ISSN 0439-755X
CN 11-1911/B
CN 11-1911/B
1. Scope of Submissions
The Journal welcomes original research papers and comprehensive research reviews in various fields of psychology, including Cognitive and Experimental Psychology, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Physiological and Medical Psychology, Personality and Social Psychology, Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Psychological Statistics and Measurement, History of Psychology and Fundamental Theories, etc.
General literature reviews will not be accepted for publication, unless they are Invited Submissions or highly authoritative reviews. Reports solely focused on the adaptation and translation of Western scales into Chinese will not be accepted; only papers detailing the original development of concepts and theories along with the construction of measurement scales will be considered.
2. Submission Requirements
Manuscripts are submitted online (http://journal.psych.ac.cn) and uploaded in Word format. Print copies are not necessary.
Authors are responsible for the content of their submissions. Simultaneous submissions are strictly prohibited. Submitting essentially the same content to both domestic and international journals, where the Chinese version is submitted to a domestic journal and the English version to an international one, is considered to be simultaneous submissions.
Before submitting, authors should complete a self-check report for the paper (downloadable from the Download Center) and paste the results on the first page of the main text. Authors of meta-analyses and papers falling under the category of “Theory and History” should also complete the respective self-check report.
Materials used in the research (such as questionnaires, scales, images, etc.) should be attached at the end of the main text (combined in one file and then uploaded together with the main text).
If unpublished scales or questionnaires were used in the study, written permission from the original authors must be provided and scanned copies of the permission should be sent to the Editorial Office via email (xuebao@psych.ac.cn).
The Journal requires authors to provide the original data of the research; it is suggested to share the data on the Scientific Data Bank (https://www.scidb.cn/surl/xlxb).
Since the peer review process is blinded, all author information, including affiliations, grant numbers, and author details should be removed from the main text and word/PDF document properties. Additionally, certain information revealed within the article itself should be concealed or technically processed, such as participant affiliations and references to articles by the author that have been accepted but not yet published.
After submission, authors are required to sign a copyright transfer agreement (available in the Download Center). Signed agreements should be photographed or scanned and sent to the Editorial Office via email (xuebao@psych.ac.cn).
3. Manuscript Requirements
Submissions should address the latest research findings and advances in the academic field. They should have clear thesis, well-supported arguments, reliable data, coherent structure, appropriate titles, and concise language.
The introduction and discussion sections should not exceed 3,500 words respectively. [For papers in the field of Management Psychology, please merge the “Introduction” and “Theoretical Framework and Research Hypotheses” sections into the Introduction. The length of practical implication should be reduced since the Journal values theoretical innovation.] The reference list should not exceed 50 citations (meta-analyses and comprehensive theoretical reviews are exempt from this limit).
Specific requirements are as follows:
3.1 Title
Limited to 20 characters. It should accurately reflect the main content of the article. Avoid using the word “study” or “research” if possible.
3.2 Abstract
The content should include research objectives, methods, results, and conclusions (do not confuse results with conclusions). The Chinese abstract should be around 300 characters and avoid using first-person pronouns like “this study” or “we”. The English abstract should be detailed, consisting of 4 paragraphs on one page, with approximately 500 words. Avoid including statistical figures in the abstract. Please refer to the Download Center for guidelines on writing the English abstract.
3.3 Keywords
Provide 3 to 5 keywords after the abstract. Keywords should be professional terms.
3.4 Classification Code
Use the Chinese Library Classification (CLC) code. Authors may find CLC number in the Download Center for reference, or the editorial department can fill it in.
3.5 Heading Hierarchy
Use Arabic numerals to indicate headings. Separate levels with a small dot, without a dot at the end of the final level. For example, Level 1 uses “1”, “2”, “3”; Level 2 uses “1.1”, “1.2”, “1.3”; Level 3 uses “1.1.1”, “1.1.2”, “1.1.3”. The heading levels are limited to three.
3.6 Statistical Expression
Use standard units of measurement, symbols, and standardized terms. Common statistical symbols are defined as follows: total sample size as N, subgroup sample size as n, mean as M, standard deviation as SD, t-test as t, F-test as F, chi-square test as χ2, correlation coefficient as r, and significance level as p. English letters should be italicized. Greek letters (α, β, χ2, η2), superscript and subscript numbers or letters should not be italicized.
Statistical values should be reported with two decimal places (p-values can be reported with 3 decimal places, or more if required).
When reporting inferential statistics (F-tests, t-tests, chi-square tests), degrees of freedom and/or sample sizes should be provided.
Report exact p-values greater than 0.001, i.e., “p < 0.001” can be used, whereas “p < 0.05” or “p < 0.01” cannot (except in figures and tables).
It is recommended to provide effect sizes for statistical tests. If differences are not significant, effect sizes are not necessary.
Minus signs are not hyphens (“-”) but “–”.
3.7 Tables
Use a three-line table format. Generally, independent variables should be in columns, and dependent variables should be in rows. Each column should have a column title summarizing the content of the column.
3.8 Figures and Photos
They should be clear and legible. Text within figures should be in font size 6 Song typeface. Photos should have good contrast and high level of clarity.
3.9 References
Use the author-date citation style. Further details can be found in the Download Center under “Reference Citation Guidelines for Advances in Psychological Science”. More information is also available in the 7th edition of the American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual. It is recommended to use reference management software like EndNote, NoteExpress, etc.
3.9.1 In-text Citations
In-text citations consist of the author (surname for foreigners, full Chinese name for Chinese authors) and year, which can be part of the sentence or enclosed in parentheses at the end of the citation.
3.9.2 The Reference List
The reference list should use alphabetical ordering by surnames. If authors are the same, sort by publication year; if authors and year are both the same, sort by the first letter of the title followed by a, b, c...
The references should be in English. If the reference is in Chinese, it should be translated into English with the Chinese title put in brackets (“[]”) following the English title.
*The translated title should refer to its original content and should not be translated casually.
Bibliographic symbols in Chinese references should be using English (half-width) symbols.
Leave a space after the comma, dot, and colon in English.
The author's name, year of publication, title of the article, title of the book, publication information and other documentary components end with a dot at the end.
Hanging indentation is required during typesetting.
Each reference has an italic section, which is generally the journal name and volume number, book title, conference name, etc.
3.10 Formatting and Layout
The final accepted manuscript should be formatted in the following order:
- Chinese Title: Font Size: Second, Font Type: Bold
- Author Names: Font Size: Fourth, Font Type: Song
- Author Affiliations, City, and Postal Code: Font Size: Fifth, Font Type: Song
- Chinese Abstract, Keywords, Classification Code: Font Size: Fifth, Font Type: Song Typeface
- Main Text: Font Size: Fifth Song Typeface (Level 1 headings: Fourth, Song, Level 2 and 3 headings: Fifth Bold, Tables: Fifth, Figures: Sixth)
- References: Font Size: Fifth
- English Title: Font Size: Fourth
- Author's English Name: Font Size: Fifth
- Author's English Affiliation: Font Size: Sixth
- English Abstract and Keywords: Font Size: Fifth
- All numbers and English letters should be in Times New Roman.
- 1.5 line spacing.
Initial submissions and revisions should not include Chinese and English author names and affiliations.
4. Manuscript Review
(1) Regular Review
This journal adopts a double-blind peer review process.
Initial review is conducted by the Editorial Office and Handling Editors, primarily assessing whether the writing is in accordance with the journal's standards and requirements, and whether the manuscript has value for review.
External review involves peer experts appointed by the Handing Editors or the editorial office. Each manuscript is reviewed by at least 2 peer experts. If there are conflicting review outcomes, the Handing Editors decide whether to seek a third peer expert for further evaluation.
If the majority of the external reviewers recommend publication, the final decision is made by the Handling Editors and the editor-in-chief.
Manuscripts that do not pass the review process will be rejected. Appeals are not accepted after rejection.
(2) Expedited Review
For manuscripts with significant innovation and urgent timeliness, authors can choose expedited review. Authors should indicate “(Expedited Review)” in parentheses after the title and provide an explanation at the beginning of the manuscript regarding the significance of the innovation and the need for rapid publication. The review procedure is as follows:
(a) The editorial office submits the manuscript to the Area Editor/Associate Editor (Handling Editor), who assigns two editors to review it within two weeks.
(b) The Handling Editor makes the final decision on acceptance. If the Handling Editor deems the manuscript unqualified for the expedited review process, it will be treated as a rejection.
Expedited review may also result in rapid rejection, and manuscripts rejected through this process cannot be resubmitted. The decision to choose expedited review is at the author's discretion and carries inherent risks.
5. Manuscript Processing Workflow
Once a manuscript is registered by the editorial office, the author receives a manuscript number. Subsequently, the author can track the manuscript processing through the “Author Inquiry” section and access related processing comments. The general workflow is as follows:
Editorial Preliminary Review → External Review → Revision → Editorial Re-evaluation → Chief Editor Final Review → Acceptance → Copy-editing and Typesetting
As some manuscripts might require several rounds of revisions before final review, the stages of “External Review” “Revision” and “Editorial Re-evaluation” might occur repeatedly.
Upon manuscript acceptance, the Editorial Office sends an acceptance notice to the author, requesting the final electronic version of the manuscript to be sent to the editorial office via email.
Upon receiving the final draft, the editorial office conducts editing and reference checks, sends it back to the author for confirmation, and then proceeds with typesetting.
A PDF proof is sent to the author after typesetting, which the author reviews after printing it out. The issue number and page numbers on the proof are temporary.
Articles are scheduled for publication in the nearest issue based on the order of receipt of the proofs and submissions. Due to fixed page counts in each issue, some articles might be shifted to the next issue for publication.
6. Revision Requirements
Manuscript revision may be requested at the stages of peer review by peer experts, editorial re-evaluation, and final review by the Chief Editor. The revised manuscript should include a revision statement, addressing each point of the review comments.
The revision statement should address every comment from all the reviewers respectively.
A comprehensive revision statement should include several levels of information:
(1) Explain how you understood the reviewers' comments. Let the reviewers know if you have correctly understood their comments.
(2) Address the issues raised by the reviewers. If there are issues with the manuscript, explain why they occurred and how you have addressed them in the revised version. Provide rationale behind the modifications.
(3) For issues that cannot be addressed in the revision, provide explanations and your thoughts regarding the issue(s). Initiate a proactive dialogue with the reviewers.
(4) Indicate the specific pages in the revised manuscript where you have made changes to address the reviewers' comments.
The first paragraph of reviewers' comments often contains their overall assessment of the manuscript, and this section should be preserved exactly as received, without any unauthorized modifications or deletions.
A revised manuscript that has undergone multiple rounds of revision should retain all the revision statements from all the previous rounds.
Revised manuscripts should not contain any author-related information.
The self-check report before the main text should be retained and can be modified as needed to reflect the revision in the manuscript.
The final accepted manuscript should include author names, affiliations, grant numbers, contact information for the corresponding author, acknowledgments, etc. In the English section, all the letters in the authors’ surnames should be capitalized, and the first letter of given names should be capitalized, e.g., ZHANG Houcan, LI Shu.
7. Fees and Remuneration
Starting from 2010, after a manuscript is published, the Journal will charge page fees (250 RMB/page) and review fees (100 RMB/review) (Note: The combined total of page fees and review fees is capped at 3000 RMB. Regardless of remittance or bank transfer, it is crucial to specify the manuscript number. If the author is a student and their advisor has no funds or cannot claim reimbursement, they can apply for exemption from payment via email). Remuneration (500 RMB/article) will be paid, which includes compensation for the CD and online versions. Two complimentary copies of the journal will be provided.
Important Notes:
If any of the following situations arise, please email the Editorial Office to prevent delays in manuscript processing:
- If you have not received a receipt notice with a manuscript number from the Editorial Office within 3 days after submission (you might not have successfully submitted your manuscript).
- If more than 10 days beyond the planned completion date for the review have passed and you have not received an email from the Editorial Office regarding “revision or rejection” (if the review process is delayed, the system will automatically send reminders to reviewers upon the deadline. As the review process takes time, please wait for another week or so. If it is still not completed, you should email the Editorial Office to request a manual reminder to the reviewers. Some busy reviewers might need multiple reminders).
- For manuscripts requiring revisions and re-evaluation, if more than 3 days have passed since the revised version was uploaded and it has not yet got to the external review stage (after successfully uploading the revised version, the Editorial Office should see a completion marker. However, sometimes this marker does not appear due to unknown reasons. It could also mean that the upload was unsuccessful. If more than 3 days have passed without external review shown, it might be due to an incomplete system indication, so remind the Editorial Office to check).
- If you have not received an invoice for the page charges 20 days after payment (the Editorial Office does not have independent financial management. Payments and invoices are processed by the Institute's financial department. Sometimes there could be a waiting period, so the process might take longer. For payments via bank transfer, the finance department might not promptly notify the Editorial Office for collection).
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