Information for Contributors

Manuscripts are accepted for consideration by The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences with the understanding that they represent original material, have not been published previously, are not being considered for publication elsewhere, and have been approved by each author. Any form of publication other than an abstract of no more than 400 words constitutes prior publication. This includes components of symposia, proceedings, transactions, books (or chapters), invited articles, or reports of any kind, regardless of differences in readership. (Clinical trial registration does not constitute prior publication and will not preclude consideration for publication in the Journal.)

Authors submitting manuscripts containing data or clinical observations already used in published papers or used in papers that are in press, submitted for publication, or to be submitted shortly should provide this information and copies of those papers to the Editor. An explanation of the differences between the papers should be included.

Public dissemination of manuscripts before submission to the Journal, such as posting the manuscript on preprint servers or other repositories, will be considered in the evaluation of whether to enter a paper into formal peer review. The evaluation will involve determining whether ultimate publication will add meaningful new information to the medical literature or will be redundant with information already disseminated with the posting of the preprint. Authors should provide information about any preprint postings, including copies of the posted manuscript and a link to it, at the time of submission of the manuscript to the Journal. It is the author’s responsibility to ensure that preprints are amended to point readers to subsequent versions, including the final published article.

The Journal requires, as a condition of consideration for publication, registration of clinical trials in a public trials registry. Trials must be registered at or before the onset of patient enrollment. For this purpose, a clinical trial is defined as any research project that prospectively assigns human subjects to intervention or comparison groups to study the cause-and-effect relationship between a medical intervention and a health outcome. Studies designed for other purposes, such as to study pharmacokinetics or major toxicity (for example, phase I trials), would be exempt. The Journal does not advocate one particular registry, but requires authors to register their trial in a registry that meets several criteria. The registry must be accessible to the public at no charge. It must be open to all prospective registrants and managed by a not-for-profit organization. There must be a mechanism to ensure the validity of the registration data, and the registry should be electronically searchable.

An acceptable registry must include at minimum the following information: a unique identifying number, a statement of the intervention (or interventions) and comparison (or comparisons) studied, a statement of the study hypothesis, definitions of the primary and secondary outcome measures, eligibility criteria, key trial dates (registration date, anticipated or actual start date, anticipated or actual date of last follow-up, planned or actual date of closure to data entry, and date trial data considered complete), target number of subjects, funding source, and contact information for the principal investigator. To our knowledge, at present, only www.clinicaltrials.gov, sponsored by the United States National Library of Medicine, meets these requirements; there may be other registries, now or in the future, that meet all these requirements. Registration information must be provided in the cover letter at submission.

Reporting guidelines have been developed for different study designs; examples include CONSORT for randomized trials, STROBE for observational studies, PRISMA for systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and STARD for studies of diagnostic accuracy. The Journal encourages authors to follow these guidelines because they help authors describe the study in enough detail for it to be evaluated by editors, reviewers, readers, and other researchers evaluating the medical literature. Authors of review manuscripts are encouraged to describe the methods used for locating, selecting, extracting, and synthesizing data; this is mandatory for systematic reviews. Good sources for reporting guidelines are the EQUATOR Network and the NLM's Research Reporting Guidelines and Initiatives.

All persons designated as authors should qualify for authorship. Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for the content. The corresponding author affirms that he or she had access to all data from the study, both what is reported and what is unreported, and also that he or she had complete freedom to direct its analysis and its reporting, without influence from the sponsors. The corresponding author also affirms that there was no editorial direction or censorship from the sponsors. Preparation of drafts of manuscripts by employees of the sponsor who are not listed as authors is expressly prohibited.

Authorship credit should be based on

1. Substantial contributions to conception and design or analysis and interpretation of data.
2. Substantial contributions to drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content.
3. Final approval of the version to be published.
4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Conditions 1, 2, 3, and 4 must ALL be met. Participation solely in the acquisition of funding or the collection of data does not left authorship. General supervision of the research group is also not sufficient. Any part of an article critical to its main conclusions must be the responsibility of at least one author.

Only those with key responsibility for the material in the article should be listed as authors; others contributing to the work should be recognized in an Acknowledgment.

The American Psychiatric Association has adopted the following policies regarding the use of generative artificial/augmented intelligence (AI) in any manuscript or book submitted for potential publication:

• If a generative AI tool was used at any stage in the creation of a submitted work, both the relevant text of the submitted work and the cover letter or email accompanying the submission must fully identify all details of the AI use (including the tool used and the relevant output)
• Submitted works may not include images produced with generative AI at this time
• Only human persons can be listed as authors of a work (i.e., no AI tool may be identified as author)
• Authors are responsible for all material contained within the submitted work, including any material first produced through the use of generative AI. This comprises responsibility for the accuracy of such material (i.e., confirming that it is not incorrect, incomplete or biased) and for ensuring that all relevant material includes appropriate attribution and does not constitute plagiarism
• Material produced through a generative AI tool may not be cited as a primary source

Disclosure of financial relationships is required at the time of submission and provisional acceptance of all manuscripts. The authors are responsible for informing the Journal of any additional financial relationships that may arise prior to the date of publication of their paper. Financial support for the study must be disclosed, whether from nonprofit or commercial sources. Nonfinancial forms of support, such as drugs, analytic support, or other assistance with preparation of the manuscript, must also be acknowledged. All authors must individually disclose all financial relationships, whether or not directly related to the subject of their paper. Such reporting must include all equity ownership, profit-sharing agreements, royalties, patents, and research or other grants from private industry or closely affiliated nonprofit funds. For income from pharmaceutical companies, the purpose must be specified, e.g., speakers bureau honoraria or other CME activity, travel funds, advisory panel payments, or research grants. Reporting should encompass the previous 36 months. If an author has no interests to disclose, this must be explicitly stated and will be acknowledged in print as “Dr. X reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.”

The Editors will review all author statements of financial support to determine if there is evidence of bias from these sources. If it appears that there may be, then further review and possible rejection of the manuscript may occur. Authors are encouraged to contact the Editor at any stage in the manuscript review process if they believe that they have relationships that require review.

The Journal requires a written transfer of copyright to American Psychiatric Association Publishing, so that the author(s) and the publisher are protected from misuse of copyrighted material. A copyright transfer form, which must be signed by all authors, is available through ScholarOne, our manuscript processing system, after acceptance of a manuscript. Work done in the capacity of a federal employee is in the public domain and not subject to copyright. Authors must obtain written permission from publishers and pay any fees for use of extensive text quotations (more than 500 words). The Journal does not publish previously published tables or figures.

Broad access to the research literature and the rights of our authors are important to American Psychiatric Association Publishing, the publisher of The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences. Read our public access policy for guidelines on deposit mandates for research funded by NIH and others and institutional repositories.

Ethical as well as legal considerations require careful attention to the protection of a patient’s anonymity in case reports and elsewhere. While recognizing the educational value of case reports, APA Publishing seeks to ensure what it publishes respects an individual’s privacy and protects personal health information. For all submissions wherein an individual is described, we ask at submission for confirmation that the individual has seen the version of the report, that the individual understands it is being submitted for publication consideration, and that the individual has been informed that if published, the report will be freely accessible to anyone 1 year after publication and thus confidentiality cannot be guaranteed despite all efforts to disguise personal details. For disguising, identifying information such as names, initials, hospital numbers, and dates must be avoided. In addition, authors should disguise information about the characteristics and personal history of patients and indicate in the text or in the article notes that they have done so, e.g.: “The authors have confirmed that details of the cases presented have been disguised to protect patient privacy.”

Manuscripts that report the results of experimental investigation and interviews with human subjects must include a statement that informed consent was obtained after the procedure(s) had been fully explained. In the case of children, authors are asked to include information about whether the child’s assent was obtained in addition to that of the legal guardian. If your submission does not contain written informed consent or Institutional Review Board approval, it will not be reviewed.

While recognizing the educational value of case reports, APA Publishing seeks to ensure what it publishes respects an individual’s privacy and protects personal health information. For all submissions wherein an individual is described, we ask at submission for confirmation that the individual has seen the version of the report, that the individual understands it is being submitted for publication consideration, and that the individual has been informed that if published, the report will be freely accessible to anyone 1 year after publication and thus confidentiality cannot be guaranteed despite all efforts to disguise personal details. For disguising, identifying information such as names, initials, hospital numbers, and dates must be avoided. In addition, authors should disguise information about the characteristics and personal history of patients and indicate in the text or in the article notes that they have done so, e.g.: “The authors have confirmed that details of the cases presented have been disguised to protect patient privacy.” When possible, APA Publishing prefers fictionalized composite accounts. Submissions employing this tactic should specify in the text “The case presented is a fictionalized account bringing together disguised characteristics of [number] individuals.

All submissions are reviewed by at least two experts to determine the originality, validity, and importance of content and conclusions. Manuscripts with insufficient priority for publication will be rejected promptly. Other manuscripts are sent for peer review. Authors will usually be advised within 8 weeks on the decision on their submission, although delays are sometimes unavoidable. Authors will be sent reviewer comments that are judged to be useful to them. All reviewers will remain anonymous.

^aDisplayed items may include tables, figures (graphs, line art), or text boxes (lists).

^bImage requirements: .tiff or .jpeg with minimum 300 dpi resolution. Permissions for use of nonoriginal material must be obtained and any fees paid before submission.

Manuscripts of this type include narrative reviews, systematic reviews, and conceptual works that represent the scholarship of integration on topics relevant to neuropsychiatry and the clinical neurosciences. Typical lengths for manuscripts of this type are about 7,500 words, including an abstract of 250 words or less and not including references (which generally number 100 or fewer). Tables and figures, each counted as 300 words per half-page, may be submitted but should not exceed 5; the need for their inclusion in the published manuscript is subject to peer review. The Journal will consider longer initial submissions provided that the accompanying cover letter outlines the reasons for doing so and with the understanding that accepted manuscripts may be edited to a length more typical of this manuscript type.

Manuscripts of this type describe original research focused on the phenomenologic and/or neurobiologic aspects of neuropsychiatric disorders and/or the assessment and treatment of such conditions. Typical lengths for manuscripts of this type are about 4,000 words, including a structured abstract of 250 words or less and not including references (which generally number 40 or fewer). The number of tables and figures should not exceed 5 items; the need for their inclusion in the final published article is subject to peer review and the Editor’s discretion. Tables and figures are included as part of a submission’s word count (half page=300 words; full-page 750 words). The Journal will consider longer initial submissions provided that the accompanying cover letter outlines the reasons for doing so and with the understanding that accepted manuscripts may be edited to a length more typical of this manuscript type.

Manuscripts of this type present 1) new research findings, 2) data from pilot studies, 3) worthwhile replication studies, and 4) clinical studies involving a number of patients. Essays, program descriptions, literature reviews, and single case reports do not meet the criteria for this section. Typical lengths for manuscripts of this type are about 2,500 words, including a structured abstract of 250 words or less and not including references (which generally number 25 or fewer). Tables and figures, each counted as 300 words per half-page, may be submitted and should not exceed 2 items; the need for their inclusion in the published manuscript is subject to peer review. The Journal will consider longer initial submissions provided that the accompanying cover letter outlines the reasons for doing so and with the understanding that accepted manuscripts may be edited to a length more typical of this manuscript type.

Manuscripts of this type highlight issues in treatment that are frequently encountered but widely recognized as therapeutically, ethically, or administratively challenging. The framework within which such articles should be developed is the scholarship of application, which aims to translate new knowledge from the clinical neurosciences to practical applications that address the problems of individuals and of society. An idealized brief case vignette summarizes the clinical issue. The narrative discusses key issues in assessment, examination, neurodiagnostic studies, differential diagnosis, case formulation, and the evidence guiding treatment selection and outcome evaluation. The discussion should not merely reiterate published guidelines but instead should synthesize the available evidence and guidelines, note their limitations, and provide a pragmatic approach to the treatment of patients with the neuropsychiatric condition in question.

Treatment in Behavioral Neurology & Neuropsychiatry articles are usually solicited by the Editors. The authorship can be single or multiple but needs to include a senior author who has well-known expertise on the issue(s) focused on in the manuscript. Unsolicited manuscripts will be considered; authors interested in submitting such articles are advised strongly to contact the Editor to communicate that interest and to vet the proposed topic.

Typical lengths for manuscripts of this type are about 3,500 words, including an abstract of 250 words or fewer and not including references (which generally number 35 or fewer). Tables and figures, each counted as 300 words per half-page, may be submitted and should not exceed 5 items; the need for their inclusion in the published manuscript is subject to peer review. The Journal will consider initial submissions of more than 3,500 words provided that the accompanying cover letter outlines the reasons for doing so and with the understanding that accepted manuscripts may be edited to a length more typical of this manuscript type.

Manuscripts of this type present and evaluate methods and programs in neuropsychiatric education at the undergraduate medical education, graduate medical education, and/or postgraduate medical education levels. The framework within which such articles should be developed is the scholarship of education, which aims to systematically study of teaching and learning processes and to present methods and programs in a format that facilitates their application and evaluation by others in the field.

Authorship can be single or multiple but needs to include a senior author who has well-known expertise as a medical educator. Education in Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychiatry articles are usually solicited by the Editors. Unsolicited manuscripts will be considered; authors interested in submitting such articles are advised strongly to contact the Editor to communicate that interest and to vet the proposed topic.

Typical length for manuscripts of this type is about 3,500 words, including an abstract of 250 words or less and not including references (which generally number 35 or fewer). Tables and figures, each counted as 300 words per half-page, may be submitted and should not exceed 5 items; the need for their inclusion in the published manuscript is subject to peer review. The Journal will consider longer initial submissions provided that the accompanying cover letter outlines the reasons for doing so and with the understanding that accepted manuscripts may be edited to a length more typical of this manuscript type.

Manuscripts of this type present novel clinical observations on the psychiatric manifestations of neurological conditions and/or the neurology of psychiatric disorders based on single case reports. Case Reports should begin with a paragraph that identifies the knowledge gap that the case report will fill. A concise description of the case follows under the heading “Case Report.” The report concludes with a Discussion section that clarifies the novel aspects of the case and makes clear the manner in which it advances our understanding of the cognitive, emotional, and/or behavioral manifestations of neurologic conditions and/or the neurological bases of psychiatric disorders.

Typical lengths for manuscripts of this type are about 2,000 words and may include 1 figure and/or 1 table (each counted as 300 words per half-page). Case Reports do not include an abstract and generally are supported by 25 or fewer references. The Journal will consider longer initial submissions provided that the accompanying cover letter outlines the reasons for doing so and with the understanding that accepted manuscripts may be edited to a length more typical of this manuscript type.

Manuscripts of this type present present (a) focused analyses of and commentary on an article (or several related articles) on clinically important or controversial topics in neuropsychiatry that have been published recently in peer-reviewed clinical neuroscience journals (including, but not limited to, JNCN), with the aim of contextualizing, interpreting, or reconciling divergent findings, interpretations, and perspectives presented in those articles, or (b) expert commentary on highly salient or controversial topics and articles in neuropsychiatry, where “expert” is defined by having published no fewer than five or more peer-reviewed articles that are directly relevant to the focus of the analysis and commentary.

Authors interested in submitting such articles are advised strongly to contact the Editor to communicate that interest and to vet the proposed topic. Typical lengths for manuscripts of this type are about 3,000 words, including an abstract of 250 words or less and not including references (which generally number 30 or fewer). Tables and figures, each counted as 300 words per half-page, may be submitted and should not exceed 5 items; the need for their inclusion in the published manuscript is subject to peer review. The Journal will consider longer initial submissions provided that the accompanying cover letter outlines the reasons for doing so and with the understanding that accepted manuscripts may be edited to a length more typical of this manuscript type.

Manuscripts of this type describe the practice of neuropsychiatry worldwide. The first half of the article should describe the presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of a typical patient in a specific region or country and then the second half should highlight and discuss the unique issues—cultural, economic, political, or even military—that impact treatment in that specific country or region. In almost all countries there is a mixture of medication and culturally distinct practices, and both should be described. Articles should be written in a style appropriate for a worldwide audience that is interested in unique problems faced by their colleagues. Authors are welcome to use phrases in their own language but they must also be defined or translated into English.

Perspectives in Global Neuropsychiatry articles are usually solicited by the Editors. Unsolicited manuscripts will be considered; prospective authors of Perspectives in Global Neuropsychiatry manuscripts are encouraged to contact [email protected] to vet the topic of their manuscript and to inquire about whether an article from their country is or is not already in progress. Manuscripts with multiple authors are acceptable. The authors should include 1 or more clinicians that live and practice in the country, region, or continent on which neuropsychiatric perspectives are offered.

Typical lengths for manuscripts of this type are about 2,500 words, including an abstract of 250 words or less and not including references (which generally number 25 or fewer). Tables and figures, each counted as 300 words per half-page, may be submitted and should not exceed 2 items; the need for their inclusion in the published manuscript is subject to peer review. The Journal will consider longer initial submissions provided that the accompanying cover letter outlines the reasons for doing so and with the understanding that accepted manuscripts may be edited to a length more typical of this manuscript type.

Authors may submit brief historical or contemporary snapshots of neuropsychiatry’s practitioners or other images of interest (e.g., art, historic buildings, books or monographs) to the Journal’s readership with accompanying text of 250–500 words signifying their relevance to the field today. Images themselves should be .tiff or .jpeg files of 300 dots-per-inch (dpi) and at least 4 inches wide or 5 inches tall. Permission for republication of images, if not the property of the submitting author, must be obtained before submission. Original unpublished or public domain images should be sought as the Journal does not pay permission fees for reuse.

Manuscripts of this type showcase a highly impactful or influential historical article (i.e., one published 50 or more years ago) in the transdisciplinary field of neuropsychiatry. Manuscripts begin with a brief review of the article, the historical context for its publication, and commentary on the way(s) in which it influenced neuropsychiatric practice, research, teaching, and/or public policy at or after its publication. Discussion of the article’s lasting impact on and relevance to modern neuropsychiatry and/or the legacy of the article’s author(s) then are offered.

Authors interested in submitting such articles are advised to contact the Editor to communicate that interest and to vet the proposed seminal article and topic or historical figure. Typical lengths for manuscripts of this type are about 3,000 words, including an abstract of 250 words or less and not including references (which generally number 30 or fewer). Tables and figures, each counted as 300 words per half-page, may be submitted and should not exceed 5 items; the need for their inclusion in the published manuscript is subject to peer review. The Journal will consider longer initial submissions provided that the accompanying cover letter outlines the reasons for doing so and with the understanding that accepted manuscripts may be edited to a length more typical of this manuscript type. All figures, images, or other works from the original article must be accompanied by written permission for use from the copyright holder to them or be demonstrably in the public domain (with written documentation of such as an element of the initial submission).

Manuscripts of this type may address any important topic in neuropsychiatric practice, research, public health, health policy, or health legislation, and/or ethics, and generally are not commentaries on a specific article. Manuscripts with multiple authors are welcome, but the total number of authors should be limited to 5 or fewer. Manuscripts of this type are usually within 1,500 words, do not feature an abstract, and are supported by 15 or fewer references. The Journal will consider initial submissions longer than 1,500 words provided that the accompanying cover letter outlines the reasons for doing so and with the understanding that accepted manuscripts may be edited to a length more typical of this manuscript type.

Brief letters discussing a recent article published in The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences may be submitted. Those submitted for possible publication should begin with “To the Editor:” and are typically 1,000 words or less, not including references (which generally number 10 or fewer). Letters are reviewed by the Editor and are published at the Editor’s discretion. Material published or submitted for publication elsewhere may not be duplicated in a Letter to the Editor, and unpublished data may not be presented. Letters intending to comment publicly on an article published in the Journal will be sent to the authors of the original article, who will be invited to offer a published reply.

Brief personal vignettes of experiences in neuropsychiatric practice, research, education, and professional/community service that have been particularly important—moments of insight or inspiration—will be considered for publication. Introspections should be limited to 1,000 words, should not include an abstract, and should be supported by 10 or fewer references. 

Word count. The number of words in the main text of the manuscript (after abstract, up to references), the number of references, the number of tables and figures, and whether a supplemental file is included should be noted on the title page.

Article Title. The title should be informative but brief (≤125 characters+spaces), avoiding declarative sentences:
Declarative: Cognitive Performance and Apathy Predict Unemployment in Huntington’s Disease Mutation Carriers
Nondeclarative: Cognitive Performance and Apathy as Predictors of Unemployment Among Carriers of the Huntington’s Disease Mutation

Byline. Authors listed in the byline should be limited to principal researchers and/or writers (see Authorship section above); collaborators may be acknowledged in a separate section. Authors’ first names are preferred to initials. Up to two academic degrees should be included after each author’s name.

Institutional Affiliations. Provide the department, institution, city, and state (or country) where the work was done.

Address for Corresponding Author. Include the e-mail address of only the corresponding author, which is where typeset proofs will be directed for accepted papers in production. Postal mailing addresses are not needed for any author.

Previous Presentation. If the paper has been presented at a meeting, include the name, location, and inclusive dates of the meeting.

Funding and Acknowledgments. Grant support should be acknowledged in a separate paragraph and should include the full name of the granting agency and grant number. Acknowledgment of individuals should include up to two academic degrees per person mentioned.

Disclosures of Potential Competing Interests. Pharmaceutical company or other industry support of any kind must be indicated. If an author has no interests to disclose, this must be explicitly stated: “Dr. X reports no financial relationships with commercial interests.”

Abstracts are sent to various archiving and indexing services and aid in your article’s discoverability by providing a synopsis of the study. The abstract is a single paragraph no longer than 250 words in the active voice and third person. If the article is structured with standard research report headings, use a structured abstract with the following headings: Objective, Methods, Results, Conclusions. Spell out on first use acronyms used more than once within the abstract.

In general, use the active voice and first person. Use headings and up to two levels of subheading to guide the reader (standard research reports should use Methods, Results, Discussion, and Conclusions as main headings). Footnotes to text cannot be accommodated by the journal format. Acronyms (other than those for units of measure) should be spelled out the first time they are used within the abstract, within the main text, and within each table and figure; idiosyncratic abbreviations should not be used. Generic rather than trade names of drugs should be used whenever possible.

Introduction. Remember to state the purpose of the research (typically in the last paragraph of the introduction), including a clearly stated hypothesis. (If the purpose is not stated as a research question, it should be translatable into a research question.) Also indicate the type of study design, such as experiment, survey, or retrospective or prospective study.

Methods. Report whether informed consent (or assent, in the case of children) and institutional review board approval were obtained or waived and the dates the original data were collected.

For reports on randomized clinical trials, authors should provide as a supplemental file a flow diagram in CONSORT format and all of the information required by the CONSORT checklist. The CONSORT statement, checklist, and flow diagram can be found at http://www.consort-statement.org. (See Supplemental Data for what types of data and formats are acceptable for posting online.)

Include a Data Analysis section near the end of the Methods section that describes the data analysis procedure concisely and in a manner understandable by nonstatisticians. Include the names of the statistical tests used (providing a reference for tests that are not well known), whether tests were one- or two-tailed, and the test used for each set of data. All significant results must include the test value, degree(s) of freedom, and probability. For example, “The analysis of variance indicated that those who abstained from coffee had significantly higher course grades than those who did not abstain (F=4.32, df=3 and 17, p=0.05).” Reviewers will evaluate the appropriateness of the analyses.

For any instrument for which scores are reported, present the scoring rubric (i.e., possible score range and meaning of higher scores) in the text and in relevant displayed material, such as a table or figure presenting scores (“Possible scores range from X to Y, with higher scores indicating [ ]”).

Results. In text or in a table, include basic demographic data of the individuals in the study: sex, age, and race-ethnicity (N and percentages of Whites, Blacks, Asians, Hispanics, and Native Americans).

When reporting results, including in tables, report only the findings related directly to the research purpose or research question. Omit other data or include it only in a supplemental file.

Report sample numbers for all percentages, and report SDs or SEs for all means. Percentages can be rounded to whole numbers when N is <5,000 and to one decimal place when N is >5,000. In general, chi square, t, and F values, odds ratios, confidence intervals, and ratios should be rounded to two decimal places; p values, correlation coefficients, and other coefficients should be rounded to three decimal places.

When reporting statistically significant results, report test statistic values, degrees of freedom, and probability level (not to exceed p<.001; do not use p=.000).

References are numbered and listed by their order of appearance in text; the text citation is followed by the appropriate reference number in parentheses. Do not arrange the list alphabetically. References should be restricted to pertinent material. Accuracy of citation is the author’s responsibility. References should conform exactly to the original spelling, accents, punctuation, etc. Authors should be sure that all references listed have been cited in the text.

Personal communications, unpublished manuscripts, manuscripts submitted but not yet accepted, and similar unpublished items should not appear in the reference list. Such citations may be noted in the text. It is the author’s responsibility to obtain permission to refer to another individual’s unpublished observations. Manuscripts that are actually “in press” (that is, accepted for publication) may be cited as such in the reference list; the name of the journal or book publisher must be included.

Type references in the style shown below, double-spaced throughout. List up to three authors, designate one or more authors past the third as “et al.” Journal names should be abbreviated as they appear in Index Medicus; journals not currently indexed there should not be abbreviated.

1. Howieson DB, Lezak MD: The neuropsychological evaluation, in The American Psychiatric Press Textbook of Neuropsychiatry, 2nd edition, edited by Yudofsky SC, Hales RE. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Press, 1992, pp 127-150
2. Robinson RG, Lipsey JR, Rao K, et al: Two-year longitudinal study of poststroke mood disorders: comparison of acute-onset with delayed-onset depression. Am J Psychiatry 1986; 143:1238-1244
3. Keitner GI (ed): Depression and Families: Impact and Treatment. Washington, DC, American Psychiatric Press, 1990
4. Guy W (ed): ECDEU Assessment Manual for Psychopharmacology (publication ADM 76-338). Washington, DC, US Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1976

The Journal does not publish content that has appeared in other publications. Displayed items (tables, figures, and text boxes) that duplicate material in text or each other will not be used. Authors will be asked to delete items that contain data which could be given succinctly in text. Each table, figure, and box should be understandable without reference to the text, numbered in order of citation within the main text, and given a descriptive, concise title. Units of measure should be specified as appropriate in tables and figures. Data-based tables and figures must be cited initially in the Results section of research reports.

Tables are generally reserved for presentation of numerical data and should not be used as lists or charts. Place tables at the end of the uploaded main document file, after References and any figure captions. Do not embed tables within the main narrative text, and do not upload tables in a separate file.

Size. To fit a typeset page, tables are limited to 120 characters wide (portrait orientation) or 145 characters wide (landscape orientation), counting 3 characters of space between each column. In general, a landscape-oriented table is limited to 14 columns.

Body. Each cell should contain only one item of data and no hard returns; this is essential for presenting content online when published. Lists within cells cannot be accommodated. In rows, subcategories should be in separate cells; in columns, Ns and percentages, or means and SDs, should be in separate cells; no numerical data should be presented in parentheses within tables. When percentages are presented, the appropriate sample numbers must also be given. Row headings and column headings should initial cap only the first word (“Sentence style”). All columns, including the leftmost, need a heading. Specify all units of measure. For ease of comparison, values expressed in the same unit of measurement should read down as a column, not across in a row.

Notes. Abbreviations used must be defined, preferably in alphabetical order and set off with equals signs. When mean scores are presented, footnotes explaining the scoring rubric are encouraged for interpretability (“Possible scores range from X to Y, with higher scores indicating [ ]”).

Sample table formats

Figures express trends or relationships between data. Figures should represent data visually rather than numerically. Figures that contain numerical data which could be expressed more succinctly or clearly in tabular form should be converted to tables. Each complete figure (including titles and footnotes) should be understandable without reference to the text. Multiple figures for the same article should be prepared as a set, consistent in color and size across all figures. Two-dimensional graphs should not be represented in three dimensions. Consult recent issues of the Journal and the following guidelines for figures submission.

Files. A file of each figure must be uploaded with the manuscript. Specific file formats are required for different types of figure images. For photos or brain scans, high-resolution (300 dpi) raster images in .jpg, .png, or .tiff formats are preferred. For charts and graphs, scalable and editable vector images in .eps, .pdf, or .svg formats should be provided. Native files for charts and graphs created in Word, PowerPoint, or Adobe Illustrator also may be submitted.

Captions and Footnotes.Figures should be numbered in order of mention within the text. Figure captions, including the figure number, should appear at the end of the references and before any tables, for example: FIGURE 1. Group-level differences in severity of antisocial behaviors among patients with dementia as measured with the Social Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ)^a. Caption footnotes should define acronyms used within the figure image, explain error bars and statistical comparisons used in graphs, and explain staining and magnification levels in micrographs if not identified within the image.

• Definitions of symbols appearing in the figure should be presented in a key within the figure, rather than in the title or footnotes.
• Except for the key, avoid using internal type (e.g., placing statistical values within a graph).
• If error bars are included, explain what they represent (e.g., confidence intervals, standard deviations).
• Only the most widely recognized abbreviations may be used, and they must be defined in the footnotes to the figure title/caption.
• In a graph comparing different groups of subjects, the number of subjects in each group should appear with the name of the group—in the key, in the headings below the horizontal axis, or in the title.
• Footnotes may be cited as lowercase letters in both the caption and the image of the figure; within the image of the figure, if there are multiple footnotes, the letters should proceed from left to right and top to bottom.
• For statistical comparisons noted in figures, provide complete statistical data in footnotes. If numerous analyses are presented, simple p values may be given in the footnotes, in which case the footnotes should be indicated by single asterisk, double asterisk, etc.

Boxes are generally reserved for lists and recommendations. Number boxes in order of citation in the main text.

Sample box

The Journal allows authors to submit supplemental content to be posted online in support of their articles. To be accepted for posting, supplemental material must be essential to the scientific integrity and excellence of the manuscript. The material is subject to the same editorial standards as the printed Journal and will be submitted for peer review. Supplemental material will not be formatted or edited by in-house editorial staff. The Editor may select material submitted for publication in the print version to be posted online only. The Journal will accept submissions of the following categories of supplemental content:

• Detailed tables (up to 3) that contain data of use to other investigators. Data should be summarized in the text of the print version.
• The CONSORT table and figure for clinical trials.
• Questionnaires, tests, checklists, etc. not previously published.

Supplemental content should be uploaded in a single file separate from the main manuscript. As with tables and figures, supplements must be cited as “online supplement” in the main text (e.g., “The CONSORT chart for this study appears in the online supplement”). Please remember that the larger the file size the longer it will take users to download. For this reason, please limit your files to 10 MB. The Journal can accept the following formats:

• Plain text (.txt)
• HTML page (.html)
• JPEG image (.jpg)
• GIF image (.gif)
• Adobe PDF (.pdf)
• Excel spreadsheet (.xls)
• ZIP compressed file (.zip)
• Word document (.doc)
• Tiff image (.tif)
• PowerPoint presentation (.ppt)
• Encapsulated Postscript document (.eps)
• MP3 file (.mp3)
• QuickTime video

If your document type is not listed here, please contact the editorial office at [email protected]. . Please name your file “Online Supplement” and upload as a supporting document. Cite supplemental content within the manuscript for the article as “X in the online supplement” (e.g., “see CONSORT chart in the online supplement”). If the supplemental file consists of multiple components, items may be numbered with a scheme other than that used in the main text: “see Table S1 in the online supplement” for tables, “see Figure S1 in the online supplement” for figures, and so on.

Individuals interested in reviewing for the Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences should visit ScholarOne Manuscripts and create an account.

Abstracts of articles within a reviewer’s given area of expertise are sent via e-mail to the reviewer. Within 3 days, the reviewer is asked to indicate willingness to review and availability to perform the review within a 2-week time frame.

Most competing interests, financial or otherwise, do not disqualify one from participating in the peer-review process, but the Journal requests that you indicate any conflict that you may have in reviewing any particular manuscript. You can also notify the Journal if you feel that you cannot review a manuscript because of a competing interest. This will not affect your reviewer status in any way.

Manuscripts must be reviewed with due respect for authors’ confidentiality. In submitting their manuscripts for review, authors entrust the Journal with the results of their scientific work and creative effort, on which their reputation and career may depend. Authors’ rights may be violated by disclosure of the confidential details of the review of their manuscript. Reviewers should never copy, share, or discuss a manuscript under review or the data within with anyone without expressed written permission of the Journal’s Editor and the authors.