INSTRUCTIONS TO AUTHORS
1. About the Journal
Journal Psychological Topics publishes empirical and theoretical articles, as well as review articles in the field of science of psychology. The journal is published three times a year. Two numbers are general and they publish the received works which were accepted for publication by the Editorial Board according to the review procedure. One number is thematic and publishes the works of the invited authors.
2. Articles suitable for publication in the journal
Editorial Board accepts only works that have not been previously published, written in Croatian or English language. All papers submitted to the Editorial Board that thematically correspond to the journal, are written in accordance with the Instructions for authors and the standards prescribed in the APA (Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed., 2020) will be included in the review process. The Editorial Board commits to provide an anonymous review. The papers sent for the review process by the Editorial Board do not contain information about the authors. The review process includes reviews of the minimum of two independent anonymous peer reviewers. The paper is accepted for publication after two positive reviews.
3. Copyright
Authors have copyright over their unpublished article. When the article is published, the copyright is transferred to the Publisher (Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Rijeka, Department of Psychology, Sveučilišna avenija 4, Rijeka), which has the right to reproduce, distribute, and publish on the journal's web pages and other databases of scientific journals.
The Faculty, as the copyright owner, will make an article available for free to everyone through the Open Access Initiative. Thus, published article can be used by everyone in accordance with Creative Commons CC-BY-SA.
Copyright includes both a printed and an electronic form of a scientific article. By their signature, the correspondent confirms that:
- the author(s) owns a written permission or the right to use any materials (questionnaires, measures, tests, images and tables from other journals and books) used for the purposes of their research or the same material has been purchased from authorized publishers in Croatia or elsewhere (for more information see the APA Publication Manual for the Publication of the American Psychological Association, 7th Edition, 2020, Chapter 1. Scholarly Writing and Publishing Principles, sections 1.11 and 1.18);
- the manuscript is the original work of the signed authors that has not been previously published nor is in the review process of another journal;
- all signed authors made a significant contribution to the formulation of the named scientific article and no author was omitted from the co-authorship;
- during the conduct of research and manuscript preparation, ethical principles of psychological activity were respected;
- during the conduct of research and manuscript preparation, ethical principles prescribed by the Ethical Guidelines for Psychological Topics Journal Publication (http://www.ffri.hr/psihologija/opis-psihologijske-teme-psychological-topics/eticke-smjernice.html) were respected;
- authors are not in the conflict of interest;
- the authors followed APA's most recent manuals for publication (Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed., 2020).
We urge the authors to pay special attention to chapter 1. Scholarly Writing and Publishing Principles (sections 1.11 and 1.18 - Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed., 2020).
4. Instructions for the preparation of papers for the submission to the editorial board
4.1. Word limitation
Brief report should be no longer than 3000 words, including abstract, keywords, references and all appendices.
Empirical articles should be between 5000 and 7000 words in length, including abstract, keywords, references and all appendices.
Review articles should be between 7000 and 9000 words in length, including abstract, keywords, references and all appendices.
The total number of words must be counted and listed on the front page.
4.2. Instruction on paper format
The paper should be in good scientific writing with the proper usage of the Croatian and/or English language. The editorial board reserves the right to adapt the manuscript to the journal and to copy-edit it in accordance with the standards of the Croatian and/or English standard language.
Several word-processing formats are accepted: Word document (preferred), OpenOffice and RTF.
Text should be typed using the font Times New Roman 12 pt, and line spacing should be 1.5. Pages should be numbered.
Authors may place tables, figures, and images in the paper either after the reference list on separate pages or embedded in the text near where they are first called out.
Authors should follow the instructions from the last APA's edition (Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed., 2020). A very useful guide is also available at https://apastyle.apa.org/learn/tutorials/basics-tutorial
For a detailed list of changes, consult the Introduction chapter of the APA Publication Manual or visit page https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/whats-new-7e-guide.pdf
4.3. Type of papers that are published:
Brief reports
Brief reports should not exceed 3000 words in length, including abstract, keywords, references and appendices. That form of manuscript includes up to two tables or figures. Brief report refers to a clear and concise presentation that can include brief original empirical research (without extensive elaboration), description of the development of new measuring instruments, standardization and validation of psychometric measures, case study report or evaluation of treatment, etc.
Empirical articles
Empirical articles should consist of the following parts (in this order): title page, abstract, keywords, introduction, method, results, discussion, references, tables with a title (each table on a separate page), figures with a title (each figure on a separate page). A paper may also include appendices if necessary. The appendices are placed at the very end of the paper. Empirical articles should be between 5000 and 7000 words in length, including abstract, keywords, references and all appendices.
Review articles
The review articles should include an introduction, chapters (and subchapters as needed), a conclusion and references. If needed, review articles can include tables with a title (each table on a separate page), images with a title (each image on a separate page), and appendices. Review articles should be between 7000 and 9000 words in length, including abstract, keywords, references and all appendices.
4.4. Manuscript layout
Title Page
At the top of the title page should be a shorter title of the paper (Running Head) and a total number of words including abstract, keywords, references, and all appendices.
Also, title page should contain full title of the article, name and surname of each contributor and their affiliation. Full postal and electronic address of the corresponding author(s) should also be provided.
If necessary, at the bottom of the title page, the manuscript may contain acknowledgements and details on funding.
When it comes to financing through one source, the remark should be written in the following form:
This paper was created within the framework of a scientific project (project name, project number), which is funded by (institution name).
When it comes to funding from multiple sources, the remark should be written in the following form:
This paper was created within the framework of the scientific projects (project title 1, project number 1), which is funded by (name of institution 1) and (project name 2, project number 2), which is funded by (name of institution 2).
Abstract and Keywords
Abstract is a brief description of the paper (up to 250 words), and it should include the aim of the study, method, results and conclusions. It must be typed on a separate page. Below the abstract, 4 to 6 keywords should be provided. The author is obliged to include an abstract in English language. Abstracts are indexed in PsycINFO, EBSCO (Academic Search Complete, Central & Eastern European Academic Source), Scopus, DOAJ, ProQuest, and ERIH PLUS.
Text of the empirical articles (chapters: Introduction, Method, Results and Discussion)
The text of empirical articles should contain following headings: Introduction, Method, Results and Discussion.
The introduction should include a clear theoretical background of the research, clear objectives and paper's problems. A more detailed overview of the literature and/or a more detailed description of the research results should be avoided.
The method should include a detailed description of the investigated sample and the population from which a suitable or random sample was made. The method should be sufficiently detailed and contain information which can ensure the replication of the research to an independent researcher. The previously published research procedures should be summarized and corroborated by references. All changes to previously published procedures must be specified in detail.
The results should be precise and concise, and must include descriptive statistics of all relevant variables used (e.g. Measure of Central Tendency and scattering, reliability coefficients, etc.). It is mandatory to specify the effect size.
The discussion should include a further elaboration of the significance of the results of the research, and not merely repeating the result. The discussion can be integrated with results as needed. The discussion should include a brief closing paragraph.
Text of the review articles
The review articles should include an introduction, clearly marked chapters (and subchapters as needed), and conclusion.
References
Reference citations within the text. Use author's last name, with the year of publication e.g. Nilsson and Cohen (2008) or (Nilsson & Cohen, 2008). On first citation of references with more than two authors cite only the surname of the first author, followed by et al. (e.g. Lewine et al., 2010).
Any direct quotation of an article or a book must be accompanied by reference citation that includes a page number.
References
Literature should be cited in the following way (strictly adhering to the cursive):
Article:
- Creswell, K. G., Bachrach, R. L., Wright, A. G., Pinto, A., & Ansell, E. (2016). Predicting problematic alcohol use with the DSM-5 alternative model of personality pathology. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 7, 103–111.
Note:
For an article with DOI, it must be included as follows:
- Creswell, K. G., Bachrach, R. L., Wright, A. G., Pinto, A., & Ansell, E. (2016). Predicting problematic alcohol use with the DSM-5 alternative model of personality pathology. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 7, 103–111. https://doi.org/10.1037/per0000131
Book:
- Buss, D. M. (2016). Evolutionary psychology: The new science of the mind. Routlege.
Chapter in a book with more than one volume:
- McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T., Jr. (2008). Empirical and theoretical status of the Five-Factor Model of personality traits. In G. Boyle, G. Matthews, & D. Saklofske (Eds.), Sage handbook of personality theory and assessment (Vol. 1, pp. 273-294). Sage.
Chapter in the book with only one volume:
- McCabe, G. A., Vrabel, J. K., & Zeigler-Hill, V. (2016). Pathological personality traits: The darker aspects of personality. In J. Williams (Ed.), Psychopathology: Symptoms, challenges, and current concepts (pp. 29-57). Nova.
Dissertation:
- Pletikosić, S. (2015). Biological and psychosocial determinants of health outcomes in irritable bowel syndrome patients. [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb.
For other information consult the APA's recommendations in Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed., 2020.
Tables and Figures
Tables and figures should be integrated within Word Document (or OpenOffice or RTF). Each table and figure should be places either after the reference list on separate pages or embedded in the text near where they are first called out. Tables and figures should be numbered using Arabic numerals (e.g. Table 1, Table 2).
A title should be placed above each table. Bold the word “Table” and the number: Table 1.
Tables should be black-and-white. While creating table, size of the journal (17 x 24 cm) should be taken into consideration and all the elements in the figure should be large enough to facilitate legibility. Tables should have vertical and horizontal lines to facilitate editing. Vertical lines will during preparation for printing be excluded, according to APA’s standards. Each column in a table should have its own heading. When the results of statistical analyses are presented in a table, the significance of statistical tests should also be shown.
Each figure should have the title, which is placed above the image. Bold the word “Figure” and the number: Figure 1. Graphic attachments (figures, drawings, charts / diagrams) should be prepared for black and white printing (avoiding shadows, etc., since such effects reduce transparency). The size and complexity of graphics should be adapted to the format of the journal (17 x 24 cm) in order to clearly see all the elements. Letters, numbers and symbols must be legible and in a reduced format, in which they will be published.
The maximum width of the table should be:
- horizontal table (portrait) - 12.5 cm,
- vertical/rotated table (landscape) - 17.5 cm.
Images showing charts and models should be appropriate for graphics processing, which means that they could be edited (changing the size, colour and structure of charts and models, formatting texts and numbers in captions, text boxes, objects, inscriptions ...). Along with the graphic representations (charts / diagrams), the tables with the values shown in the figure should be attached. It is recommended that the charts be sent as an Excel document. Tables with values shown in the figure can be placed in the Appendices.
Consequently, the maximum dimensions of the figures should be:
- horizontal image (portrait) - width: 12.5 cm, height: 17.5 cm,
- vertical/rotated image (landscape) - width: 17.5 cm, height: 12.5 cm.
The drawings should be of sufficient quality for publication in the press. They must be as good as possible, with clear and solid lines. The size and complexity of the drawings should be adapted to the format of the journal (17 x 24 cm) in order to clearly see all the elements. Colour prints or photocopies are not suitable for reproduction. Photocopies of graphic attachments (tables, pictures, drawings, diagrams) are not acceptable.
The position of tables and pictures in the text of the paper should be marked as follows: -Table 1. here -.
Tables and figures should supplement information presented in the text, and in no way repeat it, and vice versa: it is not necessary to put all data in the text that have already been presented in Tables.
Appendices
If there is more than one appendix, it is necessary to label them using capital letters (e.g. Appendix 1, Appendix 2, Appendix 3...).
5. Submission of the manuscript to the Editorial Board
Authors can submit their manuscripts in electronic form only, via Open Journal System, http://www.pt.ffri.hr/. If you have not previously submitted a paper to the journal, you need to create an author's account. To create an account, you need to register as an author at http://pt.ffri.hr/index.php/pt/user/register and fill in all the requested information. Once an account has been created, the author must log in to the system with the selected username and password. After signing in, select the 'Author' field. Start the manuscript submission procedure in the 'Start a new submission' field and follow the further steps according to the instructions of the system.
In the first step (1. Start) it is necessary to confirm that your attachment is ready to enter the editorial process by meeting the following conditions:
- The work has not been published before, nor is currently under review for another journal (if you feel that the editor needs further clarification of the current status of the work, you can enter the comments at the bottom of the page).
- The text is prepared in one of the following formats: Word (preferred), OpenOffice, or RTF.
- The text is written in Times New Roman font, 12 pt and 1.5 line spacing. Pages are numbered. Images and tables are embedded in the text or placed at the end of the manuscript and are integrated into the document.
- The text is written in accordance with the stylistic and bibliographical requirements set out in the Instructions to Authors.
In the second step (2. Upload submission), you need to upload a manuscript with all the attachments in the provided field. Follow the system's instructions.
In the third step (3. Enter metadata) it is necessary to enter data on all the authors (Name, Surname, E-mail, Institution, Country). You can add the author by clicking on the 'Add author' field. Furthermore, it is necessary to enter the title of the work, the summary of the work, the keywords (the terms need to be separated by a semicolon, for example, term1; term2; term3). In the case of a funded survey, the funding data should be entered in the 'Institutional Support' field.
In the fourth step (4. Upload supplementary files), all additional files or attachments need to be uploaded.
In the fifth step (5. Confirmation), it is necessary to complete the submission by clicking on the 'Finish submission' field. You will receive confirmation on your email. You will be able to track information on the submitted paper by registering on the web page of the journal.
If you need assistance during manuscript submission please contact system administrator at: vzauhar@ffri.hr
6. Publishing costs
The journal does not charge the authors for processing and publishing of the manuscripts.
