Essential checklist for authors submitting to IJSNEM: from authorship criteria and ethical requirements to fees and reporting checklists
The International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism (IJSNEM) accepts manuscripts only through the journal’s ScholarOne online submission system. Before you upload files, read these requirements carefully so your paper will be considered for peer review. This summary explains the main steps: how to prepare files, how to document authorship and funding, what to include about ethics and product verification, and the options for Free Access and Open Access.
Authors who plan to use supplemental tools such as the Time Series Response Analyser or wish to deposit data in a public repository should note the specific guidance below.
The journal follows the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) criteria for author credit.
Each named author must meet all four conditions: (1) make substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data; (2) participate in drafting or revising the manuscript for important intellectual content; (3) give final approval of the version to be published; and (4) agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring integrity and resolving questions about accuracy.
Individuals who do not satisfy all four conditions should be acknowledged but not listed as authors. If any artificial intelligence tools were used, authors must disclose how they were applied in the cover letter and manuscript; such tools cannot be listed as authors because they cannot fulfill the accountability requirement.
Preparing files and manuscript layout
Manuscripts must be written in English and submitted in Microsoft Word or a comparable word processor. Use double-spaced text with continuous line numbers and pages numbered in the upper right corner. Present tables and figures each on separate pages; include table titles with each table and gather all figure legends on a single page after the references. The required order of elements is: (1) title page; (2) abstract and keywords; (3) main text; (4) acknowledgments, authorships, funding declarations, and conflicts of interest; (5) references; (6) tables; (7) figure legends; and (8) figures. Abstracts must be a single paragraph up to 250 words and include three keywords not present in the title. For original research, the title should be concise and informative and the running head limited to eight words.
Authorship contributions and ethical requirements
Authorship disclosure and contribution statement
At the end of the manuscript include a short paragraph identifying each author’s initials and their specific contributions using the CRediT taxonomy headings such as conceptualization, data curation, formal analysis, methodology, and writing – original draft. Declare all funding sources and potential conflicts of interest in this section. The submitting author is responsible for ensuring that all co-authors approve the submission and remain informed during revision. Studies involving products should include independent verification of composition when relevant, for example an analysis to confirm active ingredient content and to exclude undeclared substances.
Human and animal ethics
Research with human participants must state that prior approval was obtained from a formally constituted ethics review board and that written informed consent was provided by participants or guardians where applicable. Animal studies must adhere to current welfare legislation. Papers failing to document ethical approval or informed consent appropriately may be rejected. In addition, statistical reporting should be transparent: report variance as SD for normally distributed data rather than SEM, and use nonparametric statistical analysis when distributions are not normal.
Open access, fees, and copyright
Human Kinetics offers options for publishing articles as Free Access or Open Access. To publish under these options, authors must complete the relevant form and pay the associated fee. The fee when copyright is assigned to Human Kinetics for Free Access is $2,000. Open Access fees are: Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND $2,250; Creative Commons CC-BY-NC $2,450; and Creative Commons CC-BY $2,950. Authors of accepted manuscripts will be required to sign a copyright transfer to Human Kinetics, Inc.
Reporting tools, figures, data sharing, and article types
Authors are encouraged to use the PRESENT 2026 checklist to confirm complete reporting and to indicate Y with page/line numbers or mark items as N/A. The journal also recommends the Time Series Response Analyser for standardized summary statistics; cite the methods paper (Narang et al. 2026) if used. Deposit datasets in discipline-specific public repositories when possible and provide links in the manuscript. Figures must meet accessibility standards: include alt text under 250 characters for each figure (longer only for complex images), test visibility in grayscale, maintain shading differences of at least 20%, and ensure contrast ratios of at least 4.5:1. Photographs should be saved at a minimum of 300 dpi and line art at 600 dpi; acceptable file formats are TIFF, PDF, or JPEG.
Article types, length and review process
IJSNEM publishes several categories with defined length and limits. Original Research targets 3,000 words (absolute maximum 4,000), with up to 10 figures/tables and a maximum of 40 references; Rapid Communication is 2,000 words with up to four figures/tables and 25 references; Case Study is 2,000 words with up to four figures/tables and 25 references; Scholarly Review is 5,000 words with up to eight figures/tables and 75 references; and the 10 Questions; 10 Experts format is 4,000 words and typically allows up to six figures/tables. Rapid Communications follow an expedited review timeline; in general the review process aims for approximately 6-8 weeks. Authors must provide names and email addresses for at least two potential reviewers on submission.
Following these specifications will increase the chance your manuscript is sent for peer review. For further detail consult IJSNEM resources, methodology reviews, and the journal website before submission to ScholarOne. Remember to disclose any use of AI-assisted technologies and to prepare author contribution and ethics statements as described above.
