What sort of articles will be considered for publication?

The founders of JSAS elected to keep its scope fairly broad to allow it to cover essentially all areas of sport management science.  Rather than focus JSAS topically in an attempt to elicit the perception of higher research quality, its founders prefer to ensure journal quality through high-quality peer reviewing; correlatedly, ensuring high-quality peer reviews is the function of a high-quality editorial board.

JSAS welcomes for review papers that examine topics that primarily center around some aspect of the administration and supervision of amateur, elite, semiprofessional, and professional sports, including (but not limited to) administration/organizational behavior, marketing, law, economics/finance, history, sociology, ethics, coaching, institutional interaction, secondary (high school) interaction, professional sport interaction, intra-departmental interaction, and media.  Manuscripts that center upon process improvement will be considered particularly important to its mission.  JSAS will also seek to further the concept of phenomenology through the promotion of case studies.

Topical examples include:

1. Impact of marketing practices (sponsorships, branding, advertising, etc.) on sport
2. Images, role models, and sportsmanship
3. Influence of drug cultures on sports
4. Influence of entertainment cultures on sports
5. Impact of positive/negative role models
6. Perceived exploitation of high school/college athletes
7. Influences of television on decision-making in high school/college athletics
8. Parental involvement with youth sports
9. Attitudes/perceptions of sport management professionals
10. Impact of ethical training on athletes/coaches/administrators
11. Supervisory best-practices in the sport industry
12. Stakeholder understanding/relationship management
13. The future face of sport in America and throughout the world
14. Development of philosophy at the organizational and individual levels
15. Impact of globalization and internationalization of sport

Why an emphasis on case studies?

JSAS seeks to publish research that applies systems-thinking to a defined, focused environment and explores the relationships that exist within the system, its parts, and the internal and external environments to create a more in-depth, holistic approach to research.

Examples as described by Thomas, Nelson, & Silverman (2005) include:

1. Descriptive case studies, which present a detailed picture of phenomena but do not attempt to test or build theoretical models
2. Interpretive case studies, which interpret data in an attempt to classify and conceptualize that information and perhaps theorize about phenomena
3. Evaluative case studies, which use data to evaluate the merit of some practice, program, movement, or event

Though the research may be precisely focused, readers will be able to assess the environment discussed and make determinations about how the researched environment is similar or different to theirs and how it might provide some insight to processes found in their systems.

What sort of articles will NOT be considered for publication?

JSAS will not consider:

1. Op-ed pieces that are not grounded in academic theory AND functional practice: The institution of sport has many flaws and imperfections that are well documented.  Solidly founded critical pieces that are solution-driven without being exclusively problem-focused or politically-motivated are welcome.  Media citations and other mainstream works are very much welcomed and desirable for background, but manuscripts must not be built nearly exclusively upon them.
2. Research that is too narrow in scope: Might a study be understood and perhaps appreciated by practicing senior-level athletic administrators?  When reported in an appropriate format, might it even be understood by the public?  Might it have a practical application to the real-world practices of sport administration and supervision?  Might it stimulate thinking by academics and practitioners alike in directions not previously considered?
3. Research that is unnecessarily methodologically & statistically overloaded: While JSAS insists upon sound research methodologies that are firmly rooted in generally acceptable scientific principles, studies distended with statistical analysis will not have inherently perceived favorability during review simply because data have been given extensive statistical treatment.

How will manuscripts be reviewed?

To shift research articles that it will publish in a practical direction, JSAS will require each manuscript to be reviewed by one practitioner in addition to at least two reviews by academicians.  Practitioners’ reviews will evaluate the practicality and applicability of the research to the sport industry.  Academicians’ reviews will assess the soundness of the research’s design, analysis, and conclusions in light of scientific methodology.

As stated previously, JSAS maintains that the quality of published research is directly linked to quality reviews by qualified members of a journal’s review board.  Our review board will be staffed with leading academicians from the fields of sport management, business, education, philosophy, and practitioners from institutions of sport, business, education, and government.