Journal of Sports and Exercise Medicine
JSEM publishes peer-reviewed research on the clinical, physiological, biomechanical, and psychological aspects of sports medicine, exercise science, injury prevention, rehabilitation, and performance optimization across athletic and general populations.
Core Research Domains
Sports Injury Medicine & Prevention
Clinical management, epidemiology, and prevention strategies for athletic injuries across all sports and activity levels.
- Acute and overuse injury mechanisms and treatment protocols
- Musculoskeletal injury epidemiology in competitive and recreational sports
- Concussion assessment, management, and return-to-play protocols
- Injury prevention programs and screening methodologies
- Sports traumatology and emergency care
- Surgical and non-surgical intervention outcomes
Exercise Physiology & Performance Science
Physiological responses to exercise, training adaptations, and evidence-based performance enhancement strategies.
- Cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary responses to acute and chronic exercise
- Metabolic adaptations to endurance, resistance, and high-intensity training
- Neuromuscular performance and fatigue mechanisms
- Exercise testing methodologies and performance assessment
- Training periodization and load monitoring strategies
- Environmental physiology (heat, cold, altitude) and athletic performance
Rehabilitation & Functional Recovery
Evidence-based rehabilitation protocols, therapeutic interventions, and functional restoration following injury or surgery.
- Post-surgical rehabilitation protocols and outcomes
- Therapeutic exercise prescription for injury recovery
- Manual therapy and physical modalities in sports rehabilitation
- Functional movement assessment and corrective strategies
- Return-to-sport criteria and decision-making frameworks
- Rehabilitation technology and monitoring devices
Biomechanics & Movement Science
Kinematic and kinetic analysis of human movement, injury mechanisms, and performance optimization through biomechanical assessment.
- 3D motion analysis and joint kinematics during sport-specific movements
- Ground reaction forces and loading patterns in athletic activities
- Biomechanical risk factors for musculoskeletal injury
- Gait analysis and running biomechanics
- Equipment and footwear biomechanics
- Computational modeling of musculoskeletal systems
Secondary Focus Areas
Sports Nutrition & Supplementation
Evidence-based nutritional strategies for performance, recovery, body composition, and health in athletic populations. Includes macronutrient timing, hydration, ergogenic aids, and dietary supplements with rigorous efficacy testing.
Exercise Psychology & Mental Performance
Psychological factors influencing athletic performance, injury recovery, and exercise adherence. Includes mental skills training, motivation, anxiety management, and psychological aspects of rehabilitation.
Exercise & Chronic Disease Management
Therapeutic exercise interventions for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, cancer, and other chronic conditions. Focus on exercise prescription, physiological mechanisms, and clinical outcomes.
Adapted Physical Activity & Special Populations
Exercise and sports medicine research in individuals with physical disabilities, intellectual disabilities, chronic conditions, or other special considerations requiring adapted approaches.
Pediatric & Youth Sports Medicine
Growth and maturation considerations, youth injury patterns, training load management, and long-term athlete development in pediatric and adolescent populations.
Exercise & Aging
Exercise interventions for healthy aging, sarcopenia prevention, fall risk reduction, cognitive function maintenance, and quality of life in older adults.
Emerging & Innovative Areas
Artificial Intelligence in Sports Medicine
Machine learning applications for injury prediction, performance analysis, training optimization, and athlete monitoring. Must demonstrate clinical validity and practical implementation potential.
Wearable Technology & Physiological Monitoring
Validation studies of wearable devices, remote monitoring systems, and sensor technologies for training load quantification, injury risk assessment, and performance tracking.
Exercise Biochemistry & Molecular Adaptations
Molecular mechanisms underlying exercise adaptations, including gene expression, protein synthesis, inflammatory responses, and cellular signaling pathways.
Regenerative Medicine in Sports Injuries
Platelet-rich plasma, stem cell therapies, tissue engineering, and other regenerative approaches for musculoskeletal injury treatment. Requires controlled clinical trials.
Explicitly Out of Scope
Pure Coaching Methodology
Training programs, coaching philosophies, or tactical strategies without physiological, biomechanical, or clinical outcome data. Rationale: Lacks scientific rigor required for peer-reviewed medical literature.
General Fitness & Wellness Marketing
Popular fitness trends, commercial exercise programs, or wellness content without controlled research design and objective outcome measures. Rationale: Does not meet standards for evidence-based sports medicine.
Sports Management & Business
Organizational management, sports economics, facility operations, or business aspects of sports without direct clinical or physiological relevance. Rationale: Outside medical and scientific scope of journal.
Purely Observational Case Reports
Single case reports without novel diagnostic or therapeutic insights, systematic analysis, or contribution to clinical decision-making. Rationale: Limited generalizability and scientific impact.
Doping & Anti-Doping Policy
Policy discussions, ethical debates, or regulatory aspects of doping without pharmacological, physiological, or clinical research components. Rationale: Better suited for sports ethics or policy journals.
Article Types & Editorial Priorities
Fast-Track Review (4-6 weeks)
Standard Review (6-8 weeks)
Selective Acceptance (Must Demonstrate Exceptional Merit)
Editorial Standards & Requirements
Reporting Guidelines
CONSORT for RCTs, STROBE for observational studies, PRISMA for systematic reviews, ARRIVE for animal research. Non-compliance results in desk rejection.
Data Transparency
Raw data deposition in public repositories required for all experimental studies. Data availability statement mandatory. Code sharing encouraged for computational work.
Ethics Approval
IRB/ethics committee approval required for human studies. Informed consent documentation. Animal studies must follow institutional and national guidelines.
Clinical Trial Registration
Prospective registration in recognized registry (ClinicalTrials.gov, ISRCTN, etc.) required before first participant enrollment. Registration number must be included.
Preprint Policy
Preprint posting encouraged and does not affect consideration. Authors must disclose preprint DOI. Journal version becomes version of record upon publication.
Conflict of Interest
Full disclosure of financial and non-financial competing interests required. Industry-funded studies must demonstrate independent data analysis and interpretation rights.
Publication Metrics & Decision Timeline
Ready to Submit Your Research?
If your work aligns with our scope and meets our methodological standards, we invite you to submit your manuscript for peer review. Our editorial team is committed to fair, rigorous, and timely evaluation of all submissions.
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