The Journal of ISAKOS Excellence in Authorship Program

The Journal of ISAKOS (JISAKOS) is an orthopaedics journal that synthesizes the latest research and evidence-based guidelines in orthopaedic sports medicine and traumatology — including joint disorders — to provide busy orthopaedic surgeons and specialists a thorough reference for diagnosing and treating patients.

JISAKOS has launched a global initiative for Excellence in Authorship with a goal to build capacity with researchers in low- to upper-middle-income countries (LMICs) to promote diversity, inclusion, and global perspectives for papers submitted and published with the journal. This program will provide training and learning opportunities for researchers in LMICs in terms of writing high-level manuscripts, navigating the peer-review process, and ultimately, publishing their work.

2024 Program Recipients

Ruben Dario Arias Perez MD, BS COLOMBIA
Oladimeji Ranti Babalola MBBS, MD, FMCS, FWACS NIGERIA
Girinivasan Chellamuthu MBBS, MS Ortho, FIOT, FASM INDIA
Saubhik Das MBBS, MS (ortho), FACS, FICS INDIA
Soundarrajan Dhanasekaran MS, DNB INDIA
Jessica Fiolin MD, SpOT INDONESIA
Stefano Gaggiotti MD ARGENTINA
Phob Ganokroj MD THAILAND
Samuel Okoth Owinga MMED(Surg) KENYA
Diego Alberto Sanchez MD COLOMBIA

Successful applicants will be provided the following:

Participation in an exclusive research and publishing webinar with expert researchers and JISAKOS Editorial Board members
Access to Statistician Advisor(s) to assist with the statistical analysis of their project and statistical write-up in their manuscript
Access to Research Manager Advisor(s) to assist with the logistical implications and methodology of their project and write-up in their manuscript
Access to Surgeon-Scientist Mentor(s) to assist with reviewing their project and final manuscript for clinical implications and novelty
Waived ISAKOS membership through December 31, 2027 and access to online training modules with ISAKOS
1 waiver for a JISAKOS open access fee (*Please note: all submitted manuscripts will undergo the standard peer-review process. Publication is not guaranteed.)

Application Opens:	January 1, 2026
Application Deadline:	April 1, 2026
Anticipated Notice of Decision:	June 15, 2026
Program Start Date:	July 1, 2026
Program End Date:	June 30, 2027

Number of Awards Available: 10

Eligibility Criteria

The applicant’s intended project is complete or expected to be completed, and the final manuscript will be submitted to the Journal of ISAKOS prior to May 31, 2027.
The applicant must be an orthopaedic surgeon working in an orthopaedic centre in one of the countries listed below both at the time of application and at the award’s receipt.
Please note, current ISAKOS Committee members are ineligible to apply for the Excellence in Authorship Program.

Eligible Countries

Applications are welcome from Countries with Limited Resources, defined based on World Bank Classifications. In this case, eligible countries refers to the WBC low/lower-middle/upper-middle incomes.

Afghanistan

Albania

Algeria

Angola

Argentina

Armenia

Bangladesh

Belarus

Belize

Benin

Bhutan

Bolivia

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Botswana

Brazil

Bulgaria

Burkina Faso

Cabo Verde

Cambodia

Cameroon

Central African Republic

Chad

China

Columbia

Comoros

Congo

Congo, Rep.

Costa Rica

Côte d’Ivoire

Cuba

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Djibouti

Dominica

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

Egypt

El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

Eritrea

Eswatini

Ethiopia

Fiji

Gabon

Gambia

Georgia

Ghana

Grenada

Guatemala

Guinea

Guinea-Bissau

Haiti

Honduras

India

Indonesia

Iran

Iraq

Jamaica

Jordan

Kazakhstan

Kenya

Kiribati

Kosovo

Kyrgyzstan

Lao People’s Democratic Republic

Lebanon

Lesotho

Liberia

Libya

Madagascar

Malawi

Malaysia

Maldives

Mali

Marshall Islands

Mauritania

Mauritius

Mexico

Micronesia

Moldova

Mongolia

Montenegro

Morocco

Mozambique

Myanmar

Namibia

Nepal

Nicaragua

Niger

Nigeria

North Macedonia

Pakistan

Palau

Papua New Guinea

Paraguay

Peru

Philippines

Rwanda

Saint Lucia

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Samoa

Sao Tome and Principe

Senegal

Serbia

Sierra Leone

Solomon Islands

Somalia

South Africa

South Sudan

Sri Lanka

Sudan

Suriname

Syrian Arab Republic

Tajikistan

Tanzania

Thailand

Timor-Leste

Togo

Tonga

Tunisia

Türkiye

Turkmenistan

Tuvalu

Uganda

Ukraine

Uzbekistan

Vanuatu

Vietnam

West Bank and Gaza Strip

Yemen

Zambia

Zimbabwe

Evaluation Criteria

The importance of the question in the field of orthopaedics as judged by peers.
The quality of the proposal as judged by peers – study designs may include literature reviews, systematic reviews, clinical prospective/retrospective studies, biomechanical studies, or basic science studies.
Project and final manuscript are expected to be completed in the one-year timeframe.
Expected publication and possibly, further research or creative opportunities anticipated.
Expected presentation of work at annual ISAKOS meeting.

In the proposal, applicants are expected to provide a systematic, logical description of the project or line of research, which demonstrates familiarity with the subject matter and a carefully formulated plan of implementation. The rationale, the project plan, the methods and procedures to be used, and the mode of analysis to be employed should be clearly outlined (although they may be preliminary). In general terms, the proposal describes the work, proceeding from general theoretical considerations to the specific project. The proposal also describes how the project would benefit from the ‘Excellence in Authorship’ program.

Review Process

The applications will be reviewed by the JISAKOS Global Authorship Review Panel. Each reviewer will grade the application based upon a number of factors, including relevance to ISAKOS; significance of the research; ability of the applicant to complete the research; and the justification for how the program, if awarded, would benefit the project.

Components of the Application

Part 1: Title Page

Contact information of the Applicant including centre name and country
Title of proposed study/project/manuscript
Expected start and completion dates
Required certifications for approval, if applicable (e.g., ethics approval)
Prior funding received for the project, if any (including prior ISAKOS funding)
Date and signatures

Please complete the form below and save it as a PDF to submit.

Download Title Page Form

Part 2: Research Proposal

Research proposal (3 pages max, no condensed spacing) to include the following sections:
1. The problem to be researched / background and importance
2. Proposed methodology (including study/project design, and as applicable; eligibility criteria, interventions, allocation of participants, protecting against sources of bias, frequency and duration of follow-up, planned recruitment rate, primary and secondary outcome measures, sample size justification, statistical analysis plan)
3. Expected milestones and timeline (including estimated time to completion of the project and manuscript submission with justification as to how the applicant expects these timelines will be met)
4. What the applicant hopes to achieve by participating in the program
References (2 pages max)
Appendix (1 page max, optional) (may include tables, figures, or other materials)
* All documents must use 12-point font with 2 cm/0.75 inch margins

Part 3: Curriculum Vitae

Curriculum vitae of the Applicant