Editorial Policy

Editorial Policy

THE SKY-International Journal of Physical Education and Sports Sciences is a biannual, peer-reviewed, open-access journal publishing research in physical education, sports sciences, sports medicine, and related disciplines. The journal aligns with COPE, HEC Pakistan, and global sports ethics standards, offering free publication to advance knowledge in athlete performance, coaching methodologies, and sports policy.

Journal Structure

  1. Editorials: Expert commentaries on emerging trends (e.g., AI in sports analytics).
  2. Original Research: Empirical studies (e.g., biomechanical analyses of sprint techniques).
  3. Review Articles: Syntheses of topics like injury prevention or sports psychology.
  4. Case Studies: Reports on athlete interventions or training innovations.
  5. Short Communications: Brief insights (e.g., novel coaching tools).

Peer Review Process

  • Double-Blind Review: Authors and reviewers remain anonymous.
  • Evaluation Criteria:
    • Originality: Novelty in methods (e.g., wearable tech for athlete monitoring).
    • Methodological Soundness: Valid study designs (e.g., randomized trials in training protocols).
    • Ethical Compliance: Adherence to COPE guidelines (e.g., informed consent for athlete studies).
    • Impact: Contributions to sports sciences (e.g., policy implications for youth sports).
  • Turnitin Check: Similarity index ≤19%; exceptions for properly cited common methodologies.
  • Timeline: Submission to acceptance in ~12–14 weeks.

Open Access & Licensing

  • CC BY-SA 4.0 License: Articles are freely accessible, allowing reuse with attribution.
  • Repository Policy:
    • Authors may share preprints (e.g., arXiv, SportRxiv) but must link to the final version post-publication.
    • Accepted manuscripts must cite the journal as the source (e.g., "Accepted by THE SKY-International Journal").

Ethical Guidelines

  1. Human Research:
    • Human Studies: Ethical approval required (e.g., IRB clearance for athlete trials).
  2. Confidentiality: Anonymize participant data (e.g., use codes like “Athlete-01”).
  3. Competing Interests: Disclose funding from sports brands, institutional ties, or advisory roles.
  4. Funding: Declare grants (e.g., “Funded by the National Sports Institute under Grant NSI-2024-01”).

Authorship Criteria

Authorship must align with COPE’s authorship guidelines and meet the following criteria:

  1. Substantial Contribution:
    • Significant involvement in study design, data collection (e.g., athlete performance metrics), analysis, or interpretation (e.g., qualitative insights into coaching strategies).
  2. Critical Intellectual Input:
    • Actively drafting or revising the manuscript for scholarly rigor (e.g., refining methodology in sports biomechanics studies).
  3. Final Approval:
    • All authors must approve the final version submitted for publication.
  4. Accountability:
    • Authors agree to uphold the work’s integrity and address inquiries about accuracy (e.g., validating training intervention data).

Non-Author Contributors:

  • Roles such as data collection (e.g., recording athlete heart rates), technical support (e.g., statistical analysis), or funding acquisition must be acknowledged in a dedicated section.

Key COPE Principles:

  • Transparency: Disclose authorship disputes via COPE flowcharts.
  • Ghost/Guest Authorship: Prohibited; all listed authors must meet the above criteria.

Ethical Standards

  1. Human/Animal Research:
    • Human Studies: Obtain ethics approval (e.g., institutional review boards for athlete trials) and participant consent (e.g., anonymizing athlete identities).
    • Animal Studies: Follow ARRIVE guidelines (e.g., exercise physiology research on rodents).
  2. Plagiarism:
  3. Competing Interests:
    • Disclose funding from sports organizations, equipment brands, or institutional ties.

Withdrawal & Retraction

  • Withdrawal: Requires signed forms from all authors (no electronic signatures).
  • Retraction: Follow COPE’s retraction guidelines for:
    • Data fabrication (e.g., falsified injury recovery rates).
    • Plagiarism in sports psychology studies.
    • Ethical breaches (e.g., unauthorized use of minors’ data).

Open Access & Licensing

  • CC BY-SA 4.0 License: Articles are freely accessible and reusable with proper attribution.
  • Repository Policy:
    • Preprints must link to the final published version (e.g., SportRxiv deposits).
    • Example: “Accepted by THE SKY-International Journal (DOI: 10.XXXX/thesky.2024.123).”