About the Journal
GENERAL INFORMATION
Frequency: annual (continuous publication)
Standards adopted: American Psychological Association – APA, 7th edition (2020).
Languages: the journal accepts submissions in Portuguese and English. Manuscripts submitted in Portuguese must be translated into English if accepted for publication. Manuscripts submitted in English do not need to be translated into Portuguese.
Submission or publication fees: no fees are charged for submission or publication.
Proof of approval by a Research Ethics Committee (CEP): the journal requires proof of CEP approval as part of the submission requirements for any scientific study involving human subjects.
Journal focus and scope: The JPsyMHH journal publishes original works related to five major thematic areas:
1. Psychological assessment and the development of psychometric instruments.
2. Neurosciences and pharmacology.
3. Diagnosis and psychopathologies.
4. Treatments, interventions, and therapeutics.
5. Mental health and its relationship with bioethics, justice, and human rights.
Types of works accepted for publication: Manuscripts must fall into one of the following categories:
1. Empirical studies.
2. Literature reviews.
3. Case reports.
Number of authors and academic degree: JPsyMHH does not accept manuscripts authored by groups with more than six authors. Among the authors, at least one must hold a doctoral degree.
Minimum number of manuscripts per volume: The journal sets an annual target of at least 20 published articles. Publications from the internal community (faculty and students) may not exceed 20% of the total annual publications.
Target readership: Professionals, researchers, and students in health-related fields, with an emphasis on mental health.
Peer Review Process: The journal's evaluation process occurs in two stages.
1. First stage (desk review): submitted manuscripts undergo a preliminary assessment to verify their alignment with the journal’s scope and editorial policy, compliance with guidelines and formatting requirements, as well as plagiarism detection. If the manuscript does not meet these criteria, it is rejected and returned to the author with the appropriate justification. If approved, it proceeds to the next stage.
2. Second stage (double-blind review): Manuscripts are evaluated by peers in a double-blind process in which neither authors nor reviewers know each other’s identities. The analysis is conducted by ad hoc reviewers selected according to their academic expertise. Using an evaluation form, reviewers examine: clarity of writing, consistency of arguments, validity of data, relevance and timeliness of the research, adequacy of references, methodological description. Based on this evaluation, reviewers issue one of the following recommendations:
1. Accepted without revisions: recommended for immediate publication.
2. Revisions required: may be published after authors address the suggested changes and the manuscript undergoes additional evaluation.
3. Rejected: not recommended for publication.
If there is disagreement between reviews, the final decision rests with the Editorial Committee, which may request a third evaluation. After the review stage is completed, the editors make the editorial decision and notify the authors by email.
Ethics and Best Practices Policy: The JPsyMHH scientific journal upholds a firm commitment to ethics and the quality of its publications, following national and international best practices. All individuals involved in the editorial process are expected to maintain exemplary ethical conduct. The entire editorial and post-publication process follows COPE guidelines, available at:
https://publicationethics.org/guidance/Guidelines
