Submission Guidelines

note

Make a submission by clicking here.

The JKW accepts submissions on a rolling basis. As an online journal, the JKW publishes papers after they are accepted rather than waiting for a full volume to be completed before publishing. Full volumes are compiled and published once a year in January.

Papers are published under these sections:

• Experimental & Quantitative Research: consists of scholarly papers based on original quantitative research (experimental or observational).
• Qualitative & Mixed-Methods Research: consists of scholarly papers using qualitative or mixed-methods approaches.
• Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses: includes systematic reviews (with or without meta-analysis) and related evidence syntheses.
• Student-Led Research: reserved for scholarly papers in which a student (undergraduate or graduate) is the lead author.
• John Massengale Paper: an exclusive publication written by a distinguished scholar.
• WSKW Chronicles: post-conference proceedings, such as conference abstracts.

Formatting guidelines for all manuscripts

1. All manuscripts must be written in English. For scholars in which English is an additional language, please seek assistance from colleagues with experience publishing in English-language journals before submitting a manuscript.

2. Microsoft Word submission.

3. Follow APA style, current edition.

   Quick APA Formatting Guide:

   • Margins: 1 inch on all sides
   • Font: 12-point Times New Roman (or similar approved APA font)
   • Line spacing: Double-spaced throughout
   • Paragraph indentation: 0.5 inches
   • For complete details, see our internal Comprehensive APA Style Guide.

   Click here to download the Manuscript Template

Tables and Figures Submission Requirements

Tables

All tables must be created using Word's built-in table features (do not paste tables as images). They must be added towards the end of the main manuscript file (after the references), rather than submitted as a separate document. Do not embed tables within the main text flow. The tables must follow APA 7th edition formatting:

• Authors must clearly indicate within the main text where each table should be placed (e.g., [Insert Table 1 here]).
• Provide captions on the top of each table. Each table must have a number (e.g., Table 1, Table 2) in bold, placed above the table on its own line.
• Immediately below the table number, include a descriptive title in italics, in title case, on its own line (e.g., Descriptive Statistics for All Study Variables).
• A note may appear below the table when needed to explain abbreviations, symbols, or provide additional context. Begin with the word Note. in italics, followed by a period, then the note text in regular typeface.
• Tables should use only horizontal rules (no vertical lines) — one rule below the column headers and one at the bottom of the table.

Figures (Graphs, Charts, and Images)

Each figure must be submitted as a separate image file — one file per figure. Do not embed figures within the main manuscript Word document.

Recommended file formats (in order of preference):

Format	Best use	Notes
TIFF (.tif)	All figure types; photographs	Gold standard for print publication; lossless; preferred by most publishers
PNG (.png)	Graphs, charts, line art, figures with text	Lossless compression; no artifacts; ideal when the figure was digitally created
JPEG (.jpg)	Photographs only	Acceptable only when TIFF is unavailable; save at highest quality (lowest compression) setting

Why not JPEG for graphs? JPEG compression introduces visual artifacts around sharp edges and text, which significantly degrades the quality of charts, graphs, and line drawings. TIFF or PNG are strongly preferred for these figure types.

Minimum resolution (DPI) requirements:

Figure type	Minimum DPI
Photographs / halftones (color or grayscale)	300 dpi
Graphs, charts, line art (black & white)	600 dpi
Combination figures (line art + photograph)	600 dpi

Resolution must be measured at the final printed size, not at a reduced preview size. Images downloaded from websites (typically 72 dpi) are not acceptable for publication. Figures exported directly from PowerPoint are also generally not acceptable due to insufficient default export resolution.

Figure captions and any notes must be included in the main manuscript (not in the image file itself), listed sequentially at the end of the manuscript, after the tables. Each caption must follow APA format:

• The figure number appears in bold (e.g., Figure 1)
• Immediately after the figure number (on the same line), include the figure title in italics, followed by a period
• A plain-text description or note may follow if needed

File naming convention: Name each figure file with the manuscript identifier and figure number (e.g., figure1.tif, figure2.png).

01. Research Articles (Experimental, Qualitative, Systematic Reviews)

Submitted manuscripts will be subject to a blind peer-review process. Papers for consideration should not have been published elsewhere. WSKW Membership is not required. As part of the peer review, the following areas will be evaluated: (a) original contribution, (b) clear purpose, (c) clear methodology or logical arguments, (d) sound data analyses or supported arguments, (e) conclusion and implications, (f) accurate grammar, tone, use of English, (g) sound writing (sentence/paragraph structure), (h) use of current APA Style, and (i) relevance of tables and figures.

Cover Letter: A separate document addressed to the Editor-in-Chief briefly outlining the significance of the research, confirming that the manuscript is original and not under consideration elsewhere, and disclosing any conflicts of interest. Click here for a template

Title Page: (1) Title of paper, (2) Name of Author(s) and order of contribution, (3) Author(s) affiliation, (4) Date of submission, (5) Author contact information (Name, address, phone, e-mail, and ORCID), (6) Funding (if any), (7) Acknowledgements (if any), (8) Conflict of interest (if any), and (9) Statement that indicates the research is original. The paper has not been published elsewhere. Click here for a template

Blinded Manuscript: (1) Title of paper (no authors listed), (2) Abstract (250 words or less, formatted with structured headings such as Methods, Results, etc.), (3) Main heading order: Methods or headings to fit a descriptive-type paper; Results or headings to fit a descriptive type paper; Discussion; Conclusion, and (4) References. Tables should follow references, and figure captions should be listed after the tables. Length: 15-page maximum, excluding references, cover page, and abstract. Note: All accepted papers will be published online shortly after being accepted. Click here for a template

Tables: Place all tables towards the end of the main manuscript file, with APA-formatted captions on the top. Authors must indicate in the text where tables should appear. See the Tables and Figures Submission Requirements section above.

Separate Figure Files: One image file per figure (TIFF preferred; PNG or high-quality JPEG accepted). See the Tables and Figures Submission Requirements section above.

02. Student-Led Research

The Student-Led Research section aims to feature student (undergraduate and graduate) scholarly work. A student must be the first author of the manuscript submission. It is also mandatory that the manuscript be endorsed by someone holding a terminal degree, and the endorsee must be included as an author. Submitted manuscripts will be subject to a blind peer-review process. Papers for consideration should not have been published elsewhere. WSKW Membership is not required. As part of the peer review, the following areas will be evaluated: (a) original contribution, (b) clear purpose, (c) clear methodology or logical arguments, (d) sound data analyses or supported arguments, (e) conclusion and implications, (f) accurate grammar, tone, use of English, (g) sound writing (sentence/paragraph structure), (h) use of current APA Style, and (i) relevance of tables and/or figures.

Cover Letter: A separate document addressed to the Editor-in-Chief introducing the submission, confirming that the research is original and not under consideration elsewhere, verifying the lead author's student status, and including the endorsement from a co-author holding a terminal degree. Click here for a template

Title Page: (1) Title of paper, (2) Name of Author(s) and order of contribution, (3) Author(s) affiliation, (4) Date of submission, (5) Author contact information (Name, address, phone, e-mail, and ORCID), (6) Funding (if any), (7) Acknowledgements (if any), (8) Conflict of interest (if any), (9) Statement that indicates the research is original and hasn't been published elsewhere, and (10) A statement that indicates the first author is a student (undergraduate or graduate) and identifies which of the other authors has a terminal degree and endorses the manuscript. Click here for a template

Blinded Manuscript: (1) Title of paper (no authors listed), (2) Abstract (250 words or less, formatted with structured headings such as Methods, Results, etc.), (3) Main heading order: Methods or headings to fit a descriptive-type paper; Results or headings to fit a descriptive type paper; Discussion; Conclusion, and (4) References. Tables should follow references, and figure captions should be listed after the tables. Length: 10-page maximum, excluding references, cover page, and abstract. Note: All accepted papers will be published online shortly after being accepted. Click here for a template

Tables: Place all tables towards the end of the main manuscript file, with APA-formatted captions on the top. Authors must indicate in the text where tables should appear. See the Tables and Figures Submission Requirements section above.

Separate Figure Files: One image file per figure (TIFF preferred; PNG or high-quality JPEG accepted). See the Tables and Figures Submission Requirements section above.

03. John Massengale Paper

Formally known as the Western Society Review Papers, the John Massengale Paper reflects Dr. Massengale's outstanding contributions to the WSKW organization.

Dr. John Massengale (1939-2013) served as the 1999 Western College Physical Education Society (which is now the WSKW) President. He began his professional academic career in 1969 at Eastern Washington University before retiring in 2008 from UNLV. Dr. Massengale was a respected leader and mentor during his nearly forty years of service to the field of physical education. He steadfastly defended the importance of physical education and helped shape the field into what it is today. Dr. Massengale was a lifelong learner and physical education enthusiast who served as a P.E. teacher, coach, professor, department chair, dean, professional association president, and respected leader.

John Massengale Papers are by invitation only. The JKW Editor will select and invite a prominent scholar to submit a manuscript for publication as a John Massengale Paper. The manuscript will follow the APA style guidelines and JKW formatting guidelines noted above.

Nomination deadline: February 28th

Note about ORCID

ORCID provides a unique digital identifier for researchers to distinguish them from others and link their work. Corresponding authors must associate their ORCID iD during submission to this journal, and co-authors are encouraged to do the same. This ensures that their work is properly attributed to them. If an author does not have an ORCID iD, they can create one by following this link.

Peer review policy

JKW does not allow the use of author-recommended (suggested) reviewers at any stage of the submission process. Reviewers should be subject matter specialists who can provide an objective appraisal of the manuscript. Our principle is that reviewers should not be assigned to an article if any of the following conditions are met:

• The reviewer works at the same university as any of the co-authors.
• The reviewer is based on the paper's funding body.
• The author has recommended the reviewer.
• The reviewer gave a personal (e.g., Gmail/Yahoo/Hotmail) email address, and a basic Google search (name, department, and institution) did not provide an institutional email account.

The journal's policy is for articles to be examined by two experts. The Journal of Kinesiology and Wellness employs a double-anonymized peer review procedure in which the reviewer's and authors' names and details are withheld from the other. All manuscripts are reviewed as soon as feasible while remaining rigorous. Reviewers provide feedback to the author and recommendations to the Editor, who makes the final choice.

The Editor or members of the Editorial Board may submit their own manuscripts for consideration for publication. In these situations, alternate Board members will administer the peer review process, and the submitting Editor/Board member will have no say in the decision-making process.

IRB

We wish to emphasize an essential requirement for those submitting manuscripts involving human subjects to our journal. Along with including your Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocol number in the cover letter, please ensure to incorporate the following details within the manuscript itself:

1. IRB Approval Statement: Explain that your research project has received approval from an IRB. This declaration is crucial for upholding research ethics and integrity.
2. Consent for Adult Subjects: If your study involves adult subjects, include a statement confirming that informed consent was obtained from all participants.
3. Consent and Assent for Child Subjects: In studies involving children, it is necessary to affirm that consent was obtained from parents or guardians, and assent was acquired from the children.

These additions are vital for demonstrating compliance with ethical standards and ensuring transparency and accountability in research involving human subjects. Manuscripts lacking these details may face delays or potential rejection.