Required Submission Form
A completed ‘Required Submission Form’ must be uploaded with the manuscript as a cover letter.
Style
Manuscripts should be prepared in Microsoft Word or other appropriate software, with margins of at least 3 cm. Authors should use Times New Roman 12pt font double-spaced on A4 size paper, single sided and line-numbered throughout.
English standards
Only manuscripts that are written in clear and concise English will be considered for peer review. If English is not the authors' first language, the Editorial Board recommends the manuscript receives professional editing service before submitting their manuscript to the Journal. English editing and revision will be conducted on manuscripts whose English grammar, spelling, etc. is judged to be inadequate by the Editorial Board.
Title Page, Abstract, keywords and other
The title page (page 1) should start with the type of manuscript (Regular Article, Short Communication, Review, etc.), the title, name(s) of the author(s), affiliation(s), mailing address(es), number of tables and figures, a brief running title (70 characters or less). The corresponding author's e-mail address should be included in the title page. An asterisk (*) should be added to the right of the corresponding author’s name.
The Abstract (page 2) should clearly express the basic content of the paper in a single paragraph and should include the problem addressed, experimental approach, main results and findings, and conclusions. Abstracts must not exceed 250 words for all article types. Avoid using specific abbreviations. If it is essential to refer to a previous publication, omit the article title (e.g. Maekawa, S., Endo, S., and Sakai, H. (2015). Sci. Journal., 14: 10–15).
Three to six descriptive keywords should be included after the Abstract, listed in decreasing order of importance. The keywords must be less than 80 characters and independent of each other.
Upon acceptance of an article by the Journal, the abstract will be published on the homepage of the Japanese Society of Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine.
If a manuscript is written by authors resident in Japan Page 3 should contain the following information in Japanese: article title, author(s) names, affiliation(s), and abstract.
Title
The title should describe the content of the article briefly but clearly and is important for search purposes by third-party services. Do not use the same main title with numbered minor titles, even for a series of papers by the same authors. Do not use abbreviations in the title, except those used generally in related fields.
Affiliations
For the Title Page, provide full names and addresses of institutions (including laboratory, department, institute and/or university, city, state and country).
When there are two or more authors and they belong to more than one affiliation, the connection between each author and his or her affiliation should be indicated by italicized superscript 1, 2, 3 …placed after each author’s name and before each affiliation. Examples can be seen in recent issues of the journal.
Running Title
The running title should not exceed 50 characters, including spaces.
Abbreviations
Each abbreviation should be defined in parentheses together with its non-abbreviated term when it first appears in the text (except in the Title and Abstract). Common abbreviations that may be used without any explanation include the list below.
AMP, ADP, ATP, cAMP, cDNA, CoA, DNA, RNA, mRNA, LD50, FAD, FMN, GMP, P450.
Units and nomenclature
The following units should be used: length (m, cm, mm, μm, nm), mass (kg, g, mg, μg, ng, pg, mol, mmol, μmol, nmol), volume (l, ml, μl), time (s, min, h, d), temperature (ºC, K), radiation (Bq, Ci, dpm, Gy, rad), and concentration (M, mM, mol/l, mmol/l, mg/ml, μg/ml, ng/ml, pg/ml, %, %(v/v), %(w/v), ppm, ppb).
Otherwise, SI or SI-derived units should be used. More information on SI units is available at the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM) website.
The nomenclature used for chemical compounds shall be in accordance with the relevant IUPAC rules.
Main text
Each Original Article should comprise the following main text sections in this order: Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results and Discussion. The Results and Discussion may also be combined as Results and Discussion), Acknowledgments, References. (The Contributions and Conflicts of Interest sections should follow the main text).
Case Reports should be organized as follows: Abstract, Introduction, Case Report, Discussion, References. (The Contributions and Conflicts of Interest sections should follow the References section).
The organization of other article types is up to author preference.
Acknowledgments
This section should be brief. Authors should list all funding sources for their work in the Acknowledgements section.
References
References should be restricted to only those that are essential, and extensive review of the literature should be avoided. References cited in the text should be numbered (in italic) in order of appearance and listed at the end of the text. Indication of doi (digital object identifier) is encouraged.
For references with only one author:
Steinberg SF. 1999. The molecular basis for distinct β-adrenergic receptor subtype actions in cardiomyocytes. Circ Res 85: 1101-1111. doi: 10.1161/01.RES.85.11.1101.
Two authors:
Bajotto G and Shimomura Y. 2006. Determinants of disuse-induced skeletal muscle atrophy: Exercise and nutrition countermeasures to prevent protein loss. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol 52: 233-247. doi: 10.3177/jnsv.52.233.
Up to twenty authors:
Author A, Author B, Author C, Author D, Author E, Author F, Author G, Author H, Author I, Author J, Author K, Author L, Author M, Author N, Author O, Author P, Author Q, Author R, Author S and Author T. 2008. Effects of the β2-agonist clenbuterol on β1- and β2-adrenoceptor mRNA expressions of rat skeletal and left ventricle muscles. J Pharmacol Sci 107: 393-400. doi: 10.1254/jphs.08097FP.
More than twenty authors; list the first twenty followed by et al.:
Author A, Author B, Author C, Author D, Author E, Author F, Author G, Author H, Author I, Author J, Author K, Author L, Author M, Author N, Author O, Author P, Author Q, Author R, Author S and Author T. et al. 2012. Some aspects of heat stress on the plasticity of skeletal muscle cells. J Phys Fitness Sports Med 1: 197-204. doi: 10.7600/jpfsm.1.197.
Citation from a book:
Shimomura Y, Murakami T, Nakai N and Nagasaki M. 2001. Exercise and metabolism in muscle cells: Molecular aspects of energy metabolism during exercise and adaptation to exercise training. In: Exercise, Nutrition, and Environmental Stress (Nose H, Gisolfi CV, Imaizumi K, eds.), 1: 89-116, Cooper Publishing Group, LLC., MI, USA.
Citation from a paper in Japanese:
Nagashima M. 2011. Effects of endurance exercise on oxidative stress and antioxidant vitamin levels in trained cyclist. Tairyoku Kagaku (Jpn J Phys Fitness Sports Med) 60: 279-286 (in Japanese). doi: 10.7600/jspfsm.60.279.
If more than two references with the same year and author(s) are cited, use lowercase letters after the year (Tanaka et al. 2015a, 2015b). Lowercase letters should be inserted in same-year references in the reference list
Tables
Number tables consecutively using Arabic numerals (Table 1, Table 2, etc.). A title should be given at the top of each table. Explanatory material and footnotes should be typed below the table and should be designated with superscript letters, such as a) or b). Units of measurement should be included with numerical values at the top of columns. Avoid detailed explanations of the experimental conditions used to obtain the data shown in tables (which should be included in other sections as relevant).
Figures
Figures should be of high enough resolution for direct reproduction for printing. Note that ‘figures’ includes line drawings and photographs, as well as charts. Magnifications of photographs should be indicated in the legends and/or by scales included in the photographs. Illustrations must be self-explanatory and they should be numbered consecutively with Arabic numerals (i.e., Fig. 1, Fig. 2, etc.). Each figure should have a short title. Figure legends should be typed together in a separate sheet(s). Figure legends should include sufficient experimental details to make the figures intelligible; however, duplicating the descriptions provided in other sections should be avoided.
Drawings prepared with the aid of software packages are acceptable as long as they are high- quality print-out ready. Drawings prepared for oral presentation are seldom suitable for use in printed documents. All figures should be marked with the first author’s name and number in the lower right corner of each sheet.
The appropriate location of each table or table embedded in the text should be indicated in red ink in the margin of the manuscript. Duplication of data in tables and figures should be avoided. The cost of color reproduction of figures will be charged to the author(s).
Contributions
A Contributions section must be included that concisely describes each author’s contributions;
use initials to indicate author identity. It is expected that all authors will have reviewed, discussed, and agreed to their individual contributions ahead of time. Contributions statements will be published in the final article, and they should accurately reflect contributions to the work.
If authors do not meet the ICMJE recommendations for authorship (see the ‘Authorship’ section), they should be acknowledged in the Acknowledgements section.
The following are some example statements.
Example 1. AA, BB and CC conceptualized the study design and protocol, and determined the study institutions. DD collected and assembled the data. EE carried out the analysis and interpretation of data. AA drafted the manuscript. All authors have critically reviewed, revised and approved the manuscript.
Example 2. Experiment conception and design: AA and BB. Experiment implementation: CC. Data analysis: DD and EE. Paper composition: AA. Analyzing and writing advisory: BB and CC. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript.
Example 3. Conceived and designed the study: AA. Performed the study: BB, CC, DD. Analyzed the data: FF and EE. Interpreted the data: AA and BB. Wrote the paper: AA. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript.
Example 4. AA analyzed and interpreted the patient data regarding hematological disease and transplants. BB performed the histological examination of the kidney, and was a major contributor in writing the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflicts of Interest
A Conflicts of Interest statement must be included in each manuscript. Background guidance is supplied in the ‘Author competing interests and conflicts of interest’ section above. See also the JSPFSM guidelines.
Each statement must include the following elements, as relevant:
- Name(s) of the company of authors (including the position and the department)
- All financial support from the business that the authors work for (if the submitted research is financially supported by a business)
- Description of funder’s role in the study design, collection, analysis, and interpretation of data, writing of the paper, and/or decision to submit for publication
- Labor supply from the business
- Any other conflicts of interest.
Example statements are as follows:
Example 1. The authors have read the journal's policy and have the following conflicts: AA, BB, CC, DD, and EE are employees of XXX Corporation, who supported the present study, in part. However, the sponsor had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. There are no patents, products in development or marketed products to declare. The authors declare no competing interests.
Example 2. AA, BB, CC, and DD are employees of YYY Corporation. EE has not received any payments for a given study from YYY Corporation. The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. This does not alter the authors’ adherence to the Journal of Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine’s policies.
Example 3. In the event the there are no conflicts of interest within the policies stated within this document (or as referred to elsewhere), this should be declared by writing “Conflicts of Interest: The author(s) declare that there are no conflicts of interest”.
