The National Coaching Academy (AKK), National Sports Institute of Malaysia (ISN) is pleased to invite researchers, academicians, coaches, sports scientists, performance practitioners, sports medicine professionals, National Sports Associations (NSAs), and undergraduate/postgraduate students to submit manuscripts for publication in the ISN’s COACHING JOURNAL.

The Coaching Journal serves as a national platform for disseminating high-quality scientific knowledge, applied coaching practices, and innovative solutions that contribute to athlete development and high-performance sport. The journal promotes evidence-based coaching by translating research into practical applications for coaches, practitioners and sport organisations.

ABOUT THE JOURNAL

The Coaching Journal is a peer-reviewed publication published by the AKK, ISN. The journal promotes evidence-informed coaching by publishing high-quality scholarly and applied research that advances coaching excellence, athlete development, sports performance, and the field of sports science in Malaysia and beyond. It welcomes interdisciplinary contributions that foster the integration of coaching practice with scientific research and innovation, supporting the continuous advancement of coaching knowledge and practice.

 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The Coaching Journal aims to:

• Promote the translation of research findings into coaching practice.
• Disseminate current research and applied knowledge relevant to athlete development.Encourage collaboration between researchers, coaches, practitioners and sports organizations.
• Provide coaches with practical recommendations that can be directly implemented in training and competition.

 THEME

The journal welcomes the submission of manuscripts (original articles) on sports-related research/studies with a specific focus on studies involving athletes, coaches, or sports administrators at any level (grassroots to elite) as the research sample.

TARGET READERSHIP

The journal is intended for:

• Coaches (Grassroots to High Performance).
• Researchers and Academicians.
• Sports Scientists and Performance Practitioners.
• National Sports Associations.
• Athletes.
• Sport Administrators and Policy Makers.
• Undergraduate / Postgraduate Students.

 MANUSCRIPT PREPARATION

The manuscript should be prepared according to the following format:

1) Language

• All manuscripts must be written in English
• Content should be straightforward and easy to understand.
• Authors should avoid overly detailed methods or statistical sections.

2) Formatting

• Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) format.
• Arial, 11-point font.
• Double line spacing.
• Justified text alignment.
• 2.54 cm (1-inch) margins on all sides.
• Continuous line numbering throughout the manuscript.

 3) Manuscript Structure

• All manuscripts must include a title page, an abstract, a main body, and References.
• The title page should include the title of the paper, full first name and surname of each author, and all authors’ affiliations, cities, and countries.
• The contact details of the corresponding author (postal address, telephone number, fax number and e-mail address).
• The abstract should be structured to include Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusion and should not exceed 250 words in length.
• A minimum of 5 keywords (not from the title) should be provided at the end of the Abstract.
• The Main body of the article should include the sections for Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Practical Application for Coaches, and Acknowledgments.
• Authors are required to prepare a Practical Application for Coaches section in both Bahasa Malaysia and English. This section should present concise, actionable recommendations that demonstrate how the study’s findings can be applied in coaching practice. Bullet points are encouraged.

4) Citations and References

• Manuscripts must follow the American Psychological Association (APA) 7^th edition referencing style, with all in-text citations and reference list entries formatted accordingly.
• References should be arranged alphabetically by the first author’s surname, with all cited works included in the reference list and vice versa.
• Journal titles should be written in full and italicized. Include DOI or URL for online sources where available.
• The followings are example of APA (7^th edition) referencing style:

          Journal Articles

• Smith, J., & Lee, A. (2020). The impact of coaching strategies on athlete performance. Journal of Sports Sciences, 38(4), 456–462. https://doi.org/xx.xxx/yyyy
• Tanaka, H., & Yamamoto, T. (2019). Psychological resilience in elite athletes: A review. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 50(2), 123–135.

          Book Chapter

• Williams, A. M. (2012). Decision-making in sport: From theory to practice. In J. Baker, S. Cobley, & J. Schorer (Eds.), Talent identification and development in sport (pp. 95–108). Routledge.

          Web Source

• International Olympic Committee. (2021). Coaching education resources. https://www.olympic.org/coaching-resources

5) Tables, Figures and Illustrations

• All figures and tables must be numbered consecutively.
• Figures and images should be submitted in high resolution (minimum 300 dpi) in jpg format.
• Any external content/image/table/figures should cite the relevant sources.
• Appropriate permissions and source acknowledgements must be provided for any copyrighted materials.

PUBLICATION ETHICS

Submission of a manuscript confirms that:

• The work is original.
• The manuscript has not been published previously and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.
• All authors have reviewed and approved the manuscript and its submission.
• The authors have complied with all applicable ethical, institutional, and regulatory requirements.
• Authors must disclose any use of Large Language Models (LLMs) or other AI tools during the research process or manuscript preparation within the manuscript, where appropriate. AI tools cannot be listed as authors.
• The manuscript may be screened for plagiarism using similarity detection software (e.g., CrossCheck and/or Turnitin). The submitted work is original and has not been submitted simultaneously to another journal.

INDEXING

The Coaching Journal is registered with ISSN: 2180-3773 and e-ISSN: 2756-8245.
All published articles are available through the ISN website.

SUBMISSION

Authors are invited to submit their manuscripts electronically to:

The Editor
Coaching Journal
National Coaching Academy
National Sports Institute of Malaysia (ISN)
Bukit Jalil
57000 Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
Email  : eriktan@isn.gov.my / emy@isn.gov.my
Tel      : 03-8991 4400

Submission Deadline       : 6 SEPTEMBER 2026

Click here for >> Coaching Journal Submission Guidelines

 JOIN US IN ADVANCING COACHING EXCELLENCE

 The AKK warmly welcomes high-quality manuscripts that contribute to coaching excellence and athlete development. We look forward to receiving your submission and advancing evidence-based coaching together.EPTEMBER