All solicited and unsolicited articles go through the same stringent peer-review process; therefore, revisions may be required as a condition of acceptance. The corresponding author should expect to receive a decision regarding acceptance, revision, or rejection within 4 to 6 weeks after receiving the initial confirmation e-mail acknowledging receipt of the manuscript.

Upon receiving the manuscript, the editor will first review each submission to determine its relevancy. Manuscripts are reviewed for clarity, clinical relevance, technical accuracy, methodology, and objectivity. If deemed suitable for inclusion in The Physician and Sportsmedicine, the editor then sends the article to independent reviewers.

Each reviewer is informed of the deadline date for returning their evaluation to the authors (whether Fast-Track or standard review). If a reviewer does not return his or her manuscript evaluation by the deadline date, then the editor will either send a follow-up e-mail requesting the review or will appoint a new reviewer.

After receiving the reviews, the editorial department decides on acceptance or rejection. If accepted, the editor then e-mails the corresponding author with the reviewers' comments. If a manuscript requires further modification, it must be returned to the editor with an accompanying Word document explaining each change made to the original article per the reviewers' suggestions. When accepted for publication, every author must sign a copyright agreement and financial disclosure form before the manuscript can be published. Accepted manuscripts will not be published without this documentation.