ARTICLE TEMPLATES
     Download the templates from the Info for Authors page. The templates are in Word 97/98 format and also in rich-text format (.rtf). The rtf files should open with most word processors, but with anything earlier than Microsoft Word 97/98 some formatting will be lost or corrupted. So please try to use Word 97/98.

BIBLIOGRAPHIC FILES
     From 2000, you can download an Endnote4 file containing the bibliographic info plus any abstract for each article in each issue. Macintosh users: you have to option-click, command-click or right-click to download the file. Make sure you choose Text rather than HTML. Mac users, you might also have to open the file within Endnote, and you might have to use shift-command-O to see the file. Pre 2000, you get a text file that you have to import into Endnote using the Refer/BiblX filter. Other reference-managing software should import the file OK.
     The file contains all the usual bibliographic information for every article in the issue. There is no agreed standard for referring to Web publications. We believe the most logical place for the uniform resource locator (URL) of electronic-journal articles is the page-numbers field. We also include a word count in parentheses after the URL, to indicate the size of the article (formerly indicated poorly by the page range for printed articles). You will find that the URL and word count look acceptable in this position when you output the reference in the style of any journal. Note that there is no need to include "www" in the URL for Sportscience articles.

COMPRESSED (.ZIP) FILES
     Some large files at the Sportscience site are in zip-compressed format. If your browser doesn't automatically unzip these files, your next step depends on whether you are on a PC or a Mac.
     PC Users. Your browser may decompress these files automatically and present you with a window for viewing or saving the document. If not, you'll need to download an unzipping program. Netscape may prompt you for connection to its download site to get one, but it's not helpful. Instead, you should link either to the Winzip site to download Winzip, to the PKware site to download PKzip, or to the Aladdin Site to download Stuffit Expander for Windows. Stuffit Expander is a freeware program that that works with many different compressed file types and is quite easy to use. Once the program is loaded, you should configure your browser to use it automatically whenever the browser encounters zip files. For Netscape, go to the menu bar and open Options / General Preferences / Helpers. Select application/zip, then browse for the .exe file of the unzipper you just loaded. Click the option for Launch the Application, too. You can also unzip the file by dropping its icon onto the icon for the decompressor program (or its shortcut).
     Mac Users. Download Stuffit Expander with Expander Enhancer from the Aladdin site. Once the program is loaded, decompress the file by dropping its icon onto the icon for the decompressor program (or its alias). Or open the decompressor program first, then open the file from within the program. Trash the original zip file. You may have to open the decompressed file from within Word or PowerPoint, too.

EXCEL SPREADSHEETS OR WORKBOOKS
     Most spreadsheets are in Excel 4 format and will open with Excel 4 or any later version of Excel. The set of templates for creating figures is an Excel 97/98 workbook that will not open with earlier versions of Excel. PC users can download a reader from the Office update page at the Microsoft site, but there is probably no point in using it.

POWERPOINT FILES
     Most PowerPoint files are in Version 4. PC users without PowerPoint can download a reader from the Office update page at the Microsoft site. The reader works with the latest version of PowerPoint.
     If you get garbage on the screen, your browser may have opened the file directly. Try downloading again, but this time right-click (on a PC) or hold down the shift key (on a PC) or the option key (on a Mac) as you click on the item to download it. That way it will download without opening in the browser. Then open it either directly or from within PowerPoint.

REPRINTS (PDF and DOC)
     Read the .pdf (portable document format) file with Adobe Acrobat reader. The reader is available from the Free Adobe Acrobat Reader Software page. Follow the instructions on that page to download and install the software. The .doc is in the latest version of Microsoft Word.

QUESTIONS FREQUENTLY ASKED ABOUT DOWNLOADING
I clicked to download, but the document opened and I can't seem to save it.
     You are using a recent version of Internet Explorer, and the document (Word, Excel, Powerpoint) has opened inside a frame. It happens with some old links at this site. Remedy: click on the Back button, right-click on the link, and select Save Target As....

I got "unknown file type" with an .rtf file. What option do I click?
     Sounds like you are using a PC, and your browser doesn't know what to do with the rtf file. Click the option to save the file. You can open it with Microsoft Word later.
     To configure your browser so it knows what to do next time, go to the menu bar, find Preferences, open it and find Applications (or Helpers or...). Select application/rtf, then browse for the .exe file of Microsoft Word. If you want to open the file directly every time, click the option for Launch the Application. If you want to save it every time, click Save to Disk. (Wording may differ between browsers).

I end up with a "Read Only" file. What now?
     Just save it. You will be prompted to change the name, and the new document can be modified.

I can't read the files with my early versions of Microsoft!
     1. Upgrade. Trouble is, you might have to upgrade your computer too.
     2. PC users: download the free "reader" versions of the Microsoft programs. See the next item.

I don't have the Microsoft programs at all!
    Get them. They have become the industry standard. If you can't afford them and you use a PC, you can download free "readers" for Word, PowerPoint and Excel from the Microsoft Office update page. If you use a Mac, sorry: no readers are available.

I get garbage on the screen!
     1. Your browser may have opened a downloaded file directly. Try downloading again, but this time right-click (on a PC) or hold down the shift key (on a PC) or the option key (on a Mac) as you click on the item to download it. That way it will download without opening in the browser. Then open it either directly or from within the program or application.
    2. Your version of the Microsoft program may be too old. Upgrade, or if you are a PC user, download the free "reader". See the previous item.

I get a blank icon that won't open!
    Try opening it from within the program or application. Go to the File menu, choose Open..., then locate the document and see if it will open. If it does, save it and you will get an icon that works.

OPTIMIZING YOUR BROWSER

1. Use Internet Explorer Version 6
   Netscape Navigator used to be our preferred browser, but now that we create the Web pages with Microsoft Word, the pages view better with Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Versions earlier than 6 don't work well.
2. Font Size and Resolution of Monitor
   PCs: Use the default font size (12 pt). Set your screen resolution to 1024x768. At this resolution, page sizes in Microsoft Word on the screen are the same as on paper, when page magnification is 100%
   MACs: SET THE FONT SIZE IN NAVIGATOR/COMMUNICATOR TO 13 pt. If you leave it at the default of 12 pt, you will not see bold typeface for small Arial typeface (which we and most other sites use often). The default screen resolution 800 x 600 is best, but it makes documents and images too large on screen. Unfortunately 1024 x 768 makes everything too small.
3. Screen Size
   Make sure the window of the browser fills the screen. To maximize the features of the Nescape screen but still have a reasonably large text viewing area, leave the "Toolbar" and the "Show Location" selection in the "Options" menu ON and turn off the "Show Directory Buttons". Also under Options / General Preferences / Appearance, show main toolbars as TEXT only. If things are set up right when you view our pages, you shouldn't see a scroll bar in the bottom of the right-hand frame or anywhere in the left-hand frame.
4. Frame Size
   If the text does not fit into a frame, move the text with the scroll bars at the side or bottom of the frame. The frame size can also be adjusted by placing the mouse pointer on the frame border, holding down the (left) mouse button, and dragging.

There's supposed to be a new page up, but I get the old page.
      You are the victim of caching: you are viewing a copy of the old page held on your computer or on a server of your Internet service provider. The cached copy will expire eventually. Meanwhile try shift-reload. You may wind up back at our homepage, but click back to the page you were on. If it's still the old page, open it in a new window, then shift-reload again. Now go back to your original window and reload.

A link within a page takes me to the wrong part of the page.
      You have clicked on a link within a page while the page was still loading, and the link was pointing to a part of the page that hadn't loaded yet. Click the Reload button on your browser and you'll go to the link you clicked. If it still doesn't work, we've goofed: contact the editor.

The page didn't load completely, or Transfer Interrupted!
      Just click the Reload button on your browser.

When I click Refresh, I go back to the News & Homepage.
      You are using an old version of Internet Explorer. Update.

I can't bookmark a specific page.
      If you are within the Sportscience site and you try to bookmark using the menu bar, you will always record the Sportscience homepage (the News and the left-hand navigation frame). Some of our more popular pages have instructions for a special setup to allow bookmarking that keeps the navigation frame. To bookmark other pages, use the mouse as follows:
      PCs: click-hold the right mouse in a blank part of the page and select Add Bookmark.
      Macs: click-hold the mouse and select New Window with this Frame. When it has opened, bookmark it.
      Everyone: When you use the bookmark, the page will open without the navigation panel. You can get it back by clicking on Homepage at the bottom of the page.

The left-hand navigation frame disappeared.
      1. You may have opened a new browser window, for example by holding down the (right) mouse clicker and choosing this option. Drag or close the window and the original Sportcience window will appear.
      2. Some links resolve to the outermost frame. Click Back either on the menu bar of the browser or by clicking and holding down the (right) mouse button (Netscape, not Internet Explorer).
      3. If it's a Sportscience page, click on Homepage at the top or bottom of the page.

The spacing on the page looks messy.
      1. You are using an old version of Internet Explorer. Update.
      2. Change your font size. See above.

I can't see the bottom bit of the left-hand frame.
      Your screen size is too small and/or your fonts are too large. See screen size and font size above.

Mail addresses come up with =AT=
      When you click on a mail address (e.g., editor), you should get a new window in your mailer with the Mail To: line already filled in. The @ sign has been replaced with =AT=, in an attempt to foil mail spammers' search engines. Change =AT= back into the @ sign.

Other problems? Contact the editor .