Editorial Policies of the Journal

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Who We Are

Founded in 1924, the German Journal of Sports Medicine is one of the oldest journals in the field in Europe. Its readership includes physicians, physiologists, sports scientists, physiotherapists, coaches, sports managers, and athletes.

The journal provides open online access to its scientific content and serves as a platform for professional and interdisciplinary communication.

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What We Do

The journal focuses on translational research and clinical practice in sports medicine, including prevention, diagnosis, therapy, rehabilitation, and training.

It also addresses broader aspects of sports science, such as physiology, biomechanics, and the impact of physical activity and inactivity on health and disease across all age groups.

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Scope and Coverage

The Deutsche Zeitschrift für Sportmedizin – German Journal of Sports Medicine publishes high-quality, peer-reviewed research in sports medicine and related disciplines.

The journal examines the effects of exercise, training, sports participation, and physical inactivity on health, disease prevention, clinical management, rehabilitation, and performance across the lifespan.

Core Areas Include:

• Prevention, screening, and risk assessment
• Diagnosis and evaluation of sports- and exercise-related conditions
• Therapeutic interventions and rehabilitation strategies
• Training, exercise physiology, and performance optimization
• Sports cardiology, orthopaedics, and injury management
• Sports psychology and mental health
• Sports nutrition and metabolism
• Environmental influences on sports and exercise

Article Types

The journal publishes:

• Original research
• Systematic reviews and meta-analyses
• Clinical trials
• Case reports
• Conceptual studies

Manuscripts may address biomedical, clinical, epidemiological, or interdisciplinary aspects of sports medicine, including social, cultural, and behavioral factors.

Contributions are expected to be evidence-based, clinically relevant, and methodologically rigorous.

Target Audience

Physicians, sports scientists, physiotherapists, coaches, sports managers, and other professionals involved in research, practice, and promotion of sports and exercise health.

Publication Frequency

The journal is published seven times per year and offers both print editions and full-text online access (PDF and HTML).

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Quality of Content: Principles of Good Scientific Practice

The journal adheres to the standards of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), including the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals (January 2026 update).

To ensure transparent and complete reporting, the journal follows the STROBE initiative (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology), including its checklists for cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies.

All submitted research must comply with fundamental scientific principles:

• Conducting research lege artis
• Following established protocols
• Systematic documentation and data storage
• Critical evaluation of results
• Verifiability of manuscripts
• Proper acknowledgment of prior work
• Shared responsibility among all authors

Authors must provide original data upon request.

Scientific Integrity

The journal strictly opposes scientific misconduct, including:

• Plagiarism
• Misappropriation of intellectual property
• Undeserved authorship
• Sabotage of research
• Tolerance of unethical behavior

Academic position does not justify independent authorship.

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Ethical Principles

.NEW. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

In alignment with the 2025 policy decision and guidelines of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), GJSM permits the use of AI tools under clearly defined conditions.

1. General Principle

AI tools may only be used in a supportive capacity. Full responsibility remains with authors and reviewers.

2. Requirements for Authors

Authors must:

• Use AI only for support (e.g., language editing, structuring)
• Not use AI for generating scientific content (e.g., Introduction, Discussion, References)
• Disclose AI use in the manuscript
• Retain full responsibility for accuracy and integrity
• Comply with data protection, copyright, and research integrity standards
• Not list AI tools as authors

3. Requirements for Reviewers

Reviewers must ensure:

Confidentiality:
No upload of manuscripts into public AI tools

Transparency:
Disclosure of AI use

Quality Assurance:
Critical verification of AI-supported content

Responsibility:
Full accountability remains with the reviewer

4. Legal and Ethical Considerations

AI use must comply with:

• GDPR / DSGVO
• Copyright law
• European AI regulations

Risks include:

• Bias (e.g., automation bias)
• Lack of transparency
• Potential inaccuracies (“hallucinations”)

5. Implementation

The journal may require:

• Mandatory disclosure statements
• Additional documentation

References

1. Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). Artificial Intelligence in the Review Process. Information for Researchers No. 18. https://www.dfg.de/en/news/news-topics/announcements-proposals/2026/ifr-26-18 [Accessed March 23, 2026].
2. Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. Guideline on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Review Process (DFG form 4.04 – 03/26). https://www.dfg.de/resource/blob/390262/4-04-en.pdf [Accessed March 23, 2026].
3. Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. AI in the Review Process. DFG – Basics and Topics, Artificial Intelligence. https://www.dfg.de/en/basics-topics/digital-topics/ai/review#389620 [Accessed March 23, 2026].

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Ethical Standards in Sports Medicine

All authors must comply with doping-free sport principles as defined by:

• German Olympic Association for Sports (DOSB)

• DOSB’s Anti-Doping section

• World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)

• International Olympic Committee (IOC)

Research must follow the Declaration of Helsinki, ensuring:

• Respect for participants
• Voluntary informed consent
• Protection of rights and autonomy

Authors must verify requirements for:

• Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval

• PROSPERO registration (for systematic reviews)

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Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose all financial and non-financial conflicts of interest.

The corresponding author confirms that all co-authors agree to these principles.

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Human and Animal Research

Human Research

• Participation must be voluntary
• Full study information must be provided
• Participants may withdraw at any time
• Consent must be documented (preferably written)
• Participants should have access to general results

Animal Research

Must comply with all applicable legal and ethical standards.

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Quality of Editorial Work – Editorial Process

The editorial process ensures:

• Scientific excellence
• Relevance for clinical practice
• Evidence-based and comprehensible communication

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Peer Review

Principles

Peer review ensures:

• Scientific validity
• Relevance
• Editorial quality

It provides constructive feedback while maintaining fairness, confidentiality, and integrity.

Process

1. Electronic submission only
2. Initial editorial screening
3. Review by two independent blinded reviewers
4. Confidential evaluation
5. Decision: accept, revise, or reject
6. Transparent revision process
7. Continuous review until final decision
8. Full documentation via Editorial Manager
9. Archiving for ten years

In-House Peer Review

• External review for editor-authored papers
• Strict conflict-of-interest management
• Independent editorial oversight
• Full transparency and documentation

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Management of Comments, Errata, and Retractions

The journal follows ICMJE and COPE guidelines.

• Letters to the editor are encouraged
• Errors corrected via errata
• Serious concerns may lead to retraction
• Retractions are publicly documented

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Submission Guidelines

• Full author guidelines and previous issues are available on the GJSM website
• Language: American English
• Submission via Editorial Manager
• AI: allowed only for support, not content generation
• Special issues follow standard peer review
• Manuscripts edited for clarity and style

Ethical Image Use

• Respect personal rights
• Written consent required for identifiable individuals

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Open Access Policy

The journal follows the Budapest Open Access Initiative:

• Free access to all content
• No submission or processing fees

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Licensing

Published under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0:

• Authors retain copyright
• Content may be shared and adapted for non-commercial use
• Proper attribution required
• Same license must be applied
• Commercial use requires written permission

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Quality of Content

Principles of Good Scientific Practice in Sports Medicine

The German Journal of Sports Medicine adheres to the principles of good scientific practice in line with the guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), as outlined in the updated Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals (December 2021):
https://www.icmje.org/icmje-recommendations.pdf

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Transparent and Structured Reporting

Inadequate or incomplete reporting of scientific research impairs the ability to evaluate study strengths and limitations. Therefore, the journal follows internationally recognized standards such as:

• STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology):
  A collaborative initiative of epidemiologists, statisticians, methodologists, and journal editors aimed at improving the reporting quality of observational research.
  More information: https://www.strobe-statement.org

• STROBE Checklists:
  Used for cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional studies to ensure comprehensive and transparent reporting.
  Checklists: https://www.strobe-statement.org/checklists/

• EQUATOR Network:
  The journal also endorses the EQUATOR (Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research) Network, which provides a comprehensive overview of reporting guidelines for different study types.
  Website: https://www.equator-network.org/

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Core Principles of Scientific and Medical Practice

The German Journal of Sports Medicine recognizes and promotes the following principles of responsible scientific conduct:

• Scientific integrity ("lege artis") in study design, execution, and documentation

• Proper planning and registration of experimental procedures

• Systematic data documentation and long-term storage

• Continuous critical review and self-reflection of results

• Strict commitment to truthfulness and fairness, particularly in dealing with the work of colleagues, competitors, and predecessors

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Authorship and Responsibility

• Manuscripts must be written in a verifiable manner, acknowledging relevant prior work.

• All listed authors share collective responsibility for the content.

• Authors agree to provide their original data upon request to editors or peer reviewers.

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Zero Tolerance for Scientific Misconduct

The journal firmly opposes all forms of scientific misconduct, including but not limited to:

• Plagiarism

• Violation of intellectual property

• Unjustified authorship claims (e.g., honorary or coercive authorship)

• Sabotage or manipulation of others’ research

• Tolerating or facilitating dishonest behavior in research

An academic position or title does not justify authorship unless accompanied by substantive scientific contribution.

Publisher and Production Quality

Since February 2025, the publisher of the journal is SportMed Verlag, c/o Universität Ulm, Parkstraße 11, 89075 Ulm, Germany. Ms Simone Graf is the managing director.  They guarantee the quality of layout, printing, graphics and illustrations. The layout is provided by grape.media.design, Schleissheimerstraße 6, 80333 Munich, Germany. The journal is printed on acid-free paper by Creo Druck Bamberg, Gutenbergstraße 1, 96050 Bamberg, Germany.

The <link about-the-journal publication-committee>Publications Committee handles all publication rights and has a contract with the current publisher, which acts as de facto publisher on behalf of the German Association of Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. The Publication Committee is a Registered Non-Profit Association for Promotion of Sports Medicine (Verein zur Förderung der Sportmedizin Hannover e.V.). The members of the Publications Committee are 16 regional members of the German Society for Sports Medicine and Prevention (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Sportmedizin und Prävention -DGSP) who elect a Board of Directors to serve as the Publications and oversee editorial operations. The Association's General Assembly elects the Editor-in-Chief every two years and approves the budget. The association's board of directors appoints other editors and board members on the recommendation of the editor-in-chief and other DGSP committees; the board controls the budget and financial relations with the publisher. The Editor-in-Chief acts independently in accordance with the Editorial Policies of the Journal proposed and adopted by the Editorial Board (Editor-in-Chief, Editors) of the Journal and approved by the Publications Committee. The Publisher ensures that proven recommendations are followed, for example, in guidance to the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals by ICMJE and in guidance to the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (joint statement by COPE, DOAJ, WAME, and OASPA). The German Journal of Sports Medicine (GJSM) is also guided by the recommendations of PIE-J: The Presentation & Identification of E-Journals (NISO RP-16-2013).

See here the publishing policies, especially
- Peer Review Process
- Management of Comments and Opinions, Errata and Retractions
- Ethical Principles
- Data Sharing Policy
- Submissions in the German Journal of Sports Medicine
- SUBMISSIONS & GUIDELINES

Executive Board:
Univ. Prof. em. Dr. med. Klaus-Michael Braumann
Chairman of Board
Abt. Sport- und Bewegungsmedizin
Fakultät für Psychologie und Bewegungswissenschaft
University of Hamburg
Robert-Koch-Str. 40
20249 Hamburg, GERMANY
Phone:    +49  40 428 38 6339
Fax:    +49  40 428 38 2646
braumann@uni-hamburg.de

Univ. Prof. Dr. med. Wilhelm Bloch
Vice Chairman
Abteilung Molekulare und Zelluläre Sportmedizin
Institut für Kreislaufforschung und Sportmedizin
Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln
Am Sportpark Müngersdorf 6
50933 Köln, GERMANY
Phone:    +49  221 49 82 53 80
Fax:    +49  40 428 38 2646
w.bloch@dshs.koeln.de

Univ. Prof. em. Dr. med. Dieter Böning
Assessor
Schütte-Lanz-Straße 93B
12209 Berlin, GERMANY
Phone:    +49  30 715 03 76
Fax:    +49  30 844 51 653
dieter.boening@charite.de

Dr. med. Hans-Jürgen Schnell
Treasurer
Auf der hohen Fuhr 2
53809 Ruppichteroth, GERMANY
Phone:    +49  22 9190 786 22
Fax:    +49  22 9139 36
schnell-ruppichteroth@t-online.de

Ethical Principles

The ethical principles of the medical profession and other professionals working with athletes, patients, and the general public, as well as those in research, medical practice, and sport, will be accepted, particularly the general rules for research in sports.

The German Journal of Sports Medicine follows the scientific guidelines for safeguarding good research practice set by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG). The guidelines can be found here: DFG Guidelines.

The Journal also supports the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and is listed as a journal following the ICMJE's Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals.

In all studies involving humans or animals, the involvement of the responsible ethics committee and other competent authorities is mandatory. Each manuscript must include a statement about the outcome of the ethics evaluation and decisions from competent authorities, including a reference number.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

The Journal is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion in research and publications. These principles should be observed in study design, data collection, interpretation, and the study's generalizability. Constraints on generalizability should be stated when relevant.

Registration of Clinical Studies in a WHO-accredited Registry

The World Medical Association's Declaration of Helsinki states that all research involving human subjects must be registered in a publicly accessible database before the first subject is recruited.

Clinical studies must be registered in a registry that supports the WHO-managed International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP). The German Clinical Trials Registry (DRKS) is the WHO-recognized primary registry for Germany and is responsible for registering patient-oriented clinical trials conducted within the country.

Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose any conflicts of interest, including financial relationships, payments, or any other conflicts relevant to the publication in the German Journal of Sports Medicine, following ICMJE recommendations.

In the submission system "Editorial Manager," the corresponding author must sign a digital form, confirming that these principles are accepted for all corresponding authors.

Editors, editorial staff, and reviewers must also disclose any conflicts of interest during the handling of submissions. In case of uncertainty, additional editors, reviewers, or staff members should be involved.

Anti-Doping

The ethical principles for doping-free sport are defined according to the current World Anti-Doping Code and relevant guidelines established by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the German Olympic Association for Sports (DOSB), and national laws. All authors must adhere to these principles, which can also be subject to scientific discussion.

Rights and Respect for Humans and Animals

Participation in medical research must be voluntary for individuals capable of providing informed consent. Although it may be appropriate to consult family members or community leaders, no individual capable of giving informed consent may be enrolled in a study unless they freely agree.

In medical research involving human subjects, participants must be fully informed about:

• The aims and methods of the study

• Sources of funding and potential conflicts of interest

• Institutional affiliations of the researcher

• Expected benefits and risks, including discomfort

• Post-study provisions and other relevant aspects of the research

Participants must also be informed of their right to refuse participation or withdraw at any time without consequences. Researchers should pay special attention to the specific information needs of individual participants.

After ensuring that the participant understands the information, the researcher must seek the participant's freely given informed consent, preferably in writing. If written consent is not possible, non-written consent must be formally documented and witnessed. Participants should also be informed about the general outcome and results of the study. Ethical principles regarding the treatment of experimental animals must also be followed according to relevant laws.

Peer Review

Overview

All manuscripts submitted to the German Journal of Sports Medicine undergo a structured peer review process. This process follows established principles to ensure the objectivity, credibility, and scientific quality of published content. Authors are required to disclose any financial conflicts of interest, which are transparently evaluated during the review.

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Principles of Peer Review

• Quality Assurance:
  Manuscripts are evaluated for their relevance to the journal’s scope, scientific validity, and editorial quality, including completeness, style, and clarity.

• Constructive Feedback:
  Peer review aims to support authors by providing suggestions for improvement, including possible revisions, reductions, or the addition of overlooked aspects.

• Fairness and Confidentiality:
  The review process is confidential. Reviewers are required to treat all materials with strict confidentiality and must not share them with others.

• Objectivity and Conflict of Interest:
  Reviewers must act objectively and inform the editors of any potential conflicts of interest—especially in cases involving friends, close colleagues, or direct competitors. The editorial team reserves the right to decide whether a reviewer should be replaced.

• Reviewer Suggestions by Authors:
  Authors may suggest potential reviewers to avoid due to possible conflicts of interest. However, the editorial team is not obligated to follow these suggestions.

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Peer Review Process

1. Electronic Correspondence
   All correspondence is handled electronically. Printed manuscripts will not be returned to authors.

2. Initial Editorial Assessment
   Each manuscript is first reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief or an Editorial Board member. Manuscripts may be rejected at this stage if they fail to meet formal requirements or are deemed unworthy of further review by two board members.

3. External Peer Review
   Eligible manuscripts are sent to two independent reviewers (members of the Scientific Board or external experts).

   • The reviewers' identities are blinded to the authors.

   • Reviews consist of a confidential evaluation and an open section with detailed feedback.

   • Reviews should be completed within 4 weeks.

4. Decision Communication
   The open review comments are forwarded to the authors, along with the editorial decision: acceptance, revision with conditions, or rejection.

5. Author Revisions
   If revision is requested, authors must respond to the reviewers' comments and clearly indicate all changes made or justify any disagreements.

6. Ongoing Review
   The peer review process continues until a final editorial decision (acceptance or rejection) is made.

7. Digital Management
   The entire process is managed and documented via the Editorial Manager online system.

8. Archiving
   All reviews and related correspondence are archived for 10 years, along with the respective manuscripts.

Download PDF "Editorial Policies GJSM"

Submission of Manuscripts in the German Journal of Sports Medicine

Language

The language of the Journal is American English. All manuscripts are published with summaries in German and English and keywords in both languages. All English articles include an Extended Abstract in German language of one page, published with same information and DOI of the original article.

All submissions for international authors should be submitted via Editorial Manager, a system for online manuscript submission and peer review (http://dzsm.edmgr.com).

Special Issues

For special issues of the Journal, guest-editors may be invited by the Editorial Board,
who will revise these papers and may organize peer review in accordance with the
Editorial Board.

Style of Manuscripts

The manuscripts should be concise, sentences should be short. Manuscripts that are accepted for publication will be editorially revised for use of language.

The use of photographs should maintain the personal rights of the subjects and should be done only when necessary. Concerning the photographs of patients or athletes, even if they are persons of contemporary life, the authors must submit a personal written consent from the person in question. This is particularly valid for photographs of patients or experimental subjects.

The authors must provide a statement disclosing any potential conflicts of interest. This includes, but is not limited to, financial relationships, payments, or any other circumstances that may be perceived as influencing the content or outcome of a submission to the German Journal of Sports Medicine, in accordance with the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

In the submission system "Editorial Manager", the corresponding author confirms—on behalf of all co-authors—via a digital declaration prior to submission that these principles are understood and accepted.

Editors, editorial staff, and reviewers are also required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest in connection with submitted manuscripts. In case of uncertainty, additional editors, reviewers, or staff members must be consulted to ensure transparency and fairness in the editorial process.

Download PDF "Editorial Policies"

Management of Comments and Opinions, Errata and Retractions

In addressing corrections, retractions, and concerns, the German Journal of Sports Medicine follows the <link>ICMJE's Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals (https://www.icmje.org/icmje-recommendations.pdf) and the <link>COPE Guidelines for the Withdrawal of Articles (https://publicationethics.org/files/retraction-guidelines.pdf). Regarding supplements, the German Journal of Sports Medicine also follows the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) on "G. Supplements, Theme Issues, and Special Series”.

The journal welcomes critical colleagues and encourages all readers for letters to the editor. Letters to the editor will be sent to the responsible author and printed with answer into one of the coming issues. The Facebook-Account of the journal counts nearly 3000 follower and is also a medium to share comments and opinions to all articles of the journal.

If there are any scientific or other errors in a scientific article, the author will be informed and an erratum will be published in a coming issue. The erratum will be added to the PDF of the article.

Reasonable doubts about an article´s content lead to serious consultations with the author and with all Editors and the possible retraction of the manuscript by the author or the Editorial Office. The retraction will be declared in a coming issue, the online version will be updated.

 

Additional Guidelines for Authors

Lots of information regarding the journal can be obtained from the homepage of the DZSM: http://www.germanjournalsportsmedicine.com/authors. Guidelines for authors in English and previous issues and article in both html and PDF document can be downloaded for free. 

 

Open-access Policy

This journals policy is publish online as open-access-Journal to provide free dissemination as widely as possible according to the aims of the “Budapest Open Access Initiative” http://www.budapestopenaccessinitiative.org/read  

There is no fee for submission and handling of submissions.

Licensing information

The Licensing policy is CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/

The author is guaranteed his genuine copyright. Authors and readers may share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format and adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material.

Users have to give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. The permission is strictly for noncommercial use,  use of the material for commercial purposes are only permitted with written permission from the editorial office. When material is used further, remixed, transformed, users must distribute the contributions under the same license as the original.

Anti-Doping

The ethical principles for doping-free sport are defined according to the current version of the World Anti-Doping Code and the relevant regulations and guidelines established by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the German Olympic Association for Sports (DOSB), and national laws. All authors must adhere to these principles and accept them. However, this does not exclude scientific discussions of these guidelines and regulations.

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Rights and Respect for Humans and Animals

Informed Consent in Medical Research:
Participation in medical research must be voluntary for individuals capable of providing informed consent. Although it is appropriate to consult family members or community leaders, no individual capable of giving informed consent may be enrolled in research unless they agree freely.

In medical research involving human subjects capable of informed consent, each potential participant must be adequately informed about:

• The aims and methods of the research

• Sources of funding

• Any potential conflicts of interest

• Institutional affiliations of the researcher

• The expected benefits and risks, including any discomfort

• Post-study provisions and other relevant aspects of the study

The potential participant must be informed of their right to refuse participation or withdraw consent at any time without facing any consequences. Special attention should be paid to the specific information needs of individuals, and appropriate methods should be employed to deliver this information.

Once the potential participant has understood the information, a qualified individual must seek their freely given informed consent, preferably in writing. If written consent is not possible, the non-written consent must be formally documented and witnessed. Additionally, all research subjects should have the option to be informed about the general outcome and results of the study. Ethical principles regarding the treatment of experimental animals must also be adhered to as per relevant laws.

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Quality of Editorial Work – Editorial Process

The editorial process ensures that manuscripts submitted to the German Journal of Sports Medicine meet the highest quality standards. The manuscripts should address the latest and most important scientific findings and be relevant to practical applications in the field. The focus is on evidence-based, comprehensible medical science that aligns with the objectives of the journal.

 

Board of Directors

1.             Board of Directors is elected by members.

2.             Board of Directors serves as publication committee

3.             Board of Directors elects Editor-in-Chief

4.             Editor-in-Chief nominates other editors which are confirmed by the board of Directors

5.             Editor-in-Chief and editorial board appoint scientific board members

6.             Editor-in-Chief and editorial board can appoint junior editors out of the scientific board

Audience
The German Journal of Sports Medicine is directed to translational science and clinical practice of Sports Medicine and its adjacent fields, which investigate the influence of physical activity, exercise, training and sports, as well as a lack of exercise affecting healthy people and patients of all age-groups. It addresses implications for prevention, diagnosis, therapy, rehabilitation and physical training as well as the entire Sports Medicine and research in Sports Science, physiology and biomechanics.

The journal is the leading and most widely read German journal in the field of Sports Medicine. Readers are physicians, physiologists and sports scientists as well as physiotherapists, coaches, sport managers, and athletes. The journal offers to the scientific community online open access to its scientific content and online communication platform.

Listing in Databases
Each scientific article is uniquely identified by a Digital Object Identifier (DOI). XML-structured data are available of bibliographic data, abstracts and text. The journal is listed in:

-       SciVerse Scopus

-       CrossRef

-       EBSCO SPORTDiscus

-       Google Scholar

-       Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS)

-       DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals)

The Manuscript

Please check on the reviewed Author-Guidelines: https://www.germanjournalsportsmedicine.com/fileadmin/content/download/2024/AuthorGuidelines_DZSM__Update_2024_7.pdf

The incomplete and inadequate reporting of research makes it difficult to assess the
strengths and weaknesses of studies published in the medical literature. We are guided by the STROBE initiative and its checklists are used in observational research for cohort, case-control and cross-sectional studies: https://www.strobe-statement.org/ ,<link www.strobe-statement.org checklists>www.strobe-statement.org/checklists/ (2, 3). Published manuscripts and their excerpts may not be published or otherwise submitted in the language of the original contribution. The language of all scientific articles is American English.

Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses about important facts in the field of
experimental and practical sports medicine: Reviews should provide latest scientific data or relevant information for medical or training practice to the readership from a general point of view. Therefore, all relevant literature shall be quoted. Discussed opinions or assumptions should be clearly defined as such to the readers. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses should be guided by the PRISMA statement. PRISMA is a minimum evidence-based set of elements for reporting systematic reviews and meta-analyses. PRISMA focuses primarily on reporting reviews that assess the impact of interventions, but can also be used as a basis for reporting systematic reviews with objectives other than assessing interventions (e.g., assessing etiology, prevalence,
diagnosis, or prognosis). The PRISMA Checklist and flowchart is described here:
www.prisma-statement.org/PRISMAStatement/Checklist; www.prisma-
statement.org/PRISMAStatement/FlowDiagram (4, 5).

Rapid or Scoping Reviews are systematic surveys of the literature on a topic or question
of interest with a focus on published reviews. In a rapid review, several design decisions and practical steps are taken to shorten the time needed to identify, summarize, and answer the question of interest. Rapid reviews are intended as a form of knowledge synthesis that accelerates the process of conducting a traditional systematic review by streamlining or eliminating the need for certain methods to gain insights for stakeholders in a resource-efficient manner. Authors who wish to submit a rapid review should follow the Cochrane guidelines for rapid reviews and the GRADE guideline. Rapid reviews are not only restricted to Cochrane reviews but can include systematic reviews following the PRISMA statement: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33068715/ ; https://www.cochranelibrary.com/covid-19 ; https://www.gradeworkinggroup.org/  (6, 7, 8).

Authors wishing to submit a Clinical Trial should follow the CONSORT
guidelines: http://www.consort-statement.org  (6). The CONSORT statement consists of a
25-point checklist and a flowchart. The checklist items focus on reporting how the study was designed, analyzed and interpreted, the flowchart shows the journey of all participants through the study. Here you can find the CONSORT checklist and flowchart: http://www.consort-statement.org/consort-statement/checklist ; http://www.consort-statement.org/consort-statement/flow-diagram  (9, 10). The checklist items focus on reporting how the study was designed, analyzed, and interpreted, and the flowchart shows the path of all participants through the study.

Clinical Reviews within a defined and completed topic in sports medicine of general and
practical relevance can be submitted. These reviews should concisely focus on the scientific basis for the diagnosis and treatment of clinical problems in sports medicine, orthopaedics and exercise physiology and will also be published in German as "Standards der Sportmedizin". The journal solicits specific, delineated and self-contained sports medicine topics of general and practical importance. Preference is given to scoping reviews (reviews of reviews). Please also read the "Guidelines for Authors - Clinical Reviews": https://www.germanjournalsportsmedicine.com/fileadmin/content/download/2022/Guidelines_for_Authors_Clinical_Reviews_GJSM_2022.pdf and follow the "Specific Notes" listed there in order to be able to work in best practice. Please note that the Editorial Board either invites authors to submit a clinical review or shall be contacted prior to the initiation of the review.

Original Articles should describe important facts from the field of experimental and
practical sports medicine. Authors who wish to submit a clinical study should follow the
CONSORT guidelines. CONSORT provides authors with a standard for reporting study results that enables complete and transparent reporting and supports the critical evaluation and interpretation of results. The CONSORT checklist and flowchart can be found here: http://www.consort-statement.org/consort-statement/checklist ; http://www.consort-statement.org/consort-statement/flow-diagram (7, 8).

Scientific Short Reports and Case Reports are used to present a specific case and
discuss it with the relevant medical literature. They contain about 10 important references to help the reader become informed about the topic. The CARE case report guidelines help authors to reduce the risk of bias, increase transparency and provide early guidance on what works for which patients and in which circumstances. The CARE guidelines were developed by an international group of experts to increase the accuracy, transparency and usefulness of case reports (13). View and download the CARE checklist here https://www.care-statement.org/checklist  (14).

(Scientific) Editorials comprise up to 1200 words and 1 figure or table. Exceptions are
possible and exceedances are charged with 150 Euro per page.

Letters to the Editor are of particular interest. They should focus on one point of view and deal critically with published work or general problems in sports medicine. They must not offend the author's personality. The editors reserve the right not to publish or to abridge letters to the editor in individual cases. If letters to the editor refer to published articles, the authors of the article have the opportunity to reply within three weeks. The reply will then be published together with the letter to the editor.

Literature Overview may be submitted independently and are requested by the Editorial
Board. Essential and important manuscripts for the medical or sports medical progress
should be reviewed.


Scientific Congresses of the German Society for Sports Medicine and Prevention (DGSP
e.V.), e. g. the German Sports Medicine Congress, will be published in the German Journal
of Sports Medicine. The Scientific Committee of DGSP will review all abstracts. All expenses will be covered by advertising or by arrangement with publisher and editor.
Organizers of scientific congresses with high scientific interest and high standards, which are characterized by a scientific committee and a defined quality control and review process for the selection of abstracts, are invited to publish their abstracts in the German Journal of Sports Medicine. The editorial office must be informed of the project 6 months before the proposed publication date. Written agreements on the scope and supplementary material must be made. The publication includes an agreement with the editor and publisher on the reimbursement of editorial costs for online publications and publication costs for printed issues. Sponsoring and advertisements are reimbursed.

Ethical Principles

The ethical principles of being a physician and the ethical principles of sports, especially the general rules for research in sports, will be accepted. This includes particularly the principles for a doping-free sport according to the current respective versions of the guidelines of the German Olympic Association for Sports (DOSB), the World-Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and the International Olympic Committee (IOC). All authors assure that they will take care of these principles and accept them. This does not exclude scientific discussions of such guidelines and rules. A main principle of work in Sports Medicine is to observe the rights of patients, athletes, and subjects respectively their parents according to the Declaration of Helsinki, especially the respect of their rights of self-determination, and the free and forceless agreement to participate in scientific examinations (https://www.wma.net/policies-post/wma-declaration-of-helsinki-ethical-principles-for-medical-research-involving-human-subjects/).

Conflict of Interest

The authors must provide a statement of disclosure of conflict of interest, e.g. regarding financial relationship or payment in connection with publication in the German Journal of Sports Medicine.
In the submission system “Editorial Manager”, the corresponding author signs before submission a digital form for himself and all corresponding authors, that these principles are accepted.

Human and Animal Research: Rights and Respectives for Human and Animals, Informed Consent

Participation by individuals capable of giving informed consent as subjects in medical research must be voluntary. Although it may be appropriate to consult family members or community leaders, no individual capable of giving informed consent may be enrolled in a research study unless he or she freely agrees. In medical research involving human subjects capable of giving informed consent, each potential subject must be adequately informed about the aims, methods, sources of funding, any possible conflicts of interest, institutional affiliations of the researcher, the anticipated benefits and potential risks of the study and the discomfort it may entail, post-study provisions and any other relevant aspects of the study. The potential subject must be informed about the right to refuse to participate in the study or to withdraw consent to participate at any time without reprisal. Special attention should be given to the specific information needs of individual potential subjects as well as to the methods used to deliver the information. After ensuring that the potential subject has understood the information, the physician or another appropriately qualified individual must then seek the potential subject’s freely-given informed consent, preferably in writing. If the consent cannot be expressed in writing, the non-written consent must be formally documented and witnessed. All medical research subjects should be given the option of being informed about the general outcome and results of the study. Similarly, the ethical principles for the treatment of experimental animals must also be observed as established in the relevant laws.

Quality of Editorial Work – Editorial Process

The Editorial process ensures that manuscripts for the German Journal of Sports Medicine are of highest quality, deal with latest and important findings of scientific interest and that they are relevant for practical work according to the objectives of the journal, e.g. scientific based and comprehensible medicine and science.

Peer Review

All manuscripts of the German Journal of Sports Medicine will be peer reviewed. This process of peer review is subject to certain principles and rules.
The journal demonstrates all necessary features that contribute to the objectivity, credibility, and quality of its contents. The journal demonstrates the evidence that authors have disclosed financial conflicts of interest.

Principles – peer review

Peer review ensures the quality of the journal. Manuscripts are evaluated regarding the relevance to the objectives of the journal, scientific creditability and editorial aspects like completeness, style and comprehensibility. The peer review serves to support the authors by giving advices for changes, shortening or inclusion of non-observed aspects. The process of peer review requires the principle of fairness and scientific care.
The peer review is strictly confidential. The reviewer must keep all documents and information to the manuscript strictly confidential and is not allowed to share them with other persons.

The reviewer's decision must be objective and the editors must be informed immediately about any conflicts of interest. This is especially valid for manuscripts of personal friends, close colleagues or competitors if there are personal differences. In such cases the final decision about the reviewer lies within the Editors. With submission of a manuscript, authors may provide names of possible reviewers from whom they may assume a possible personal conflict of interest. The Editors are certainly not bound to these suggestions.

Process of Peer Review

1    Correspondence is electronically for all manuscripts. Printed manuscripts will not be returned to the authors.
2    After receiving a manuscript, it will be reviewed by the Editor-in Chief or a member of the Editorial Board. A manuscript can be rejected at this stage of the review process, if it does not fulfil formal criteria or if two members of the Editorial Board conclude that it does not have sufficient merit to warrant publication.
3    The manuscript will then be sent to two other members of the Scientific Board of the Journal or to other scientific experts. The names of reviewers are blinded to the authors. The peer review includes a confidential judgement and an open part with general and especial indications and should be finished within 4 weeks.
4    The names of the reviewers will be blinded to the authors
5    The open part of peer review will be submitted to the authors together with the final decision of the Editorial Board concerning acceptance, revision with conditions or rejection of the manuscript.
6    If revision of a manuscript is requested, the authors must respond accordingly to the reviews, and have to indicate clearly any changes that have been made in the manuscript or explain differences of opinion.
7    The peer review process will be continued until a final decision about acceptance or rejection is made by the Editors.
8    The peer review process is managed and documented online via Editorial Manager.
9    Reviews and correspondence concerning the manuscripts will be kept on file for 10 years together with the manuscripts.