Requirements for articles
We strive to disseminate high-quality studies and research findings in various aspects of physical culture and sport, sports medicine, physical therapy and rehabilitation, and biology worldwide. At the same time, promoting diversity and inclusiveness of publications in our journal, we welcome contributions from scientists and researchers from all countries of different backgrounds and nationalities. Our team is always open to cooperation with anyone who has ground-breaking and relevant research to publish.
Before submitting your manuscript to the journal, please make sure that it meets the guidelines below.
TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
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Language |
Ukrainian, English |
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Article type |
original research and reviews |
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Volume |
4-8k words |
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File format |
MS Word (*doc, *docx) |
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Format and page orientation |
portrait, A4 |
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Margins |
all 2 cm |
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Font |
Times New Roman, 14 (tables - 12) |
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Line spacing |
1.5 |
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Paragraph indention |
1.0 |
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Alignment |
full |
ARTICLE STRUCTURE
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Назва |
Centered, uppercase, bold, in Ukrainian and English |
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Information about an author |
First name and surname – bold. Affiliation, city, country – in italics, centered; in Ukrainian and English |
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Abstract |
Structured (introduction, materials and methods, results, conclusions); 250-300 words; in Ukrainian and English |
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Keywords |
5-6 words / combinations of words |
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Introduction |
Preconditions, relevance. Literature review, novelty. Research purpose, objectives. |
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Materials and methods |
Participants. Procedure (research organization). Methods/statistical analysis. |
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Results |
Up to 4 figures (without photos), color graphs in different shades of blue, centered; up to 2 tables. Numbered, placed after in-text mention |
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Discussion |
Analysis of the results, interpretation, comparison with the results of other scientists {for example, not required for review articles}. Limitations. |
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Conclusions |
According to the purpose and title. Contribution to the relevant field of knowledge. Prospects for further research. |
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Acknowledgments. Conflict of interests |
All participants who do not meet the authorship criteria (if necessary). Any potential sources of conflict of interest. |
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Bibliography |
>20. DSTU 2803:2015 |
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References |
Translation of the article title and journal into English. Transliteration into Latin. |
MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION
The manuscript submitted for publication should correspond to the journal’s purpose and focus/scope, be relevant and original, state tasks (problems), describe the main research findings, and meet the formatting requirements of Sport Science Spectrum.
Before you begin, please refer to the journal’s editorial policy, which is aimed at maintaining trust in the scientific community, avoiding double publication, and preserving copyright. Please note that authors shall not submit an article that is subject to review in another journal, was published earlier, or describes the same research. By submitting a manuscript for consideration to Sport Science Spectrum, authors agree that if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form in English or any other language.
Article types
The journal considers original research and review articles.
Formatting and templates
Manuscripts can be submitted in Word format. To help you prepare your article, we provide a formatting template. Using a template file will significantly reduce the time to complete editing and publish accepted manuscripts.
In case of difficulties, authors can submit their manuscripts without using the template in their own Word file in .doc/.docx format. Manuscripts should meet the general requirements: A4 format, Times New Roman, 14, line spacing – 1.5. Paragraph indentation – 1 cm (do not use the space bar to create indention). Do not use word breaks. All margins are standard (2 cm). The manuscript text should contain structured data comprising relevant sections. Structural elements are in bold, starting in a new paragraph. First-order headings are written in capital letters.
Include page numbers and continuous line numbers so that reviewers can refer to specific points in the manuscript that need to be addressed. To number lines in Microsoft Word, go to Layout -> Line Numbers -> Continuous.
The text and metadata identifying authors should be removed before submission.
Structure
Research manuscripts should consist of the following elements:
Title page: Title, list of authors, affiliation, abstract, keywords, type of presentation, number of words.
Sections of the scientific article / Main part: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, Prospects for Further Research.
Final provisions: Limitations, Appendices, Funding (if necessary), Acknowledgments, Conflict of Interest, References (≥ 20).
Review articles consist of a title page, literature review sections, and concluding remarks. The number of reference items should not exceed 120. The template file can also be used to prepare the title page and concluding remarks of your review manuscript. Structured reviews and meta-analyses should have the same structure as research articles and meet the PRISMA requirements.
Volume
The volume of the publication of any type: 4000 – 8000 words. Word limits do not include abstracts, references, tables/figures, and appendices.
Style recommendations
The manuscript can be written in Ukrainian or English.
Acronyms/abbreviations/initials should be defined for the first time when they appear in each of the three sections: abstract; main text; first figure or table. When first defined, the acronym/abbreviation/initials should be added in brackets after the written form.
Tables, figures and diagrams
Graphic materials may be included in the article: figures (no more than 4), tables (no more than 2), etc. (except for photos). Insert graphic materials (diagrams, figures, etc.) and appropriate captions in the main text after the paragraph in which they are first mentioned. Diagrams (preferably in different shades of blue), figures, formulas, and schemes should be in an editable WORD file (font 10) or as separate files in .jpg format with a resolution of 300x300dpi. For Excel figures, please send an Excel file (97-2003) in addition to the article.
If tables, figures, or diagrams are retrieved from another source, it is cited in the table/figure captions and mentioned in the references list.
All figures, diagrams, and tables are inserted in the main text after the paragraph with the first citation, numbered by the order of their appearance (Fig. 1, Table 1, etc.), and have a short explanatory title and caption.
Measurement units
Measurement units are given in metric units (meter, kilogram, liter); temperature is given in degrees Celsius; blood pressure is given in millimeters of mercury, etc.
Abbreviations and symbols
Only standard acronyms are allowed. Abbreviations should be avoided in titles and abstracts. The full term should convey the abbreviation the first time it is used in the text, unless it is a standard unit of measurement.
Please use the formatting template and the present guidelines when preparing your article, rather than any published articles or examples.
ARTICLE WRITING
Title page
These sections should be included in all types of manuscripts
Title:
The title of your manuscript should be concise, specific, and relevant. It should convey the article’s main scientific idea and information about the study area.
Authors and affiliation:
Authors’ full names and surnames are provided. A standard format is used for affiliation: full address, including city, zip code, state/region, and country. At least one author must be listed as a corresponding author. The email addresses and ORCIDs of all authors will be available in published articles. The corresponding author is responsible for obtaining consent for the disclosure of email addresses from all authors. If an author (other than the corresponding author) does not wish their email address to be published, the corresponding author must indicate this at the time of submission. After an article has been accepted for publication, updating author names or affiliations may be prohibited.
Abstract:
The abstract should comprise 250–300 words. It consists of one paragraph and meets the style of structured abstracts: 1) Background: Place the issue under consideration in a broad context and emphasize the research purpose. 2) Methods: Briefly describe the main methods used. 3) Results: Summarize the key research findings. 4) Conclusions: State conclusions. The abstract should be an objective reflection of the article: it does not contain results that are not presented and substantiated in the main text, and it does not exaggerate the main conclusions. The abstract should be self-contained thus references should be avoided. If references are important, they should be cited in full at the abstract’s bottom, without referring to the full references list. Abbreviations and acronyms should be avoided, but if necessary, they should be defined the first time they are used.
Keywords:
After the abstract, three to six relevant keywords are added. We recommend that keywords be specific to the article, but at the same time common enough within the subject area. It is not recommended to use words from the title.
Number of words
Please indicate the number of words in your manuscript, excluding references, tables/figures, and appendices. Manuscripts must meet the word limit.
Main part/Research sections
Introduction:
The introduction should briefly place the research in a broader context and emphasize its importance. It states the research purpose and its significance, including the specific hypotheses under consideration. The current state of the research scope should be carefully reviewed and key publications cited. Please highlight controversial and divergent hypotheses when appropriate. Finally, briefly state the main research purpose and highlights the main preliminary findings. You may also include research issues addressed. Make the introduction understandable to scholars which do not have the relevant expertise.
Materials and methods:
They should be specified to allow others to reproduce and rely on the published results. This part may include (1) Participants, (2) Procedure (study organization), (3) Statistical analysis. New methods and protocols should be described in detail, while well-known methods may be briefly described and appropriately cited. Include the name and version of any software used.
Results:
Provide a concise and accurate description of the experimental findings, their interpretation, and the experimental conclusions that can be drawn.
Discussion:
Authors should discuss the results and how they can be interpreted in the context of previous research and working hypotheses. The findings and their implications should be discussed in the broadest possible context, and research limitations should be presented. Further research can also be mentioned.
Conclusions:
The conclusions should indicate the degree to which the research objective has been achieved, but not repeat the results. They should also be related to the research objectives. The conclusions section should not include information that was not discussed in the text and was not confirmed by the research data.
Patents:
This section is optional, but can be added if there are patents resulted from the work described in the manuscript.
Final provisions
Limitations:
Clearly describe the limitations encountered in the course of the study. These usually include sample limitations, timeframes, budget, data availability, and other circumstances that may affect the research outcome. In the limitations section, it is also essential to explain how these limitations affect the results of the study and how they can be taken into account when analyzing the results. It is crucial to indicate possible directions for further research that could be conducted to avoid or take into account the limitations identified in the current study.
Appendices:
Describe any additional materials published online with the manuscript (figures, tables, videos, spreadsheets, etc.). Please provide the name and title of each item as follows: Figure 1: title, Table 1: title, etc. Appendices may be referenced in the text, but they do not constitute the manuscript’s main body. All relevant graphics should be presented in the main body.
Funding:
All sources of research funding should be disclosed. Specify the grants you have received to support your research work and if you have received funds to cover publication costs. Please note that some sponsors do not reimburse the article processing costs (APC) if the sponsor and grant number are not clearly and correctly indicated in the article. Information about funding can be entered by authors separately in the article submission system when submitting the manuscript.
Please add the following in this section: “This study received no external funding” or “This study was funded by [name of grantor], grant number [xxx]” and “APC was funded by [XXX]”. Carefully check the accuracy of the data provided and use the standard spelling of the names of funding organizations on the website. Any errors may affect your further funding.
Acknowledgements:
In this section, you can express gratitude for any external support provided or “Funding”. This may include administrative and technical support or in-kind donations (e.g., materials used for experiments).
Conflict of interests:
Authors should identify and declare any personal circumstances or interests that could be perceived as influencing the presentation or interpretation of the research findings. If there is no conflict of interest, please state: “The authors declare no conflict of interest”. Any role of sponsors in study design, data collection, analysis, or interpretation, writing the manuscript, or decision to publish the results should be declared in this section. If they were not involved, please state: “The funding sponsors had no role in study design, data collection, analysis, or interpretation, writing of the manuscript, or decision to publish the results.”
References:
The references selected for publication should be chosen for their importance, accessibility, and the option of further reading. The optimal number of references is determined by the type of article, but cannot be <20. Include DOI for all papers if any, regardless of whether you used the online or print version.
Sport Science Spectrum follows DSTU 2803:2015. We recommend arranging a list of references using bibliographic programs such as EndNote, ReferenceManager, Zotero, Grafiati, etc. to avoid typos and duplicate references.
Information required for manuscript completion and submission
Publication ethics
All publications in the journal are written in accordance with the International Standards for Authors of the Ethics Committee. By submitting an article for publication, the author(s) thereby agrees to the recommendations of the World Association of Medical Editors and COPE standards.
Make sure that you have obtained any necessary permission from the copyright holders to reproduce any illustrations, tables, figures previously published elsewhere.
The article should be submitted only after its final approval by all co-authors (if any).
Cover letter
A cover letter should be attached to each submitted manuscript. Please write a brief message to the editor describing your article and explaining why you believe it should be published in Sport Science Spectrum. Please confirm that neither the manuscript nor any part of its content is currently under consideration or published elsewhere.
About approval and publication
The editor of Sport Science Spectrum will keep you informed about the progress of your manuscript by contacting you to let you know when it will be forwarded to peer review and the review outcome.
Sport Science Spectrum adheres to an Open Access policy. All articles published in the journal are immediately available worldwide under the Creative Commons license. By submitting an article, the authors hereby consent to the publication of its full text on the Internet. The authors retain all copyrights, but grant permission to reuse the published material provided that it is properly cited (Creative Commons Attribution License).
