Instructions to Authors, Strength and Conditioning Journal

Effective January 1, 2007

Editorial Mission

Strength and Conditioning Journal is the professional journal for strength coaches, personal trainers, athletic trainers, physical therapists, and other health professionals working in the strength and conditioning field. The journal's goal is to publish articles that report both the practical applications of previously published peer-reviewed research findings and the knowledge gained by experienced professionals. This mission includes, to the greatest extent possible, integrating these two sources of knowledge, providing practitioners with the most accurate information available, and providing a forum for the exchange of information between the many disciplines involved in strength and conditioning.

Topical articles are generally 2000-3000 words (8-12 typed, double-spaced pages) and should focus on a specific topic relevant to our field.

Editorial Scope

The journal publishes full-length articles and columns. Each issue of Strength and Conditioning Journal will feature a group of articles relevant to the field of strength and conditioning, as well as a variety of regular features that provide thought-provoking accounts of programs and issues in the strength and conditioning field. Review articles are generally 3000-4000 words (12-16 typed, double spaced pages) and should provide a balanced review of a well-researched topic in our field with application to practitioners.

The columns that appear in the journal and are open to outside submission include: Bridging the Gap, One-On-One, Rehab and Flexibility Tips, Special Populations, Nutrition and Ergogenic Aids, Sport-Specific Conditioning, High School Corner, and Exercise Techniques.

Columns should be approximately 1000-1250 words and should be appropriately referenced. There is a maximum of 4 tables/figures in a column due to the length. Specials features generally not open to outside submission include: Research Notes, The JSCR Corner, Media Review, CEU Quiz, Point/Counterpoint, and the College Coaches Corner.

Electronic Manuscript Submission

Authors should submit manuscripts to the Strength and Conditioning Journal Editional Manager website (https://www.editorialmanager.com/scj/). Separate all table and figure files from the text. The following formats are accepted for text: Microsoft Word (.doc), Corel WordPerfect (.wpd), Microsoft Rich Text Format (.rtf), and ASCII Text (.txt). Table files may be submitted in Microsoft Excel (.xls) or Microsoft Word (.doc). Figure files will be accepted if they are in one of the following formats: Tagged Image File Format (.tif), Encapsulated PostScript (.eps), Adobe Portable Document Format (.pdf), Microsoft Word (.doc), Microsoft PowerPoint (.ppt).

Send mail correspondence (not manuscripts or letters to the editor) for the Editor in Chief to:
T. Jeff Chandler, Professor and Department Head
Health, Physical Education, and Recreation
309 Pete Mathews Coliseum
Jacksonville State University
700 Pelham Road N.
Jacksonville, AL 36265-1602

Format of Manuscripts

The manuscript should be divided into “non-blinded” and “blinded” sections for electronic submission.

The “non-blinded section” should contain a cover page with complete author contact information, brief author bios, and author photos.

The “blinded” manuscript file should contain a title page without author contact information, key words, lead summary, text, table and figure captions (if applicable), and references. All text portions of the blinded manuscript should be submitted in one text file.

Non-Blinded Author Materials

The non-blinded title page of the manuscript should include the title, full name of the author(s), academic degrees, positions, and institutional or organizational affiliations. The corresponding author's address, telephone number, e-mail address, and fax number should be given.

The non-blinded title page should include brief bios of the authors. Author bios on the non-blinded title page will generally be limited to the current job position and location for each author.

SAMPLE BRIEF BIO: T. Jeff Chandler is the Editor in Chief of Strength and Conditioning Journal, and the Department Head of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, AL.

Author photos will be submitted in the non-blinded section. Reviewers will not have access to the non-blinded section.

Blinded Manuscript

The blinded manuscript should contain a title page (without author contact information), key words, lead summary, text, table and figure captions (if applicable), and references. All text portions of the blinded manuscript should be submitted in one text file. For review articles and topical articles, the blinded title page should also list five or six key words or short phrases that will assist indexers in cross-indexing the article. Key words may come from the title as well as the body of the article. When choosing your keywords, use words from the list at the following web site if possible: http://georef.cos.com/cgi-bin/gen-names-or-keys?what=keyword

The manuscript file should contain a title page including author contact information, key words, lead summary, text, brief author bio, table and figure captions (if applicable), and references. Beginning January 1, 2006, Strength and Conditioning Journal will blind author's names to reviewers during the review process. The SCJ editorial office will blind the manuscript before it is sent to reviewers. All text portions of the manuscript should be submitted in one file. This includes any of the following sections as applicable to your paper: title page, the lead summary, author bios, body of the article or column, table and figure captions, and references.

Lead Summary

The article or column should include a brief lead summary for indexing purposes. Column lead summaries should be no more than 50 words, and article lead summaries should be no more than 100 words. The lead summary is used to index the manuscript using electronic databases. It serves the same purpose as an “abstract” in a research manuscript.

Text

A simple, straightforward writing style is most effective for articles and columns submitted to the journal. Priority will be given to articles that have useful practical information presented in a concise, logical, and clear manner.

References

Articles published in Strength and Conditioning Journal should be appropriately referenced. References to research papers should reference the original publication, not a book or review article that discusses the research.

The accuracy of references used is the responsibility of the author. Avoid references to personal communications, non-professional for-profit websites, and unpublished data. Referenced web pages should meet the following criteria: 1. refereed online journal, 2. refereed journal article on CD-ROM, 3. government resource website, 4. website for major nonprofit professional organization such as: NSCA, ACSM, NATA, etc.

All references should be alphabetized by the last name of the lead author. Numbers should then be assigned to each reference. Parenthetical numbers in the text [(1); (4, 5); (1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10)] should correspond to the numbered alphabetized reference list. Each reference listed must be cited in the text. Do not use et al. in the reference list. List all authors. Multiple texts by the same authors are listed chronologically, then alphabetically. Author names should be formatted as capital/small capital (see examples). Please double check all references to ensure that they contain correct information and are in the correct order. If your manuscript is accepted and references are changed during the proof stage, the corresponding author will be billed $3.75 per revision. This includes changes due to a reference being out of sequence. Sample reference types follow:

Book

Page numbers are required to reference specific text from a book. References to entire books without page numbers are not permissible.

1. DAVIS, M.D. Game Theory. Minneola, NY: Dover, 1997. pp. 45 – 54.

Book with Translator or Editor

For an editor, use ed. For translators, use trans.
2. VOROBYEV, A.N. A Textbook on Weightlifting. W.J. BRICE, trans. Budapest: International Weightlifting Federation, 1978. pp. 172 – 242.

Chapter of a Book

3. OPANZOWSKI, B., J. LUKASZWESKA, M. SIENICKA, and S. FURDAL. Lactic acid removal, changes in acid-base balance and kinetics of growth hormone at rest and during recovery exercises. In: International Perspectives in Exercise Physiology. R. TERJUNG, ed. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 1990. pp. 98 – 120.

Journal Article

4. BORG, G. Psychophysical basis of perceived exertion. Med. Sci. Sports. Exerc. 14:363 – 367. 1982.

Report

5. FINIGAN, M. The 1994 Oregon Public School Drug Use Survey. Final Report. Salem: Oregon Dept. Human Resources, 1995.

Conference/Symposium Proceedings

Citations must be from a published proceedings. may be used only if the publication has an ISBN or ISSN number, and should include page numbers.

6. SLAMA, K., ed. Tobacco and Health: Proceedings of the Ninth World Conference on Tobacco and Health, Paris, France, 10 – 14 October 1994. New York: Plenum Press, 1995. pp. 48 – 55.

References from Electronic Sources

Referencing electronic sources is not always dependable. Strength and Conditioning Journal limits references from electronic sources to those listed below. The editor reserves the right to refuse all electronic references that do not meet the standards of the journal. If there is a printed copy of a reference as well as an electronic one, the journal of record for that publication should be cited. The following reference formats should be used:

Refereed Online Journal

7. SIMON JA, ES HUDES. Relationship of ascorbic acid to blood lead levels. JAMA [serial online]. 281:2289 – 2293. 1999. Available from: http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/reprint/281/24/2289. Accessed August 24, 1999.

Refereed Journal Article on CD-ROM

8. GERSHEN, E.S. Antisocial behavior. Arch. Gen. Psychiatry [serial on CD-ROM]. 52:900 – 901. 1995.

Government Resource

9. Illinois 93rd General Assembly. Ephedra Prohibition Act, 093_HB2311. Available at: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/93/093-0008.htm. Accessed August 24, 2004.

Major Non-Profit Professional Organization

11. National Strength and Conditioning Association Professional Standards and Guidelines Task Force. Strength and Conditioning Professional Standards and Guidelines. May 2001. Available at: http://www.nsca-lift.org/publications/standards.shtml. Accessed August 24, 2004.

Tables

Tables should be placed in a separate electronic file. Do NOT submit tables as photographs. Number tables consecutively in the order of their first citation in the text and supply a brief title for each. Give each column a short or abbreviated heading.

Illustrations and Photographs

The Editor in Chief encourages authors to submit photographs, charts, and figures that help to illustrate new and unique aspects of the article. All such material should be placed in separate files. Figure and table captions (legends) should be part of the manuscript file as figures and their legends take separate production paths. Columns are limited to a total of 4 figures/tables, and topical articles are limited to a total of 15 figures/tables.

Charts and illustrations must be of good technical quality. Color photographs are encouraged. If your manuscript is accepted and illustrations or photographs are changed during the proof stage, the corresponding author will be billed $25.00 per halftone (black and white) figure remake, $19.00 per line art (black and white) figure remake, and $150.00 per color figure remake. All photographs should demonstrate adequate health and safety procedures in the weight room or training environment (i.e. wearing shirts and shoes, removing hats, using safety collars on the bar). The focus of the photograph should not be on a commercial product or the identity of a school or business. SCJ reserves the right to request photos be reshot if they contain an identifiable logo, product name, school name, business name, etc. if the photo is not of acceptable quality, or if the photo demonstrates unsafe practices (no collars, no shoes, etc).

Electronic Figures

Please refer to the link on the Strength and Conditioning Journal AllenTrack login page, “Submitting digital files to Strength and Conditioning Journal,” for additional information on submitting figures. Do NOT send files with figures (photographs, charts, tables, graphics) embedded in the text. Figure files MUST be separate from text files. Electronic photographs copied and pasted into Word and Powerpoint will NOT be accepted. Halftone and color images should be scanned at a minimum of 300 pixels per inch (ppi). Line are should be scanned at 1200 ppi. Please indicate the file format of the graphics. We accept TIFF or EPS format for both Macintosh and PC platforms.

If you will be using a digital camera to capture images for print production, you must use the highest resolution setting option with the least amount of compression. Digital camera manufactures use many different terms and file formats when capturing high-resolution images, so please refer to your camera’s manual for more information.

Photographs and Artwork for the Cover

The author may submit photographs and artwork with the electronic submission for consideration for the cover of the journal. Please indicate if you would like your artwork to be considered for the cover of an issue. For electronic files, please see the Electronic Figures instructions above for complete guidelines.

Copyright

By submitting an article to Strength and Conditioning Journal, all authors of columns or articles accepted for publication agree to transfer copyright to the National Strength and Conditioning Association. A copyright transfer form is available to the corresponding author at the time of manuscript submission and must be returned immediately upon acceptance for publication. A signed copyright transfer form is required for publication. (The copyright release form can be downloaded at SCJCopyrightRelease.pdf.) Authors also acknowledge that all text, tables and figures are original works. If a table or figure is copied from a previously published source, it is the responsibility of the author to obtain and provide proof of permission to republish that table or figure.

Manuscript Checklist

Before submitting a manuscript, please gather the following information:

Non-blinded section containing non-blinded title page with all authors' first names, middle names/initials, last names, brief author bios, postal addresses, work telephone numbers, highest academic degree earned, relevant licensure and certifications, e-mail addresses, brief author bios, and financial disclosure.
Blinded section containing blinded title page, financial disclosure (if applicable), a running title, 3 - 5 keywords, lead summary (abstract), the blinded text of the manuscript, table and figure captions (if applicable), and the references in a single file.
Do not use the text option if you have used Greek letters, special characters, superscripts, or subscripts in your paper.
All tables and figures in separate files submitted in their native application (the application used to create the table or figure). Figures/Images are to be in external files in .tif, .pdf, Postscript, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Power Point, or .eps format and must follow the instructions in the link "Submitting digital files to Strength and Conditioning Journal."
Contact information (e-mail address and institution) of peer reviewers you requested be excluded as reviewers (if any).
Written permission from the copyright holder of any material that has been previously published.
Have the permission of all authors to agree to the copyright assignment. Submission of a column or article to Strength and Conditioning Journal indicates assignment of copyright, and that the column or article is original and unpublished elsewhere.
The (lead) author must be prepared to sign a statement of financial disclosure if any author(s) have received anything of value related to the article.
Author photos are used for articles only and should be submitted in the blinded section of AllenTrack. Author photos should be submitted separately as figures and labeled as author photo/author's name.
If there is a duality of interest, a cover letter MUST be submitted explaining the duality of interest.
Columns MUST include a cover letter that states the column for which the manuscript is to be considered.