Author Guidelines

Instructions to authors

Psichologija Editorial Board accepts empirical, analytical review and theoretical research articles on a wide range of topics, written in Lithuanian or English. Preference is given to articles written in English. The journal has a section entitled Psychology - for practitioners, which publishes papers reviewing scientific advances in a specific field and their application to a range of practical activities. Reviews of important works in psychology may be published instead of this section. The Editorial Board therefore encourages authors to submit such articles. Psichologija also accepts brief reports (submitted in English only).

1. General guidelines

Papers presenting empirical research must follow a set outline:

Title. Give a concise and informative title (don’t use '&' in the title).

Summary. Write down the key aspects of the study and its value. The abstract should be in one paragraph and no more than 250 words. At the request of the authors, the editorial board may suggest options for translating the abstract into Lithuanian. Please note the language editor's practical advice on how to prepare a neat submission text.

When writing your summary, you should focus on:

• the content of the study;
• the methods and procedures used to carry out the study;
• the results/conclusions of the study.

Key words. Provide 3-5 keywords, separated by commas, that reflect the main points of the article. When choosing keywords, consider the person searching for articles on your topic.Keywords can be listed in any order.

The main part. The structure may vary depending on the specifics of the research. However, empirical studies should include, but not be limited to:

• Introduction, which sets out the research problem, objectives and hypotheses;
• Methodology consisting of:
1. Participants;
2. Variables and their measures;
3. Procedure;
4. Data analysis.
• Results;
• Discussion (this section might include limitations and practical implications);
• Conclusions (optional);
• References (refer to APA guidelines).

Each part of the work must be titled and separated.   

Literature. The reference list should be prepared in accordance with APA guidelines.

Annexes (if applicable). These are used to provide any useful additional information (measurement scales, relevant calculations, etc.). If there is more than one annex, they should be marked A, B, etc. or submitted as additional documents.

2. Style guidelines

Text length. A typical document for this journal should be no longer than 40 000 characters (including spaces), including abstract, tables, references, figure captions, endnotes. The minimum length is 15 000 characters. The abstract should not exceed 250 words in English and Lithuanian. Articles and abstracts should be written in common Lithuanian or English (depending on the language of the article), using non-discriminatory and neutral language whenever possible.

Font. Use Times New Roman or Calibri font size 12 and double line spacing.

Margins. Margins must be no narrower than 25 mm (or 1 inch) on all sides of an A4 sheet.

Title. The title must be centered and bold, using a title heading.

Headlines

• First level headings (e.g., introduction, methodology, results, discussion, conclusions, references) should be highlighted in the center. The text starts as a new paragraph.
• Second level headings (e.g., participants, variables and their measures, procedure, data analysis. should be highlighted on the left. The text starts as a new paragraph.
• Level 3 headings should be in left bold italics. The text starts as a new paragraph.
• Level 4 headings should be avoided. Where their use is justified, level 4 headings should appear in bold at the beginning of the paragraph. The text should follow immediately after a full stop or other punctuation.
• Level 5 headings should be avoided. Where their use is justified, level 5 headings should be placed in bold italics at the beginning of the paragraph. The text should follow immediately after a full stop or other punctuation.

The average time to the first decision on the eligibility of an article for publication is 36 days.

3. Article submission and peer review

The article is submitted electronically on the Journal of Psichologija website. The registration icon can be found in the top menu on the right. When submitting an article, please ensure you have provided all the necessary information.

Two reviewers appointed by the editorial board evaluate each article, who are given the articles without the authors' names. The authors are briefed on the reviews (the names of the reviewers are not disclosed) and, if the conclusion on publishability is positive, are asked to correct the shortcomings pointed out and to reply in writing on how the comments have been considered. The Editorial Board, on receipt of the corrected articles and the written replies to the reviewers' comments, may, if necessary, ask the reviewers to reassess the authors' corrections and replies, and then take a final decision on the suitability of the article for publication. Authors are informed of the decision by e-mail.

Psichologija also accepts brief reports. They are accepted in English only. Please see the English version of the website for the requirements for brief reports.

4. Requirements for brief reports

Psichologija accepts brief reports in English. Please submit the title, abstract and keywords in English. If you need help, please contact the corresponding secretary of the journal. The brief papers' aim is to stimulate further research in psychology. Brief reports are useful for researchers whose results are time-sensitive (e.g., in highly competitive or fast- changing fields).Psichologija encourages original and significant empirical contributions, with a preference for studies that contribute to a particular field of psychology, demonstrate the reliability of results, provide preliminary findings, or are conducted in small samples.

Brief reports may include:

• Repeating or adding to a previously published study. A replication is the re-conduction of a study using the same method but in a different sample. Replication may be direct or conceptual. A brief report may present one or more replicated studies. Replication of a study using already published data is not acceptable.
• Summary of a large study or group of studies (e.g., several studies awarded a grant).
• Research that makes an original empirical contribution but is smaller or narrower than a regular scientific article.

Brief reports are peer-reviewed in the usual way for articles.

Text length. Brief reports must not exceed 3000 words, including summaries, tables, figure captions, and references. They should also contain no more than 3-4 tables and/or figures (data should not be repeated extensively in tables or figures). If your brief report is longer, we recommend submitting it as a full article.

The brief message should be in a standard format: 
Title. The title of the brief message must be less than 150-300 characters, including spaces. 
Summaries. Summaries should be unstructured and not exceed 250 words. The abstract should not contain cited sources. If abbreviations are used, they must be explained. 
Key words. Authors should provide no more than 5 key words describing the topic of the brief. 
Introduction. A brief introduction to the problem or issue under consideration (literature review). The aim and theoretical basis of the study should be stated when describing the research question or hypotheses. The introduction should include only directly cited literature sources. 
Methodology. Presentation of the methodological part of the study. The methodology section should provide sufficient detail on the method and procedures to allow the study to be replicated and/or validated. It should also include information on the study participants, the measurement instruments, and any other technical information. 
Results. A brief description of the results. The results must be presented in a logical sequence in text, tables, and illustrations, giving the main or most important conclusions. Do not repeat the datain the text tables or figures. In the case of a replication or extension of the study, the results of the two studies should be compared. 
Discussion of results/Conclusions. A brief discussion of the results, highlighting the new and important aspects of the study and the conclusions that follow from them. If the results are relevant for policy makers, they may be presented in bullet points. 
References. No more than 20 references cited in the text.