Guide for Authors

Before submitting the manuscript, it is important to carefully read and follow the guide for authors below. Manuscripts that do not adhere to the guidelines will be returned without review.

Cover Letter

The cover letter should indicate that the manuscript is based on data from an original study conducted by the authors and that it has been approved by all authors. Additionally, it should explain why the manuscript is relevant to the scope of the MHRP. The authors should confirm in the cover letter that the manuscript has not been published, is not currently being reviewed elsewhere, and does not contain data that has already been submitted or published elsewhere. The authors must also state that they followed APA ethical standards in their research involving human or animal participants. It is important to highlight the novelty, significance and the scientific contribution of the study in the cover letter.

Manuscript Types

MHRP will consider submissions of the following types:

•          Original Articles

•          Empirical Studies

•          Invited Systematic, Conceptual Reviews

•          Meta-analytic Reviews

•          Comments on Published Articles

•          Invited Editorials

Original Articles

MHRP considers manuscripts on all aspects of mental health, including intervention, prevention, promotion, and national or international policies. Manuscripts, either experimental or non-experimental should make demonstrable effort to control threats to both internal and external validity. Novelty, originality, and unique scientific contribution of the work should be emphasized.

Empirical Studies

MHRP publishes empirical papers that are of high quality and have a broad relevance for the field of mental health. MHRP welcomes empirical studies that make a significant contribution to both theory and practice or provide evidence to support existing research in the field as well as empirical studies that bear important implications for policies that affect human beings across the life span.

Invited Systematic, Conceptual Reviews

By publishing invited systematic reviews by leading scholars from around the world working with populations of different ages, the editorial board of MHRP aimes to stay aware of emerging and novel advances or trends in mental health. Systematic reviews are expected to carefully synthesize a new conceptual framework and advance it, or extend existing theory on emerging or novel fields.

Meta-analytic Reviews

MHRP is committed to scientificly and unbiasedly evaluate the practical significance of the claimed effects in mental health research. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to submit meta-analytic reviews on topics of broad importance for mental health across the life span. Meta-analyses are expected to evaluate either the practical or theoretical significance of any specific field of mental health research.

Comments on Published Articles

Comments on articles in recent issues of MHRP are welcome provided that present new and important information on the same topic as the original paper. Comments should follow APA style. In the first paragraph of a comment, it is important to clearly express the intended goal.

Comments must not exceed 1,000 words in length. Authors of comments must disclose any actual or perceived conflicts of interest they may have with any of the authors of the original paper. However, this disclosure should be included in the cover letter and should not be written in the main manuscript. The title of the comment must be written in this format: "Comment on Author (Year): Brief Title".

Authors may be asked to revise the Comment. If a Comment is accepted for publication, the authors of the original paper will be given the opportunity to reply to the Comment. Comments will be published in the earliest possible issue of MHRP.

Invited Editorials

The Editor-in-Chief may invite scholars to write Editorials that offer their perspectives on critical and cutting-edge issues in the field of mental health. Editorials should provide the scholar's opinion or interpretation pertaining to a timely and important issue in the mental health field that has significant implications for research, public health, or public policy. Editorial submissions are limited to a maximum length of 1,000 words and should be titled as follows: 'Editorial: Brief Title'.

Each submission will be evaluated on the following criteria:

Topic is timely and important;

Communicated message is clear, constructive, and compelling;

Message is relevant to a broad readership; and

Writing style is collegial.

Manuscript Preparation

Manuscripts should be prepared according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition. For more details on APA style please visite the APA Style website.

Manuscripts should not exceed 35 double-spaced pages in length, which includes the title page, abstract, references, tables, and figures. For regular manuscripts, an abstract of no more than 250 words should be included on a separate page, without the need for structuring the abstract into  titles like objective, method, etc. Following the abstract, authors should provide up to five keywords or brief phrases. The entire manuscript should be double-spaced and use Times New Roman font with a 12-point font size. In exceptional cases, authors may request a slight extension to the page limit if they can present a compelling argument before submission, such as when dealing with complex new methodologies or multiple studies.

The language of the writing is expected to be free of prejudice or bias against any group or groups (refer to chapter 3 of the APA publication manual for guidance). All new submissions are screened using iThenticate, and then the text similarities are identified by the editors to ensure the abscence of plagiarism before pubilshing the manuscript. 

Journal Article Reporting Standards

Authors should review the APA Style Journal Article Reporting Standards (JARS) for quantitativequalitative, and mixed methods. Revised in 2018, these standards offer methods to enhance transparency in reporting, ensuring that readers have the necessary information to evaluate research quality and to facilitate collaboration and replication.

References

Authors must conform to the reference style of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition. References must be listed in alphabetical order. Each listed reference should be cited in text, and each text citation should be listed in the References section.

Examples of basic reference formats:

Journal Article:
Endress, A. D. (2019). Duplications and domain-generality. Psychological Bulletin, 145(12), 1154–1175. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000213

Authored Book:

McKay, M., Fanning, P., & Paleg, K. (2006). Couple Skills: Making Your Relationship Work. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications.

Chapter in an Edited Book:

Connor, D. (2006). Stimulants. In R.A. Barkley (Ed.), Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A handbook for diagnosis and treatment (pp. 608–647). New York: The Guilford Press.

Tables

Use Word's Insert Table function to create tables. Spaces or tabs must not be used to create tables. Each table should be provided on a separate page following the Reference list. The approximate location for each table must be specified in the main text.

Figures

Graphics files are welcome if supplied as TIFF or EPS files. Multipanel figures (i.e., figures with parts labeled a, b, c, d, etc.) should be assembled into one file. The recommended minimum line thickness for line art in order to achieve the best print quality is 0.5 points. Whenever feasible, it is preferred to position symbol legends below the figure rather than to the side. Graphics files should be submitted as separate attachments, please indicate the approximate location for each figure in the main text. Each figure should also be placed on a distinct page following the Reference list after Tables. For further details regarding acceptable resolutions, fonts, sizing, and other matters related to figures, please see the general guidelinesBecause articles are published only electronically via “http://mhrp.ub.ac.ir/, publication of all types of figures, either colored or black and white, will be free of charge.

Computer Code

Because altering computer code in any way (e.g., indents, line spacing, line breaks, page breaks) during the typesetting process could alter its meaning, authors are recommended to provide computer code as supplemental materials with appropriate in-text reference. Computer code will appear in online supplemental materials without any typesetting change.  

Submitting Supplemental Materials

Supplemental materials include datasets, audio and video files, pictures, computer code, and text that cannot be included in the main body of the manuscript. Supplemental materials should be referenced in text so that they can be hyperlinked, redirecting readers to the download page. 

Masked Review Policy

MHRP follows a double-blind review process, where both the authors' and reviewers' identities are masked. Manuscripts that undergo peer review are distributed without their title pages to ensure the authors' anonymity. Each copy of a manuscript should have a separate title page displaying the authors' names and affiliations, and these should not be presented any where else in the manuscript. However, only the manuscript title and not the authors' names and affiliations, must be included at the beginning of the main text. Any footnotes that might reveal the authors' identities should be placed on a separate page. Authors should take all necessary precautions to ensure that the manuscript itself does not provide any clue to their identity.

Publication Policies

MHRP follows publication guidelines in alignment with the American Psychological Association (APA). According to APA policy, authors are not allowed to simultaneously submit the same manuscript to multiple publications (refer to Section 1.12 on Conflict of Interest in the Publication Manual). Furthermore, APA policy strictly prohibits the publication of any manuscript that has already been published, either entirely or substantialy, in another source. Authors are responsible for reaching out to journal editors for clarification if they have any question concerning prior publication of all or part of their submitted manuscripts.

Author Note

Author Note should be concise and provide details such as acknowledgments, sources of funding, presentations at conferences, and informal or narrative presentations of the data (for instance, through listservs, website postings or sharing, academic social networks like ResearchGate, or blogs). Author Note must be positioned at the end of the manuscript, just before the References section.  

Ethical Principles

MHRP is committed to and expects authors to follow the Ethical Principles of APA. The APA Ethics Office provides the complete Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct electronically on its website, accessible in HTML, PDF, and Word formats. It is violation of APA Ethical Principles to publish previously published data as original data (Standard 8.13). Additionally, APA Ethical Principles specify that once research results are published, psychologists do not withhold the data supporting their conclusions from other qualified professionals who seek to verify the claims through reanalysis. and who intend using such data only for verification purposes, provided that participants' confidentiality "can be protected and unless legal rights concerning proprietary data preclude their release" (Standard 8.14). MHRP consistent with APA, expects authors to adhere to these standards. Similar to APA, MHRP expects authors to make their data available throughout the editorial review process and for a minimum of 5 years following publication date. MHRP mandates authors to confirm in their cover letter that they have complied with APA ethical standards in the treatment of their human or animal sample. The methods section of the manuscript should include detailed information about the treatment of participants. Furthermore, MHRP mandates authors to provide a statement confirming their adherence to APA ethical standards. This statement encompasses three parts: disclosure of any conflict of interest, ethical approval by an institutional review board, and participant informed consent. This three-part statement should be positioned at the end of the manuscript, following Author Note and preceding the References section, under the heading "Statements." 

Permissions

Authors whose papers are accepted for publication are required to obtain and provide to the editor all needed permissions for electronically reproducing any copyrighted work, including test materials (or partions thereof), photographs, and other graphic elements (including those employed as stimuli in experiments).

Other Important Considerations

MHRP uses a plagiarism-detection software to ensure there are no duplicated or plagiarized content within the manuscripts. Whenever possible, all statistical tests should include effect size. The use of first-person language ("I," "we") is discouraged. Terminology should demonstrate sensitivity towards individuals with diseases or disabilities, aligning with the journal's endorsement of the "people first, not their disability". Therefore, phrasing should prioritize the individual ("person with a disability"), such as "children with diabetes," "persons with HIV infection," or "families of people with cancer," rather than framing the condition as an adjective ("diabetic children," "HIV patients," "cancer families"). Additionally, non-sexist language is expected.

In cases where a manuscript contains data from a larger study, authors should provide an explanation of the broader study and include references to other publications stemming from the larger study.

Submission

To submit to the Editorial Office, please submit manuscripts only electronically via the Mental Health: Research and Practice (MHRP) Manuscript Submission System in Microsoft Word (.docx) with an accompanied Portable Document Format (.pdf) of the manuscript file. SUBMIT MANUSCRIPT HERE

Please create a backup of the manuscript to prevent any potential loss. Please note that manuscripts cannot be submitted through postal mail, fax, or email. In case emails and files from the editorial manager go to the spam box, we recommend regularly checking the spam folder to ensure you receive communications from the MHRP editorial office. Additionally, consider implementing the following measures to enhance communication with our editorial office:

• Provide an alternate email address that can be used to contact you in the event of technical difficulties with your primary email address.

• Ask your IT administrators to add "http://mhrp.ub.ac.ir/" to the list of "safe" addresses or "white list", and

• Contact MHRP editorial office if you do not receive submission confirmation within three business days or an editorial decision letter within three months.

Mental Health: Research and Practice (MHRP) uses a software system to check submitted manuscript for similarity with other published content.

On the submission portal, you will be requested to provide contact details for three individuals with the expertise to act as unbiased reviewers for your paper. These individuals should have a record of publishing peer-reviewed work in a relevant field. Importantly, they must be without any actual or perceived conflict of interest with you or your coauthors, nor should they have previously read or given feedback on drafts of the paper. Moreover, they must not be affiliated with the same institution as any of the authors, can not have collaborated as coauthors on previous publications, and should not have held roles as former or current trainee, advisor, mentor, and the like.

 

Submission Checklist

 

Cover letter:

1- Author(s) have confirmed in the cover letter that the manuscript has been prepared based on data from an original study conducted by the authors, and the manuscript has been seen and approved by all authors.

2- Author(s) have described why they think the manuscript is consistent with the scope of MHRP.

3- Author(s) have confirmed in the cover letter that the manuscript has not been published, is not currently under review elsewhere, and that it does not contain data that are currently submitted or published elsewhere.

4- Author(s) have stated in the cover letter that they have complied with APA ethical standards in the treatment of participants, human or animal.

5- Author(s) have concisely explained the scientific contribution of their study in the cover letter.

6- Authors of comments have disclosed any real or perceived conflicts of interest with any of the authors of the original paper (only for authors of comments on published articles)

Provision of Data Sets and Computer Codes (If Any):

7- Author(s) have provided as supplemental materials the data on which their conclusions are based for other competent professionals who seek to verify the substantive claims through reanalysis.

Note: if this will raise confidentiality issues or there are some legal rights concerning proprietary data, precluding their release, please explain your reasons in the cover letter and upload verifying documents through MHRP Manuscript Submission System.

8- Author(s) have provided computer code (if any) for running analyses described in the manuscript in the online supplemental materials.

Checklist 9 through 11 pertains to Comments on published articles only:

9- The goal of the comment has been clearly stated in the first paragraph. 

10-  The comment has not exceeded 1000 words in length.

11- Author(s) have written the title of the comment as: “Comment on Author (Year): Brief Title”.

Checklist 12 pertains to Editorials only: 

12- The Editorial has not exceeded 1000 words in length, and the title has been written as: “Editorial: Brief Title”.

Manuscript Preparation:

13- Author(s) have prepared the manuscript according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition.

14- The manuscript has not exceeded 35 double spaced pages in length, including the title page, abstract, references, tables, and figures.

Note: If you need a small number of extra pages please explain your reasons in the cover letter prior to submission. 

15- The abstract is unstructured and has not exceeded 250 words in length.

16- Up to five keywords or brief phrases have been provided after the abstract.

17- All parts of manuscript have been double spaced, using Time New Roman font, 12 point font size.

18- Authors have used language free of prejudice or bias against any group or groups (see chapter 3 of the APA publication manual).

19-Authors have reviewed and prepared their manuscripts according to the APA Style Journal Article Reporting Standards (JARS) for quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method studies.

20- The references in-text and the reference list adhere to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth Edition.

Tables

21- Tables have been created by using Word’s Insert Table Function rather than using spaces or tabs; each table has been provided on a separate page following the Reference list, and the location for each table has been specified in the main text.

Figures

22- Graphic files have been supplied as TIFF or EPS files (TIFF files are created via Bitmap and EPS files are created by Adobe illustrator).

23- Multi-panel Figures (i.e., figures with parts labeled a, b, c, d) have been assembled into one file.

24- The minimum line weight for line arts is not less than 0.5 points.

25- When possible, symbol legends have been placed below the figures instead of to the side.

26- Approximate location for each figure has been specified in the main text.

27- Each figure has been provided on a separate page at the end of the manuscript after the tables.

Supplemental Materials

28- Supplemental materials (if any) have been referenced in text so that they can be hyperlinked, redirecting readers to the download page. Remember to upload supplemental materials along with other files when submitting the manuscript.

Masked Review Policy

29- The title page with authors’ names and affiliations has been separated from the main text of the manuscript and has been prepared for submission as a separate file. However, only the manuscript title and not the authors names and affiliations, must be written at the beginning of the main text.

30- Footnotes that identify the authors have been typed on a separate page and have been prepared for submission as a separate file.

Author Note

31- Author Note has been provided at the end of the text before References.

Ethical Principals 

32- The Three-part statement (see the guide for authors) has been provided after Author Note and before References.

Other important Considerations

33- All statistical tests include effect sizes, whenever possible.

34- First person language (“I”, “We”) has been avoided throughout the manuscript.

35- Terminology of the manuscript is consistent with APA policy “People first, not their disability”. Therefore, terminology reflects the “person with disability” rather than the condition as an adjective.

36- Nonsexist language has been used.

Submission

37- All text files for the manuscript have been prepared both in Microsoft Word (.docx) and Portable Document Format (.pdf).

38- Please save a copy of the manuscript elsewhere before submission. Authors are recommended to place a copy of the manuscript in repositories before submission.

Submission Files:

1- Cover letter in .pdf format.

2- Title Page in a separate MS Word (.docx) file includes manuscript Title, and authors’ names and affiliations.

3- Footnotes with any identifying author information has been provided in a separate MS Word (.docx) file (if any).

4- Main Text in both MS Word (.docx) and .pdf files includes manuscript Title, Abstract, Keywords, Text Body (with specified location for tables and figures), Author Note, Statements, References, Tables (each on a separate page), and Figures (each on a separate page). 

5- Figures in TIFF or EPS files (each in a separate file).

6- Datasets in .sav or .xlsx file format; screen shots of computer code in TIFF or high quality .jpg formats provided as supplemental materials.

7- Supplemental text in both MS Word (.docx) and .pdf files (if any).

8- Other Supplemental Materials (if any).