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2024 (English)In: Scandinavian journal of sport and exercise psychology, ISSN 2596-741X, Vol. 6, p. 42-45Article in journal, Editorial material (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
The field of sport and exercise psychology research is growing steadily, its journals receive many more submissions than they can publish and we witness significant methodological and empirical progress. The journals in the field provide an outlet for multiple types of contributions including original empirical papers, scientific reviews, rigorously described case examples of applied work, methodological advancements, and more. As in any scientific field, we need these different types of contributions to move forward. Borrowing from an inspirational visualization of the research as a craft occupation (Forscher, 1963), we need not only to make bricks (facts, individual empirical studies) but also to build edifices or buildings (explanations, theories). Beyond scientific reviews (e.g., systematic and scoping reviews), however, scientists may experience unnecessary struggles when they set out to publish conceptual theory-building articles, perhaps because of a lack of accepted journal formats and templates for non-empirical scientific papers (Jaakkola, 2020). For example, Ph.D. students often engage in a new topic area. As their area is new, a systematic or scoping review is not viable, but they find that a paper outlining key ideas, models, and definitions could provide a solid theoretical foundation for their research. A foundation for which there is rarely space in their first empirical scientific paper. Journals may also reject conceptual papers because such papers do not fit with the aims and scope of the journal, or because reviewers judge the paper based on criteria that may be suitable for empirical papers or reviews but are misaligned with the aim of a conceptual paper. Despite the potential value of papers that develop concepts, integrate or expand theories relying neither on empirical data nor on a systematic review of the scientific literature, such papers remain a rare treat within the field of sport and exercise psychology. In SJSEP we wish to provide an outlet for conceptual, theoretical and non-empirical contributions that are rigorous, cogent, transparent, systematically developed, and hold the potential to move our field forward. These papers play a vital role by offering fresh and innovative perspectives, challenging existing ideas, and shaping the discourse within our discipline. Beyond a mere call for such papers, in this editorial, we outline key quality criteria for conceptual papers within the context of an SJSEP article.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Aalborg: Dansk Idrætspsykologisk Forum, 2024
Keywords
Editorial, Call for papers
National Category
Psychology
Research subject
Health Innovation, M4HP
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:hh:diva-54680 (URN)10.7146/sjsep.v6i.149032 (DOI)
2024-09-302024-09-302024-10-22Bibliographically approved