Manuscript Submission & Ethical Guidelines

Manuscript Submission & Ethical Guidelines

Author Guidelines

The Nature-Nurture Journal of Psychology (NNJP) invites authors to submit high-quality, original research. The following guidelines outline the complete requirements for manuscript preparation, ethical compliance, submission, and the peer-review workflow.

Manuscript Preparation

Manuscripts must be written clearly and concisely in accordance with American Psychological Association (APA 7th edition) standards and structured according to the specific article type requirements:

1. Title Page

  • Content Requirements:
    • Title of the manuscript (concise, informative, and free of abbreviations)
    • Full names of all co-authors with highest academic degrees
    • Complete institutional affiliations and departmental details
    • Corresponding author’s official institutional email address and contact details
    • ORCID iDs for all contributing authors
    • Acknowledgments and funding disclosures (if applicable)

2. Abstract

  • Structure: A structured summary (approximately 250 words) comprising:
    • Background / Objective: The underlying research question or problem statement
    • Methodology: Concise overview of study design, participants, assessment instruments, and analytical approach
    • Key Findings: Primary statistical or qualitative results
    • Conclusions & Implications: Theoretical contribution, practical applications, and public health impact

3. Keywords

  • Provide 4 to 6 relevant keywords or short phrases reflecting the study’s core focus, avoiding redundant terms already present in the title.

4. Main Text Structure (Empirical Studies)

  • Introduction: Define the research problem, theoretical framework, objectives, rationale, and pertinent contemporary literature.
  • Methodology: Provide a detailed description of the study design, participant characteristics, inclusion/exclusion criteria, sampling methods, instruments, data collection procedures, and statistical analysis plans. Explicitly state institutional review board (IRB) approval and informed consent protocols.
  • Results: Present findings objectively, supported by clear descriptive and inferential statistical analyses, structured tables, and figures.
  • Discussion: Interpret results within the context of existing literature, highlight theoretical and practical implications, address methodological limitations, and propose future research directions.
  • Conclusion: Deliver a concise summary of the overarching study impact.

5. References

  • Formatted strictly in accordance with APA 7th edition style guidelines. Authors must ensure 100% correspondence between in-text citations and the reference list.

6. Figures and Tables

  • Each figure and table must include a concise, descriptive caption and be explicitly referenced within the main text.
  • Digital image files must be submitted in high-resolution formats suitable for print quality (minimum 300 dpi).

Submission Process

Online Submission

  • Manuscripts must be submitted directly through the NNJP online editorial management system. Third-party or proxy submissions are strictly prohibited. All mandatory components (blinded manuscript, title page, supplementary data, and ethical approval documentation) must be uploaded concurrently.

Cover Letter

  • Accompanying cover letters must summarize the study's scientific significance, explicit relevance to NNJP's scope, and originality. Authors must formally confirm that the manuscript is entirely original, has not been published previously, and is not currently under consideration elsewhere.

Ethical Compliance

  • Research involving human participants must comply strictly with the Declaration of Helsinki and institutional ethical standards. Official IRB approval documentation must accompany the submission.

Peer Review Workflow

  • Review Model: NNJP strictly employs a double-blind peer-review process, where both author and reviewer identities remain completely anonymous.
  • Reviewer Assignment: Each manuscript is evaluated by two or more independent subject-matter domain experts.
  • Revisions: Authors receiving revision requests must submit a detailed, point-by-point response letter addressing all editorial and reviewer comments alongside the revised manuscript through the online system.

Ethical Considerations & Conflicts of Interest

  • Competing Interests: All authors must transparently disclose any financial, commercial, or professional conflicts of interest that could be perceived as influencing the research.
  • Integrity Standards: Research must adhere to rigorous ethical guidelines concerning participant consent, data security, privacy protection, and academic integrity in alignment with Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)

Copyright & Licensing

  • Copyright Ownership: Authors retain full copyright and publishing rights over their work.
  • Publisher License: Upon acceptance, authors grant NNJP a non-exclusive license of first publication, identifying the journal as the original academic publisher.
  • Creative Commons Licensing: Articles are published immediately under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0):
    • Permits unrestricted sharing, adaptation, and commercial use.
    • Requires mandatory proper attribution to the original authors and NNJP as the original publisher.
    • Full license text: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Publication Fees & Waiver Policy

  • Open Access Model: NNJP operates on a fully open-access publishing model, ensuring all accepted content is immediately and freely available worldwide without subscription barriers.
  • Article Processing Charge (APC): 30,000 PKR (or 100 USD) per accepted manuscript.
  • No Hidden Fees: There are absolutely no submission fees, editorial assessment charges, or hidden publishing costs.
  • Financial Hardship Waivers: Partial or full APC waivers may be granted to authors residing in low-income regions or experiencing financial hardship. Waiver requests must be formally submitted during initial manuscript submission.

Article Types Accepted

NNJP accepts a diverse array of peer-reviewed, DOI-assigned, indexed, and plagiarism-checked article types:

  1. Original Research (Max 12,000 words; up to 15 figures/tables)
  2. Systematic Review incorporating a mandatory PRISMA flow diagram (Max 12,000 words; up to 15 figures/tables)
  3. Methods (Max 12,000 words; up to 15 figures/tables)
  4. Review (Max 12,000 words; up to 15 figures/tables)
  5. Mini Review (Max 3,000 words; up to 2 figures/tables)
  6. Hypothesis and Theory (Max 12,000 words; up to 15 figures/tables)
  7. Clinical Trial mandatory public trial registration required (Max 12,000 words; up to 15 figures/tables)
  8. Case Report explicit informed consent required (Max 3,000 words; up to 4 figures/tables)
  9. General Commentary (Max 1,000 words; 1 figure/table)
  10. Editorial (1,000 to 5,000 words depending on collection size)
  11. Study Protocol mandatory trial registration required (Max 12,000 words; up to 15 figures/tables)

Final Affirmation

By submitting a manuscript to NNJP, authors formally affirm that their research adheres to the highest academic, ethical, and legal standards, contributes meaningfully to the psychology discipline, and complies fully with the journal's open-access and editorial guidelines.

Contact Information: For editorial queries, manuscript status updates, or submission support, please contact the editorial office at njp@thenaturenurture.org.