Publication Ethics
Journal of Intercollegiate Sport – Publication Ethics
We at the Journal of Intercollegiate Sport prioritize the integrity of both our academic content and publishing process. This section will outline our publishing principles for all Journal of Intercollegiate Sport content. All contributors (senior editorial team, editorial board, and authors) are expected to adhere to these principles.
The journal is a member of the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and their resources on transparency and best practices were used to create this document. Resources were also used from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the Cambridge University Press – Publication Ethics.
Research Integrity
JIS upholds high standards, and expects research published by the journal to abide by the following principles, which are based on Cambridge University’s Research Integrity Statement. These principles include:
- Honesty in all aspects of research
- Scrupulous care, thoroughness, and excellence in research practice
- Transparency and open communication
- Care and respect for all participants in and subjects of research.
Anyone who believes that research published by Journal of Intercollegiate Sport has not been carried out in line with these guidelines, or the above principles, should raise their concern with the relevant editor. Concerns will be addressed by following COPE guidelines where possible and/or by escalating the matter to the KU Press Publishing team if necessary.
Editorial Process
We are committed to editorial independence and strive in all cases to prevent this principle from being compromised through competing interests, fear, or any other corporate, business, financial or political influence. Our editorial processes reflect this commitment to editorial independence. We do not discriminate against authors, editors or peer reviewers based on personal characteristics or identity. We are committed to embedding diversity, removing barriers to inclusion, and promoting equity at every stage of our publishing process. We actively seek and encourage submissions from scholars of diverse backgrounds, including race and ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, and disability.
The Journal of Intercollegiate Sport is published in agreement with the University of Kansas (KU) Press. This publisher supports our journal but has no input or control over the content published by JIS. Our journal is an open-access publication and does not accept payment for publication. We do not tolerate abusive behavior or correspondence towards our staff and others involved in the publishing process on our behalf. If anyone involved in this process engages in such behavior we have the right to take action to protect others from this abuse. This may include, for example, withdrawal of a manuscript from consideration, or challenging clearly abusive peer review comments.
Peer Review
After you submit your manuscript, an editor will review it to determine its quality and fit for JIS. If it is not selected for peer review, you will be notified promptly. If it is suitable, you will receive an electronic notice confirming that it has been sent for double-blind peer review by at least two independent experts with no close ties to the author(s). We make every intention to have at least one editorial board member review each submitted manuscript. The completed recommendations from the reviewers inform the senior editorial team’s decision. If your paper is accepted, it will undergo copy-editing. This is completed by the senior editorial team and is communicated to the corresponding author. After copyediting, a layout editor conforms your paper to the journal’s digital typeset. The final step is publication within a scheduled issue.
Authorship
Authorship is considered for individuals who have made a substantial contributions to study design, acquisition of data, analysis, interpretation of findings, crafting or revising work to create an intellectual work. Authors are also held responsible for all aspects of the work and work with the publisher and corresponding authors to address questions or concerns until sufficiently resolved. We encourage authors to list anyone who does not meet the criteria for authorship in an Acknowledgments section in their publication with permission, for example to recognize the contributions of anyone who provided research or writing assistance.
The corresponding author has additional responsibilities to provide clear communication between the editorial team and author(s). The corresponding author’s responsibilities include direct communication with the senior editorial team, manuscript correction and proofreading, and to queries from all sources post-publication, including questions relating to publishing ethics, reuse of content, or the availability of data, etc.
Any author affiliations should represent the institution(s) at which the research presented was conducted and/or supported and/or approved. For non-research content, any affiliations should represent the institution(s) with which each author is currently affiliated.
Originality and Plagiarism
Authors must submit original work that is properly cited and approved by all listed authors. The Journal of Intercollegiate Sport has adopted the University of Oxford’s definition of plagiarism: “Presenting work or ideas from another source as your own, with or without consent of the original author, by incorporating it into your work without full acknowledgement. All published and unpublished material, whether in manuscript, printed or electronic form, is covered under this definition, as is the use of material generated wholly or in part through use of artificial intelligence. Plagiarism can also include re-using your own work without citation". Manuscripts may be checked with plagiarism detection software. Any submission suspected of containing plagiarism—whether in full or in part—will be rejected. If plagiarism is found after publication, we will follow the procedures in our Retractions and Corrections sub-section. Readers, reviewers, and editors should report suspected plagiarism by contacting the JIS senior editorial team via email.
Submissions to Journal of Intercollegiate Sport should not be already published, in press, or under consideration within a different journal, book, or similar entity.
Human Subjects Research
Research involving humans should be approved by relevant ethics committee(s) and should conform to international ethical and legal standards for research. We also expect authors to respect human participants’ right to privacy, and to gain any necessary consent to publish before submitting to Journal of Intercollegiate Sport.
Conflicts of Interest / Funding Declarations
All actual or potential conflicts of interest must be disclosed. This could include financial (e.g., employment, consultancies, travel grants), personal, or other relationships with individuals or organizations that can be viewed as actually or potentially influencing the work inappropriately. Anyone who suspects an undisclosed conflict of interest regarding a manuscript published or under consideration by JIS should email the senior editorial team. Author(s) should include a statement on funding and conflicts of interest when submitting their manuscript for review.
Libel, Defamation and Freedom of Expression
Freedom of expression is critical to us as academic publishers, but we do not support publishing false statements that harm the reputation of individuals, groups, or organizations. The Journal of Intercollegiate Sport team can advise on pre-publication libel reviews and will also address allegations of libel in any of our publications.
Retractions and Corrections
JIS will consider retractions, corrections, or expressions of concern in line with COPE’s Retraction Guidelines. If an author is found to have made an error, the journal will issue a corrigendum. If the journal is found to have made an error, they will issue an erratum. Retractions are usually reserved for articles that are so seriously flawed that their findings or conclusions should not be relied upon.
Fraudulent Research and Research Misconduct
Where we are made aware of fraudulent research or research misconduct, our first concern is the integrity of content we have published. We work with the relevant editor(s) and other appropriate institutions or organizations, to investigate. Any publication found to include fraudulent results will be retracted, or an appropriate correction or expression of concern will be issued. Please see the Retractions and Corrections sub-section of these guidelines for more information.
Transparency
We strive to follow COPE’s Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing and encourage our publishing partners to uphold these same principles.
Copyright and Access
Authors maintain copyright for all published work at Journal of Intercollegiate Sport. JIS is an open access journal with all published materials available to readers on our website.
Data and Supporting Evidence
JIS supports transparency and openness around data, code, and other materials associated with research. We expect authors to maintain accurate records of supporting evidence necessary to allow others to understand, verify, and replicate new findings, and to supply or provide access to this supporting evidence, on reasonable request.
Integrity of Record
JIS maintains a record of the existence of everything we publish with information (metadata) describing each publication since migrating over to the University of Kansas Libraries Digital Publishing Services. If our content is deemed not to comply with the laws of a sovereign nation, we make every effort to ensure the metadata remain accessible within that jurisdiction. Where we are obliged to alter the publication record in any way, such as in the case of research misconduct leading to retraction of a publication, we preserve the academic record as far possible. See the Retractions and Corrections sub-section of these guidelines for more information.
