Policies

The International Journal of Exercise Science (IJES), published by Western Kentucky University, is dedicated to advancing the field of movement sciences by providing a platform for research-minded professionals, with a special emphasis on serving students and early-career investigators. IJES seeks to foster the development of scholarly dissemination and peer-review skills in both students and professionals, supporting the next generation of researchers in their contributions to exercise science.

Aligned with this mission, IJES requires that all submissions include at least one author who is/was either (1) a student or (2) an early-career investigator. This individual (or individuals) must have played a significant and active role in the conceptualization, execution, and/or development of the submitted project. Through this approach, IJES aims to cultivate a collaborative research environment that nurtures growth, refines research competencies, and strengthens the foundation for further contributions to the field of movement sciences.

IJES’ scope encompasses a broad range of topics related to human movement, health, and performance. Areas of focus include, but are not limited to, physiological, psychological and biomechanical aspects of exercise, as well as applied research in fitness, rehabilitation, and sport science. Contributions that advance understanding in exercise science and its clinical and practical applications are welcome.

Manuscript Submission

Authorship Requirements

IJES utilizes a double-blind review process, so all identifying author information must be contained within the cover letter provided to the editors. All individuals who are listed as authors should have made substantive intellectual contributions to the overall project, i.e. conception and design of study, collection or acquisition of data, analysis or interpretation of statistics, etc., and should be able to take public responsibility for the content. Contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship may be listed in the acknowledgments section. In your submission’s cover letter, you will identify each authors’ academic status using the notations below:

    * Denotes student investigator (undergraduate and graduate degree seekers).
    † Denotes an early-career investigator. Individuals within five years of completing their terminal degree or postgraduate training or those with a terminal degree who are still under professional guidance (e.g., in residency).
    ‡ Denotes established investigator. Individuals more than five years beyond their terminal degree or training.

ALL submissions must include at least one author identified as a student or early-career investigator. Authors are welcome to dual affiliate when appropriate.

Example

Whitley Stone‡1, Grant Malone*1,2, Dustin Davis†1,2, James Navalta‡3

    • 1. School of Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY, USA
    • 2. Department of Kinesiology, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA
    3. University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV, USA

Manuscript submissions should follow the guidelines outlined in the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors.

IJES will not consider manuscripts that are simultaneously being considered by other journals, or that are redundant or duplicate in nature. All submitted manuscripts will be subject to a pre-review, which will include an originality check using iThenticate software. Please see policy below on Publication Ethics and Malpractice for further information on manuscript originality.

Following pre-review, submitted manuscripts will be evaluated through a double-blind peer-review process. In addition to providing students with an outlet for manuscript submission, IJES will engage students as peer reviewers, thus providing students with a more encompassing experience with regards to scholarly activity. Manuscripts of which a student investigator is the primary author will be reviewed by one student reviewer and one professional reviewer. Manuscripts of which a professional is the primary author will be reviewed by two professional reviewers.

Article Processing Charges (APC) – USD 499

  • Submission Fee: There is no fee for manuscript submission; APCs are only payable upon acceptance.
  • Authors from Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Manuscripts with a first author affiliated with a World Bank-classified low- or middle-income country institution receive an automatic 50% APC reduction.
  • Editorial Board Members: Editorial Board members receive a 50% APC reduction when listed as an author on the manuscript.
  • Editor-in-Chief Recommendations: Articles recommended for publication by the Editor-in-Chief are fully exempt from APC charges.
  • Multiple Discounts: Only one APC discount or exemption may be applied per manuscript, with the most favourable benefit taking precedence.
  • Contact: For further questions regarding APCs or eligibility, please contact support@intjexersci.com.

Expedited Review

Authors seeking quicker turnarounds for their manuscripts can request Expedited Review for an upfront fee of $1,500.00 USD. Expedited Review guarantees peer review and a decision within seven business days from the day full payment is received. This option does not guarantee acceptance, however, it covers the indexing fee if the manuscript is accepted.

Only Expedited Reviews are conducted between June 1st and July 31st each year. Regular submissions will not receive attention until August.

Peer-reviewers

All authors who submit a manuscript to IJES will be added to the reviewer pool so that they may have the opportunity to serve as a peer reviewer on future submissions. If you would like to join our peer review team, please email your editor@intjexersci.com with your desire to become a peer reviewer, your CV, and a list of 3-5 keywords that encompass your area of reviewing expertise.

At the time of submission, authors will have the opportunity to suggest peer-reviewers who may be appropriate to review their submission. IJES reserves the right to use these suggested reviewers for the manuscripts on which they are suggested, on other submissions to IJES, or not at all.

Submitted manuscripts will be evaluated through a double-blind (or double anonymized) peer-review process. IJES will engage students as peer reviewers to give the opportunity to engage in scholarly activity when guided by a professional mentor. Each manuscript will be reviewed by no fewer than two peer reviewers. Peer reviewers will be sourced from an existing pool of students and professionals in the field of exercise science. These individuals may or may not be part of the IJES editorial board. No information identifying the reviewers of accepted work will be published on the final manuscript. Reviewer identities will be shielded from authors as reviewers communicate with the editor. The editor will take recommendations from the reviewers in order to reach a consensus decision. There are no exceptions to this peer review process.

Editorial Board

Select professionals will be invited to serve on the IJES Editorial Board. These appointments will be for three-year terms, and the appointments are renewable. If you, or someone you know, wishes to participate on the IJES Editorial Board, please share our Executive Team’s email: editor@intjexersci.com

Student investigators are welcome to serve on the IJES Editorial Board. These positions will rotate periodically at various increments to allow a greater number of students to gain experience in the editorial office.

IJES Executive Editors may remove a person from the Editorial Board at any time, and for any reason that they deem detrimental to the function of the Editorial Board or to the mission of IJES.

References

IJES limits the number of references for original research articles to a maximum of forty (40), and Brief Reports to a maximum of twenty-five (25). If the work proceeds to peer review, exceptions can be requested from the handling editor. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are exempt from this policy.

Publication Ethics and Malpractice

Authors must guarantee that submitted manuscripts have not been published elsewhere, are not currently under review elsewhere, and have been submitted with the full knowledge of their institutional home.

All manuscripts are reviewed for originality using the latest, most up-to-date iThenticate software prior to being assigned for peer-review. IJES reserves the right to reject without peer-review any manuscript not meeting originality requirements, and also to inform the Institutional Review Board at the institution(s) of the offending authors.

Each author must agree that they have conformed to the ethical standards contained in the publication “Ethical Issues Relating to Scientific Discovery in Exercise Science.” To acknowledge this, we require that the work is referenced in the Methodology section using the statement “This research was carried out fully in accordance to the ethical standards of the International Journal of Exercise Science” along with the following reference: Navalta JW, Stone WJ, Lyons TS. Ethical Issues Relating to Scientific Discovery in Exercise Science. Int J Exerc Sci 12(1): 1-8, 2019.