Contribute to The Sport and Exercise Scientist

Key criteria include:

• Does it contribute to the CPD of sport and exercise scientists by promoting evidence-based practice?
• Is the work reported original?
• Is the purpose and scope of the article stated clearly and is it achieved?
• Is it well-written?
• Is it constructive?
• Is it thought-provoking?
• Does it have obvious take-home messages and answer the “So what?” and “Why does this matter to sport and/or exercise scientists?” questions?
• Is it reflective, highlighting what has been learnt from the process, and providing practical knowledge that readers can take away and apply?
• Is it interesting and does it have a wide appeal to BASES members?
• Is it within the allocated word count, specified by the editor?

"An article should be long enough to cover the subject, short enough to be interesting."

As such, articles should not exceed a word count of 1,600 (a 2-page spread). This word count includes everything in the document, for example, the reference list, author profiles, tables and figures.

Over-long articles are often submitted accompanied by authors’ claims such as, “Because this is so important/novel/complex we exceeded the word length that is allowed.”

It exemplifies the expression attributed variously to, among others, Thomas Jefferson, George Bernard Shaw and Winston Churchill: “I’m sorry this so long, I didn’t have time to shorten it.” The second clause could have said “take care” for “have time”.

So, when word limits are specified, articles exceeding word counts will not be considered for publication.

Letters, which may be edited or shortened, should be no longer than 300 words, must refer to an article that has appeared in the last issue, and must include the writer's name.

• Contributors are advised to contact the editor prior to writing to agree a purpose and scope
• On receipt on the article it will be sent to one or two members of the Editorial Advisory Board for review and comment
• Normally revisions are requested
• The contributors and editor will work together to ensure the article is suitable for publication
• The lead author will be sent a copy of the type-set article for proofing before sign-off. At that stage proofing is about minor modifications only – e.g., spelling and grammar, as opposed to major re-writes.

• Filename – helpful if you can name the article with your surname and topic (e.g., Harridgemuscles)
• Article has been proof-read
• Article has word count to fit the allocated space and has not exceeded the word count
• Has a title (e.g., What makes muscles grow?)
• Has a brief (1-2 sentence) introduction.The role of IGF-I in the adaptation to strength training) (no period after)
• Has sub-headings (to break up text). These should be bolded. Only first letter of first word is captialised
• Has a summary laying out the significant parts and take-home messages for the readers
• Author(s) photo – a head shot of all authors (attached and high resolution (file size is >200 KB))
• Relevant photos – Most articles require at least 1 good quality photo (file size is >1 MB) that relates to the article. Please attach these when you submit your article and label them so that they are easy to link with your article (e.g., HarridgemusclesPhoto1). Please do not insert photos within the article. At the end of the article please include photo captions and photo courtesies (see points below)
• Photo caption (e.g., Photo1 caption. The Physical Activity for Health Working Party)
• Photo courtesy (e.g., Courtesy Prof Jo Bloggs)
• Author(s) profile. (25-word count and relevant to the article). If stating BASES accredited, this should be: BASES accredited sport and exercise scientist. The profile should read: Prof Jo Bloggs FBASESis…(25 words)
• References (to a minimum, no more than 5 and fully referenced in The Sport and Exercise Scientist reference style (please see section below).

The Sport and Exercise Scientist has its own unique reference style. Examples of references are below:

Reference citations in text examples:

• Work by one author - Rogers (2010) compared... Past research (Rogers, 2010)...
• Work by two authors - Rogers and Smith (2009) compared... Past research (Rogers & Smith, 2009)...
• Work by three of more authors - Rogers et al. (2011) compared... Past research (Rogers et al., 2009)...

Reference list examples

Arrange entries in alphabetical order by the surname of the first author.

Baumeister, R.F., Zell, A.L. & Tice, D.M. (2007). How emotions facilitate and impair self-regulation. In J.J. Gross (Ed.), Handbook of emotion regulation (pp. 408-426). New York: The Guilford Press.

Child Protection Support Unit. (2005). Standards for Safeguarding and Protecting Children in Sport. Available: www.thecpsu.org.uk

Lazarus, R.S. (2000). How emotions influence performance in competitive sports. The Sport Psychologist, 14, 229-252.

If more than 3 authors write Elliott, B. et al. (1996).

The emphasis of the article should be on contributing to the continuing professional development of sport and exercise scientists by promoting evidence-based practice. It would typically be a reflective article highlighting what has been learnt from the process and providing practical knowledge that readers can take away and apply. 

It should be able to answer the “So what?” question. It may take the form of an article, an interview, reflections and top tips, or include a commentary from another person. 

Articles that are either extended research abstracts or conference reports will not be accepted.

The case study should include the following:

• explanation of the issue
• needs analysis carried out
• underpinning technical/theoretical rationale for the intervention
• the intervention package put in place including how this was conducted
• the resultant impact/outcome
• evaluation of the process
• personal reflection
• client reflection.

Evaluation of the process is the most critical aspect. The writer should honour promises of confidentiality and anonymity. The maximum word count (including everything) is 1,600.