Article Type

Manuscript Types & Scientific Article Requirements

Article Types

Psychosocia : Journal of Applied Psychology and Social Psychology prioritizes original research that demonstrates clear scientific novelty, rigorous analysis, and a substantive contribution to applied psychology, social psychology, behavioral science, mental health, interpersonal relations, community psychology, organizational behavior, psychological assessment, intervention, and related fields.

ORIGINAL RESEARCH PRIORITY NOVELTY REQUIRED NON-RESEARCH TYPES LIMITED

The journal gives priority to original research articles. Review articles, case studies, and short communications are accepted selectively when they are strongly aligned with the journal's Focus and Scope and provide clear theoretical, empirical, clinical, social, behavioral, or practical contributions to psychology.

Core Scientific Requirements

Regardless of manuscript type, articles should demonstrate the following core elements:

✓ Clear psychological or social problem and significance ✓ Adequate state of the art
✓ Explicit research gap / novelty justification ✓ Clearly stated research objective
✓ Appropriate psychological, behavioral, or social research method ✓ Findings, interpretation, and conclusion supported by evidence
Editorial Priority: Manuscripts without a clear state of the art, research gap or justification of novelty, explicit research objective, and appropriate methodological justification may receive lower editorial priority or be returned before peer review.
1 Original Research Article PRIMARY TYPE

Original Research Articles are the primary and preferred manuscript type. They must report original findings derived from a systematic research process and demonstrate a clear contribution to psychological theory, applied psychology, social behavior, psychological assessment, intervention, mental health, or related areas.

Required characteristics:

  • Relevant psychological or social background and clearly defined research problem;
  • Adequate review of current scholarship or state of the art;
  • Explicit identification of the research gap;
  • Clear justification of novelty or scientific contribution;
  • Explicit research objective(s), research question(s), or hypotheses where appropriate;
  • Appropriate and sufficiently described quantitative, qualitative, mixed-method, experimental, correlational, longitudinal, psychometric, intervention, or other relevant psychological research method;
  • Clear description of participants, sampling, psychological instruments, procedures, and analytical techniques where applicable;
  • Clear presentation of findings supported by appropriate statistical, qualitative, behavioral, or psychometric evidence;
  • Critical analysis and comparison with relevant psychological theories and previous research; and
  • Conclusion that directly responds to the research objective and explains relevant theoretical, clinical, social, community, organizational, or practical implications.
Recommended Structure:
Introduction → Methods → Results → Discussion → Conclusion → Declarations → References
2 Review Article SELECTIVE

Review Articles are considered selectively and must provide a comprehensive, critical, and original synthesis of a clearly defined body of literature in applied psychology, social psychology, behavioral science, mental health, interpersonal relations, community psychology, organizational psychology, psychological assessment, or related fields.

A high-quality review article should:

  • Present a clearly defined review question or analytical objective;
  • Explain the literature-search and selection approach;
  • Use adequate, relevant, and sufficiently current references;
  • Critically compare previous empirical findings, psychological theories, models, interventions, and perspectives;
  • Identify inconsistencies, methodological limitations, emerging psychological or social trends, and research gaps;
  • Provide original analysis or synthesis by the authors; and
  • Develop a research agenda, conceptual framework, theoretical integration, or substantive conclusion.
Not Acceptable: A literature review that only summarizes previous psychological studies, theories, or interventions without critical analysis, synthesis, or an original scholarly contribution.
3 Case Study LIMITED

Case Studies are considered when the case provides significant scientific, psychological, behavioral, social, clinical, community, organizational, or practical relevance within the journal's scope.

A Case Study must include:

✓ Clear research or analytical objective ✓ Case-selection justification
✓ Psychological assessment / analytical method ✓ Findings and substantive interpretation
✓ Comparison with relevant psychological literature ✓ Clear theoretical, clinical, social, or practical contribution
Not Acceptable: Purely descriptive individual, group, organizational, or community cases without a clear research or analytical objective, systematic psychological assessment, theoretical interpretation, and scholarly contribution.
4 Short Communication LIMITED

A Short Communication presents concise but important original findings, emerging psychological or social phenomena, preliminary intervention findings, behavioral observations, psychometric developments, or timely research results relevant to the journal's scope.

Although shorter than a full Original Research Article, a Short Communication must still contain sufficient scientific substance and demonstrate a clear contribution to psychological or social knowledge.

Minimum Scientific Elements:
Objective Method Results Interpretation Conclusion

Manuscript Type Priority

Manuscript Type Journal Priority Main Requirement
Original Research Article HIGH Original findings + state of the art + research gap + novelty + psychological analysis
Review Article SELECTIVE Comprehensive review + current references + critical synthesis + original analysis
Case Study LIMITED Objective + case justification + psychological assessment + interpretation + contribution
Short Communication LIMITED Concise but complete scientific evidence, psychological analysis, and interpretation

Manuscripts Not Considered

  • Purely descriptive psychological or social articles without substantive analysis;
  • Opinion articles without a clear scholarly method or evidence base;
  • Literature summaries without critical synthesis;
  • Descriptions of psychological phenomena, individual experiences, or social behaviors without systematic research or theoretical analysis;
  • Case narratives without clear objectives, assessment methods, evidence, interpretation, and scholarly contribution;
  • Psychological intervention or counseling reports without appropriate research design, evaluation, and ethical consideration;
  • Instrument-development studies without adequate evidence of reliability, validity, or psychometric evaluation;
  • Conference abstracts submitted without substantial development;
  • Articles outside the journal's Focus and Scope;
  • Previously published manuscripts; and
  • Manuscripts simultaneously submitted to another publication.
Editorial Principle

The journal prioritizes original research that advances knowledge in applied psychology and social psychology. Non-original research formats are considered selectively and must demonstrate clear scientific objectives, methodological rigor, analytical depth, responsible interpretation, originality, and strong relevance to the journal's Focus and Scope.