Is The Military Career A Choice or A Necessity? A Study on Officers Graduating From Higher Education Institutions In The Field Of Sports Sciences

Manuscripts submitted for review must be original and must not have been previously submitted or published in any electronic or print medium. If a manuscript has been presented at a conference or meeting, authors must provide detailed information about the event, including the organization's name, date, and location.

Manuscripts submitted to the İnönü University Journal of Physical Education and Sports Sciences first undergo a preliminary review by the editorial board to assess their compliance with the journal's principles. Submissions that fall outside the journal's scope or do not meet a scientific article's content and formatting requirements may be rejected or returned for revision before entering the peer-review process.

Academic impartiality and scientific quality are the primary criteria in evaluating manuscripts submitted for publication.

Manuscripts must be uploaded through the "Submit Article" section, which is available on the journal's webpage (https://dergipark.org.tr/en/pub/inubesyo). Submissions sent via email or by any other means are not accepted.

In addition to the manuscript files, authors are required to submit the following during the initial submission:

• Copyright Agreement and Acknowledgement of Authorship Form

Article Upload Process:

1. Dergipark User Page
2. Process
3. Submit Article
4. Article Parent Data
5. ... and so on, following the required steps in the system.

Studies submitted to the İnönü University Journal of Physical Education and Sports Sciences must comply with the following publication guidelines:

1. The İnönü University Journal of Physical Education and Sports Sciences publication languages are Turkish and English.
2. The journal publishes original research articles, reviews, and case reports in physical education and sports sciences that have not been previously published in any medium.
3. The TÜBİTAK ULAKBİM DergiPark national article submission, tracking, and evaluation system is used for submitting manuscripts to the journal. Therefore, authors must register in the system once to obtain a username and password.
4. Each manuscript that passes the formal check is sent to the appropriate reviewers for evaluation based on its scientific content.
5. Authors who wish to withdraw their manuscript for any reason may do so within two (2) months of submission.
6.  After submission, author names cannot be removed, new authors cannot be added, and the order of authors cannot be changed without written consent from all authors.
7.  Accepted manuscripts are published in the order of their submission dates. However, exceptions may be made for certain priority articles to maintain topical relevance. The editor has the authority to make this decision.
8. . Personal communications and unpublished works (except for Master's and Doctoral theses) should not be cited as references.
9. . Authors are responsible for the accuracy of the references cited.
10. . The author (s) are responsible for the scientific, ethical, and legal content of the published works. Studies involving human or animal subjects must obtain ethics committee approval.

MANUSCRIPTS SUBMITTED TO THE JOURNAL MUST FOLLOW THE ORDER BELOW:

1. First Page (Author Information): The study's title in Turkish and English should be centered on the page, written in uppercase letters, single-spaced, 12-point font. Below the title, the names and surnames of the author(s), institutional affiliations, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses should be left-aligned. The corresponding author must be indicated with "Corresponding author" in quotation marks next to their name.

2. From the Second Page Onward:

• The Turkish Title and the Name(s) and Surname(s) of the author(s) should be centered under the title, in bold, 12-point font. 
•  The ABSTRACT in Turkish heading should be left-aligned, in bold, uppercase, 12-point font. The abstract text should be written in 10-point font, single-spaced. 
•  Below the abstract, "Keywords" related to the topic must be provided. A minimum of 3 and 5 keywords should be used, listed in alphabetical order. 
•  This is followed by the "ENGLISH TITLE" and then the "ABSTRACT", both left-aligned, bold, uppercase, 12-point font. The abstract text should also be written in 10-point font, single-spaced. 
•  Below the abstract, "Keywords" must be listed, using 3 to 5 keywords that correspond in content and order to the Turkish keywords

3. After the ABSTRACT section, the manuscript should continue with the following sections: "INTRODUCTION," "MATERIAL AND METHODS," "RESULTS," "DISCUSSION," and, if desired, "CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS" and “REFERENCES.”

• These headings should be left-aligned, written in uppercase letters, bold, and in a 12-point font.
• For review articles, adherence to this structure is not mandatory.

4. An "ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS" section may be included before the references.

TEXT FORMAT

1) TITLE AND AUTHOR NAME(S):

The research title should be 12-point font and must not exceed 13 words. The first and last names of the author(s) should be centered on the page without indicating titles. Institutional affiliations and email addresses must be provided as footnotes at the bottom of the page.

2) ABSTRACT:

The study's title and the headers ABSTRACT and ÖZET should be written in all capital letters, bold, and 12-point font. The Turkish abstract should be under the "ÖZET" heading, while the English abstract should be under the "ABSTRACT" heading. The English title of the study must be written above the "ABSTRACT" heading. Abstracts should be written in block format without indentation. Turkish and English abstracts must not exceed 250 words, use single line spacing, and be written in 10-point font.

Immediately below the Turkish abstract, include Anahtar Kelimeler (Keywords) left-aligned and bold. Directly beneath the English abstract, include Keywords (bold and in one line). A maximum of 5 keywords should be listed in alphabetical order. Words used in the title should be avoided when selecting keywords, and commas should separate keywords.

3) MAIN TEXT:

Manuscripts should be submitted in Word format using "Times New Roman" font, with 2.5 cm margins on all sides, 12-point font size, 1.5 line spacing, and a first-line indentation of 1.27 cm. The main text should not exceed 12 pages. If necessary, the Editorial Board may increase the page limit.

Figures, graphs, photos, and tables should be included within the main body of the text where referenced and must be numbered. They should be submitted in JPG or TIFF format. Table numbers and titles should be placed above the tables. Depending on their size and content, tables can be written in 9—or 10-point font to fit the page layout.

4) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

Acknowledgements are optional. Authors may include a few sentences of appreciation to individuals who contributed to the study but do not meet the authorship criteria. If included, acknowledgements should be placed at the end of the main text and before the References section.

5) REFERENCES:

Sources should be recent and directly relevant to the study. It is recommended that references not exceed 40.

6) IN-TEXT CITATIONS:

For in-text citations, place the surname(s) of the author(s) and the year of publication in parentheses immediately following the cited material.

• For a single author: (Avcı, 2021)
   
•  For two authors: (Atik & Canbey, 2011)
   
•  For more than two authors: (Çotak et al., 2020)

If more than one source supports the same idea, list the references in order of publication year and separate them with semicolons.
Example: (Atik & Canbey, 2011; Avcı, 2021)

If the author's name appears within the sentence, only include the year in parentheses:
Example: Çotak et al. (2020) or Avcı (2021)

Direct quotations should be enclosed in quotation marks and not exceed three lines.

7) REFERENCES SECTION:

The final section of the manuscript should be titled REFERENCES.

References must be listed alphabetically and should not be numbered. The reference list should follow APA 7th Edition guidelines.

Sample References:

•Journal Articles
Schoenfeld, B. J. (2010). The mechanisms of muscle hypertrophy and their application to resistance training. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 24(10), 2857–2872.
Franchi, M. V., & Maffiuletti, N. A. (2019). Distinct modalities of eccentric exercise: different recipes, not the same dish. Journal of Applied Physiology, 127(3), 881–883.
Read, P. J., Trama, R., Racinais, S., McAuliffe, S., Klauznicer, J., & Alhammoud, M. (2022). Angle-specific analysis of hamstrings and quadriceps isokinetic torque identifies residual deficits in soccer players following ACL reconstruction: a longitudinal investigation. Journal of Sports Sciences, 1–7.
 

• Conference Proceedings
Hazır, T., Kazancı, A., & Açıkada, C. (1992). “Antropometrik ölçümlerde metodoloji sorunları.” 2. Ulusal Spor Bilimleri Kongresi, Ankara.

• Thesis
Cumalı, A. (1990). İnsan omurgası ve yaralanma mekanizması (Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation). İnönü University, Health Sciences Institute, Malatya.

• Book
Tolsty, A. T., & Michel, A. R. (2021). Men's Fitness Trend. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

• Edited Book
Kloth, W. (2020). The British Council Background. London, UK: Anchor.

• Translated Book
Michael, B. C. (2020). Antrenman Geçmişi (3rd ed., M. Karpuz & T. L. Pekmez, Trans.). Malatya: Malatya Tıp Kitabevleri.

• Web Document or Report
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of the document. Retrieved Month day, year, from http://webaddress

PUBLICATION ETHICS

İnönü University Journal of Physical Education and Sports Sciences aims to adhere to the guidelines and core practices set forth by several organizations, including the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines and the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing (joint statement by COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, WAME). These guidelines and recommendations are designed to promote transparency, integrity, and best practices in scholarly publishing.

By adhering to these standards, the journal aims to ensure that the research it publishes is of high quality and meets the ethical standards of the scientific community.

RESEARCH ETHICS

İnönü University Journal of Physical Education and Sports Sciences adheres to national and international standards of research and publication ethics. All submitted and published studies must be conducted in full compliance with the established principles of research ethics. In this context, compliance with national and international ethical standards is mandatory for research involving human and animal participants. For studies involving human participants, informed consent must be obtained.

For studies requiring ethics committee approval, details of the approval must be included in the text (committee name, date, and reference number). Authors must adhere to the principles of scientific integrity when collecting, analysing, and reporting data. Plagiarism, data fabrication, data manipulation and other ethical violations will not be tolerated

ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND PUBLICATION POLICY

According to the TUBITAK ULAKBIM TR Index criterias, approval must be obtained, specified in the article, and documented for research conducted in all scientific fields that require Ethics Committee Approval. At the end of the article, authors should include a Contribution Statement, Acknowledgment and Appreciation Statement (if any), and Conflict of Interest Statement. The "Author Declaration Form" must be completed and submitted along with the manuscript.

Ethics Committee Approval and Informed Consent

All research involving human subjects must be reviewed and approved by an ethics committee (e.g., IRB) prior to being conducted. The name of the ethics committee, the approval number, and the date of approval should be included in the Material and Method section of the manuscript. Authors may also be requested to provide a copy of the approval.

If a study is exempt from ethical approval, authors must submit a statement explaining the exemption. An article submitted without ethical approval will follow COPE's guidelines to evaluate ethical concerns. Articles without ethical approval may be rejected in cases where the issue is significant.

The details of informed patient consent and information related to the research process should be included in the Material and Method section.

For studies involving human subjects, authors must confirm that written informed consent has been obtained from all participants, and the researchers should keep the consent form. For research involving children under the age of eighteen, permission should be obtained from the parents or guardians. In surveys or interviews, consent for the use of data must also be confirmed. Personal information should be anonymized unless explicit consent for identification is given.

Authors are responsible for maintaining the anonymity and confidentiality of participants, particularly in photographs. Signed release forms must be obtained for all images, approval for publication should be secured, and all conditions should be specified. This approval should be clearly stated in the Material and Method section.

PLAGIARISM AND ETHICAL MISCONDUCT

All submissions undergo multiple screenings during the peer review and/or production processes using similarity detection software. When citing previous works, ensure that all material is properly referenced. Copying text, tables, or illustrations from any source (journal articles, books, theses, electronic media, etc.) and presenting them as one's own is considered plagiarism, even if a reference is provided. Listing the source in the 'References' section does not absolve authors of responsibility for plagiarism.

Authors are strongly encouraged to avoid any form of plagiarism or ethical misconduct, as illustrated below:

• Citation Manipulation: Refers to inflating citation counts through self-citation, excessive citation of the same journal, or citation stacking, which distorts academic recognition.
• Self-Plagiarism (Text Recycling): Involves reusing sections or sentences from an author's prior work without proper citation, constituting a form of plagiarism.
• Salami Slicing: The unethical practice of publishing multiple articles using the same data set, hypotheses, and methods from a single study. 
• Data Fabrication: The creation of false data not supported by actual research or experiments, considered a serious breach of research integrity. 
• Data Manipulation/Falsification: Involves altering data, such as modifying images or removing outliers, to mislead or misrepresent findings.

In cases of suspected misconduct (e.g., plagiarism, citation manipulation, or data falsification), the Editorial Board will follow COPE guidelines to ensure fair, transparent, and consistent handling of allegations.

ADVERTISING POLICY

İnönü University Journal of Physical Education and Sports Sciences accepts digital advertisements on its website, provided they are approved by the journal's Editorial Board and management. All advertisements must be clearly labeled as such. Advertisers have no influence on editorial decisions or advertising policies.

For advertising inquiries, please contact the Editorial Office (inueditorial@inonu.edu.tr).

PEER REVIEW DETAILS

İnönü University Journal of Physical Education and Sports Sciences conducts a rigorous and transparent double-anonymized peer-review process to ensure the highest standards of academic integrity.

Manuscripts are subjected to this process, where both authors and reviewers remain anonymous to one another. Each manuscript is evaluated by at least two independent external reviewers who are experts in the relevant field.

While authors may suggest potential reviewers, the final selection is made by the editor, who is not obliged to follow the author's recommendations. Confidentiality is paramount throughout the review process, and reviewers must keep the manuscript confidential, sharing it only with the editor's consent. Reviewers provide timely, unbiased, evidence-based, and constructive feedback to improve the quality of the manuscript. Any suspected research misconduct must be reported to the editor confidentially to uphold the process's integrity. 

The journal ensures transparency by sharing information about the review process, selection criteria, and appeals procedure, as well as publishing key data such as acceptance rates and publication timelines. The Editor-in-Chief makes the final decision to accept, revise, or reject a manuscript.

Reviewers must disclose any potential conflicts of interest before accepting an invitation to review. All communications between editors and reviewers are confidential.

External editors handle manuscripts submitted by editorial board members to ensure impartiality. They are also required to disclose any conflicts of interest. If the peer review process deviates from standard procedures, the type of review conducted is indicated in the article to ensure transparency and accountability.

REVISION DETAILS

Manuscripts that require "minor revision" or "major revision" will receive a decision letter from the Editor-in-Chief, which includes the reviewers' and editors' comments, along with a deadline for resubmission. Authors must submit a revised manuscript and a detailed "Response to the Reviewers" document, which addresses each comment individually. The response should explain the revisions made and specify the corresponding line numbers in the manuscript. An annotated version of the manuscript highlighting the changes must also be provided. Revised manuscripts must be submitted within the deadline specified in the decision letter. Failure to meet the deadline may result in the rejection of the revision. If additional time is needed, authors should request an extension before the original deadline expires.

AUTHORSHIP CRITERIAS

Authors of submissions reporting research findings must meet all four criteria established by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE):

• Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; 
• Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content;
• Final approval of the version to be published; 
• Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Before submission, authors should determine who qualifies for authorship and in what order authors will be listed. The editors of the İnönü University Journal of Physical Education and Sports Sciences do not resolve authorship disputes. Any changes to the number or order of authors after the initial submission must be explained in writing to the Chief Editor. The editors reserve the right to refer any authorship irregularities to the research officer or appropriate academic ethics authority at the institution or employer of the first or corresponding author.

Authors may use CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) to provide information about individual contributions at the time of submission.

Declaration of Interests

Any potential financial or non-financial competing interests, including relationships with editorial associations, commercial editing companies, medical communications companies, or other organizations interested in the submission, must be disclosed at the end of the manuscript, just before the References section.

Funding Information

All sources of funding must be acknowledged at the end of the manuscript. Authors should specify the role of the study sponsor(s), if applicable, in the study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, report writing, and the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. If the funding source had no involvement in these areas, the authors should clearly state this.

GENERATIVE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) USE POLICY

İnönü University Journal of Physical Education and Sports Sciences supports transparency, accountability, and ethical standards in the use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools during manuscript preparation. This policy is aligned with international publication ethics guidelines, including those of COPE, ICMJE, and WAME.

1. Use of AI Tools in Manuscript Preparation

Authors may use AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude) to support tasks such as language editing, improving clarity and structure, organizing ideas, or summarizing literature. However, AI tools must not replace human judgment, scientific reasoning, or interpretation.

Authors are fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of all content generated or supported by AI tools. All AI-assisted content must be carefully reviewed and validated by the authors before submission.

Basic grammar and spelling checks do not require disclosure. Any AI use beyond basic language editing—such as literature synthesis, data processing, analysis, or content generation—must be transparently declared.

2. Disclosure Requirements

Any use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools must be disclosed at the time of submission. An AI Disclosure Statement must be included in the manuscript, specifying:

• The name and version of the AI tool used
• The purpose of use (e.g., language editing, literature summarization)
• The extent of human oversight and verification

If AI tools are used in research design, data analysis, or data generation, this must be clearly described in the Methods section.

3. Authorship and Accountability

Authorship implies human intellectual contribution, responsibility, and accountability. AI tools cannot meet authorship criteria and must not be listed as authors or co-authors.

All listed authors must comply with ICMJE authorship criteria and remain fully accountable for the conceptualization, data analysis, interpretation, and final approval of the manuscript. AI tools may be acknowledged for language or technical assistance but cannot be credited as authors.

4. Use of AI Tools in Figures and Images

The journal does not permit the use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools to create, modify, enhance, or fabricate scientific figures or images.

Permitted image adjustments are limited to standard, transparent modifications (e.g., brightness, contrast, color balance) that do not alter or obscure original data.

AI-generated or AI-modified images are only acceptable if the use of AI is an essential and validated part of the study’s methodology. In such cases, authors must:

• Clearly describe the AI tools and methods used (tool name, model version, developer, parameters)
• Provide raw, unprocessed data upon editorial request

AI-generated artwork, graphical abstracts, cover images, or visual materials are not permitted without prior written approval from the editorial office.

5. Copyright, Ethics, and Responsibility

Authors must ensure that the use of AI tools complies with data privacy, confidentiality, and intellectual property regulations. AI tools must not claim ownership of submitted materials or restrict publication rights.

Any approved AI-generated content must be clearly labeled as “AI-generated” in the relevant captions or descriptions. Authors bear full responsibility for the ethical and legal compliance of all submitted materials.

POST-PUBLICATION CORRECTION REQUESTS AND RETRACTIONS POLICY

All post-publication correction requests are subject to editorial review. The Editorial Board evaluates the necessity and appropriateness of corrections based on the nature of the error, its impact on the article, and the supporting evidence. If approved, the correction will be made in the journal’s archive. The journal follows the COPE guidelines.

Article Withdrawal (Pre-Publication)

Withdrawal applies only to articles in press, which are early versions of articles that may contain errors, accidental duplicate submissions, or ethical violations (e.g., multiple submissions, fraudulent data, or plagiarism). Withdrawn articles will have their HTML and PDF content removed, replaced by a statement indicating the withdrawal and linking to the journal’s withdrawal policy.

Article Retraction (Post-Publication)

Retractions are issued for serious ethical violations, such as plagiarism, data fabrication, authorship fraud, or publication without co-author consent. Retraction notices include:

• A formal retraction note titled “Retraction: [Article Title],” published in a subsequent issue.
• A watermark on the PDF of the original article, marking it as "Retracted."
• A removal of the HTML version, ensuring transparency in corrections while preserving academic integrity.

Article Removal (Legal & Safety Concerns)

In rare cases, an article may need to be permanently removed from the journal’s online database due to legal issues, court orders, defamation, or significant health risks. While the metadata (title and authors) will be retained, the article content will be replaced with a legal notice explaining the removal.

Article Replacement

If an article poses a serious health risk, authors may request a replacement with a corrected version. In such cases, a retraction notice will be published with a link to the revised article, ensuring a transparent record of updates.

Self-Archiving Policy

Authors are permitted to self-archive their published work on institutional or personal websites, as well as in open-access repositories. When sharing their articles, they must appropriately cite the original publication and include the DOI number. Additionally, authors are encouraged to provide a link to the publisher’s official website, ensuring the authenticity and integrity of the scientific record. The version published on the publisher’s website is considered the definitive version of record.

DISCLAIMER

The views and opinions expressed in published manuscripts belong solely to the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the editors, editorial board, or publisher. The editors, editorial board, and publisher are not responsible for the content of published manuscripts and do not endorse the views expressed within them.

Authors are fully responsible for the accuracy and integrity of their work. While the journal serves as a platform for disseminating research to the scientific community, it does not guarantee the validity of the content.