Requirements for articles
Requirements for articles
The journal publishes empirical and theoretical articles, reviews, and preliminary scientific reports, contributing to the expansion of knowledge about the most advanced technologies of physical education and sports, new development trends in the science of health and healthy lifestyle, health and therapeutic physical culture, and modern research in sports.
The manuscript submitted for publication should be relevant, have novelty, contain task (problem) statement and a description of the author’s key research findings, an introduction, and comply with the rules of formatting. By submitting an article for publication, the author(s) hereby: agrees to publish its full text on the Internet; adheres to the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors and COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) standards; adheres to the recommendations on compliance with the principles of academic integrity and follows the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), namely, the article text is free of plagiarism and self-plagiarism. The author confirms that the article has not been published before, is not subject to consideration for publication in other journals, and, if accepted, will not be published elsewhere in the same form in English or any other language.
Postgraduate students and PhD candidates have to attach a recommendation signed by a person with an academic degree and certified by the seal of the institution. The recommendation should render research relevance, describe the problem, assess the scientific quality of the material presented, and conclude that the article can be published in the journal.
Technical requirements
The text should meet the following requirements: 1.5 line spacing, Times New Roman, 14, portrait page orientation. Paragraph indentation is 1 cm (it is not allowed to create a paragraph indentation by adding spaces). Do not use word hyphenation. Margins: 2 cm. Volume: 8-20 pages.
Graphic materials may be included in the article: figures (no more than two), tables (no more than two), etc. (except for photos). Diagrams (colored preferred), figures, formulas, schemes should allow for editing in WORD (font 10) or submitted as separate files in .jpg with a resolution of 300x300dpi.
Tables. Tables should be numbered using Arabic numerals; in-text references should follow numerical order, e.g., “Table 1”. Each table should be mentioned at least once in the text in the appropriate order. Each table should have a short title; longer descriptions or secondary information should be provided as captions. All tables should be typed using horizontal rules; vertical rules are not used. Units of measurement should be given in parentheses below the column headings and not listed in table data. Tables should be available in the manuscript. They should not duplicate results presented elsewhere in the manuscript (e.g., in graphs).
Equations created via Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, or 2011 cause problems because their display in the editor is not 100% accurate. Therefore, we recommend using MathType to create equations. Long equations should be placed in the text and numbered consecutively. After the equation, you should refer to it by its number (for example, “equation 1”). Complex equations should be embedded using standard plug-ins such as MathType or Equation Editor Word. If the manuscript includes many equations or diagrams, they may be collected in equation tables, which can be displayed as a figure.
Figures are usually limited to one width (8.4 cm) and should be prepared accordingly. Handwritten captions and poor-quality computer graphics are not acceptable. Files should have a resolution of 600 dpi. Figures should be numbered (in Arabic numerals) consecutively according to the order in which they were first mentioned in the text. Figures should contain the following information: title; all necessary explanations of symbols and conclusions written directly below the figure; statistics.
Symbols should be consistent across all figures. Use simple symbols such as closed and open circles, triangles, and squares.
Graphs or charts should be submitted as complete Excel files. Do not draw three-dimensional graphs unless necessary. Do not shade the background and do not use grids.
Micrographs must have internal scale. Symbols, arrows or letters used in a micrograph must contrast with the background. If photographs of people or objects are used, they must not be identified, or their photographs must be accompanied by written permission for use. If a figure, graph, chart, micrographs, diagrams, etc. have been published, the original must be identified and written permission from the copyright holder to reproduce the material must be provided. This requires permission regardless of authorship or publisher for public domain works, given some exceptions.
Units of measurement should be presented in metric units (meter, kilogram, liter). Temperature should be given in degrees Celsius. Blood pressure should be given in millimeters of mercury.
Abbreviations and symbols. Only standard abbreviations may be used. Abbreviations in titles and abstracts should be avoided. The full term should be preceded by an abbreviation the first time it is used in the text, if it is not a standard unit of measurement.
Requirements for article text
The article should comprise the following elements:
- article’s title (in capital letters, centered, bold);
- names and surnames of all authors (centered, bold, italicized);
- affiliation of the authors (establishment/HEI, city, country), if the authors belong to several different institutions, superscripts should be used to arrange the authors’ names following the respective institutions.
Abstract (English, Ukrainian) should present structured data (1800 characters without spaces) consisting of the following sections: Introduction: the rationale for the study should be well-described based on prior works on the topic under study. It should result in a statement of the specific issue to be addressed or the hypothesis to be advanced. Next, the research purpose should be stated. Methods: the methods used should be listed without diving into major methodological detail. Sample sizes for the main experiments should be included. Results: the main results should be listed without an introduction, which are relevant to the research objective. Conclusions: the key points should be presented as clearly as possible. A brief, general interpretation of the results and/or specific recommendations for further research may be included.
The abstract in the article’s language is given first. Machine-aided translation of the abstract is forbidden. Structural elements of the abstract are italicized, a first-line indent. Keywords: five to six keywords (not from the title, phrases are not used).
Main text:
Introduction. The problem should be briefly presented, emphasizing at the beginning the authors’ relevant expertise. It should be noted that one of the indicators of the knowledge of the issue concerned is the ratio between cited sources of domestic authors and references to articles from foreign journals. Another indicator is the references to their previous research on the relevant topic. In analyzing the publications on the article’s topic, it is necessary to note what the authors of these studies have succeeded and failed to solve. Problems not solved by other authors should be highlighted.
Research objective.
Materials and methods. This section should be brief but sufficient to allow other researchers to replicate the study. It should contain three subsections, which are italicized in the text:
- Participants: the number of participants and their age. Note that all participants have given their informed consent to participate in the experiment.
- Procedure (research mamagement): provides the reader with a summary of each step of the research process. It should be brief, accurate, and logical. Do not burden the reader with too much detail. It is necessary to give enough information to allow the reader to follow what is being done. Indicate what methods, instruments, and equipment were used.
- Statistical analysis: the authors should explain what statistical methods were applied in the data analysis and the justification for using these tests; the authors should indicate the level of significance and the statistical programs used.
Providing information about research participants requires their official consent. This is documented in the manuscript’s text. Information about the approval of the research and its results by the ethics committee should also be provided. When children participate in experiments, their parents’ written consent must be obtained, as indicated in this section.
Results should be presented briefly and reasonably. The number of tables and figures (graphs) necessary to reason the present document should be limited, and their necessity should be assessed. Do not duplicate data in the form of graphs and tables. The number of observations and reports, as well as exclusions or losses (e.g., subjects who have quitted the study) should be given. The results should have a logical sequence in the text, incl. tables and figures that are consistent with the text through supporting remarks.
Discussion should include an interpretation of research findings, as well as the results considered in the context of the outcomes other studies presented in the literature, especially those discussed in the article. The Discussion should be equal to or longer than the text of the Results section.
Conclusions should not duplicate the results or render the extent to which the research objective has been achieved. The conclusions section should not contain information that was not discussed in the article and was not supported by the research data.
Perspectives for further research
Acknowledgments. Any contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship, such as technical assistants, assistants, typists, or a department head who provide only general support, should be noted. Their role should be described. Financial and other material support should be disclosed and acknowledged. If the research is funded by the state budget, this should be indicated.
Conflict of interests between persons who are directly or indirectly related to the publication of the article or the information contained therein, indicating “The author(s) declare that there is no conflict of interest”.
Bibliography
The list should be numbered and contain at least 20 items. The references selected for publication should be chosen by their importance, accessibility, and the option of further reading. References cited in tables and figure captions should be numbered, as they will be cited in the text in a certain sequence. If the article has a DOI, it is shown in the reference.
The bibliography list should meet the following principles:
1) the editorial staff believes that the author has full knowledge of the issue if the bibliography list contains references to articles from English-language journals of the last five years. The editors believe that there should be at least 50% of such references;
2) the editorial staff believes that the article should present 2-3 fundamental works of domestic authors and 2-3 foreign authors on the problem under study;
3) the editorial staff considers it necessary to refer to 2-3 of their previous works on the problem under study, thereby confirming the author’s status as a specialist in the relevant area;
4) the editorial staff considers it mandatory to have references to the works of other specialists on the problem under study, both domestic and foreign.
5) in the journal, the bibliography list is drawn up in accordance with DSTU 8302:2015 “Information and Documentation. Bibliographic references. General provisions and rules of compilation”.
The References list should meet APA style; if a literary source has a DOI, it must be included in the reference. References for Ukrainian sources: the authors’ surnames and are transliterated. The title is translated into English. The publisher is transliterated (if there is no English version). At the end of the source, indicate [In Ukrainian].
