Authors' Guideline

 

Manuscript Preparation Guidelines for the Journal of Clinical Psychology, Semnan University

 

In order to facilitate the process of manuscript submission and follow-up, authors are kindly requested to consider the following general principles when preparing their manuscripts.

 

General Principles: 

1. The official language of the journal is Persian. However, the authors’ details, article title, and abstract must also be provided in English in the "English Abstract" section.
2. The manuscript must not have been published previously or be under consideration for publication elsewhere, either domestically or internationally.
3. Authors' information (academic rank, department, university, city, country) must be accurately provided and match the information entered on the journal’s website.
4. Authors must obtain an ORCID ID from the ORCID.org website before submitting their manuscripts.
5. Required files for submission:
6. a) Two separate files of the manuscript: one with author names and one anonymous,
7. b) Commitment and conflict of interest forms,
8. c) Extended abstracts in Persian and English (to be submitted upon acceptance of the final manuscript),
9. d) ORCID IDs, mobile numbers, and email addresses of all authors provided in a Word table.
10. Charts, figures, and tables should be clear, with labels and terms in Persian.
11. Table numbers and titles should be positioned above the tables, while figure and chart numbers and titles should be below them.
12. Titles, abstracts, table and figure headings, and references must comply with the journal's specific formatting guidelines.
13. Manuscripts should be prepared on A4-sized paper, single-column, with 1 cm line spacing. Margins should be 3 cm (top, left, right) and 2.5 cm (bottom).
14. All Persian texts must be typed using B Mitra font, size 13; English texts should use Times New Roman, size 11, with boldface for headings.
15. Manuscripts derived from theses, research projects, or proposals will only be considered if submitted within two years of completion.
16. The editorial board reserves the right to reject, accept, revise, or edit manuscripts at any stage.
17. All submissions must be made exclusively through the journal’s online system (jcp.semnan.ac.ir).
18. The article processing fee, including peer review, acceptance, editing, typesetting, and publication, is 350,000 Tomans, payable electronically upon issuance of the final acceptance letter.

 

 

Journal Instructions 

 

Manuscript Structure

 

1. A) Title
2. The title must be concise (5 to 15 words), clear, and indicative of the study’s content, objectives, and findings. It should be typed in B Mitra, size 14, bold.
3. For Persian articles, the English title must also be provided, using Times New Roman, size 12, bold.

 

1. B) Authors:
2. Authors’ names should be listed below the article title using B Mitra, size 12. The corresponding author must be indicated with an asterisk (), and institutional affiliations should be provided as footnotes. The corresponding author's university email and phone number should be included in the footnote.
3. Full academic information in both Persian and English should be provided:

   Example in Persian: نام و نام خانوادگی، استادیار، گروه روان‌شناسی، دانشگاه سمنان، سمنان، ایران 

   Example in English: Full name, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran 

 

1. C) Abstract:

Separate Persian and English abstracts must be provided, each 150–200 words in length, structured into five sections: Introduction, Methods, Results, Conclusion, and Keywords. Font sizes: Persian (12), English (11). 

Abstract content must include: 

- Introduction: Clearly state the purpose of the study. 

- Methods: Brief details of study type, population, sample, data collection tools, and analysis methods. 

- Results: Numerical or thematic outcomes appropriate to the research type (quantitative or qualitative). 

- Conclusion: Summarize key findings conceptually, with practical recommendations and study limitations. Avoid repetition of data or statistical terms. 

- Keywords: 3–6 keywords, selected from the title or abstract. 

 

1. D) Main Text

Main text includes: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion & Conclusion, and References. 

Length: 10–15 pages (excluding abstracts), approximately 6,000 words. Articles shorter than 10 pages will be classified as short communications. 

 

- Introduction: Briefly state the research problem, rationale, and objectives, organized logically in 8–10 paragraphs (5–10 lines each), with a clear statement of the research question at the end. Avoid using subheadings in this section. 

- Methods: Include type and design of study, population, sample, inclusion/exclusion criteria, ethical considerations, data collection tools (with psychometric properties), and statistical analysis. Use continuous text, emphasizing new paragraphs with bold introductory phrases. 

- Results: Present findings using appropriate statistical methods (up to 5 tables, formatted in Vancouver style, font size 11). Include both descriptive and inferential statistics for quantitative studies, or thematic analysis for qualitative research. 

- Discussion & Conclusion: Interpret findings conceptually, relating them to prior research. Discuss limitations, generalizability, and practical recommendations. Avoid restating previous sections or detailed statistical terms. 

- References: Must follow Vancouver style, prepared with EndNote software, in English (font size 10). Persian references should include “[Persian]” at the end. Use original English titles and author names from the sources. 

 

Examples of reference formatting for journal articles, conference papers, books, theses, and online resources are provided in the original Persian document.

 

Guidelines for Writing the Extended Abstract 

 

The extended abstract is intended to present the study’s main information to increase visibility and citation in international databases. It should be up to 1,000 words, matching the final, peer-reviewed manuscript, and written in both Persian and English.

 

Structure: 

- Title: Same as the full article title, concise and representative. 

- Introduction (200 words): Define the relationships between study variables and state the research objective. Avoid definitions or citations here. 

- Methods (250 words): Include study design, sample, sampling methods, research tools, implementation highlights, statistical analysis, and software used (with version). 

- Results (350 words): Summarize assumptions, correlations, main models (for SEM), or intervention outcomes (for clinical trials). Report fit indices briefly. 

- Discussion & Conclusion (200 words): Present the study’s main contribution or theoretical implication, avoiding repetition of earlier content. 

- Ethical Considerations: Include ethics code or approval source. 

- Funding: Mention funding source or declare lack thereof. 

- Authors’ Contributions: Clearly state contributions using initials. Example: 

  A.M.: Conceptualization, Methodology, Data Management; Z.M.: Statistical Analysis, Writing, Editing 

- Conflict of Interest: If none, state: “The authors declare no conflict of interest.” 

- Acknowledgments: Brief, consistent with acknowledgments in the full manuscript.