as a degree-seeking candidate at an accredited institution. Online-only subscriptions purchased via this website provide immediate access to all the journal's content, including all archives and Ahead of Print. Note that a subscription does not allow access to all the articles on this website, but only to those articles published in the journal you subscribe to. For step-by-step instructions to purchase online, click here.
Please note that this journal will be online only as of 2024.
Institutions
Institution subscriptions must be placed directly with our customer service team. To review format options and pricing, visit our Librarian Resource Center. To place your order, contact us.
Peer reviewing is a collaborative process that provides both scrutiny and feedback on manuscripts submitted to CSSEP by independent experts within the field of applied sport and exercise psychology. Click here to read more about serving as a reviewer for CSSEP.
Please visit the Ethics Policy for more information.
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