Submissions

Author Guidelines

1. General Information

Health Psychology and Behavioral Disorders is a peer-reviewed, open access, quarterly journal that publishes original research articles, systematic reviews, theoretical papers, and qualitative or mixed-method studies within the fields of health psychology and behavioral disorders.

Manuscripts submitted to the journal must be written entirely in Persian, with the exception of the English abstract, extended abstract, and reference list. The journal follows APA (American Psychological Association) citation style, and all references should be formatted accordingly.

By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm that the content is original, has not been published elsewhere, and is not under consideration by another journal.

2. Manuscript Structure and Components

All submitted manuscripts must include the following sections in the specified order:

A) Title Page (Persian and English)

• Persian title (bold, B Lotus font, 14 pt)

• English title (Times New Roman, 14 pt)

• Full name(s) of author(s), affiliations, academic rank, email addresses

• Corresponding author must be clearly indicated

B) Persian Abstract

• Maximum 250 words

• Structured into: Objective, Method, Findings, Conclusion

• 4 to 6 keywords

• Font: B Lotus, 12 pt, single-spaced

C) English Abstract

• Accurate translation of the Persian abstract

• Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt, single-spaced

• 4 to 6 keywords

D) Main Text (Persian)

• Font: B Lotus, 13 pt, 1.5 line spacing

• Margin: 2.5 cm on all sides

• Word count: 4500–7000 words (excluding abstract and references)

• Structure should follow the IMRAD format:

  • Introduction

  • Methods and Materials

  • Findings

  • Discussion

  • Conclusion

  • Acknowledgments (if any)

  • Conflict of Interest Statement

  • Funding Statement (if applicable)

E) Extended Abstract (English)

• Required for all manuscripts

• Length: 1000 to 1500 words

• Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt, single-spaced

• Structure:

  1. Introduction (with in-text citations)

  2. Methods and Materials (no citations)

  3. Findings (results without citations)

  4. Discussion and Conclusion (no citations in conclusion)

The extended abstract should summarize the full article and be suitable for international audiences.

F) References

• All references must be in APA 7th edition style and listed in English only.

• If the original source is in Persian, provide the English translation of the title followed by "[In Persian]" in brackets.

• Font: Times New Roman, 12 pt, hanging indent

• At least 20% of the references must be from articles published in the past five years.

Example:

Ghasemi, A., & Taheri, M. (2021). The role of emotional regulation in health promotion [In Persian]. Journal of Psychological Studies, 18(2), 55–70. https://doi.org/10.1234/jps.2021.0055

3. Formatting and Style Requirements

• Use B Lotus font for all Persian content (including the main text and Persian abstract).

• Use Times New Roman font for all English content (including English abstract, extended abstract, and references).

• Line spacing: 1.5 for Persian sections; single-spaced for English sections.

• Text alignment: Justified

• Pages must be numbered at the bottom center.

• Do not use footnotes for citations; use in-text citations according to APA style.

4. Tables and Figures

• All tables and figures must be captioned in Persian and numbered sequentially.

• Tables and figures should be placed within the body of the text, near the point of reference.

• Figures must be of high resolution (minimum 300 dpi).

• If a figure or table is adapted from another source, proper citation is required.

5. Ethical Considerations

• Studies involving human participants must include a statement confirming ethics committee approval and informed consent.

• Authors must declare any conflicts of interest and funding sources.

• Plagiarism in any form is strictly prohibited and will result in rejection or retraction.

6. Submission Process

• Manuscripts must be submitted via the journal's online submission system (link available on the journal website).

• Files to be uploaded:

  • Main manuscript (without author identifiers)

  • Title page (with full author information)

  • Conflict of interest and ethical approval forms (if applicable)

7. Peer Review Process

All submissions undergo double-blind peer review, typically involving two to three anonymous reviewers. Authors will receive reviewer feedback and may be asked to revise their manuscripts accordingly. The average time from submission to the first decision is 4 to 6 weeks.

8. Article Processing Charges (APCs)

Upon acceptance, authors are required to pay an Article Processing Charge (APC) of 1,500,000 Tomans to cover editorial, review, and publishing costs. There is no charge for submission or during the review process.