Organization and Structuring of Manuscript

Research articles should be written in clear and concise manner. UJES will only accept articles that are written in English text that fall closely within the proposed word counts (see below table for details). Exceptions to the word count may be given on a case by case basis.

Manuscripts that are not complying with below-mentioned requirements would be returned to the author(s) for formatting prior to review. The manuscript file must be in a Word (.doc or .docx) format. Manuscripts should be double spaced throughout with 2.5-cm (1 inch) margins all around, including the reference list, figures, and tables. Page numbers should also be included in the lower right corner of each page beginning with the title page as number 1. The authors need to present the manuscript in a continuous line numbering format allowing specific editing correspondence. Text font should be in Times New Roman with a font size 12.

Original research and meta-analysis manuscripts should be arranged as follows: title page (in a separate submission to ensure triple-blindness), abstract, the main body of the manuscript, references, tables, and figures. However, authors should look at the specific guidelines for the type of article being submitted below. Generally, the body of the manuscript should include sections heading and content as follows: introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, and conclusion.

Title page format will be the same for all articles and must be submitted separately. Authors must follow the title page guidelines below regardless of the type of article.

Title Page Format:

Title – Informative and related to the topic being researched. It should also be concise and avoid abbreviations with less than 150 characters including spaces.

Authors’ Names and Affiliations – Provide the authors’ affiliations’ addresses and full postal code (where work was completed) below the author’s name.

Authors’ Degrees – The sequence of multiple degrees is the choosing of the authors.

Corresponding Author – the author who will handle correspondence during publication process and post-publication. An up to date business phone number, email address, and postal code of country is required.

Running Header – short title of no more than 50 characters including spaces.

Keywords – provide 4-8 keywords in alphabetical order. Avoid general words, abbreviations unless well known, plural terms, and reoccurring concepts.

Disclosure: provide any financial compensation that authors have or any conflict of interest. If no such financial or other biases exist for any author, please state “none”. Include information about Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethical Committee that approved the study and the study or protocol number.

Acknowledgments: Please name any individual who has contributed to the paper and their contribution. Individuals must give permission to be named, as it may infer their endorsement of the data and the conclusions reached. Technical help may also be acknowledged.

Finally, please upload the title page separately. Do not include the aforementioned information in your manuscript text that will be sent for a triple-blinded review. Also, please ensure that the “author”, “last modified by”, or any other personally identifying options in the Word document are removed.

Please note that the section-specific word limits are recommended lengths only. The cumulative word count is still a requirement and is determined based on the table below. 

1. Original Research:

These research reports include randomized trials, intervention studies, cohort studies, case-control studies, surveys with high response rates, and cost-effectiveness analyses.

These articles will require a structured abstract and a minimum of 4 keywords.

Manuscripts should clearly state the objective of the research. The research design should be included and provide the following information: study setting and date, inclusion and exclusion criteria, response rates, and participant’s recruitment strategy selected for the study. It should also provide the features of the intervention and outcome measures, results from the research, and a discussion section explaining the results and outcomes while providing study limitations. A conclusion section needs to be provided, which should include the possible clinical and policy implications of the results. The manuscript of these articles should be no more than 4000 words of text (not including abstract, tables, figures, acknowledgments, disclosures and references). References should be in Vancouver style format.

In regards to meta-analysis, all included articles should be systematically searched for. Authors should provide a PRISMA flow diagram, the inclusion and exclusion criteria for articles, and the search and selection process should be described in the manuscript. For the purposes of the focus of UJES, meta-analysis should pertain to cause, therapy, or prevention in relation to exercise science. From which, the articles selected should be described in terms of their outcomes, tests utilized, intervention(s), and population.

Structured Abstract (300 words)

This will be a 5-part structured abstract of no more than 300 words. Including an overview of the topic and purpose of conducting the research, methods, principal findings and results, conclusion, and lastly the clinical applications of the findings. Do not include any references within the abstract.

Basic science studies need to submit a structured abstract that will also be limited to 300 words. It will need to include background, purpose/objective, methods, results, conclusions, and finally, provide the clinical relevance of the study. Please do not include any references within the abstract.

Introduction (150-250 words)

The introduction should include a clinical question and its importance for clinical purposes or in the context of public health. Brief and informative background information on the topic and rationale for conducting the research should be included. It should also provide a summary of the clinical problem, the novelty of research, and the focus that the article will explore.

Methods (<700 words)

The methods section should clearly indicate a step-by-step study design and all equipment and software used. Authors should provide how participants were selected, the inclusion and exclusion criteria, the experimental design and protocol, define any relevant terms, explain the intervention, and if utilized explain why authors chose to use a particular survey. Details about where the study was conducted should also be included (multi vs. single facility) and why certain procedures (questionnaires) were used. This will be similar for basic science research as well, but it should be made clear of the types of laboratory equipment utilized and the procedures. Authors should provide sufficient details such that others may reproduce the results. This section should also identify and describe the measurement parameters.

Authors should also report any study participant dropout and details about study design. The statistical methods should be in enough detail to verify the reported results and an emphasis on the statistical strategy that was used to analyze the data to addresses the research question.

Results (<700 words)

Appropriate subheading may be used to help organize results based on topic. Authors should utilize sound statistical measures, tables, and/or figures to present the results of their investigations to the readers. The results should indicate the outcomes to the second decimal place and provide specific p values when appropriate. Statements that present significant difference need to be backed up by supporting P values and their threshold for defining significance. Exact P-values or statistical measures should be given, rather than, for example, only stating p < 0.05.

Discussion/Observations (1000-2000 words)

In the first few sentences, briefly, restate the rationale and the questions, then explore major findings and compare and contrast the study’s results with previous work. In this section, authors should also support the results and explain possible mechanisms for causation and correlation that could have contributed to their findings by utilizing past resources to help support their claim. Authors should also provide study limitations and suggestions for future research. Statements and conclusions incompletely supported by the study data should be avoided. Recommendations may be included.

Conclusions (<200 words)

A summary paragraph of the major conclusions of the study and their clinical implications. Authors should summarize the hypothesis and main findings from the results and provide clinical significance of findings.

2. Reviews:

Review articles will differ based on the level of analysis of the literature. Generally, systematic reviews will require a complete systematic search of the literature using multiple databases over many years, while grading the quality of the evidence. In contrast, narrative reviews do not require an extensive literature search but should expand and analyze evidence. Mini reviews will provide a concise and comprehensive review on a specific topic. For all of these, the titles should be descriptive, straightforward, and should inform readers about the type of review it  presents.

a. Narrative Reviews:

Narrative Reviews provide an up-to-date review on a topic. These reviews should address a specific question or issue that is relevant to exercise science. The basic structure of manuscripts should include the following: Abstract (structured abstract <300 words); Introduction (150-250 words); Methods, if included (150-250 words); Discussion (1000-1250 words); and Conclusions (200 words). Overall, the length should be around 2000-3000 words.

Structured Abstract (300 words)

This will be a 3-part structured abstract of no more than 300 words. Including an overview of the topic, the principal findings of the review, and lastly to conclude the review, along with clinical applications of the findings. Do not include any references within the abstract.

Introduction (150-250 words)

The introduction should propose a clinical question and its importance for clinical purposes or in the context of public health. It should also provide a summary of the clinical problem and the focus that the article will explore.

Methods (150-250 words)

Although not required, if authors choose to include a methods section it should describe how the authors conducted the literature search. It should include the bibliographic databases, search terms, date of the literature search was conducted, and any process used to evaluate the literature.

Discussion/Observations (1000-1250 words)

Narrative Review should include the subsections related to the topic if possible.

Conclusions (<200 words)

A summary paragraph of the major conclusions of the review.

b. Systematic review (without meta-analysis):

Systematic Reviews without meta-analysis will be published as a review article. Systematic Reviews should address a specific question pertaining to exercise science and provide a critical assessment and synthesis of the data. The manuscripts should comprise of a structured abstract (300 words); Introduction (150-250 words); Methods (150-250 words); Results (1000-1250 words); Discussion (1000 words); and Conclusion (200 words). Overall the manuscript should be less than 3000 words. No more than 12 months should pass between the date of literature search and submission to UJES. If more than 12 months pass, a new search should be conducted for updates and relevant articles included.

Structured abstract (300 words)

The structured abstract for the systematic review will consist of five parts. First, it should present a clinical question and its importance in relation to the field of exercise science. The authors should then state the primary objective of the review and include information about the specific population and intervention. Next, provide the search strategies and methods for inclusion and quality assessment. Authors should then provide a brief summary of their findings and the types of articles found during the systematic search, along with the quantitative data. Lastly, authors should clearly answer the proposed question based on their findings. Do not include any references within the abstract.

Introduction (150-250 words)

In this section, the clinical question that is to be investigated should be presented. A general summary of the clinical problem and what will the authors explore should be included.

Methods of Search (150-250 words)

The search strategy of the primary literature should be conducted and the bibliographic databases should be presented within the text. Authors must provide a PRISMA flow diagram indicating their search strategies: search terms used, how and where literature search was conducted, screening process, and inclusion and exclusion criteria. Methods used to assess quality should be described, including the number of quality raters, how agreement on quality ratings was assessed, and how disagreements on quality ratings were resolved. The search methods should be described in detail such that the search can be reproduced.

Results (1000-1250 words)

Results obtained from the literature search should include the number of articles reviewed and incorporated, numbers of various types of studies, and the overall sum number of patients. Authors will need to also provide a summary of the quality of the evidence.

Discussion (Approximately 1000 words)

Within the first paragraph, the key findings from the searches should be presented, which should be supported by evidence. Thereafter, authors should discuss the data found from the search and quality assessment. Limitations to the evidence found should be discussed and addressed. If possible, authors should try to utilize findings to either agree or disagree with the current clinical practice guidelines.

Conclusions (200 words)

This section should not exceed a short paragraph, roughly around two to three sentences, in which it should summarize the major observations.

c. Mini Review:

A Mini Review is designed to provide a short but informative literature review of an emerging topic in the field of exercise science, allowing readers to get an update on new developments and concepts. Mini reviews and any other scholarly article should not include unpublished material. These reviews will not acquire an abstract and will have a maximum word count of 2000 words. The manuscript format will only need to include an introduction and background of the investigated topic, alongside a discussion (authors may decide as to how they want to organize this section). Lastly, it should provide a short conclusion (<200 words) and any suggestions for future investigations related to the topic.

3. Case Reports:

To be worthy of publication, a clinical case report must provide extraordinary teaching value to the readers. It must demonstrate and highlight the unique features of the case. Case reports published in UJES do not require an abstract and reports must be on human subjects.

UJES imposes such headings to be utilized: Introduction, Case presentation, and Discussion. Clinical case reports should be less than 1,500 words (not including figures, references, and tables), introduce the topic/condition, present the case (e.g., signs and symptoms), and discuss its novelty and educational value. Limit references to 15 citations. The case presentation must include the subject’s background information such as age, sex, and occupation. Other relevant details may include: presenting complications; medical or surgical history (family and individual), physical examinations completed, laboratory investigations, diagnostic tests, and relevant clinical findings. Authors should provide final diagnoses, disease/disorder progression, the treatment option that was conducted, and any other clinical parameters, as appropriate. The discussion section should be concise and discuss the treatment option that was utilized, underlying pathophysiology, educational value of the case, novelty, and clinical implications of the case. Additionally, authors should adhere to the ethical guidelines outlined in the sections below.

4. Interviews:

UJES will accept submissions from authors who wish to interview  health professionals, scientist, or experts within any related discipline of exercise sciences, biomedical sciences, health policy (related to exercise science), and knowledge translation. Such interviews may aim to highlight an individual’s research focus and interests, discuss professional development, highlight emerging fields, current challenges, and any recent discoveries that were published. Although there is no structure required for interview submissions, UJES suggest providing the following: a headshot of the interviewee, short biography (not counted in the word count), a clear and informative title, utilizing a question and answer structure which should be indicated by using interviewer and interviewee initials, and emphasizes the use of open-ended questions with the aim of educating, informing, and sparking curiosity in our readers. There is no abstract required and the word count should be limited to <1000 words. Ideally, no references should be utilized, however, if the authors do utilize references it should be in Vancouver style.

5. Commentaries and Perspectives:

UJES will consider critical perspectives, commentaries, opinions, and point-counterpoint articles on controversial and emerging issues that are related to exercise science with a clinical emphasis, basic sciences, or health policy. While there is no structured manuscript, authors should aim to for a well-organized and coherent article. The manuscript does not need to be accompanied by an abstract and will need to be less than 750 words. Typically these articles should have very few references, which, if utilized, should be in Vancouver style.

Referencing

Authors desiring to publish with UJES must reference appropriately. Although references may be checked for accuracy during the editing process, it is ultimately the author’s responsibility to verify the accuracy and completeness of references. UJES uses Vancouver style as its main citation style for all article types. Authors are not permitted to reference meeting abstracts, personal communications, or unpublished material (including oral and poster presentations, correspondence club letters, and manuscripts not yet accepted for publication) in the submitted manuscript.

References should be made to the source material and not review articles in which a particular reference may have been mentioned. Review articles may be cited, as long as it stated in the text; however, for original research, review articles should only be cited sparingly.

To facilitate a high quality peer review, please provide online links (URLs) to the sources cited and ensure that data provided in the references are correct. The use of the DOI is encouraged. Please ensure that every reference cited in the text is also present in the reference list and vice versa.

Tables’ Format:

Tables should be numbered as they appear in the text (e.g., Table 1). Ensure that the data presented in tables do not duplicate results described elsewhere in the article.  Tables may be formatted in a single-spaced format. Abbreviations should be defined in a footnote at the end of the table or in the Table’s description. If the table was utilized from a previously copyrighted material, the footnote must provide full credit to the original source and written or electronic permission must be obtained and uploaded with the article submission. Use superscript letters (e.g., a, b, c) to mark each footnote and be sure each footnote in the table has a corresponding note (and vice versa). A labeled caption (legend) must be provided and will need to be above the table. If possible, authors should try to include statistical data within the tables (e.g., p values).

Example:

Table 1: Baseline and experimental descriptive characteristics of subjects.

Values are presented as mean ±SD.

N = number of test subjects

BMI = Body mass index

** Note that this is a hypothetical example for the purposes of showing authors how to label a table to be utilized in UJES (data presented is not valid).

Figures’ Format:

Figures should be numbered as they appear in the text (e.g., Figure 1). If the authors are utilizing a figure from an external source (i.e., not their own creation) they must provide documentation from the copyright holder, pay any associated fees, and acknowledge the original source before the manuscript is submitted.

Authors must ensure that each figure illustration has a clear and informative caption (legend). All symbols utilized and abbreviations should be fully spelled out in the text and caption. In addition, authors must include error bars (e.g., SD or SEM) when plotting means. An informative title using less than 15 words should be included above the figure.

Images of experimental subjects in which a person’s face is recognizable must be accompanied by a letter of release from that person explicitly granting permission for publication in UJES. These letters must be included when submitting the article. In addition to this, authors must blur or black-out the face, eyes, and/or any recognizable features if not relevant to the study.

Preparation of scientific images (e.g., clinical images) for publication must preserve the integrity of the image data. Any adjustments to the brightness, contrast, or color to the image are permissible as long as these adjustments do not selectively highlight, misrepresent, obscure, or eliminate specific elements in the original image. When the UJES staff and editors detect inappropriate image adjustments, the authors will be asked for a letter of explanation (by email) and will be requested to submit the image as originally captured prior to any adjustments. When authors are unsure about image modification, please email submissions@ujes.ca

Figures from microscopes must provide arrows or circles to clearly highlight the structures identified, include the type of specimen being observed, provide the original magnification or a scale bar, and stains utilized in the caption (legend).

Example:

Figure 1: Relationship between oxygen consumption over 10 minutes of work in high temperature and humid environment with protective clothing.

** Note that this is a hypothetical example for the purposes of showing authors how to label a figure to be utilized in UJES (data presented in not valid).

Abbreviations and acronyms

Abbreviations should be avoided in the title(s) or abstract. UJES will only allow abbreviations if the associated term is utilized more than three times within the text of the manuscript. The first time using an abbreviation, it should be fully spelled out; following that, it should be abbreviated. Abbreviations should be fully spelled out if used at the beginning of sentences. In addition, if an abbreviation is well-known within the field of exercise science (e.g., HR, VO2max), UJES may permit it on a case-by-case basis. Gene symbols should be italicized and protein products should not be italicized. Chemical compounds and biomolecules should be referred to using systematic nomenclature, preferably using the recommendations by IUPAC.

Units of Measure

All articles must present their measurements of height, length, weight, or volume in metric units. UJES will utilize degrees Celsius for temperatures and blood pressures should be given in millimeters of mercury. All laboratory measurements should be reported in the metric system.

Drug names

If the study is utilizing a pharmaceutical drug or supplement, UJES request that authors provide the generic name of the drug and provide the manufacturer if possible.