Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology
An Official Publication of the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity
Indexed in: Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed/MEDLINE, ProQuest, APA PsycINFO, EBSCOhost, Google Scholar
Print ISSN: 0895-2779
Online ISSN: 1543-2904
2023 Impact Factor: 2.0
2023 CiteScore: 3.6
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The Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology (JSEP) publishes peer-reviewed research articles by leading world scholars that explore the interactions between psychology and exercise and sport performance, editorials about contemporary issues in the field, abstracts of current research on sport and exercise psychology, and book reviews. JSEP is an official publication of the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity (NASPSPA). JSEP is published bimonthly (February, April, June, August, October, and December), along with one annual supplement of the NASPSPA Conference abstracts.
Mission
The Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology (JSEP) is a peer-reviewed publication designed to stimulate and communicate research theory in all areas of sport and exercise psychology. JSEP emphasizes original research reports that advance our understanding of human behavior as it relates to sport and exercise. Comprehensive reviews employing both qualitative and quantitative methods are also encouraged, as well as brief reports of soundly designed research studies that are of special interest or importance. Areas of interest include research in social, clinical, developmental, and experimental psychology, as well as psychobiology and personality. Moreover, the terms sport and exercise may pertain to either the independent or dependent variables. Generally speaking, work on motor control processes, studies of sport as a social institution, or broader social issues are beyond the scope of JSEP. A wide variety of methods are acceptable for studying sport and exercise psychology topics.
In addition to original research reports and theoretical papers, JSEP publishes a digest of recent sport and exercise publications, book reviews, a commentary section with short articles on methodological advances, innovative pilot or replication research, dialogue on published articles or theoretical issues, and occasional position papers that present innovative ideas of general interest to the field, heuristic observations, or important points on controversial issues.
Editor
Ian D. Boardley, PhD
School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston,
Birmingham B15 2TT
United Kingdom
E-mail: i.d.boardley@bham.ac.uk
Editors Emeriti
Daniel Landers (Founding Editor: 1979–1985)
Diane Gill (1986–1990)
W. Jack Rejeski (1991–1994)
Thelma Horn (1995–1997)
Robert Brustad (1998–2000)
Steven Petruzzello (2000–2002)
Robert C. Eklund (2003–2015)
Martyn Standage (2015–2024)
Senior Associate Editor
Shuge Zhang
Hunan University of Technology, China
Associate Editors
Jennifer Brunet
University of Ottawa, Canada
James Hardy
Bangor University, UK
Sam Thrower
Oxford Brookes University, UK
Editorial Board
Brandon Alderman, Rutgers University, USA
John Bartholomew, University of Texas, Austin, USA
Mark Beauchamp, University of British Columbia, Canada
Steven R. Bray, McMaster University, Canada
Sarah Buck, Chicago State University, USA
Yu-Kai Chang, National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan
Pete Coffee, Heriot-Watt University, UK
David E. Conroy, Pennsylvania State University, USA
Thomas Curran, London School of Economics, UK
Travis Dorsch, Utah State University, USA
Panteleimon Ekkekakis, Michigan State University, USA
Robert C. Eklund, Florida State University, USA
Christoph Englert, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany
Jennifer Etnier, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, USA
Mark Eys, Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada
Patrick Gaudreau, University of Ottawa, Canada
Daniel F. Gucciardi, Curtin University, Australia
Andrew P. Hill, York St John University, UK
Nicholas Holt, University of Calgary, Canada
Thelma S. Horn, Miami University, USA
Ben Jackson, University of Western Australia, Australia
Christopher Janelle, University of Florida, USA
Fuzhong Li, Oregon Research Institute, USA
Kin Kit Li, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Jeffrey Martin, Wayne State University, USA
Meghan McDonough, University of Calgary, Canada
Cameron N. McIntosh, STC Health Analysis and Measurement Canada, Canada
Alexandre J.S. Morin, Concordia University, Canada
Caterina Pesce, University "Foro Italico," Rome, Italy
Trent Petrie, University of North Texas, USA
Steven J. Petruzzello, University of Illinois, USA
Markus Raab, German Sport University Cologne, Germany
Catherine M. Sabiston, University of Toronto, Canada
Alan L. Smith, Utah State University, USA
Cheryl Stuntz, St. Lawrence University, USA
Ian Taylor, Loughborough University, UK
Sarah Ullrich-French, Washington State University, USA
Maarten Vansteenkiste, Ghent University, Belgium
Robert S. Weinberg, Miami University, USA
Philip M. Wilson, Brock University, Canada
Zachary Zenko, California State University, Bakersfield, USA
Digest Editor
Kimberley L. Gammage
Brock University, Canada
Human Kinetics Staff
Marielena Morgan, 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:
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Authorship Guidelines
The Journals Division at Human Kinetics adheres to the criteria for authorship as outlined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors:
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:
- Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
- Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND
- Final approval of the version to be published; AND
- 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.
Conditions a, b, c, and d must all 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.
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
- Discounted price for NASPSPA members $1,000
Fees for Open Access
- Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND license $2,250
- Creative Commons CC-BY-NC license $2,450
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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.
Review articles and single-study experimental/methodological reports should not exceed 28 double-spaced pages (including abstract, references, tables, figures, etc.). Multistudy reports are encouraged, and may exceed the 28-page guideline, but they must be parsimoniously presented. Research notes are limited to 12 pages all inclusive. Research reports should be condensed as much as possible.
Submissions will be judged on their topical relevance, methodological adequacy, clarity of reporting, and potential scientific impact. For studies involving human subjects, the Methods section must include a statement regarding informed consent and institutional approval of the protocol. Authors are expected to have their raw data and descriptive statistics available throughout the review process and may be asked to provide elaboration.
Style
In preparing manuscripts for publication in the Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology (JSEP), authors must closely follow the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed., 2020). Writing should be concise and direct. Avoid unnecessary jargon and abbreviations, and use an acronym or abbreviation only if the spelled-out version of a term is cumbersome. The full wording should precede the first use of an abbreviation. Avoid abbreviations in the title. Formats of numbers and measurement units and other style matters, including capitalization and punctuation, must follow the Publication Manual of the APA, 7th edition.
Cover Letters
Authors must submit a separate cover letter that lists (1) the title of the manuscript, (2) the date of submission, and (3) the full names of all the authors and their institutional or corporate affiliations. In addition to this essential information, a cover letter should be composed as described on pp. 382–383 of the Publication Manual of the APA (7th ed., 2020), and should include clear statements pertaining to potential fragmented publication, authorship, and other ethical considerations.
Manuscript
The manuscript must be submitted as a Microsoft Word document. The manuscript should contain no clues as to author identity, such as acknowledgments, institutional information, and mention of a specific city. Thus, information that might identify the author(s) should be omitted or highlighted in black. The first page of the manuscript should include only the title of the manuscript and date of submission. All articles must include an abstract of 100−150 words and three to six keywords chosen from terms not used in the title. Carefully ensure that author names and dates of citations in the text match those in the reference list prior to assumed acceptance.
The correct order of the elements within a standard JSEP manuscript entering review must be as follows (this differs from some example APA-styled manuscripts):
- Title and date of submission
- Abstract
- Keywords
- Introduction
- Methods
- Results
- Discussion
- End notes
- Acknowledgments
- References
- Figure captions
- Tables
Figures
Each figure must be numbered, and each should be called out in the text in consecutive numerical order. All lettering and numbering that appears in the artwork should be proportionally large enough to be easily read. Each figure must be clearly identifiable by its filename. The artwork should be professional in appearance and have clean, crisp lines that are thick and dark enough to withstand size reduction and digital compression. Figures should not use color as the print version of JSEP appears only with grayscale artwork. In bar charts and graphs, shades of gray do not always reproduce well and should only carefully be used; instead, stripe patterns, stippling, or solids (i.e., black or white) are good choices for differentiation. All artwork, including photographic images, can and should be submitted in TIFF or highest-quality JPEG format at a high resolution of at least 300 dots per inch (dpi) and sized to be legible when fit within a journal page. Upon submission, figures can be uploaded individually in their original file formats to preserve high resolution. The submission system converts and combines figures into a PDF for peer reviewers. See our figure guidelines resource for additional information.
Tables
When tabular material is necessary, it should not duplicate the text. Tables must be formatted using Microsoft Word’s table-building functions, with cells, rows, and columns. Thus, do not use the Space and Tab keys. Tables should be single-spaced and should include brief titles above them. Explanatory notes are to be presented in footnotes, below the table. The size and complexity of a table should be determined with consideration for its legibility when fitted to the size of single or multiple printed pages.
Common Issues
The following items are trivial but rise in significance owing to their high frequency in writing. Although they are part of APA style, which is requested by many publishers worldwide, these items are not always seen in accepted manuscripts. Please do adopt these simple practices.
- Always use commas and semicolons in a series to separate the items. The comma is the mandatory first-order separator, and the semicolon is reserved as the second-order separator, as in, “Sport, exercise, and physical activity; randomized, double-anonymous, and controlled trials; or enthusiasm, organization, and commitment are examples. . . .” Always include the comma or the semi-colon, as appropriate, before the conjunction word (and, or, but).
- The semicolon is used only to separate, and never to introduce, in scientific English.
- The colon is used to introduce.
- Capitalize only the very few types of words as specified in the APA style manual, such as persons’ names. If in doubt, use lowercase.
- Always use the SI units (with a few exceptions, e.g., when other units are ubiquitous). Quantity and unit should be separated by a space; when used adjectivally, separate with a hyphen.
- Use acronyms sparingly. Spell out a term at each instance if you use it only two to three times. Differentiate between abbreviations (usually lowercase letters, usually with periods) and acronyms (all capital letters). Always use the spelled-out form to begin a sentence. Once you introduce an acronym, keep using it and do not revert to use of the spelled-out term.
- In text, parentheses always surround brackets: ([ . . . ]).
- In math, always use the multiplication symbol (×) or centered dot (⋅), never the asterisk (except in computer languages). In regular text, type a space on both sides of all operators, or allow the math software (preferably MathType) to apply the standard space. Separate the operations thus: { . . . [ . . . ( . . . ) . . .] . . . }
- Leave no spaces before, between, and after any subscript or superscript.
- Please do not use the Tab key for any purpose other than to indent the first line of a paragraph.
Submission and Review
At least two reviewers are solicited for each manuscript. Manuscripts are evaluated via masked review. There are no page charges assessed of authors. Manuscripts should not be submitted to another journal at the same time.
Copyright Transfer
Authors of manuscripts accepted for publication will be required to transfer copyright to Human Kinetics, Inc. Under this copyright, authors maintain explicitly reserved rights. To view the copyright form, select "Instructions & Forms" in the upper right corner of the ScholarOne site.
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