Author Guidelines

Author Guidelines

Hong Kong Journal of Sport Research Bulletin welcomes academic manuscripts in sport studies and related interdisciplinary fields. Submissions should present a clear research question, appropriate research methods, reliable data or materials, and standard academic writing. Manuscripts must comply with academic ethics and publication standards. They must not have been formally published in any journal, edited volume, website, or other public publication platform, and must not be under consideration elsewhere.

1. Aims and Scope

The journal publishes research in sport studies and related interdisciplinary fields, including but not limited to the following areas:

1. Physical Education, School Sport and Youth Sport;

2. Sport Coaching and Performance;

3. Sport and Exercise Psychology;

4. Sociology of Sport and Sport Governance;

5. Exercise Science and Health Promotion;

6. Sport Management and Policy;

7. Sport History, Culture and Communication;

8. Traditional Sports, Games and Intangible Cultural Heritage.

The journal encourages studies with practical relevance, clear problem awareness, and empirical foundations. Interdisciplinary research connecting sport with education, psychology, sociology, management, public policy, health science, artificial intelligence, data science, and related fields is also welcome.

2. Types of Manuscripts

The journal mainly accepts the following types of manuscripts:

1. Original Research Articles
   This category includes empirical studies, survey-based studies, experimental studies, theoretical studies, policy studies, and applied research. Manuscripts should present a complete academic structure, including introduction, methods, results and analysis, discussion, conclusion, and references.

2. Review Articles
   This category includes literature reviews, critical reviews, theoretical analyses, and reviews of research progress. Manuscripts should not simply list previous studies. They should provide systematic synthesis, analytical discussion, and scholarly evaluation around a clearly defined topic.

3. Methods and Technical Notes
   This category includes studies on measurement and evaluation methods, training methods, experimental techniques, data collection and analysis, sport performance analysis, intelligent technologies in sport, and the development or application of relevant tools.

4. Practice-based and Case Studies
   This category includes practice-based studies and case studies in school sport, sport training, event organization, community sport, sport governance, sport industry, traditional sport transmission, and health promotion. Manuscripts should be based on authentic materials and standard academic analysis, and should not be written as general work summaries or experience reports.

3. General Requirements

1. Manuscripts should have a clear topic, well-defined arguments, reliable materials, sufficient reasoning, and academic writing style.

2. Manuscripts should follow a complete academic structure. Original research articles generally include title, author information, abstract, keywords, introduction, research subjects and methods, results and analysis, discussion, conclusion, and references.

3. Manuscripts must be original. Plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, duplicate publication, and simultaneous submission are strictly prohibited.

4. When using previously published work, data, ideas, figures, tables, scales, questionnaires, or other materials, authors must provide appropriate citation or obtain necessary permission.

5. Studies involving human participants, students, athletes, patients, minors, or other specific groups should comply with relevant research ethics requirements. Where applicable, authors should state informed consent, ethical approval, or anonymization procedures.

4. Title, Abstract and Keywords

1. The title should accurately and concisely reflect the core content of the manuscript. Overly broad, vague, or promotional titles should be avoided.

2. The title should highlight the research object, key variables, research question, or main method where appropriate.

3. The abstract should independently summarize the main content of the article, generally including research purpose, methods, results, and conclusions. It should avoid vague statements and should not include major conclusions that are not supported in the main text.

4. The abstract is generally expected to be about 200–300 words.

5. Manuscripts should include 3–5 keywords that accurately reflect the topic, research object, core concepts, and field of study.

5. Main Text Requirements

1. Introduction
   The introduction should explain the research background, research question, relevant literature, research gap, and purpose of the study. It should be problem-oriented rather than a simple accumulation of background materials.

2. Methods
   The methods section should describe research subjects, sample sources, research instruments, data collection procedures, variables, statistical methods, or analytical approaches. When questionnaires, scales, experiments, interviews, observations, or text analysis are used, their sources, procedures, and methodological appropriateness should be clearly explained.

3. Results and Analysis
   Results should be based on the research data or materials. The presentation should be clear and logically organized. Statistical results should correspond to the research questions, and irrelevant data accumulation should be avoided.

4. Discussion
   The discussion should be based on the study findings. It should explain possible reasons, scholarly significance, relationship with previous studies, and theoretical or practical implications. Excessive inference beyond the results should be avoided.

5. Conclusion
   The conclusion should directly respond to the research purpose and research questions. The wording should be accurate and concise. Recommendations should be specific and practical rather than general or vague.

6. Limitations and Future Research
   Where appropriate, authors may include a section on limitations and future research, addressing limitations in sample, methods, data, research scope, or other aspects.

6. Figures, Tables and Data

1. Figures and tables should be necessary and should effectively support the analysis in the text. They should not simply repeat information already stated in the text.

2. Tables should have clear table titles, and figures should have clear figure captions. Table titles are generally placed above the table, while figure captions are generally placed below the figure.

3. Data, symbols, units, and notes in figures and tables should be clear and accurate. Where statistical tests are reported, the statistical methods and significance levels should be stated.

4. Authors are responsible for the authenticity, completeness, and legality of the data submitted. The journal does not accept fabricated, falsified, or untraceable data.

5. Where public data, secondary data, online materials, or institutional data are used, authors should clearly state the source and method of data acquisition.

7. References

1. References should include only works actually cited in the main text. Works not cited in the text should not be included in the reference list.

2. Authors should prioritize reliable and academically relevant sources closely related to the research topic.

3. Reference entries should be complete and accurate, including author name, title, journal or publication title, year of publication, volume, issue, page range, DOI, or other identifiable information where available.

4. Both Chinese and non-Chinese references may be cited, but the format should be consistent.

5. Authors should avoid excessive citation of irrelevant literature and should not increase citations in an inappropriate manner.

8. Research Ethics and Conflicts of Interest

1. Authors must ensure that the manuscript does not involve plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, duplicate publication, simultaneous submission, inappropriate authorship, or other forms of academic misconduct.

2. All listed authors should have made substantial academic contributions to the manuscript and should agree to its submission and publication. Individuals who did not contribute should not be listed as authors, and contributors should not be improperly omitted.

3. The corresponding author is responsible for manuscript submission, revision, proofreading, communication with the editorial office, and ensuring that all authors are informed of the submission and publication process.

4. Authors should disclose any funding, collaboration, commercial relationship, or other interest that may affect the objectivity of the research.

5. For manuscripts supported by research funding, the funding source and project number should be accurately stated.

9. Peer Review and Editorial Decision

1. All submissions will undergo preliminary editorial screening. Manuscripts that fall outside the journal’s scope, fail to meet academic or formatting standards, or show clear risks of academic misconduct may be rejected by the editorial office.

2. Manuscripts that pass the preliminary screening will enter the peer review process. The journal will invite reviewers with relevant expertise according to the manuscript topic.

3. Based on reviewer comments and manuscript quality, the editorial office will make one of the following decisions: accept, accept after revision, revise and resubmit, or reject.

4. Authors should revise their manuscripts carefully according to reviewer comments and submit a response to reviewers when required.

5. Once a manuscript is accepted, authors should cooperate with the editorial office in copyediting, proofreading, typesetting, and publication procedures.

10. Open Access and Copyright

The journal adopts an open access publishing model. After publication, readers may read, download, and cite articles through the journal website. Authors retain copyright of their work and grant the journal the right of first publication and the necessary rights related to journal publication.

Articles published in this journal are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). Under this license, users may read, download, copy, distribute, cite, and reasonably use the articles, provided that proper credit is given to the author(s), article title, journal title, publication information, and original source.

11. Submission Checklist

Before submission, authors should confirm that:

1. The manuscript falls within the aims and scope of the journal;

2. The manuscript has not been previously published and is not under consideration by another journal or publication platform;

3. The manuscript does not involve plagiarism, data fabrication, data falsification, or other forms of academic misconduct;

4. The title, abstract, keywords, main text, figures, tables, notes, and references have been prepared according to the journal’s requirements;

5. All authors have read and approved the submission;

6. Funding information, ethical approval, informed consent, data permission, and conflicts of interest have been stated where applicable;

7. All sources of materials, figures, tables, scales, questionnaires, and data used in the manuscript have been properly cited or acknowledged.

12. Manuscript Submission

Authors should submit manuscripts through the journal’s online submission system. During submission, authors should provide the manuscript title, abstract, keywords, author information, subject category, and relevant declarations as required by the system. Authors are responsible for ensuring that all information submitted is true, complete, and accurate. After submission, authors may check the manuscript status through the online system.