AUTHOR GUIDELINES
1. UNIFORM REQUIREMENTS
1.1. Overview
All Copyrights by the author(s). License Faculty of Sport and Physical Education, Novi Sad, Serbia. All articles are open-access and distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY).
There is no charge for submissions and no page charge for accepted manuscripts.
EQOL Journal adopts a double-blind approach for peer reviewing in which the reviewer's name is always concealed from the submitting authors and the author(s)'s name from the selected reviewers.
EQOL Journal honors four days for an initial decision of manuscript submission.
Authors should submit the manuscripts as one Microsoft Word (.docx) file.
Manuscripts must be provided either in standard UK or US English. English standards should be consistent throughout the manuscripts.
Format the manuscript in A4 paper size; margins are 1 inch or 2.5 cm.
Type the whole manuscript double-spaced, with justified alignment.
Use Times New Roman font, size eleven (11) points.
Number (Arabic numerals) the pages consecutively (centering at the bottom of each page), beginning with the title page as page 1 and ending with the Figure legend page.
Include line numbers (continuous) for the convenience of the reviewers.
Apart from chapter and subchapter headings, avoid using any special formatting in the main body of the manuscript.
1.2. Type & Length
EQOL Journal publishes the following types of papers:
Original scientific papers are the results of empirically- or theoretically-based scientific research, which employ scientific methods and report experimental or observational aspects of sports science and its sub-disciplines, which contribute to understanding the impact of physical activity on quality of life. Manuscripts concerning current issues in fields such as physical education, recreation, sport, health, sport psychology, sports management, pedagogy, and sociology are within the scope of the Journal. Descriptive analyses or data inferences should include rigorous methodological structure as well as sound theory. Your manuscript should include the following sections: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion.
Open Submissions Indexed Peer Reviewed
Original scientific papers should be:
A structured abstract of less than 250 words;
Review papers should provide concise in-depth reviews of both established and new areas, based on a critical examination of the literature, analyzing the various approaches to a specific topic in all aspects of sports science and medicine, such as all clinical aspects of exercise, health, and sport; exercise physiology and biophysical investigation of sports performance; sports biomechanics; sports nutrition; rehabilitation, physiotherapy; sports psychology; sport pedagogy, sports history, sport philosophy, sport sociology, sport management; and all aspects of scientific support of the sports coaches from the natural, social and humanistic side.
Open Submissions Indexed Peer Reviewed
Review papers should be:
A structured abstract of less than 250 words;
Editorials are written or commissioned by the editors, but suggestions for possible topics and authors are welcome. They may be peer-reviewed by two external reviewers or by members of the Editorial Board.
Open Submissions Indexed Peer Reviewed
Editorials should be:
Up to 1000 words (excluding title, abstract, tables/figures, figure legends, Acknowledgements, Conflict of Interest, and References);
A structured abstract of less than 250 words;
Maximum number of references is 10.
Short reports of experimental work, new methods, or a preliminary report can be accepted as two-page papers. Your manuscript should include the following sections: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion.
Open Submissions Indexed Peer Reviewed
Short reports should be:
Up to 1500 words (excluding title, abstract, tables/figures, figure legends, Acknowledgements, Conflict of Interest, and References);
A structured abstract of less than 250 words;
Peer review - fair review provides authors who feel their paper has been unfairly rejected (at any journal) the opportunity to share reviewer comments, explain their concerns, and have their paper reviewed for possible publication in EQOL Journal.
Open Submissions Indexed Peer Reviewed
Peer review - fair review should be:
Up to 1500 words (excluding title, abstract, tables/figures, figure legends, Acknowledgements, Conflict of Interest, and References);
A structured abstract of less than 250 words;
Invited papers and award papers include invited papers from authors with outstanding scientific credentials. Nomination of invited authors is at the discretion of the EQOL Journal editorial board. EQOL Journal also publishes award papers selected by the Scientific Committee of the International Scientific Conference Exercise and Quality of Life.
Open Submissions Indexed Peer Reviewed
Invited papers and award papers should be:
Up to 3000 words (excluding title, abstract, tables/figures, figure legends, Acknowledgements, Conflict of Interest, and References);
A structured abstract of less than 250 words;
1.3. Submission
EQOL Journal only accepts electronic submissions via the electronic submission system on our web page.
Submitted material includes:
A manuscript prepared according to the Guidelines for the Authors;
A signed form that states the study was not previously published, nor has been submitted simultaneously for consideration of publication elsewhere, that states that all of the authors are in agreement with the submission of the manuscript to EQOL Journal, and that, for studies that use animal or human individuals, authors must include information regarding their institution’s ethics committee, and which identifies the official approval number;
A signed form that there is no conflict of interest.
Name the files according to the family name of the first author. Authors submitting revised versions of the manuscript can use the identification number of their manuscript as provided by the Journal Office. See example:
FAMILY NAME-manuscript.doc – (main manuscript file)
FAMILY NAME-statement.PDF – (authorship statement)
FAMILY NAME-declaration.PDF – (declaration of potential conflict of interest)
FAMILY NAME-fig1.tiff – (Figure 1)
1.4. Peer Review Process
An original manuscript submitted for publication will be submitted to the review process as long as it fits the following criteria:
The study was not previously published, nor has been submitted simultaneously for consideration of publication elsewhere;
All persons listed as authors approved its submission to EQOL Journal;
Any person cited as a source of personal communication has approved the quote;
The opinions expressed by the authors are their exclusive responsibility;
The author signs a formal statement that the submitted manuscript complies with the directions and guidelines of EQOL.
The Editor-in-Chief and associate editors will make a preliminary analysis regarding the appropriateness, quality, originality and written style/grammar of the submitted manuscript. The editors reserve the right to request additional information, corrections, and guideline compliance before they submit the manuscript to the ad-hoc review process.
EQOL Journal uses ad-hoc reviewers, who volunteer to analyze the merit of the study. Typically, one or two expert reviewers are consulted in a double-blind process. Authors are notified by e-mail when their submission has been accepted (or rejected). Minor changes in the text may be made at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief and/or associate editors. Changes can include spelling and grammar in the chosen language, written style, journal citations, and reference guidelines. The author is notified of changes via email. The final version is available to the author for his or her approval before it is published.
1.5. Open Access License and Publisher Copyright Policies
The EQOL Journal applies the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license to all articles and works it publishes. By submitting a paper for publication, authors agree to have the CC BY license applied to their work. This Open Access license allows anyone to reuse the article, in whole or in part, for any purpose, free of charge, including commercial purposes. Users can copy, distribute, or reuse the content, provided the original authors and source are properly cited. This encourages the free reuse of content while ensuring that EQOL Journal materials can be accessed and utilized for research without barriers.
However, if authors include content owned by others in their articles (such as photos, figures, or videos), EQOL Journal requires written permission from the content owner, confirming their approval of the CC BY license for that content. If such permission cannot be obtained, the authors will need to either remove the content or replace it with material they own or have the right to use. EQOL Journal provides a permission request form for this purpose.
Authors are also allowed to reuse content they previously published with another publisher, provided they own the rights to that content. However, this depends on the licensing terms of the original publisher. Some publishers, like EQOL Journal, allow unrestricted reuse under the CC BY license, while others impose more restrictions. If content was originally published under a CC BY or similarly open license, authors may reuse it in their manuscript with proper attribution. For content under more restrictive licenses, authors must verify their rights before including it. EQOL Journal advises authors to only include material they are authorized to use and to always provide proper attribution.
The editors of EQOL Journal take plagiarism very seriously. Any author found guilty of plagiarism—whether partial or complete—will be banned from submitting to EQOL Journal for six years. If a plagiarized manuscript is published, it will be retracted, and a "plagiarized" or "retracted" label will be printed on each page of the article. The authors and their institutions will be notified. Plagiarism results in the immediate rejection of the manuscript.
EQOL Journal only publishes studies that have received approval from an institutional ethics committee when human or animal subjects are involved. Failure to provide this documentation will prevent publication. To ensure compliance, authors must submit all required documents. If you have not done so, please visit the EQOL Journal website to complete the Declaration of Potential Conflict of Interest and Authorship Statement. These forms must be signed by all authors and included as supplementary files with the manuscript submission, regardless of whether the study involves humans or animals.
1.6. After Acceptance
After the manuscript has been accepted, authors will receive a PDF version of the manuscript for authorization, as it should look like a printed version of the EQOL Journal. Authors should carefully check for omissions. Reporting errors after this point will not be possible and the Editorial Board will not be eligible for them.
Should there be any errors, authors should report them to the Office e-mail address eqol@uns.ac.rs. If there are not any errors authors should also write a short e-mail stating that they agree with the received version.
1.7. Code of Conduct Ethics Committee of Publications
EQOL Journal is hosting the Code of Conduct Ethics Committee of Publications of the COPE (the Committee on Publication Ethics), which provides a forum for publishers and Editors of scientific journals to discuss issues relating to the integrity of the work submitted to or published in their journals.
Also, all submissions will be checked twice with:
after manuscript submission and after acceptance (post-review).
Note: Only 18% of overlap is acceptable. smart-tips-for-avoiding-plagiarism
To see more about plagiarism, and to check what exactly it is, please take a look at the partner's web page: here.
2. MANUSCRIPT STRUCTURE
2.1. Title Page
The first page of the manuscript should be the title page, containing: the title, type of publication, running head, authors, affiliations, corresponding author, and manuscript information. See example:
Effects of Invasion games on physical fitness in primary school children
Original Scientific Paper
Invasion games in Children
Irena Valantine1, Dejan Madic2, Goran Sporis3
1Lithuanian Sports University, Department of Sport Management, Kaunas, Lithuania
2Faculty of sport and physical education, Novi Sad, Serbia
3 Faculty of Kinesiology, Zagreb, Croatia
Corresponding author:
D. Madic
University of Novi Sad
Faculty of Sport and Physical Education
16 Lovcenska str, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
E-mail: dekimadic@gmail.com
Word count: 2,980
Abstract word count: 236
Number of Tables: 1
Number of Figures: 1
2.1.1. Title
The title should be short and informative and the recommended length is no more than 20 words. The title should be in Title Case, written in uppercase and lowercase letters (initial uppercase for all words except articles, conjunctions, short prepositions no longer than four letters, etc.) so that the first letters of the words in the title are capitalized. Exceptions are words like: “and”, “or”, “between”, etc. The word following a colon (:) or a hyphen (-) in the title is always capitalized.
2.1.2. Type of publication
Authors should suggest the type of their submission.
2.1.3. Running head
Short running title should not exceed 50 characters including spaces.
2.1.4. Authors
The form of an author's name is first name, middle initial(s), and last name. In one line list all authors with full names separated by a comma (and space). Avoid any abbreviations of academic or professional titles. If authors belong to different institutions, following the family name of the author there should be a number in superscript designating affiliation.
2.1.5. Affiliations
Affiliation consists of the name of an institution, department, city, country/territory (in this order) to which the author(s) belong and to which the presented/submitted work should be attributed. List all affiliations (each in a separate line) in the order corresponding to the list of authors. Affiliations must be written in English, so carefully check the official English translation of the names of institutions and departments.
Only if there is more than one affiliation, should a number be given to each affiliation in order of appearance. This number should be written in superscript at the beginning of the line, separated from the corresponding affiliation with a space. This number should also be put after the corresponding name of the author, in superscript with no space in between.
If an author belongs to more than one institution, all corresponding superscript digits, separated with a comma with no space in between, should be present behind the family name of this author.
In case all authors belong to the same institution, affiliation numbering is not needed.
Whenever possible expand your authors' affiliations with departments or some other, specific and lower levels of the organization.
2.1.6. Corresponding author
Corresponding author's name with full postal address in English and e-mail address should appear, after the affiliations. It is preferred that the submitted address is institutional and not private. The corresponding author's name should include only the initials of the first and middle names separated by a full stop (and a space) and the last name. The postal address should be written in the following line in sentence case. Parts of the address should be separated by a comma instead of a line break. E-mail (if possible) should be placed in the line following the postal address. The author should clearly state whether or not the e-mail should be published.
2.1.7. Manuscript information
All authors are required to provide word count (excluding title page, abstract, tables/figures, figure legends, Acknowledgements, Conflict of Interest, and References), the Abstract word count, the number of Tables, and the number of Figures.
2.2. Abstract
The second page of the manuscript should be the abstract and keywords. It should be placed on the second page of the manuscripts after the standard title written in upper and lower case letters, bold.
Since the abstract is an independent part of your paper, all abbreviations used in the abstract should also be explained in it. If an abbreviation is used, the term should always be first written in full with the abbreviation in parentheses immediately after it. The abstract should not have any special headings (e.g., Aim, Results…).
Authors should provide up to six keywords that capture the main topics of the article. Terms from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) list of Index Medicus are recommended to be used.
Keywords should be placed on the second page of the manuscript right below the abstract, written in italics. Separate each keyword by a comma (and a space). Do not put a full stop after the last keyword. See the example:
Abstract
Results of the analysis of…
Keywords: games, teaching, impact, kids
2.3. Main Chapters
Starting from the third page of the manuscripts, it should be the main chapters. Depending on the type of publication main manuscript chapters may vary. The general outline is: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Acknowledgements (optional), Conflict of Interest (optional), and Title. However, this scheme may not be suitable for reviews or publications from some areas and authors should then adjust their chapters accordingly but use the general outline as much as possible.
2.3.1. Headings
Main chapter headings: written in bold and in Title Case. See example:
Methods
Sub-headings: written in italics and in normal sentence case. Do not put a full stop or any other sign at the end of the title. Do not create more than one level of sub-heading. See example:
The table position of the research football team
2.3.2 Ethics
When reporting experiments on human subjects, there must be a declaration of Ethics compliance. Inclusion of a statement such as follow in Methods section will be understood by the Editor as authors' affirmation of compliance: “This study was approved in advance by [name of committee and/or its institutional sponsor]. Each participant voluntarily provided written informed consent before participating.” Authors who fail to submit an Ethics statement will be asked to resubmit the manuscripts, which may delay publication.
2.3.3 Statistics reporting
EQOL encourages authors to report precise p-values. When possible, quantify findings and present them with appropriate indicators of measurement error or uncertainty (such as confidence intervals). Use normal text (i.e., non-capitalized, non-italic) for the statistical term “p”.
2.3.4. ‘Acknowledgements’ and ‘Conflict of Interest’ (optional)
All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in the ‘Acknowledgements’ section. If applicable, in the ‘Conflict of Interest’ section, authors must disclose any grants, financial or material support, or any sort of technical assistance from an institution, organization, group, or individual that might be perceived as leading to a conflict of interest.
2.4. References
References should be placed on a new page after the standard title written in upper and lower case letters, bold.
All information needed for each type of must be present as specified in the guidelines. Authors are solely responsible for the accuracy of each reference. Use authoritative sources for information such as Web of Science, Medline, or PubMed to check the validity of citations.
2.4.1. References style
EQOL adheres to the American Psychological Association 6th Edition reference style. Check “American Psychological Association (2009). Concise rules of APA style. American Psychological Association.” to ensure the manuscripts conform to this reference style. Authors using EndNote® to organize the references must convert the citations and bibliography to plain text before submission.
2.4.2. Examples for Reference citations
One work by one author
In one study (Reilly, 1997), soccer players…
In the study by Reilly (1997), soccer players…
In 1997, Reilly’s study of soccer players…
Works by two authors
Duffield and Marino (2007) studied…
In one study (Duffield & Marino, 2007), soccer players…
In 2007, Duffield and Marino’s study of soccer players…
Works by three to five authors: cite all the author names the first time the reference occurs and then subsequently include only the first author followed by et al.
First citation: Bangsbo, Iaia, and Krustrup (2008) stated that…
Subsequent citation: Bangsbo et al. (2008) stated that…
Works by six or more authors: cite only the name of the first author followed by et al. and the year
Krustrup et al. (2003) studied…
In one study (Krustrup et al., 2003), soccer players…
Two or more works in the same parenthetical citation: Citation of two or more works in the same parentheses should be listed in the order they appear in the reference list (i.e., alphabetically, then chronologically)
Several studies (Bangsbo et al., 2008; Duffield & Marino, 2007; Reilly, 1997) suggest that…
2.4.3. Examples for Reference List
Journal article (print):
Bangsbo, J., Iaia, F. M., & Krustrup, P. (2008). The Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test: a useful tool for evaluation of physical performance in intermittent sports. Sports Medicine, 38(1), 37-51.
Duffield, R., & Marino, F. E. (2007). Effects of pre-cooling procedures on intermittent-sprint exercise performance in warm conditions. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 100(6), 727-735.
Krustrup, P., Mohr, M., Amstrup, T., Rysgaard, T., Johansen, J., Steensberg, A., . . . Bangsbo, J. (2003). The yo-yo intermittent recovery test: physiological response, reliability, and validity. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 35(4), 697-705.
Journal article (online; electronic version of print source):
Shaw, A. (1999). The planning and development of New Bombay [Electronic version]. Modern Asian Studies, 33(4), 951-988.
Journal article (online; electronic only):
Chantavanich, S. (2003, October). Recent research on human trafficking. Kyoto Review of Southeast Asia, 4. Retrieved November 15, 2005, from http://kyotoreview.cseas.kyoto-u.ac.jp/issue/issue3/index.html
Conference paper:
Pasadilla, G. O., & Milo, M. (2005, June 27). Effect of liberalization on banking competition. Paper presented at the conference on Policies to Strengthen Productivity in the Philippines, Manila, Philippines. Retrieved August 23, 2006, from http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPHILIPPINES/Resources/Pasadilla.pdf
Encyclopedia entry (print, with author):
Pittau, J. (1983). Meiji constitution. In Kodansha encyclopedia of Japan (Vol. 2, pp. 1-3). Tokyo: Kodansha.
Encyclopedia entry (online, no author):
Ethnology. (2005, July). In The Columbia encyclopedia (6th ed.). New York: Columbia University Press. Retrieved November 21, 2005, from http://www.bartleby.com/65/et/ethnolog.html
Thesis and dissertation:
Pyun, D. Y. (2006). The proposed model of attitude toward advertising through sport. Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation. Tallahassee, FL: The Florida State University.
Book:
Borg, G. (1998). Borg's perceived exertion and pain scales: Human Kinetics.
Chapter of a book:
Kellmann, M. (2012). Chapter 31-Overtraining and recovery: Chapter taken from Routledge Handbook of Applied Sport Psychology ISBN: 978-0-203-85104-3 Routledge Online Studies on the Olympic and Paralympic Games (Vol. 1, pp. 292-302).
Reference from an internet source:
Agency. (2007). Water for Health: Hydration Best Practice Toolkit for Hospitals and Healthcare. Retrieved 10/29, 2013, from www.rcn.org.uk/newsevents/hydration
2.5. Tables
All tables should be included in the main manuscript file, each on a separate page right after the Reference section.
Tables should be presented as standard MS Word tables.
Number (Arabic) tables consecutively in the order of their first citation in the text.
Tables and table headings should be completely intelligible without reference to the text. Give each column a short or abbreviated heading. Authors should place explanatory matter in footnotes, not in the heading. All abbreviations appearing in a table and not considered standard must be explained in a footnote of that table. Avoid any shading or coloring in your tables and be sure that each table is cited in the text.
If you use data from another published or unpublished source, it is the authors’ responsibility to obtain permission and acknowledge them fully.
2.5.1. Table heading
Table heading should be written above the table, in Title Case, and without a full stop at the end of the heading. Do not use suffix letters (e.g., Table 1a, 1b, 1c); instead, combine the related tables. See example:
Table 1. Repeated Sprint Time Following Ingestion of Carbohydrate-Electrolyte Beverage
2.5.2. Table sub-heading
All text appearing in tables should be written beginning only with first letter of the first word in all capitals, i.e., all words for variable names, column headings etc. in tables should start with the first letter in all capitals. Avoid any formatting (e.g., bold, italic, underline) in tables.
2.5.3. Table footnotes
Table footnotes should be written below the table.
General notes explain, qualify or provide information about the table as a whole. Put explanations of abbreviations, symbols, etc. here. General notes are designated by the word Note (italicized) followed by a period.
Note. CI: confidence interval; Con: control group; CE: carbohydrate-electrolyte group.
Specific notes explain, qualify or provide information about a particular column, row, or individual entry. To indicate specific notes, use superscript lowercase letters (e.g. a, b, c), and order the superscripts from left to right, top to bottom. Each table’s first footnote must be the superscript a.
aOne participant was diagnosed with heat illness and n = 19.bn =20.
Probability notes provide the reader with the results of the texts for statistical significance. Probability notes must be indicated with consecutive use of the following symbols: * † ‡ § ¶ || etc.
*P<0.05,†p<0.01.
2.5.4. Table citation
In the text, tables should be cited as full words. See example:
Table 1 (first letter in all capitals and no full stop)
...as shown in Tables 1 and 3. (citing more tables at once)
...result has shown (Tables 1-3) that... (citing more tables at once)
....in our results (Tables 1, 2 and 5)... (citing more tables at once)
2.6. Figures
On the last separate page of the main manuscript file, authors should place the legends of all the figures submitted separately.
All graphic materials should be of sufficient quality for print with a minimum resolution of 600 dpi. EQOL prefers TIFF, EPS and PNG formats.
If a figure has been published previously, acknowledge the original source and submit a written permission from the copyright holder to reproduce the material. Permission is required irrespective of authorship or publisher except for documents in the public domain. If photographs of people are used, either the subjects must not be identifiable or their pictures must be accompanied by written permission to use the photograph whenever possible permission for publication should be obtained.
Figures and figure legends should be completely intelligible without reference to the text.
2.6.1. Figure legends
Figures should not contain footnotes. All information, including explanations of abbreviations must be present in figure legends. Figure legends should be written bellow the figure, in sentence case. See example:
Figure 1. Changes in accuracy of instep football kick measured before and after fatigued. SR – resting state, SF – state of fatigue, *p>0.01, †p>0.05.
2.6.2. Figure citation
All graphic materials should be referred to as Figures in the text. Figures are cited in the text as full words. See example:
Figure 1
figure 1
Figure 1.
….exhibit greater variance than the year before (Figure 2). Therefore…
….as shown in Figures 1 and 3. (citing more figures at once)
….result has shown (Figures 1-3) that... (citing more figures at once)
….in our results (Figures 1, 2 and 5)... (citing more figures at once)
2.6.3. Sub-figures
If there is a figure divided in several sub-figures, each sub-figure should be marked with a small letter, starting with a, b, c etc. The letter should be marked for each subfigure in a logical and consistent way. See example:
Figure 1a
…in Figures 1a and b we can…
…data represent (Figures 1a-d)…
2.7. Scientific Terminology
All units of measures should conform to the International System of Units (SI).
Measurements of length, height, weight, and volume should be reported in metric units (meter, kilogram, or liter) or their decimal multiples.
Percentage |
10% |
10 % |
Degrees |
10º |
10 º |
All other units of measure |
10 kg |
10kg |
Ratios |
12:2 |
12 : 2 |
Decimal numbers |
0.056 |
.056 |
Signs should be placed immediately preceding the relevant number |
||
45±3.4 |
p<0.01 |
males >30 years of age |
45 ± 3.4 |
p < 0.01 |
males > 30 years of age |
2.8. Latin Names
Latin names of species, families etc. should be written in italics (even in titles). If you mention Latin names in your abstract they should be written in non-italic since the rest of the text in abstract is in italic. The first time the name of a species appears in the text both genus and species must be present; later on in the text it is possible to use genus abbreviations. See example:
- First time appearing: musculus biceps brachii
- Abbreviated: m. biceps brachii
3.0 Additional
3.1. Proofs
The corresponding author will receive page proofs (as PDF files) by e-mail. Corrections referring to typesetting, editing, completeness and correctness of the manuscript should be made within five days. Significant changes at this stage are not acceptable. The authors bear main responsibility for proofreading: any subsequent corrections cannot be guaranteed. If no response from the authors is received, the Editor reserves the right to delay publication or to proceed to press without author proofs.
3.2. Offprints
The corresponding author, at no cost, will be provided with a PDF file of the article via e-mail.
3.3. Correspondence
Please direct all correspondence concerning manuscript submissions to:
Damjan JAKSIC, Editor-in-Chief,
“Exercise and Quality of Life” Journal,
Faculty of Sport and Physical Education,
University of Novi Sad,
16 Lovcenska str., 21000 Novi Sad
Republic of Serbia
+381 21 450 188, desk 150
e-mail: eqol@uns.ac.rs