The International Soccer Science & Performance Federation (ISSPF) Journal invites coaches, researchers and practitioners from clubs, academies, universities and national associations to submit applied research at every level of football. We welcome original investigations, applied studies, case studies, brief and systematic reviews, meta-analyses and editorials. Each contribution should address a question that matters in football and explain how the findings can inform practice.
The Journal covers coaching and training methodology, tactical and performance analysis, physiology, biomechanics, psychology, nutrition, injury prevention and return to play, sports medicine, youth development, goalkeeper science, and football business and management.
Submissions are open year-round. The Journal is fully open access and charges no article processing fees. Authors retain copyright and publishing rights. Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC BY 4.0).
ISSN 3153-8061
Submission guidelines
Email the following three attachments to [email protected]
- Title page. Include the article title, each author's full name and affiliation, city and country, and the corresponding author's email address. Authors may also include their ORCID identifiers. Include the ethics, conflict of interest and funding statements described below.
- Anonymised manuscript in Microsoft Word. Include the title, abstract, keywords, main text and references. Remove author names, affiliations and identifying details from the text, acknowledgements and document properties. Cite your own published work in the third person.
- Completed and signed PDF cover note. The corresponding author signs on behalf of all authors. Editorial assessment begins once the office has received all three files.
Download the ISSPF Journal Cover Note (fillable PDF)
Article types and word limits
| Article type | Word limit | Reference limit |
|---|---|---|
| Original research and applied studies | 150 words for the abstract. 1,500 words overall, including table and figure text and references. | Up to 20 for original investigations |
| Literature and systematic reviews | 3,500 words overall, including the abstract, main text, table and figure text, and references. Authors of systematic reviews are encouraged to follow PRISMA reporting guidelines. | Up to 25 |
Preparing your manuscript
| Element | Author guidance |
|---|---|
| Language and formatting | Write in English. Set the title in bold, uppercase, 14-point Times New Roman. Use 12-point Times New Roman for the main text, with 1.5 line spacing and bold section headings. |
| Abstract and keywords | Provide an abstract of up to 150 words, followed by 3-6 keywords. For original research, summarise the purpose, methods, principal findings and conclusion. |
| Main text | For original research, use Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion and Practical Applications, and References. State the research question, describe the participants and procedures, report the findings, and interpret them in light of existing research. Adapt the headings for reviews, case studies and editorials. |
| Practical applications | Identify the decision the findings could inform, who could use them and in what football setting. Explain any limitations that affect their use with other players or teams. |
| Tables, figures and data | Place each item where it is first discussed and number tables and figures consecutively. Put a descriptive title above each table and a caption below each figure. Define abbreviations and give units. Supply editable Word tables and equations. Use 1,200 dpi for line art, 600 dpi for greyscale and 300 dpi for colour figures. |
Harvard referencing
Use Harvard author-date referencing throughout. Cite sources by surname and year, and list the full references alphabetically by the first author's surname. Every in-text citation must have a matching reference list entry.
| In-text citation | Example |
|---|---|
| One author | (Smith, 2023) |
| Two authors | (Smith and Jones, 2023) |
| Three or more authors | (Smith et al., 2023) |
Illustrative reference list entries
- Journal article: Smith, J. and Doe, A. (2023) 'The impact of small-sided games on elite conditioning', ISSPF Journal of Soccer Science, 4(2), pp. 15-22.
- Book: Jones, R. (2021) Advanced Tactical Analysis in Modern Football. London: Sports Science Press.
Ethics, funding and author declarations
Include the following statements on the separate title page.
- Ethics approval and consent. Name the approving ethics committee and explain how participants gave informed consent. If approval was inapplicable, state why.
- Conflicts of interest. Declare any financial or personal relationships that could influence the work. If there are none, state "No conflicts of interest declared."
- Funding. Identify any funding body or grant that supported the research. If the work received no funding, state this.
Submit only original, unpublished work that all authors have approved and that is under consideration exclusively by the ISSPF Journal. Authors are responsible for securing publication rights for all submitted text, data, photographs, tables and figures. Credit third-party material, obtain any required written permission before submission and retain the documentation.
Peer review and revisions
The Journal uses double-blind peer review. Authors and reviewers remain anonymous to one another during review. Authors should address the reviewers' comments when revising their manuscript and return any final amendments requested after acceptance within 10 days.