Guidelines for High Quality Mental Health Research
These instructions help authors prepare clear, ethical, and impactful manuscripts for the Journal of Psychological Disorders (JPD). Careful adherence speeds review, supports transparency, and improves the quality of published scholarship. Please read all sections before submitting to avoid delays. Global participation is welcome.
Prepare a Manuscript That Moves Efficiently Through Review
Before You Submit
Confirm that your manuscript fits the JPD scope and represents original work not published elsewhere. All submissions are screened for plagiarism and ethical compliance. Ensure that all authors meet authorship criteria and that permissions are secured for any third party material.
Manuscript Structure
Organize your paper with a clear title, informative abstract, and logical section headings. Research articles should include background, methods, results, and discussion. Reviews should define search strategy and inclusion criteria. Qualitative studies should describe analytic framework and sampling approach.
Reporting Clarity
Write for an interdisciplinary audience. Define specialist terms, describe measures, and explain clinical relevance. Provide sufficient methodological detail so readers can interpret findings for practice and policy. Clear writing reduces reviewer queries and accelerates decisions.
Ethics and Consent
Research involving vulnerable populations requires careful documentation of ethics approvals, consent procedures, and data protections. If consent was waived, explain the rationale and safeguards.
Submission Essentials
Use this checklist to avoid delays during editorial checks.
What We Publish
Language and Style
Manuscripts should be written in clear, professional English that is accessible to readers across disciplines. Avoid jargon where possible and define specialized terms the first time they appear. Consistent terminology improves readability for clinicians and researchers.
Abstract and Keywords
Provide a concise abstract summarizing objectives, methods, key results, and conclusions. Include focused keywords to support discoverability and indexing. Choose terms that reflect methodology, population, and core psychological constructs.
Methods and Reporting
Describe study design, recruitment, instruments, and analysis with enough detail to allow replication or critical assessment. For quantitative studies, specify statistical methods and effect measures. For qualitative research, explain analytic framework and credibility strategies.
Data Availability
We encourage authors to share data and materials when possible. If data cannot be shared due to confidentiality or ethical restrictions, provide a clear data availability statement explaining limitations and access conditions. Indicate any controlled access procedures or contact points.
Conflicts and Funding
Disclose all sources of funding and any potential conflicts of interest. Transparency helps readers evaluate possible bias and maintains trust. If there are no conflicts, state this explicitly.
References and Citations
Use a consistent citation style throughout the manuscript. Ensure references are complete and accurately reflect cited work. When possible, cite primary sources and recent evidence. Accurate references improve discoverability and indexing.
Figures and Tables
Submit high quality figures and tables with descriptive titles and legends. Each figure or table should be cited in the text and add value to the narrative. For sensitive content, ensure images do not reveal identities.
Authorship and Contributions
List all contributors who meet authorship criteria and describe each author's role in study design, data collection, analysis, and writing. Honorary or guest authorship is not permitted.
Acknowledgments and Permissions
Acknowledge contributors who do not meet authorship criteria and disclose any editorial support. If you reproduce figures, scales, or substantial text from other sources, obtain permission and provide attribution.
Reporting Guidelines
Follow recognized reporting standards relevant to your study design, such as CONSORT for trials, PRISMA for systematic reviews, and COREQ for qualitative research. These frameworks improve transparency and review quality.
Clinical Trials and Registration
If your study is a clinical trial, provide registration details and protocol information. Registration promotes transparency and reduces selective reporting. Include registry identifiers where applicable.
Patient and Public Involvement
When relevant, describe how patients, caregivers, or community members contributed to study design, recruitment, or dissemination. If there was no involvement, state this clearly.
Inclusive Language
Use respectful, person centered language and avoid stigmatizing terms. Clearly define populations and avoid assumptions about identity, beliefs, or family structures. Thoughtful language supports dignity and clinical relevance.
File Types and Formatting
Submit the main manuscript as an editable document file. Figures should be high resolution and tables should be editable when possible. Use standard headings and consistent formatting to support copyediting.
Language Editing Support
Authors who need language support may use a professional editing service before submission. Editing improves clarity but does not influence editorial decisions. See the language editing service page for guidance.
Peer Review and Revisions
JPD uses double-blind peer review. Remove identifying information from the manuscript to support impartial evaluation. When revisions are requested, provide a point by point response and clearly mark changes. This helps editors verify improvements quickly.
Open Access and APC
JPD is fully open access. The standard APC is $1,200 USD and is charged only after acceptance. Discounts and waivers may be available for eligible authors. There is no fee to submit.
Copyright and Licensing
Authors retain rights while enabling lawful sharing and reuse under open access licensing. Review the copyright license and data archiving permissions pages to understand reuse and preservation policies.
Proofs and Corrections
After acceptance, authors will receive proofs for final review. This stage is intended for minor corrections and clarity edits, not major content changes. Timely proof review helps maintain publication speed.
Appeals and Complaints
If you believe a decision was made in error, you may submit a reasoned appeal with supporting evidence. JPD follows a transparent process and will respond with fairness.
Preprints and Prior Posting
Authors should disclose any preprint posting at submission and include the preprint DOI or link. Preprints are acceptable when clearly reported. Once published, update the preprint record with a citation and DOI to the final article.
Data Citation and Reuse
If you archive datasets or supplementary materials, provide a clear citation and any associated identifiers. Proper data citation supports reuse, credit, and transparency, especially for interventions and outcomes research.
Statistical Reporting
Report effect sizes, confidence intervals, and relevant assumptions where appropriate. Provide enough detail for readers to understand analytic decisions. If using advanced models, explain rationale and software used.
Clinical Relevance
Describe how findings translate to clinical practice, prevention, or policy. Include implications for treatment planning or service delivery, and avoid overgeneralization beyond the study population.
Limitations and Generalizability
Clearly describe study limitations and the extent to which findings can be generalized. This is especially important for clinical trials and observational studies involving specific settings or populations.
Supplementary Materials
Supplementary files may include instruments, extended analyses, or additional tables. Label files clearly and reference them in the manuscript so readers understand how to use the materials.
Sensitive Content and Privacy
For studies that include sensitive narratives, ensure that identifying details are removed and that participants are protected. If identifiable content is essential, explicit consent must be documented.
Equity and Inclusion
Consider equity in study design and reporting. Describe how demographics were collected, how inclusion was addressed, and how results may inform care for underrepresented groups.
Author Responsibilities
Authors are responsible for the accuracy of their work, the integrity of the data, and the originality of the manuscript. Ensure that all coauthors approve the final submission and that any related manuscripts are disclosed.
Repository Compliance
If your institution or funder requires repository deposit, plan ahead. Include a data availability statement and archive permitted versions with correct citations and DOI links to the final published article.
Measurement and Instruments
Describe psychological instruments and diagnostic criteria in sufficient detail. Provide reliability and validity information when applicable and identify any adaptations for specific populations or cultural contexts.
Intervention Reporting
For treatment studies, report intervention components, duration, fidelity checks, and comparison conditions. Clear intervention reporting improves replication and translation into clinical practice.
Strong preparation shortens review cycles and improves the clarity of published research. JPD is committed to helping authors present rigorous evidence with compassion and precision. Careful reporting strengthens trust in mental health science.
Ready to Submit?
Choose the submission path that fits your workflow. For policy questions or pre submission checks, email [email protected]. Typical response time is within 1-2 business days. We are here to help you publish clearly and ethically. Thank you for your submission.
