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IN THIS SECTION
Manuscript Requirements & Editorial Policies
Letters to the Editor-in-Chief
JOSPT Research & Clinical Publication Awards
Scholarly, peer-reviewed, and increasingly international in scope and reach, the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy features the latest evidence-based research and clinical cases in musculoskeletal and sports related health and rehabilitation, including physical therapy, orthopaedics, sports medicine, and biomechanics. Now in its 29th year, the Journal strives to offer high-quality research, immediately applicable clinical material, and useful supplemental information in a variety of formats, such as research reports, case reports, invited commentaries, literature reviews, employment opportunities, and, more recently, musculoskeletal imaging features, online videos, and other interactive features.
The Journal accepts manuscripts for review from any discipline that addresses musculoskeletal health and rehabilitation from any relevant perspective, including clinical practice and outcomes, kinesiology, motor behavior, fitness, gerontology, neuroscience, or epidemiology. In addition, the Journal encourages submission of manuscripts that deal with basic science, but clinical implications should be discussed in all manuscripts submitted for review.
The JOSPT makes every effort to provide a rapid and efficient review process. For the 2007 calendar year, new manuscript submissions were reviewed in 50 days on average and revised and resubmitted manuscripts were reviewed in an average of 26 days.
Reader Demographics
A survey conducted at APTA’s Combined Sections Meeting in Boston, Massachusetts, in February 2007 shows that of 159 JOSPT readers who responded to the survey:
- 28% of practitioners/academicians manage or own their enterprises.
- 85% who have completed their education hold masters or doctoral degrees.
- Of those who are working, 87% are practitioners, and 13% are academicians.
- 77% have worked in orthopaedics and/or sports medicine for more than 4 years, and 23% are new to these fields (1 to 3 years).
- Of those who are not students, 64% are responsible for staff development.
- 63% keep issues of the Journal for 1 or more years.
- Respondents spend an average of 40 minutes with every issue of the JOSPT.
- On a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is not useful at all and 5 is extremely useful, respondents rated the JOSPT 4.63 (first among 6 publications assessed in the survey).
- 76% of respondents rated the new Journal print format "very" or "highly effective", or better than 4.0, where 1 is "ineffective" and 5 is "highly effective".
- No one found the print format design less than effective.
- Specific comments included: "Love the new design." "Very effective and good looking." "Nice, progressive new look."
- Nearly half of respondents find the combination of print and online formats most useful.
Download the complete survey results.
Manuscript Requirements & Editorial Policies
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
All manuscripts must meet the following basic requirements to be eligible for review by the JOSPT:
- Written in English.
- Include a cover letter.
- Present findings or data that have not been previously published either in print or electronic (online) format or widely disclosed in a form other than published abstracts of oral presentations at scientific conferences and meetings.
- Undergoing exclusive review by JOSPT.
- Address scientific, clinical, or professional issues relevant to musculoskeletal or sports related physical therapy practice.
- Written in accordance with the recommendations found in the "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication" by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, October 2007 (http://www.icmje.org/index.html).
- Formatted according to AMA style guidelines (American Medical Association, Manual of Style, 9th Edition).
Submissions that do not meet the above essential requirments will be returned to the author without review. In the peer-review process, JOSPT reviewers are unaware of the author's identity and institutional affiliation.
MANUSCRIPT CATEGORIES
We publish the following types of manuscripts:
- Research Report: A full-length report of an original clinical, basic, or translational research investigation that advances the clinical science of musculoskeletal and sports physical therapy.
- Literature Review: A comprehensive review of the literature, in some cases including a meta-analysis, addressing a topic of interest and relevance to musculoskeletal, sports, and manual physical therapists. Literature reviews may take the form of a traditional review, a blinded review, or a meta-analysis. Literature reviews must have a structured abstract and include a Methods section detailing the search strategy, inclusion/exclusion criteria, evaluation of the quality of the articles, etc. The Editor-in-Chief must invite manuscripts submitted in this category; however, self-nominations for an invitation to submit a literature review are welcome. Self-nominations, which must include a cover letter addressed to the Editor-in-Chief and a current curriculum vitae, should be sent electronically to JOSPT@JOSPT.org.
- Case Report: A detailed description of the management of a unique clinical case. Case reports must include the following 4 sections: Background, Case Description, Outcomes, and Discussion. The description of the case includes the relevant patient characteristics, examination/evaluation, diagnosis, and a description of the interventions that were provided. Case series describing the management of a small group of similar patients also fit this category.
- Resident's Case Problem: A report on the progress and logic associated with differential diagnosis (ie, clinical decision making). The Background section includes general clinical or research information pertinent to the case. The Diagnosis section provides patient characteristics and history. It then details the examination and evaluation process leading to the working diagnosis and the rationale for that diagnosis, including a presentation of medical imaging studies and the results of other clinical tests. Interventions used to treat the patient’s condition and the outcome of treatment may also be briefly described at the end of the Diagnosis section; however, the focus of the resident’s case problem should be on the diagnostic process. The Discussion section offers a scholarly, critical, and referenced analysis of how the diagnosis guided the care of the patient.
- Clinical Commentary: A scholarly paper containing opinion or perspectives having relevance to musculoskeletal and sports physical therapy. Clinical commentaries submitted for review require an abstract that is not structured. The Editor-in-Chief must invite clinical commentaries. Self-nominations for an invitation to submit a clinical commentary are welcome. Self-nominations , which must include a cover letter and current curriculum vitae, should be sent electronically to JOSPT@JOSPT.org.
- Technical Note: A description of a new instrument, procedure, or technology relevant to musculoskeletal or sports physical therapy practice or clinical research (authors should use the case report manuscript format to describe new methods to evaluate or treat patients).
- Musculoskeletal Imaging: This feature focuses on the use and interpretation of medical imaging related to a case scenario relevant to musculoskeletal physical therapy practice. In most instances these cases will emphasize how information from imaging can impact physical therapy management of the patient. In some instances, however, this feature may be used to share information on unusual medical conditions or to simply illustrate commonly used imaging techniques and their interpretation. Contributions should include no more than 2 authors, 250 words, 3 figures, and 3 references (if any). Submissions, including text and images, should be sent electronically to imaging@JOSPT.org. Decision on musculoskeletal imaging cases submitted for consideration is made within 2 to 6 weeks. See the "Figures" section of the instructions to authors for technical specifications for the figures.
- Letter to the Editor-in-Chief: A letter related to professional issues or articles published in the Journal. Letters will be reviewed and selected for publication by the Editor-in-Chief based on the relevance, importance, appropriateness, and timeliness of the topic. Letters to the Editor-in-Chief are copy edited and the correspondent is not typically sent a version to approve. Letters to the Editor-in-Chief should include a summary statement of any conflict of interest, including financial support related to the issue addressed. Letters should be sent electronically to JOSPT@JOSPT.org. Authors of the relevant manuscript are given the opportunity to respond to the content of the letter.
- Invited Commentary: An expert’s point of view concerning an article published in the Journal. Commentaries are invited by the Editor-in-Chief and immediately follow the article discussed. Authors of the manuscript under commentary are given the opportunity to respond to the expert’s point of view.
EDITORIAL POLICIES
The following policies apply to manuscripts submitted for review and publication:
- The recommendations of associate editors, editorial review board members, and reviewers concerning the status of manuscripts under review are advisory to the Editor-in-Chief.
- The final decision concerning the publication of a manuscript is solely the responsibility of the Editor-in-Chief.
- Manuscripts are treated as works in progress and are viewed as new manuscripts each time a revision is submitted; each time a manuscript is reviewed, new issues may be raised for the authors to address.
- Authors should expect to make multiple revisions of their manuscript before formal acceptance of the manuscript for publication.
- Manuscripts submitted for review are a form of privileged communication between the authors and the Journal and the authors and the reviewers. Reviewers may share the paper with other professionals if the disclosure is intended to enhance the review.
- Authors are not permitted to make changes during the proof stage of publication except to correct inaccuracies.
- The Editor-in-Chief may refuse to publish a manuscript if the author requests substantial revisions of the manuscript content after the paper have been through the review process and accepted for publication.
- The Editor-in-Chief may solicit additional reviews to supplement the opinion of the assigned associate editors and reviewers.
- The JOSPT welcomes reports that include findings of no statistically significant differences. However, in the event of a null result, the authors need to provide additional information about the statistical properties of the analysis that led to this result (ie, evidence of reasonable protection against type II error).
- The JOSPT accords its authors most favored status where reprint policies and copyright permissions are concerned. Authors receive emailed PDFs of their articles with full reprint rights once the issue is published. Authors also have permission to reprint material they created in the past for the JOSPT in other forms, such as books, chapters of books, or articles in other journals, giving credit to the Journal and with no fee charged.
MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION
All manuscripts must be submitted online at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/JOSPT, which either can be accessed directly or through the JOSPT website at www.JOSPT.org. Please direct questions about online submission the the JOSPT office at 1-877-766-3450.
JOSPT supports fully the public access policies of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and comparable governmental entities, such as the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the UK Medical Research Council, the European Research Council, The Wellcome Trust, and the Australian Research Council. Accepted manuscripts that report on publicly-funded research are made available in digital form for public access to central databases such as NIH's PubMed Central and on the JOSPT website as soon as the manuscript is published.
COMPLETE AUTHOR INSTRUCTIONS
- Access the JOSPT’s Instructions to Authors.
- Access the Journal's Author Agreement and Publication Rights Form.
- For additional information on how to format your manuscript, please see our Manuscript Formatting Guide.
- To view the style rules we use, please see Style Rules in Text.
- Download JOSPT EndNote reference style.
- Download Study Designs and Levels of Evidence Table.
Author Tools & Resources
The following links may be useful as you prepare your manuscript for submission to the JOSPT:
- Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing for Biomedical Publication: http://www.icmje.org/icmje.pdf
- Hierarchy of Evidence from the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine: http://www.cebm.net/levels_of_evidence.asp
- CONSORT statement and checklist for quality reporting of randomized controlled trials: http://www.consort-statement.org/Statement/revisedstatement.htm and http://www.consort-statement.org/Statement/revisedstatement.htm#checklist
- ASSERT statement -- the articulation of A Standard for the Scientific and Ethical Review of Trials: http://www.assert-statement.org/
- QUOROM statement for quality reporting of meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials: http://www.consort-statement.org/Evidence/evidence.html#quorom
- QUOROM statement checklist for quality reporting of meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials: http://www.consort-statement.org/QUOROM.pdf
- STARD initiative for complete and accurate reporting of studies on diagnostic accuracy: http://www.consort-statement.org/Initiatives/newstard.htm
- STROBE statement for quality reporting of observational studies: http://www.strobe-statement.org/
- MOOSE statement for quality reporting of meta-analyses of observational studies: http://www.consort-statement.org/Initiatives/MOOSE/moose.pdf
- AMA Citation & Reference Style Guide: http://healthlinks.washington.edu/hsl/styleguides/ama.html
- Dictionary of Units of Measure: http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/units/index.html
- Orthogate (online orthopaedics resources): http://www.orthogate.org/
- PubMed/Medline: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?DB=pubmed
- JOSPT EndNote Style Template for references
Letters to the Editor-in-Chief
To send a letter to the Editor-in-Chief, please email your comments to JOSPT@JOSPT.org with text included in or attached to the message or mail your letter to the JOSPT office. Please note that Letters to the Editor-in-Chief are copyedited and the correspondent is not typically sent a version to approve. Letters should include a summary statement of any conflict of interest, including financial support related to the issue addressed.
Author Contact Information
Please go to http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jospt to update your contact information, including mailing address, telephone and fax numbers, and email address.
JOSPT Research & Clinical Publication Awards
The Journal bestows 2 annual awards:
- JOSPT Excellence in Research Award
- George J. Davies - James A. Gould Excellence in Clinical Inquiry Award
These awards recognize the most outstanding research manuscript and clinical practice articles published in the Journal within a calendar year. All published papers are automatically considered for these awards; no formal nomination is needed. The awards will be formally presented each year at APTA's Combined Sections Meeting and announced in the Journal and on this website.
Selection criteria and other details
JOSPT Authors in 2007
Index of authors whose work was published in the Journal last year.
