Guidelines to Authors

The Indian Journal of Psychological Science (IJPS) invites original and unpublished manuscripts in the field of psychology and allied behavioural sciences. Authors are requested to carefully follow the submission and formatting guidelines before submitting their manuscripts.

1. Types of Manuscripts Accepted

The journal accepts the following categories of manuscripts:

• Original Research Articles
• Review Articles
• Systematic Reviews
• Meta-Analyses
• Case Studies
• Short Communications
• Book Reviews
• Letters to the Editor

2. Language

Manuscripts must be written in clear and grammatically correct English.

3. Manuscript Formatting

Authors should prepare manuscripts according to the following format:

4. Manuscript Structure

Title Page

The title page should include:

• Title of the manuscript
• Full names of all authors
• Institutional affiliations
• Designation of authors
• ORCID ID (if available)
• Corresponding author details
• Email address and contact number

Abstract

• Maximum 300 words
• Structured abstract preferred
• Include:
  • Background
  • Objectives
  • Methods
  • Results
  • Conclusion

Keywords

Provide 4–6 keywords below the abstract.

Main Text

The manuscript should preferably contain the following sections:

1. Introduction
2. Review of Literature
3. Objectives/Hypotheses
4. Methodology
5. Results
6. Discussion
7. Conclusion
8. Limitations
9. Implications
10. Future Directions
11. Acknowledgments (if applicable)
12. Conflict of Interest
13. Funding Statement
14. References

5. Tables and Figures

• Tables and figures should be numbered sequentially.
• Provide appropriate titles and captions.
• Images must be of high quality.
• Avoid duplication of information in text and tables.

6. Reference Style

The journal follows APA 7th Edition referencing style. Authors are responsible for ensuring the accuracy of references and citations.

General Guidelines

The Indian Journal of Psychological Science (IJPS) follows the latest edition of the American Psychological Association (APA) Style Manual (7th Edition) for manuscript formatting, in-text citations, and reference lists.

Authors must ensure that all citations and references are:

• Accurate
• Complete
• Properly formatted
• Consistent throughout the manuscript

All sources cited in the manuscript must appear in the reference list, and all references listed must be cited within the text.

In-Text Citation Guidelines

Reference List Guidelines

1. The reference list must appear at the end of the manuscript under the heading “References.”
2. References must be arranged alphabetically by the surname of the first author.
3. Use hanging indentation for all references.
4. Journal titles and volume numbers should be italicized.
5. Include DOI links in URL format wherever available.
6. References should follow sentence case formatting for article and book titles.
7. Authors are encouraged to verify all DOI links before submission.

APA 7th Edition Reference Examples

DOI and URL Guidelines

• Present DOI as an active URL format: https://doi.org/xxxxx
• Do not use “Retrieved from” before URLs unless a retrieval date is necessary.
• Hyperlinks should remain active wherever possible.

Citation Ethics

Authors must ensure ethical citation practices by:

• Acknowledging original sources appropriately
• Avoiding plagiarism
• Avoiding excessive self-citation
• Avoiding citation manipulation
• Citing only relevant scholarly material

The journal reserves the right to request revision or correction of references during editorial review.

Recommended Reference Management Tools

• Zotero
• Mendeley
• EndNote
• RefWorks
• Equivalent reference management tools

Final Submission Responsibility