Information for authors
INSTRUCTIONS FOR AUTHORS
- About the Journal
Journal Psihologijske teme / Psychological Topics publishes research and review articles and brief reports in the field of psychological science. The journal is published three times a year. Two issues are general and include submitted manuscripts that have been accepted for publication by the Editorial Board following the peer review procedure. One issue is thematic and includes papers by invited authors.
- Manuscripts Suitable for Publication
The Editorial Board of the journal accepts exclusively unpublished manuscripts in Croatian and English. All manuscripts submitted to the Editorial Board that are within the jounal's scope, that are of satisfactory scientific quality, and are written in accordance with the Instructions for Authors and the standards prescribed in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed., 2020) will be included in the peer review process. The Editorial Board is committed to ensuring an anonymous peer review process and do not contain any information about the authors. External peer review is conducted. The review process includes reviews by at least two independent anonymous expert reviewers in the field. A manuscript is accepted for publication after two positive reviews.
- Statement of Authorship
The authors hold the copyright over their unpublished article. At the moment of publication of the article, the copyright is transferred to the Publisher (Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Rijeka, Department of Psychology, Sveučilišna avenija 4, Rijeka), which has the right to reproduce, distribute, and publish the article on the website of the journal Psihologijske teme / Psychological Topics and in other scientific journal databases.
The Faculty, as the copyright holder, will make the article available for free use to everyone through databases related to the Open Access initiative. Everyone may use the article published in this way in accordance with the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA 4.0 licence.
The copyright includes both the printed and electronic form of the scientific article. By signing, the corresponding author(s) confirms that:
- the author(s) owns written permission or right to use any materials (questionnaires, measures, tests, images and tables from other journals and books) used for the purposes of their research or the material has been purchased from authorized publishers in Croatia or elsewhere;
- the manuscript is original work by the undersigned authors that has not been previously published nor is in the review process in another journal;
- all undersigned authors have made a significant contribution to the article and no author was omitted from co-authorship;
- the research was conducted and the article was prepared in accordance with the ethical principles prescribed by the Ethical Guidelines for publishing in Psihologijske teme / Psychological Topics
- the author(s) has no conflict of interest or has declared all potential conflicts of interest;
- the author(s) has not used generative artificial intelligence tools or has provided a statement on their use;
- the article does not contain defamatory, plagiarized, or otherwise illegal content;
- all authors have approved the submitted version of the article,
- the author(s) has followed APA's most recent manuals for publication (Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition, 2020).
- Privacy Statement
Names and email addresses entered on the journal website will be used exclusively for the purposes stated by this journal, including managing the editorial process, peer review procedure, and publication of manuscripts, and will not be available for any other purpose nor disclosed to third parties.
- Preparing the Manuscript for Submission to the Editorial Board
5.1. Word Limit
The length of brief reports, including the abstract, keywords, references, and appendices, is 3000 words.
The length of research articles, including the abstract, keywords, references, and all appendices, is between 5000 and 7000 words.
The length of review articles, including the abstract, keywords, references, and all appendices, is between 7000 and 9000 words.
The total word count must be calculated and stated on the title page.
5.2. Style and Formatting
Manuscripts should be written in the scientific style of the Croatian or English language. The Editorial Board reserves the right to editorially adjust the manuscript to the journal requirements and harmonize it with the norms of standard Croatian or English.
Possible formats for writing the text are: Microsoft Word (preferred), OpenOffice, or RTF.
The text should be written in Times New Roman font, size 12 pt, with 1.5 line spacing. Pages must be numbered.
Figures, illustrations, and tables may be inserted within the text or added at the end of the text, integrated into the Word document (or OpenOffice or RTF).
Authors should follow the latest guidelines of the APA Publication Manual (7th ed., 2020). A useful guide is also available at http://flash1r.apa.org/apastyle/basics/index.htm.
Basic changes compared to the 6th edition can be found at:
https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/whats-new-7e-guide.pdf.
5.3. Types of Contributions
Brief Report
Brief reports are presentations of research and do not exceed 3000 words in length, including the abstract, keywords, references, and appendices. This type of text may include a maximum of two tables or figures. A brief report refers to a clear and concise presentation that may include short original empirical research without extensive elaboration, a description of the development of new scales/instruments, standardization and validation of psychometric instruments, case reports, or evaluation of treatments, etc.
Research Articles
A research article should contain the following elements (in this order): title page, abstract, keywords, introduction, method, results, discussion, references, tables with titles (each table on a separate page), figures with titles (each figure on a separate page). If necessary, the paper may also include appendices. Appendices are listed at the very end. The length of research articles, including the abstract, keywords, references, and all appendices, is between 5000 and 7000 words.
Review Articles
A review article should include an introduction, chapters (and subchapters if necessary), a conclusion, and references. If necessary, they may also include tables with titles (each table on a separate page), figures with titles (each figure on a separate page), and appendices. The length of review articles, including the abstract, keywords, references, and all appendices, is between 7000 and 9000 words.
5.4. Structure of the Manuscript
Title Page
At the top of the title page there should be a shorter title of the paper (Running Head) and the total number of words of the paper including the abstract, keywords, references, and all appendices.
Further, the title page should contain the full title of the paper, the name and surname of the author(s), and affiliations. It is also necessary to provide postal and email address of the corresponding author.
If necessary, the manuscript may include acknowledgements and details about funding at the bottom of the title page. When funding is from a single source, the note should be written in the following form:
This research was conducted as part of the project (project name, project number), funded by (institution name).
When the research is funded from multiple sources, the note should be written in the following form:
This research was conducted as part of the projects (project name 1, project number 1), funded by (institution name 1), and (project name 2, project number 2), funded by (institution name 2).
Abstract and Keywords
The abstract refers to a short description of the paper (up to 250 words) that includes the aim, method, results, and conclusion of the research. The abstract must be written on a separate page. Below the abstract, 4 to 6 keywords should be listed. The author is required to submit an abstract in Croatian as well, if Croatian is their native language.
Text of a Research Article (sections: Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion)
The text of a research article should contain the following sections: introduction, method, results, and discussion.
The introduction should include a clear theoretical background of the research, as well as clear aims and problems of the paper. It is necessary to avoid an overly detailed literature review and/or an overly detailed description of research results.
The method must include a detailed description of the research sample and the population from which a convenience or random sample was drawn. The method should be sufficiently detailed and include information that allows replication of the research by an independent researcher. Previously published research procedures should be summarized and supported by a reference. All modifications of previously published procedures must be described in detail.
The results should be precise and concise and must include descriptive statistics of all relevant variables used (e.g., measures of central tendency and dispersion, reliability coefficients, etc.). Reporting of effect sizes is mandatory.
The discussion should include further elaboration of the significance of the research results and not merely repetition of the results. The discussion may, if necessary, be integrated with the results. The discussion should include a brief concluding paragraph.
Text of a Review Article
Review articles should include an introduction, clearly separated chapters (and subchapters if necessary), and a conclusion.
Tables and Figures
Tables and figures must be integrated into the Word document (or OpenOffice or RTF), and may be presented within the text or on separate pages at the end of the document. Tables and figures should be numbered using Arabic numerals (e.g., Table 1, Table 2).
Each table should have a title placed above the table. The word “Table” and the table number should be written in bold (e.g., Table 1 Descriptive Data of the Scales Used).
Tables should be black and white. When creating tables, attention should be paid to the journal format (17 × 24 cm) so that all elements are clearly visible. The maximum width of a table should be:
▪ portrait table – 12.5 cm,
▪ landscape table – 17.5 cm.
Tables should contain vertical and horizontal lines to allow easier editing. During graphical preparation for printing, vertical lines will be removed in accordance with APA standards. Each column in a table should have its own heading. When statistical results are presented in tables, the significance of statistical tests should also be indicated.
Each figure should have a title placed above the figure. The title of the figure is written in italics, and the word “Figure” and the figure number should also be written in bold (e.g., Figure 1 Graphical Representation of Data). Graphical materials (figures, drawings, graphs/diagrams) should be prepared for black-and-white printing (avoid shading, etc., as such effects reduce clarity). The size and complexity of graphical materials should be adapted to the journal format (17 × 24 cm) so that all elements are clearly visible. Letters, numbers, and symbols must be legible even in reduced form in which they will be published.
Accordingly, the maximum dimensions of figures should be:
▪ portrait figure – width: 12.5 cm, height: 17.5 cm,
▪ landscape figure – width: 17.5 cm, height: 12.5 cm.
Figures showing graphs and models should be suitable for graphic processing, meaning that they can be edited and possibly modified (changing size, color, and structure of graphs and models, formatting text and numbers in captions, text boxes, objects, legends…). Tables with values shown in the figure should be provided alongside graphical representations (graphs/diagrams). It is recommended to submit graphs as Excel documents. Tables with values shown in the figure may be placed in Appendices.
Drawings should be of sufficient quality for print publication. Representations must be of the highest possible quality, with clear and solid lines. The size and complexity of drawings should be adapted to the journal format (17 × 24 cm) so that all elements are clearly visible. Color prints or photocopies are not suitable for reproduction. Photocopies of graphical materials (tables, figures, drawings, diagrams) are not acceptable.
The position of tables and figures in the text should be indicated as follows: – Table 1 here –
Tables and figures should complement the information presented in the text and should not repeat it. The reverse also applies – it is not necessary to state all data shown in tables within the text.
Author Contributions Statement (CRediT Statement)
State the contributions, i.e., the role of each co-author in the scientific paper (e.g., Name Surname: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing – Original Draft; Name Surname: Investigation, Analysis, Writing – Review and Editing…).
Instructions for Referencing
Citing References in the Text
In the text, references are cited by stating the author’s surname and the year of publication, e.g., Nilsson and Cohen (2008) or (Nilsson and Cohen, 2008).
When there are more than two authors of a single article, already at the first mention only the surname of the first author and the abbreviation “et al.” are stated (e.g., Jacoby et al., 2010).
When directly quoting a part of an article or book, it is necessary to state the page number from which the quotation is taken.
Reference List
References should be listed in the manner shown in the examples below (strictly respecting italics), prepared in accordance with the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed., 2020) and adapted for the Croatian language.
Article:
Creswell, K. G., Bachrach, R. L., Wright, A. G., Pinto, A. and Ansell, E. (2016). Predicting problematic alcohol use with the DSM-5 alternative model of personality pathology. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 7, 103–111.
Note:
For articles that contain a DOI identifier, it is mandatory to include it as follows:
Creswell, K. G., Bachrach, R. L., Wright, A. G., Pinto, A. and Ansell, E. (2016). Predicting problematic alcohol use with the DSM-5 alternative model of personality pathology. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 7, 103–111. https://doi.org/10.1037/per0000131
Book:
Buss, D. M. (2016). Evolutionary psychology: The new science of the mind. Routledge.
Book chapter in a multi-volume book:
McCrae, R. R. and Costa, P. T., Jr. (2008). Empirical and theoretical status of the Five-Factor Model of personality traits. In G. Boyle, G. Matthews and D. Saklofske (Eds.), Sage handbook of personality theory and assessment (Vol. 1, pp. 273–294). Sage.
Book chapter in a single-volume book:
McCabe, G. A., Vrabel, J. K. and Zeigler-Hill, V. (2016). Pathological personality traits: The darker aspects of personality. In: J. Williams (Ed.), Psychopathology: Symptoms, challenges, and current concepts (pp. 29–57). Nova.
Dissertation:
Pletikosić, S. (2015). Biological and psychosocial determinants of health outcomes in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. [Unpublished doctoral dissertation]. Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zagreb.
For other information, see the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed., 2020).
Appendices and Supplementary Materials
If a paper has more than one appendix (Appendix) or supplementary material (Supplemental Material), they should be additionally labeled (e.g., Appendix 1, Appendix 2, Supplement 1, Supplement 2, etc.).
- Submission to the Editorial Board
Manuscripts are submitted to the Editorial Board exclusively in electronic form via the journal management system (Open Journal System, http://www.pt.ffri.hr/). If you have not previously submitted a manuscript to this journal, it is necessary to create an author user account. To create a user account, you need to register as an author at http://pt.ffri.hr/index.php/pt/user/register and carefully fill in all required information. Once the user account is created, the author should log into the system using the selected username and password. After logging in, it is necessary to select the “Author” role, start the submission process by selecting “Start a New Submission,” and follow further steps according to the system instructions.
In the first step (1. Start), it is necessary to confirm that your submission is ready to enter the editorial process by meeting the following conditions:
▪ The manuscript has not been previously published nor is currently under review in another journal (if you believe it is necessary to further explain the current status of the manuscript to the Editor, comments can be entered at the bottom of the page).
▪ The text is prepared in one of the following formats: Word (preferred), OpenOffice, or RTF.
▪ The text is written in Times New Roman font, size 12 pt, with 1.5 line spacing. Pages are numbered. Figures and tables are located at the end of the manuscript and integrated into the document.
▪ The text is written in accordance with the stylistic and bibliographic requirements stated in the Instructions for Authors.
▪ Generative artificial intelligence (AI) was not used in preparing the manuscript or its use is clearly indicated.
▪ Research data are available in a repository or upon justified request.
▪ Authors must express their consent for the manuscript to be published under the CC-BY-SA license.
In the second step (2. Upload Submission), it is necessary to upload the manuscript with all appendices in the designated field. Follow the system instructions.
In the third step (3. Metadata), it is necessary to enter information about all authors (Name, Surname, Email, Institution, Country). Authors can be added by clicking “Add Author.” Furthermore, it is necessary to enter the title of the paper, abstract, and keywords (terms should be separated by semicolons, e.g., term1; term2; term3). If the research is funded, funding information should be entered in the “Institutional Support” field.
In the fourth step (4. Supplementary Files), it is necessary to upload all additional files or appendices, if any.
In the fifth step (5. Confirmation), it is necessary to complete the submission by clicking “Finish Submission.” You will receive a confirmation email upon submission. Information about the progress of the submitted manuscript through the editorial process can be tracked by logging into the journal website.
If you encounter any difficulty or uncertainty during submission, contact the administrator at psihologijske_teme@ffri.uniri.hr.
- Publication Costs
The journal does not charge authors any fees for processing or publishing manuscripts.
