The Scientific News of Azerbaijan State Academy of Physical Education and Sport is an electronic, peer-reviewed scientific journal addressing current issues in sport, published with the goal of advancing sport knowledge through research and expertise. Encompassing multiple facets of sport, including sports management, sports coaching, sports studies, sports medicine, and sports fitness and health. The Journal seeks to provide readers with up-to-date information comprising advances in all areas of sport. Published articles include both detailed scientific methods and guided conclusions geared towards sports professionals, allowing for immediate application in the field. The journal is published online four times a year in azerbaijan, russian anf english languages and print version is available with subscription. 

The Scientific News of Azerbaijan State Academy of Physical Education and Sport (Sport Science Journal, SSJ) is included in the list of recommended peer-reviewed scientific journals of High Attestation Commission of Azerbaijan Republic. 

Tobacco Policy

The SSJ will not consider any work that is funded directly or indirectly by tobacco companies or their affiliates. Any such work will be editorially rejected. 

Copyright

Upon receipt of accepted manuscripts at SSJ, authors will be required to complete an copyright licence to publish form. Authors are hereby informed that by submitting an article for publication they confirm being the corresponding/submitting author and that Sport Sciences Journal (SSJ) may retain their email address and other contact details for the purpose of communicating with them about the article. Authors shall agree to notify SSJ immediately about changes in their contact details. If article is accepted for publication, SSJ will contact corresponding authors initially using the email address that was used in the registration process. 

Permissions

Use of previously published or copyrighted material

Information obtained and used from another source must be properly cited. The submitting author is responsible for obtaining written permission from the appropriate authors and/or copyright holders to use previously published or copyrighted material. Signed permission statements from the authors or copyright holders of original text or information shall be sent to the SSJ's Editorial Office along with manuscript submission. 

Authorship by Residents and Fellows

Medical students, residents, and fellows may submit articles and may be listed as first author. However, UIMJ policy requires that a senior physician has provided mentoring support to the student, resident or fellow. This senior physician(s) shall be listed as a coauthor. 

REVIEW PROCESS

Editorial and Peer Review

All submitted manuscripts are reviewed initially by the Editor-in-Chief for quality, novelty, scientific importance, and relevance to the journal's general audience. Manuscripts with insufficient priority for publication or those that are outside the scope of the journal are rejected promptly.

Manuscripts considered relevant are sent to Section Editors. Only these manuscripts will be reviewed by experts in the field. The Section Editors select the external peer reviewers and make the final decisions on manuscripts. EJCS employs a double-blind review process in which peer reviewer and author identities are kept confidential. The existence of a manuscript under review is not revealed to anyone other than the peer reviewers and editorial staff. Peer reviewers are required to maintain confidentiality about the manuscripts they review and must not divulge any information about a specific manuscript or its content to any third party without prior permission from the journal editors. All authors are sent notification of the receipt of manuscripts and editorial decisions made, by e-mail. 

Fast-Track Review

In some case SSJ Editor can expedite a review of a paper. The need for expedited or fast-track review shall be indicated in the cover letter with reason explained. Only manuscripts that deserve rapid review and publication will be fast-tracked by Editor-in-Chief. 

Appeal Requests

Authors who wish to request reconsideration of a rejected manuscript should contact the Editorial Office at uptodate.az@gmail.com. Requests must include the manuscript ID (SSJ-2017-0059) and a detailed description of why the authors believe the paper should be reconsidered. If the appeal is allowed, instructions will be provided on how to resubmit your paper. 

Submissions from Editors

SSJ works hard to ensure that any submission from the Editor-in-Chief or a member of the journal’s Editorial Board receives an objective evaluation. This is achieved by assigning any submitted manuscript from the Editor-in-Chief or an Editorial Board member to an impartial Section Editor who can maintain the integrity of the review process. In most cases, EJCS invites the External Guest Editors. 

Embargo Policy

Once your manuscript is submitted to SSJ, it is immediately embargoed from being presented or discussed elsewhere until one week before the publication date. Authors who discuss their work with the media in violation of above requirements must ensure that the media representatives know the embargo policy and the embargo date.

Authors can participate in scientific conferences prior to publication of their article in SSJ if their paper is in press (accepted and sent to production).

Author guidelines for discussing articles at scientific conferences:

• No article title and details shall be given out. However, it is allowed to discuss the findings and results of the work in general terms. A figure or table from submitted manuscript may be shown during the presentation.
• The copies of the manuscript, tables, or figures can not distributed.

If an embargo break is the result of any action by an author, the author risks withdrawal of publication of the manuscript.

ETHICS AND POLICIES

Ethics topics to consider when publishing:

• Authorship of the paper:Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the key idea(s), design, implementaton, and/or interpretation of the results of research, study or was directly in clinical case reported.
• Originality and plagiarism:The authors should ensure that they have written entirely original works, and if the authors have used the work and/or words of others, that this has been appropriately cited or quoted.
• Data access and retention:Authors may be asked to provide the raw data in connection with a paper for editorial review, and should be prepared to provide public access to such data.
• Multiple or concurrent publication:An author should not publish manuscripts describing basically the same research or study in more than one journal - online or printed. However, publication in the form of an abstract or as an academic thesis is not considered as prior publication 
• Acknowledgement of sources:Proper acknowledgment.
• Disclosure and conflicts of interest:All submissions must include disclosure of all relationships that could be viewed as presenting a potential conflict of interest.
• Fundamental errors in published articles:When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in his/her own previous or currently published work, it is the author's obligation to promptly notify the journal editor or publisher and cooperate with them to retract or correct the paper.
• Hazards and human or animal subjects:Statements of compliance are required if the work involves inherently hazardous chemicals or if it involves the use of animal or human subjects. 

Statement of Editorial and Publication Policies

1. Manuscripts submitted to this journal should not have been published, or simultaneously submitted elsewhere.
2. Submitted articles should largely contain previously unreported material. The overlap of contents between related papers should be minimal, normally confined to the introductory/review sections.
3. Authors should consult the Journal’s “Authors Instructions” for detailed stylistic guidelines, during preparation of their manuscripts. Editors may return manuscripts that are grossly inconsistent with these guidelines.
4. Where the submitted manuscript is multi-authored, one individual will need to be the corresponding author. It will be assumed that all the authors have been involved in the work, have approved the manuscript, and agree to its submission.
5. Manuscripts will be sent to at least two reviewers. Reviewers are requested to treat the manuscript confidentially. They may choose to identify themselves, or remain anonymous.
6. The Editor’s judgement is final with regard to suitability for publication.
7. Authors are responsible for reading and correcting page proofs of their articles. Proof corrections are normally restricted to typesetting and printing errors. Major changes can not be undertaken at the proofreading stage.

Copyright and Permissions

© 2017 Azerbaijan State Academy of Physical Education and Sport. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, except for educational or personal use, without either the prior written permission of the publisher, or authorization by Copyrights and Patents Department of Azerbaijan State Academy of Physical Education and Sport. For authorization for other kinds of copying, contact: uptodate.az@gmail.com or editor@sportsciencejournal.org. Telephone: (994) 50 349 29 48.

Communications to the Publisher

For business inquiries, subscription information, advertisements, orders, or subscriber changes of address, contact Email: editor@sportsciencejournal.org. Telephone: (994) 50 349 29 48.