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Science and Medicine in Football

Science and Medicine in Football is a quarterly international peer-reviewed journal that advances theoretical knowledge, methodological approaches, and professional practice related to football. It publishes research across sports medicine, epidemiology, prevention, rehabilitation, physiology, biomechanics, nutrition, training and testing, performance analysis, sport psychology, and coaching, and considers original research, review articles, clinical case studies, short communications/technical reports, and Registered Reports.

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Subject Sport Sciences
Impact Factor 3.5
Quartile Q1
Open Access Type Closed
ISSN 2473-3938
eISSN 2473-4446
Invitation Only No
Cost Range Individual subscription: USD 965.00 online only or USD 1,409.00 print and online.

Submission Instructions

Science and Medicine in Football accepts the following article types. Click on an article type to view submission instructions.

Original Investigations

Cover Letter Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract Original Investigations should include an abstract. Abstract should be 250 words. Abstract should be unstructured. Abstract should include the research design, aim or aims aligned with the manuscript, and a conclusion based on the primary outcome or outcomes.
Manuscript Original Investigations should be no more than 4500 words. Original Investigations typically include Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion sections. Manuscript should include 1 to 6 keywords, contain the research design, include a link or supplementary file for codes or statistical syntax, provide the original full statistical software output as an appendix, and acknowledge AI use in the Methods or Acknowledgments section with the tool name, version, purpose, and how it was used.
References References must be formatted in CSE-9 author-date style. Reference entries must be listed under “References” at the end of the main text, include all cited works, and be ordered alphabetically by first author surname.
Figures & Tables Figures and tables can be placed within the text or submitted as separate documents. Tables with captions should appear on individual pages, followed by figures and then a list of figure captions.
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Original Investigations (Preliminary Reports)

Cover Letter A cover letter is required because it must address the discrepancy between the optimal and actual sample size. Cover letter must explain the discrepancy between the optimal sample size and the actual sample size.
Abstract An abstract is required. Abstract must include a statement such as "Given the limited sample size, these results must be interpreted as preliminary, requiring further confirmation."
Manuscript Manuscript must follow the Original Investigations order of title page, abstract, keywords, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion with a limitation section, acknowledgments, author contribution, funding details, disclosure statement, data availability statement, code availability statement, data deposition, ethics approval and informed consent, references, appendices as appropriate, tables with captions on individual pages, figures, and figure captions as a list, and the title must include "Preliminary Report." Manuscript must state the importance of the research question, specify the primary outcome, consistently describe findings as preliminary, include the required preliminary-results statement in the abstract and conclusion, provide a data sharing statement, and acknowledge AI use in the Methods or Acknowledgments section if applicable.
References References must use Council of Science Editors, Ninth Edition author-date style. Reference entries must appear under the heading "References," include all cited works, be ordered alphabetically by first author surname, and use author-date in-text citations.
Figures & Tables Figures and tables may be embedded in the manuscript or submitted as separate documents. Tables must be supplied as editable files.
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Systematic Reviews

Cover Letter Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract An abstract is required for Systematic Reviews. The abstract should be 250 words. The abstract should be unstructured.
Manuscript Systematic Reviews should be no more than 6000 words. Systematic Reviews should be organized as title page, abstract, keywords, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion with a limitation section, acknowledgments, author contributions according to CRediT, disclosure statement, data availability for meta-analysis, code availability for meta-analysis, ethics approval and informed consent, references, appendices as appropriate, tables with captions on individual pages, figures, and figure captions as a list. Systematic Reviews should include 1 to 6 keywords and acknowledge any use of AI in the Methods or Acknowledgments section with the tool name, version, purpose, and reason for use.
References References must be formatted in CSE-9 author-date style. References must appear under the heading “References,” include all cited works, use author-date citations, and list entries alphabetically by first author surname.
Figures & Tables Tables and figures should appear at the end of the manuscript with tables on individual pages, figures following the tables, and figure captions provided as a list, although figures and tables can be placed within the text or submitted separately.
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Registered Reports

Cover Letter Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract An abstract should be included. Abstract should be 250 words. Abstract should be unstructured.
Manuscript Registered Reports have no word limits. Manuscript must meet all requirements for Original Investigations and be organized as title page, abstract, keywords, main text with introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion with a limitation section, acknowledgments, author contribution according to CRediT, funding details, disclosure statement, data availability statement, code availability statement, data deposition, ethics approval and informed consent, references, appendices as appropriate, tables with captions on individual pages, figures, and figure captions as a list. Manuscript should include 1 to 6 keywords and must acknowledge any use of AI in the Methods or Acknowledgments section with the tool name, version, how it was used, and the reason for use.
References References must be formatted in Council of Science Editors, Ninth Edition author-date style. References must appear under the heading “References,” include all cited works, be ordered alphabetically by first author surname, and use “et al.” after the first author when a work has six or more authors.
Figures & Tables Figures and tables can be placed within the text or submitted as separate documents.
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Short Communications

Cover Letter Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract An abstract is required. Abstract must be 250 words. Abstract must be unstructured.
Manuscript Manuscript must be no more than 2000 words. Manuscript must be ordered as title page, abstract, keywords, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion with a limitation section, acknowledgments, author contributions according to CRediT, disclosure of interests, data availability, code availability, ethics approval and informed consent, references, appendices as appropriate, tables with captions on individual pages, figures, and figure captions as a list. Manuscript must include 1 to 6 keywords, a limitation section in the discussion, author contributions according to CRediT, disclosure of interests, data availability, code availability, ethics approval and informed consent, and codes available via a repository link or supplementary file, with the original full statistical software output included as an appendix.
References References must be formatted in CSE-9 author-date style. References must appear at the end of the main text under the heading “References,” include all cited works, be ordered alphabetically by first author surname, and use author-date in-text citations.
Figures & Tables Tables with captions must appear on individual pages and figures and figure captions must be placed after the references and appendices in the manuscript order.
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Case Reports

Cover Letter Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract Case Reports must include an abstract. The abstract must be 200 words. The abstract must be unstructured.
Manuscript Case Reports should be no more than 2500 words. Case Reports must be organized as title page, abstract, keywords, main text with introduction, materials and methods, results, and discussion, followed by acknowledgments, author contributions according to CRediT, disclosure of interests, ethics approval and informed consent, references, appendices as appropriate, tables with captions on individual pages, figures, and figure captions as a list. The manuscript must include 1 to 6 keywords, an author contributions statement according to CRediT, a disclosure of interests section, and a statement confirming that consent to publish has been obtained.
References References must be formatted in Council of Science Editors, Ninth Edition author-date style. References must appear at the end of the main text under the heading “References,” include all cited works, be ordered alphabetically by first author surname, and use author-date citations.
Figures & Tables Figures and tables can be placed within the text or submitted as separate documents.
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Letters To The Editor

Cover Letter Cover Letter requirements are not specified.
Abstract Abstract requirements are not specified.
Manuscript Letters to the Editor should be no more than 1000 words. Letters to the Editor should be ordered as title page, main text, acknowledgments, disclosure of interest, references, and appendices as appropriate. Replies should use the title format “Reply to [authors of the letter; et al for more than two authors]: Comment on: [title of the original paper recipient of the letter]”.
References Letters to the Editor must contain no more than 15 references. Citations and references must use Council of Science Editors, Ninth Edition author-date style. The article under discussion must be included as one of the references.
Figures & Tables Letters to the Editor must not contain figures or tables.
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Recent Publications

A pragmatic, parallel-arm, randomised trial on the effects of two repeated-sprint training protocols on fitness outcomes in semi-professional male soccer players: preliminary report

Palash Gupta, Anthony P. Turner, Shaun M. Phillips, Matthew Weston

10.1080/24733938.2026.2684071
View Publication

Head acceleration events are associated with tackler head contact and running speed during tackling in junior Australian football

Thomas Sutherland, Machar Reid, Brendan Lay, Edgar Santos-Fernandez, Troy Kirkham, Peter Peeling

10.1080/24733938.2026.2683589
View Publication

Influencing factors of sport performance during menstruation in elite female football players: a semi-structured interview-based study

Zhicheng Deng, Zuyi Sun, Yiting Wu, Jiachen Wu, Pengyu Pan, Lipeng Wei, Xiangqin Song

10.1080/24733938.2026.2682128
View Publication

Probiotics in football (soccer): a survey on practitioner’s current perceptions and practices

Tindaro Bongiovanni, Athanasios Pappous, Gerard Clarke, Revathy Munuswamy, Gerard Moloney, John Cryan, Daniela Pinto, Fabio Rinaldi, Alessio Rossi, Samuele Marcora

10.1080/24733938.2026.2682129
View Publication

Beyond isolated metrics and the data deluge: an integrated interpretative framework for youth football development

Nikolaos Androulakis

10.1080/24733938.2026.2683590
View Publication

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to publish?

Average 3 days from submission to first decision, 52 days from submission to first post-review decision, and 25 days from acceptance to online publication.

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Is a cover letter required?

A cover letter is expected for submissions referred from Peer Community In, and authors should refer to the PCI recommendation in the cover letter.

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What are the publication costs?

Individual subscription: USD 965.00 online only or USD 1,409.00 print and online.

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Research Topics

Sports Performance and Training Sports injuries and prevention Sport Psychology and Performance Cardiovascular Effects of Exercise Sports Analytics and Performance Traumatic Brain Injury Research Sports Dynamics and Biomechanics Cardiovascular and exercise physiology Muscle metabolism and nutrition Motivation and Self-Concept in Sports Injury Epidemiology and Prevention Exercise and Physiological Responses Knee injuries and reconstruction techniques Shoulder Injury and Treatment Genetics and Physical Performance Sports, Gender, and Society Lower Extremity Biomechanics and Pathologies Motor Control and Adaptation Sleep and related disorders Physical Activity and Health Children's Physical and Motor Development Occupational Health and Performance Winter Sports Injuries and Performance Meta-analysis and systematic reviews Cardiac Arrest and Resuscitation

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