Editorial Ethics Policy

Submission Guidelines

The primary criteria on which manuscripts submitted to the Journal of Applied Biomechanics are judged include the adherence to accepted scientific principles and methods, the significant or novel contribution of the work to the area of biomechanics, the clarity and conciseness of the writing, and interest to the readership. The following types of submissions are considered.

Original Research. Original research articles present the results of an hypothesis-driven study or, in some cases, a descriptive study, the results of which are considered novel and important. Original research articles should generally not exceed 4,000 words and should not include more than eight figures.

Technical Note. Technical notes are short communications that present results related to a new or modified method, instrument, or an important experimental observation that is of interest to the readership. Technical notes should generally not exceed 2,000 words and should not include more than four figures.

Reviews. Reviews are critical and inclusive presentations of important aspects of biomechanics. The role of review articles in the Journal of Applied Biomechanics is to provide a stimulus for further systematic biomechanical inquiry on a particular topic of scientific and/or clinical importance. This requires that a presumably large body of accumulated literature be summarized so as to illuminate gaps in the state of knowledge. These gaps can be revealed by identifying conflicting evidence, problems borne of methodological disparities and/or inadequacies, the influence of invalid or unproven assumptions, and the potential for alternative interpretations. Collectively, these gaps should lead to establishing explicit and testable hypotheses. Such reviews should be forward-looking, not merely reporting the current state-of-the-art, and may be up to 6,000 words in length. Please contact the editor-in-chief at buchanan@me.udel.edu if you are interested in writing a review article.

Proceedings. Symposium or workshop proceedings comprise a number of brief papers, each based on an individual presentation that was part of a larger, focused program. As with review articles, proceedings are solicited by the Editorial Board members, although authors may contact the editor-in-chief at buchanan@me.udel.edu regarding the suitability of symposium/workshop manuscripts.

Target Articles. Target articles present a summary of current scientific thought and the unique perspective of an experienced scientist on a matter that is of significance to the field of biomechanics. Invited responses to the target article and the author’s rebuttal are normally published with the target article.

Book Reviews. Book reviews up to 1,000 words in length are welcome.

Submission Instructions. Manuscripts should be submitted at the JAB Web site at

http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/hk_JAB

Manuscript Format. The manuscript should begin with a title page containing title of paper, full names and institutional affiliations of all authors (note: JAB reviews are not blinded), three or more key words not used in title, and date of submission. Provide full mailing address, email address, and phone/fax numbers of corresponding author. Any financial interest in the research should be stated. Double-space the text and organize it in the following order: title page, abstract of 150–200 words, text, references, acknowledgments if any (including funding sources), tables, and figures. Full-length original research articles cannot exceed 4,000 words in the body of the text. A technical note cannot exceed 2,000 words. Note that figures and tables should be placed at the end of the document. Lines should be numbered and a word count of the text should be provided. In the main text, headings should not be numbered and should be limited to Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion. With the exception of the methods section, subheadings should not be included. Studies involving humans must include a statement regarding institutional approval of protocol and obtaining informed consent. Studies involving animals must include a statement regarding institutional approval and compliance with government regulations on animal welfare. Note that JAB does not support color artwork at this time.

Scientific Style and Reference Style. Authors should follow the latest edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association for matters of scientific notation, such as in the treatment of mathematics, statistics, and units of measure, as well as the use of italics and boldface. Copies can be found in most university libraries and bookstores. Some abridged versions are freely available via the Internet. (To order, visit http://www.apa.org/books/bestsellers.html or call APA Books at 1-800-374-2721.) The citation style must reflect the guidelines found in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association with one exception: For works written by three or more authors, list only the first author’s surname plus “et al.” at the first and subsequent occurrences.

·         . . . (Smith, 1990) throughout

·         . . . (Smith & Jones, 1990) throughout

·         . . . (Smith et al., 1990) throughout

Following review, editorial decisions will be provided promptly. Prior to acceptance, the author names and dates in the text must be updated and must match those in the reference list. Once accepted, authors will be asked to mail a clean paper copy of the manuscript and print-ready graphics and/or graphic files in TIFF to Human Kinetics. At the page-proof stage, authors will be required to transfer copyright to Human Kinetics Inc.

Copyright Assignment Form