Peer Review and Publication Policy:
1. Flow chart for Peer Review Process
A manuscript submission for publication is a long process of conceptualizing research questions, reviewing the literature, performing analyses, interpreting results, and, finally, writing a paper that describes the study and communicates the findings involves large investments of time and energy. The high rejection rates of prestigious journals and the waiting period for a publication decision can be a stress factor for the research scholars.
Yet, the rewards of discovery and contribution to the literature of psychological science are substantial. In the research and writing process, scholars are likely to meet exciting challenges in developing their intellectual and creative potential. Through publication, authors have a unique opportunity to build on previous discoveries and add to the lore of science.
We therefore encourage new authors to take up worthwhile endeavor of developing skills in conducting research and writing scholarly manuscripts.
First, we present an overview of the process, focusing on manuscript submission and peer review, affording readers a behindthe-scenes view of the ways in which a new manuscript might be approached by an editor or a reviewer.
We also strongly recommend that authors read a few issues of the journal to which they wish to submit, to obtain a sense of the level, length and readership of the journal.
We ask authors to avoid jargon and acronyms where possible. When essential, they should be defined at first use; after first use, the author should use pronouns when possible, rather than using the abbreviation or acronym at every occurrence. The acronym is second-nature to the author, but is not to the reader, who may have to refer to the original definition throughout the paper when an acronym is used.
Before submitting a paper, authors are advised to visit the author information page of the journal. The journal's website contains detailed information about format, length limits, figure preparation, and similar matters.
Titles need to be comprehensible and appealing to a potential reader quickly scanning a table of contents or performing an online search, while at the same time not being so general or vague as to obscure what the paper is about. We ask authors to be aware of abstracting and indexing services when devising a title for the paper: providing one or two essential keywords within a title will be beneficial for web-search results.
Declaration of interest
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence (bias) their work. Examples of potential competing interests include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations, and grants or other funding.
Submission Declaration
Submission of an article implies that the work described has not been published previously (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture or academic thesis), that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors and if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere including electronically in the same form, in English or in any other language, without the written consent of the copyright-holder. Masked reference(s) to previous studies based on the same dataset need to be included in the manuscript itself so the reader can understand the novelty of new study in relation to the previous articles.
Contributors
All authors must have materially participated in the research and/or article preparation. The statement that all authors have approved the final article should be true and included in the disclosure.
Use of inclusive language
Inclusive language acknowledges diversity, conveys respect to all people, is sensitive to differences, and promotes equal opportunities. Articles should make no assumptions about the beliefs or commitments of any reader, should contain nothing which might imply that one individual is superior to another on the grounds of race, sex, culture or any other characteristic, and should use inclusive language throughout.
Changes in authorship
Authors are expected to consider carefully the list and order of authors before submitting their manuscript and provide the definitive list of authors at the time of the original submission. Any addition, deletion or rearrangement of author names in the authorship list should be made only before the manuscript has been accepted and only if approved by the journal Editor.
Copyright
Upon acceptance of an article, an e-mail will be sent to the corresponding author confirming receipt of the manuscript together with a 'Journal Publishing Agreement' form or a link to the online version of this agreement.
Author rights
As an author you (or your employer or institution) have certain rights to reuse your work.
Role of the funding source
You are requested to identify who provided financial support for the conduct of the research and/or preparation of the article and to briefly describe the role of the sponsor(s), if any, in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the article for publication.
Review Policy The journal has adopted a double blind reviewing policy, where both the referee and author remain anonymous throughout the process. Please remove all identifying features from the paper itself, ensuring that Authors' identity is not revealed.
This journal operates a double blind review process. All contributions will be initially assessed by the editor for suitability for the journal. Papers deemed suitable are then typically sent to a minimum of two independent expert reviewers to assess the scientific quality of the paper. The Editor is responsible for the final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of articles. The Editor's decision is final.
Double-blind review
This journal uses double-blind review, which means the identities of the authors are concealed from the reviewers, and vice versa. To facilitate this, please include the following separately: Title page (with author details): This should include the title, authors' names, affiliations, acknowledgements and any Declaration of Interest statement, and a complete address for the corresponding author including an e-mail address. Blinded manuscript (no author details): The main body of the paper (including the references, figures, tables and any acknowledgements) should not include any identifying information, such as the authors' names or affiliations.
Article structure Manuscripts should be prepared according to APA, 6th ed., except for the additional requirement of numbering the sections, as described below.
Each heading should appear on its own separate line. Introduction State the objectives of the work and provide an adequate background, avoiding a detailed literature survey or a summary of the results.
Results
Results should be clear and concise.Discussion This should explore the significance of the results of the work, not repeat them. Avoid extensive citations and discussion of published literature.
Conclusions
The main conclusions of the study may be presented in a short Conclusions section, which may stand alone or form a subsection of a Discussion or Results and Discussion section.