Format your manuscript to the Psychology of Sport and Exercise requirements — abstract, APA 7th references, and required declarations — and submit through Editorial Manager without a formatting rejection.
4.4
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 19 August, 2026
Most manuscripts sent to Psychology of Sport and Exercise don’t stumble on the science — they stumble on formatting caught at the first editorial check. This template is built around Psychology of Sport and Exercise’s actual requirements — its abstract rules, APA 7th references, and the required declarations — so your submission clears screening on the first pass. Everything below tracks the Psychology of Sport and Exercise Guide for Authors; check it directly if anything looks out of date by the time you submit.
It’s a manuscript shell set up to Psychology of Sport and Exercise’s specifications for sport and exercise psychology. of Sport and Exercise is published by Elsevier. The shell covers the title page, the abstract, a body in Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD) order, and a reference list in APA 7th style.
Start with the title page (authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs). The abstract is a single unstructured paragraph, generally ≤250 words, with no references or non-standard abbreviations. Psychology of Sport and Exercise also expects Highlights (3–5 bullets, 85 characters max each). The body follows Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD), and the reference list uses APA 7th. Close with the declarations block: ethics approval, conflict of interest, funding, and data availability.
The details that trip up most first submissions: missing or over-length Highlights, no Declaration of Competing Interest statement, and a reference list that isn't consistent within the manuscript. Beyond that, match your article type’s specific limits rather than assuming the defaults apply, keep APA 7th formatting consistent from the first draft, and submit only through Editorial Manager — email submissions aren’t processed.
The shell mirrors what Psychology of Sport and Exercise’s editorial staff check first: abstract format and length, APA 7th reference formatting, and a complete declarations block. For the journal’s full aims and scope, see the Psychology of Sport and Exercise journal home page. Psychology of Sport and Exercise offers an open-access option; check the current article-processing charge and any waiver before you commit. Manuscripts go in through Editorial Manager, which also tracks your paper through peer review.
| Element | Psychology of Sport and Exercise requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | a single unstructured paragraph, generally ≤250 words, with no references or non-standard abbreviations |
| 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 | Editorial Manager |
Read the Psychology of Sport and Exercise Guide for Authors once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after your results are stable so it matches the paper. Set APA 7th as your reference style before adding a single citation — retrofitting it later is where errors creep in. Prepare Highlights (3–5 bullets, 85 characters max each) early rather than leaving it to the end.
Skim two or three recent Psychology of Sport and Exercise 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 Psychology of Sport and Exercise Guide for Authors: scope fit, abstract format, length, APA 7th references, required declarations, and figure quality. Re-check the items that most often cause a bounce here — missing or over-length Highlights, no Declaration of Competing Interest statement, and a reference list that isn't consistent within the manuscript. Then submit through Editorial Manager.