Format your manuscript to the Strength and Conditioning Journal requirements — abstract, numbered references, and required declarations — and submit through the journal's online submission system without a formatting rejection.
4.3
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 24 August, 2026
Most manuscripts sent to Strength and Conditioning Journal don’t stumble on the science — they stumble on formatting caught at the first editorial check. This template is built around Strength and Conditioning Journal’s actual requirements — its abstract rules, numbered references, and the required declarations — so your submission clears screening on the first pass. Everything below tracks the Strength and Conditioning Journal author guidelines; check it directly if anything looks out of date by the time you submit.
It’s a manuscript shell set up to Strength and Conditioning Journal’s specifications for strength and conditioning and athletic performance. Strength and Conditioning Journal is published by Indonesian Conditioning Coaches Association. The shell covers the title page, the abstract, a body in Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD) order, and a reference list in numbered style.
Start with the title page (authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs). The abstract is an abstract within the journal's stated word limit. The body follows Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD), and the reference list uses 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 outside the stated word limit, references not in the journal's required format, and missing declarations (ethics, competing interests, funding). Beyond that, match your article type’s specific limits rather than assuming the defaults apply, keep numbered formatting consistent from the first draft, and submit only through the journal's online submission system — email submissions aren’t processed.
The shell mirrors what Strength and Conditioning Journal’s editorial staff check first: abstract format and length, numbered reference formatting, and a complete declarations block. For the journal’s full aims and scope, see the Strength and Conditioning Journal home page. Strength and Conditioning Journal offers an open-access option; check the current article-processing charge and any waiver before you commit. Manuscripts go in through the journal's online submission system, which also tracks your paper through peer review.
| Element | Strength and Conditioning Journal requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | an abstract within the journal's stated word limit |
| 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 | the journal's online submission system |
Read the Strength and Conditioning Journal author guidelines once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after your results are stable so it matches the paper. Set numbered as your reference style before adding a single citation — retrofitting it later is where errors creep in.
Skim two or three recent Strength and Conditioning Journal 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 Strength and Conditioning Journal author guidelines: scope fit, abstract format, length, numbered references, required declarations, and figure quality. Re-check the items that most often cause a bounce here — an abstract outside the stated word limit, references not in the journal's required format, and missing declarations (ethics, competing interests, funding). Then submit through the journal's online submission system.