IJSC Quality Control Process

The process of peer review and publication within the IJSC uses an innovative and forward thinking approach. This aims to engage the S&C community in the review process, bringing together scientific practitioners, researchers and coaches.

The review process involves an editorial quality check before the submission undergoing two stages of rigourous peer review. A final decision is then made by an editor, and if successful the submission will be assigned a DOI and published within the IJSC. The time from submission to publication is between 12-24 weeks. 

Finally, once published, all members of the scientific community will be able to comment and review the paper using the hypothes.is plugin within the journal. This has been developed to enhance scientific discussion within the community and foster new ideas and collaboration. 

Community content review quality assurance is provided by use of the ORCID ID system and spam detection software.

Overview of the Submission Process
1. Paper submitted according to the guidelines of the IUSCA
Papers can be submitted by any member of the IUSCA community, as long as they adhere to the stated guidelines for manuscript type and formatting. The IUSCA require that all authors have an ORCID ID (free to obtain), to help ensure accountability and quality assurance.
2. Initial Review by Editorial Panel
All papers are initially assessed by a member of the Editorial Panel who will determine the suitability for the journal and that a base level of scientific quality is achieved. This review will also check the formatting, referencing, graphics, and other technical aspects. If a paper is rejected at this stage, the author will have opportunity to make suggested changes and resubmit.
3. Formal Peer Review by Independent Review Panel (x2)
This final submission will be assigned to two reviewers from our Independent Review Panel. The article will undergo formal peer-review as is typically expected in a traditional journal. The article will then be accepted/rejected based up on the editorial decision.
4. Publication
If accepted, the article will be assigned a DOI and officially published in the IJSC.Once published, the article will will be subject to futher peer review and comment by the IUSCA community (using hypothes.is). This is available to anyone with an ORCID ID (free to obtain). Comments should be constructive and evidence based (referenced). The author is able, and encouraged, to comment within this domain to foster healthy discussion and to defend their position.