Writing Rules
The Journal of Sports Science Academy (JOSSA) places great emphasis on ensuring consistency and quality in academic publishing by requiring submissions to adhere to specific writing guidelines. Authors are expected to prepare their manuscripts in accordance with these guidelines to facilitate an efficient peer-review process and to ensure that their work meets international standards. To support this process, all authors are strongly encouraged to use the JOSSA Manuscript Template when preparing their submissions and to follow the outlined writing rules. You can access the template [here].
Writing Guidelines (Click here to download the Writing Guidelines in PDF format).
1. Page Layout
1.1. Font Style: Palatino Linotype
1.2. Font Size:
- Article Title: 18 pt
- Author Names: 10 pt
- Author Affiliation Details: 8 pt
- Abstract and Keywords: 9 pt
- Section Headings: 10 pt
- Main Text: 10 pt
- Figures and Tables: 9 pt
- Figure and Table Captions: 9 pt
- Footnotes: 9 pt
- Declarations: 9 pt
- References: 10 pt
1.3. Line Spacing: Set to 1.0 cm for the main text, abstract, and keywords.
1.4. Margins:
No margin on the right and left sides for the article title, author names, figures, and tables.
A left margin of 4.6 cm and no right margin for author details, the abstract, the main text, and references.
1.5. Alignment:
- Main text should be justified.
- Titles should be left-aligned.
2. Article Sections
Each article should be structured as follows:
2.1. Title Page
2.1.1. Article Title: Must not exceed 15 words, be bold, and left-aligned.
2.1.2. Author Names: First names should start with a capital letter, followed by surnames in uppercase. Authors should be listed in order of contribution. Superscript numbers should match the corresponding institutional affiliations. Additionally, the corresponding author’s surname should be marked with an asterisk (*).
2.1.3. Author Affiliation Details: Include the full details of institutional affiliations, such as faculty or institute, university, city, postal code, and country.
2.1.4. Corresponding Author Information: The email address of the corresponding author should be listed beneath the institutional affiliations.
2.2. Abstract and Keywords
2.2.1. Abstract: The abstract should provide a concise summary of the study's key aspects. It should clearly state the research objective, briefly describe the study design, participants, and data collection tools, and highlight critical findings, including key statistical results. The abstract should not exceed 250 words and should enable readers to grasp the essence of the study quickly.
2.2.2. Keywords: Include 3-5 keywords that best describe the study's content. Each keyword should start with a capital letter and be separated by commas, with a period after the final keyword. Font size: 8 pt.
2.3. Main Text Structure
The main text should include the following sections:
2.3.1. Introduction: Provide context and explain the significance of the research. Clearly define the research problem, and summarize the theoretical framework and related literature. State the objectives, hypotheses, and assumptions of the study. Highlight the study's contribution to the field by referencing current literature.
2.3.2. Methods: Describe the research process in detail. Specify the research design (e.g., experimental, correlational), participant selection criteria, and data collection tools such as tests or scales. Detail the data analysis methods and statistical software used. Additionally, emphasize adherence to ethical standards, including approval from relevant ethics committees.
2.3.3. Results: Present the findings objectively and clearly. Use tables and graphs to enhance clarity. Report statistical results, including significance levels (p-values).
2.3.4. Discussion: Discuss the implications of the findings in depth and compare them with similar studies in the literature. Evaluate the consistency of the results with the research questions and hypotheses, highlighting any unexpected outcomes. Address the theoretical or practical contributions of the study and their implications. Objectively discuss the limitations of the study and their potential impact on the results. Provide suggestions for future research.
2.3.5. Conclusion: Summarize the study’s critical findings and clearly convey the main message. Emphasize the theoretical or practical contributions and the value of the findings in the context of existing knowledge. Focus only on the most salient results, avoiding detailed interpretations. Conclude with a concise summary of the practical implications of the findings.
3. Figures and Tables
Figures and tables should be placed close to the first reference to them in the text. When preparing tables, only horizontal lines should be used, and vertical lines should be avoided. The first row of the table, which serves as the header row, should be written in bold font to distinguish it from the rest of the content.
3.1. Figure and Table Captions: Each figure or table should be numbered and briefly described, ending with a period. Captions should be bold and follow the format:
Example:
Figure 1. This is a figure.
Table 1. This is a table.
3.2. Footnotes: Abbreviations such as Mean (M), Standard Deviation (SD), Minimum (Min), Maximum (Max), p-value (p), and Effect Size (ES) should be clearly defined.
4. Declarations
All articles must include the following declarations:
4.1. Author Contributions: Specify the contributions of each author to the study under categories such as conceptualization, methodology, validation, data analysis, investigation, resources, original draft preparation, review and editing, visualization, supervision, and funding. All authors must approve the final version of the manuscript.
4.2. Funding: Indicate funding sources, including the full name of the funding organization and grant number (if applicable). If no funding was provided, include the statement: "This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors."
4.3. Ethical Approval Statement: Include the ethics committee’s approval statement and approval number for studies involving human or animal participants. For example:
"This study was approved by the XXX Ethics Committee on XXX date, with decision number XXX."
For studies not requiring ethics approval, use the statement: "This research did not require ethics committee approval as it did not involve human or animal participants."
4.4. Informed Consent Statement: For studies involving human participants, include the following statement:
"Informed consent was obtained from all participants involved in the study."
If not applicable, use: "This study did not involve human participants requiring informed consent."
4.5. Conflict of Interest: Clearly state any conflicts of interest. If none exist, use the statement:
"The authors declare no conflicts of interest regarding this study."
If a conflict exists, provide detailed information.
4.6. Data Availability Statement: Provide details on data availability. If data is available upon request, use:
"Data supporting this study is available from the authors upon reasonable request."
If publicly available, include the database name, link, and access details. If data cannot be shared due to confidentiality or ethical reasons, use:
"The data supporting this study cannot be shared due to confidentiality or ethical constraints."
5. References and Citation Guidelines
Submissions to JOSSA must follow APA 7 guidelines for in-text citations and reference formatting. References should be listed alphabetically. For further information, refer to the APA website: https://apastyle.apa.org/.
Examples of references for various publication types are provided below.
5.1. Journal Articles
Ilbak, I. (2024). Article title. Journal of Sports Science Academy, 1(1), 11-18. doi
5.2. Online-First Articles
Ilbak, I. (2024). Article title. Journal of Sports Science Academy, Online publication. doi
5.3. Books
Ilbak, I. (2024). Book title. Publisher.
5.4. Edited Books (Without Authors)
Ilbak, I. (Ed.). (2024). Title of the work: Subtitle. Publisher. doi
5.5. Book Chapters in Edited Volumes
Ilbak, I., & Ilbak, A. (2024). Chapter title. In I. Ilbak & A. Ilbak (Eds.), Book title (pp. 6-28). Publisher.
5.6. Books with Multiple Editions
Ilbak, I. (2024). Book title (2nd ed.). Publisher.
5.7. Volume of a Multi-Volume Work
Ilbak, I. (Ed.). (2024). Title of the work: Subtitle (8th ed., Vol. A). Publisher.
5.8. Unpublished Doctoral or Master's Thesis
Ilbak, I. (2024). Thesis title [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. University Name.
5.9. Edited Conference Proceedings
Ilbak, I., & Ilbak, I. (Eds.). (2024). Conference title. Publisher. URL
5.10. Presentations without Source Material
Ilbak, I., Ilbak, A., Ilbak, B., & Ilbak, C. (2024, December 2). Presentation title [Conference session]. Conference name, Location.
5.11. Presentations with Source Material
Ilbak, I., Ilbak, A., Ilbak, B., & Ilbak, C. (2024, December 2). Presentation title [Address]. Conference Name, Location. URL
5.12. Web Documents
Ilbak, I. (2024). Document title. URL
5.13. Magazine News Article
Ilbak, I. (2024, December 2). Article title. Magazine Name. URL
5.14. Federal or State Laws
Name of the Act, Pub. L. No. 111-148, 124 Stat. 119 (2024). URL
5.15. Government Reports
Government Agency Name. (2024). Report title. URL
5.16. Reports by Civil Society Organizations (With Known Authors)
Ilbak, I., Ilbak, A., & Ilbak, B. (2024). Report title (Report No. XXX). Organization Name. URL
