Manuscript Guidelines

Manuscript Guidelines

"The Shield - Research Journal of Physical Education & Sports Science" requires authors to maintain the highest standards of methodological rigor and transparency. Authors must adhere to discipline-specific reporting standards relevant to their study design.

Reporting Standards for Different Study Types

Authors are strongly encouraged to utilize the following established reporting guidelines to ensure comprehensive and transparent reporting of their research:

Study Type	Guideline	Source Checklist/Framework
Experimental Studies	TIDieR (Template for Intervention Description and Replication)	TIDieR Checklist
Systematic Reviews/Meta-Analyses	PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses)	PRISMA Checklist
Qualitative Research	COREQ (Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research)	COREQ Checklist
Mixed-Methods Studies	GRAMMS (Good Reporting of A Mixed Methods Study)	GRAMMS Guidelines
Observational Studies	STROBE-Sports (Adapted for sports sciences)	STROBE Framework
Case Studies	Monash University Case Study Guidelines or equivalent	Monash Guidelines
Intervention Trials (Exercise/Training)	CERT (Consensus on Exercise Reporting Template)	CERT Checklist

Guidelines for Short Communications

Short Communications offer a venue for concise, high-impact contributions. They are suitable for:

• Preliminary findings in sports physiology, motor learning, or pedagogy.
• Innovations in sports technology or training methodologies.
• Critical commentary on policy changes in physical education or sports.

Structure & Length:

• Clear, focused messaging with a maximum length of 1,500 words (excluding abstract, references, tables, and figures).
• The manuscript must clearly link the findings to existing literature and emphasize practical implications.
• Priority should be given to novel insights; exhaustive data analysis should be avoided.

Transparency in AI-Assisted Research

"The Shield" requires full transparency when authors utilize Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools (e.g., Large Language Models (LLMs), generative AI, chatbots) in any stage of their research or manuscript preparation.

Disclosure Requirements:

• Cover Letter: Authors must declare the use of any AI tools in the cover letter submitted with the manuscript.
• Manuscript Sections:
• Methods Section: Detailed AI involvement in data analysis, figure/graph creation, or data processing must be reported.
• Acknowledgments: AI-assisted writing support used for generating, paraphrasing, or polishing text must be noted in the Acknowledgments section.

Accountability and Ethical Use:

• Human Accountability: Human authors must take full responsibility for the manuscript's content, verifying all AI-generated text, code, or data for accuracy, integrity, and ethical compliance.
• Authorship Exclusion: AI tools, LLMs, or chatbots cannot be listed as authors or cited as contributors as they cannot take responsibility for the work.
• Originality & Plagiarism: Authors must ensure that all AI-generated text and images are plagiarism-free and properly cited if they rely on existing sources. The percentage of AI-written content, as determined by the journal's standard checks, must not exceed 19 percent of the total manuscript text.