Journal of Health Service Psychology - Information for Authors

JHSP (this opens in a new tab) uses an article organization that differs from some other psychology journals. The model is oriented to health service psychologists and other behavioral health providers in direct clinical practice. It attempts to bring current ethical and clinical information into their immediate clinical decision-making. Articles in other formats may be considered but should generally follow the format listed below.

If you have questions about whether a particular topic, style, or format is suitable for JHSP, please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief, Dr. Kate Brody Nooner, at kate@nationalregister.org prior to submission to enable us to help you determine if your manuscript is aligned to the Journal’s aims and style.

All articles should be centered around a clinical vignette that highlights critical clinical issues for health service psychologists and allied professionals. The vignette is at the start of the manuscript and at a minimum it is linked back at the conclusion; ideally it is integrated throughout. The sections of a typical JHSP article are:

1. Cover page
   • Title – 100 character maximum including spaces
   • Name, degree, and city and state listed for each author
     • Primary contributor listed first and other authors listed in descending order of contribution to manuscript.
   • 2-sentence professional bio for each author:
     • Include one sentence with name, degree, pronouns (optional), professional title, and professional affiliation/organization. Examples: Blue Berry, PhD, is a licensed psychologist in private practice at Psychology Practice, LLC or Blue Berry, PhD (they/them), is Psychology Professor at State University.
     • Include one sentence describing clinical interest(s) or area(s) of focus.
   • Correspondence details (author name, office address, email address)
   • Statement of conflicts of interest, external funding, and other disclosures
2. Second page
   • Abstract – 100-125 words
   • Keywords – 3-5 keywords that directly pertain to the article
3. Clinical vignette of 1-2 pages
4. Key background on topic – 3-5 pages
5. Clinical and ethical challenges – 3-5 pages.
   • As part of this section, include considerations for underrepresented groups pertaining to access, equity, and inclusion.
6. Evidence-based assessment or practice considerations – 3-5 pages
7. Conclusions and lessons learned relating to vignette – 1-2 pages
8. “Key Clinical Considerations” – or appropriately titled summary bullet points – 3-5 bullets highlighting take home points for clinicians
9. References
   • There should be at least 5 geared toward informing clinicians from peer-reviewed journal articles in last 5 years, although there may be articles cited that were published more than 5 years ago.
   • If a reference is your own, please list full citation and reference details without writing “Author” as a placeholder. Please direct any questions to our Editor-in-Chief.
   • Include a URL with each reference whenever possible and ensure each reference is complete per APA guidelines for references (this opens in a new tab).
   • Please put an asterisk next to articles of highest relevance for those in direct clinical practice.
10. Promote inclusivity (this opens in a new tab) throughout the manuscript in addition to concepts presented in the clinical and ethical challenges section.

Overall page count: The pages of text in the body of the manuscript should be about 20 pages with the entire manuscript inclusive of title page, abstract, references, and figures not exceeding a maximum of 30 double spaced 12-point font pages.

All tables and figures should be in black and white or grayscale. No color.

Formatting including references should follow current American Psychological Association guidelines.

The opening vignette for a JHSP article is generally around 250 words (1-2 pages) in length.  It anchors the topic of the article in the reality of everyday clinical practice.  The vignette is designed to capture aspects of a clinical problem that will be explored throughout the manuscript.  JHSP is not a case study journal, as such the ideal vignette is not an actual patient but a compilation of key clinical challenges that illustrate important clinical and ethical issues in the article.

The sections that follow the vignette are intended to provide background, clinical and ethical challenges, and evidence-based practice considerations for behavioral health clinicians working with directly with patients. Authors should work to integrate elements from  the vignette throughout the manuscript. At a minimum, the vignette should be discussed in detail in the conclusion. Creative use of figures and tables is encouraged.

Information is presented in a direct and declarative manner, with current citations of sources provided throughout.  Citations should be selective and used to orient readers to current key resources that may aid in clinical practice and decision-making.

The core of a JHSP article is a detailed description of the process of conducting an evaluation or evidence-based, clinical intervention. This process might include a description of psychological tests or measures to use (and how to present and interpret them), or it might include a description of conducting an intervention (and the varied aspects of the problems that must be addressed and corresponding evidence-based interventions).  Thus the main thrust of the article is an in-depth exploration of “what to do” and “how to do it” and “with whom.”

The concluding section of a JHSP article is 1-2 pages and consists of essential clinical lessons pertaining to the opening vignette – tips to remember, principles underlying the approach, facts to rely on, and actions to take. This is followed by “Key Clinical Considerations” or a similarly titled section that is presented in bulletized format – generally with 3-5 succinct bullet points.  The purpose is to create brief and concise “memory anchors” around which additional information can be attached in memory by the reader.

JHSP does not publish basic research, qualitative studies, case studies, position/review papers, or theoretical analyses.

The copyright holder for Journal of Health Service Psychology articles is the National Register of Health Service Psychologists.

For pre-submission inquiries or for more information about the editorial process, please contact Kate Brody Nooner, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of JHSP: kate@nationalregister.org

Peer Review Policy

All submissions to JHSP are first reviewed for completeness and journal fit by the Editor-in-Chief. As peer review requires a substantial investment of time and effort, we send only those papers that are subject-appropriate and that seem most likely to meet our criteria for publication for formal review.  Those papers judged by the editors to be of insufficient interest to the journal’s specific field, or otherwise inappropriate are rejected without external review.  This initial decision also saves authors time by allowing them to pursue publication in a more suitable venue. Manuscripts will then be assigned to associate editors to begin the peer review process. Where an associate editor is on the author list or has any other competing interest regarding a specific manuscript, another member of the Editorial Board will be assigned to oversee peer review. The Editor-in-Chief will consider the peer-reviewed reports when making a decision but is not bound by the opinions or recommendations therein. A concern raised by a single peer reviewer or Editor-in-Chief themself may result in the manuscript being rejected prior to review. If a manuscript is sent out for peer review, authors receive peer review reports with the editorial decision on their manuscript.

JHSP uses a double-anonymous peer review process. De-identified articles are reviewed by at least 2 external peer reviewers. Exceptions are editorials and letters to the editor, which will be reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief. Occasionally, articles may be published under expedited review that are of time urgent nature or central relevance to the readership of the JHSP. These articles will still be reviewed by at least one editorial board member in addition to the Editor-in-Chief; this will be clearly noted when such rare exceptions are made. Papers may be rejected after review, or the authors could be invited to revise their work and resubmit.  Once all concerns and questions raised in the review and by the editors have been resolved and the paper meets all standards for publication in the journal, a paper can be accepted for publication.

JHSP is published quarterly. November 1 (Winter), February 1 (Spring), May 1 (Summer), August 1 (Fall) are the approximate deadlines for complete manuscripts to be considered for the issue to be printed in that season. The Journal also accepts article submissions throughout the year.

In the event that editorial board members submit manuscripts to JHSP, the manuscript will be assigned to two reviewers on the JHSP editorial board who have no other affiliation with those submitting. This step is taken in addition to adhering to the double-anonymous peer review process. The Editor-in-Chief will not submit original papers for peer-review consideration for the journal.

Authors should also adhere to the Ethics and Disclosures guidelines in submitting manuscripts.

This journal may also publish special issues/collections/supplements. The peer review process for these articles is the same as the peer review process of the journal in general.  Additionally, if a guest editor authors an article in their issue/collection/supplement, they will not handle the peer review process.

Please read the Springer Peer Review policy here (this opens in a new tab).  Also refer to the Springer Editorial Policy page (this opens in a new tab) here (this opens in a new tab).