Format your manuscript to the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine requirements — abstract, AMA (Vancouver numbered) references, and required declarations — and submit through SAGE Track (ScholarOne Manuscripts) without a formatting rejection.
4.5
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 19 August, 2026
Most manuscripts sent to Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine don’t stumble on the science — they stumble on formatting caught at the first editorial check. This template is built around OJSM’s actual requirements — its abstract rules, AMA (Vancouver numbered) references, and the required declarations — so your submission clears screening on the first pass. Everything below tracks the OJSM author guidelines; check it directly if anything looks out of date by the time you submit.
It’s a manuscript shell set up to OJSM’s specifications for sports medicine and orthopaedic surgery. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine is published by SAGE on behalf of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine. The shell covers the title page, the abstract, a body in Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD) order, and a reference list in AMA (Vancouver numbered) style.
Start with the title page (authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs). The abstract is an abstract within the journal's stated limit (commonly ≤250 words). The body follows Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD), and the reference list uses AMA (Vancouver numbered). Close with the declarations block: ethics approval, conflict of interest, funding, and data availability.
The details that trip up most first submissions: an abstract or title that exceeds the stated limits, references that mix Harvard and Vancouver, and no ethics/consent statement where required. Beyond that, match your article type’s specific limits rather than assuming the defaults apply, keep AMA (Vancouver numbered) formatting consistent from the first draft, and submit only through SAGE Track (ScholarOne Manuscripts) — email submissions aren’t processed.
The shell mirrors what OJSM’s editorial staff check first: abstract format and length, AMA (Vancouver numbered) reference formatting, and a complete declarations block. For the journal’s full aims and scope, see the OJSM journal home page. OJSM is open access; check the current article-processing charge before you submit. Manuscripts go in through SAGE Track (ScholarOne Manuscripts), which also tracks your paper through peer review.
| Element | OJSM requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | an abstract within the journal's stated limit (commonly ≤250 words) |
| Main text | Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD) |
| Declarations | Ethics approval, conflict of interest, funding, and data availability |
| Figures / tables | Captioned, cited in order; check format and resolution rules in the guide |
| Supplemental | Large datasets, extra tables, code — uploaded separately and cited in text |
| Submission | SAGE Track (ScholarOne Manuscripts) |
Read the OJSM author guidelines once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after your results are stable so it matches the paper. Set AMA (Vancouver numbered) as your reference style before adding a single citation — retrofitting it later is where errors creep in.
Skim two or three recent OJSM papers to calibrate depth, structure, and figure style. State your contribution in the first two paragraphs, not on page ten. Write a data-availability statement that names a real repository rather than a placeholder, and disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in your cover letter. Confirm current open-access pricing and any institutional agreement before committing to a fee.
Do one focused pass against the OJSM author guidelines: scope fit, abstract format, length, AMA (Vancouver numbered) references, required declarations, and figure quality. Re-check the items that most often cause a bounce here — an abstract or title that exceeds the stated limits, references that mix Harvard and Vancouver, and no ethics/consent statement where required. Then submit through SAGE Track (ScholarOne Manuscripts).