Author Guidelines

1.     Editorial Policy

The Journal of Psychology provides open access to all its contents, grounded in the principle of making psychological research freely available and fostering the global exchange of knowledge. Accepted and published articles are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0). Accordingly, the journal charges no fees for manuscript submission, evaluation, or publication. The Editorial Fund of the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú holds the publication and distribution rights for all contents of the Journal of Psychology. Contributions are published in Spanish, English, or Portuguese, and include abstracts in all three languages.

2.     Evaluation process

The entire peer review process is conducted through the Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform, which allows editorial tasks to be managed systematically and ensures full traceability at each stage. The editorial process consists of three phases:

Phase 1: Preliminary review of manuscript suitability

Estimated duration: approximately 1 to 2 months

This phase includes two types of review: (1.1) review of formal criteria and (1.2) preliminary desk review by the editors.

1.1. Review of formal criteria:

At this initial stage, the manuscript is assessed for compliance with the formatting, style, and presentation standards established by the Journal of Psychology, as well as for the complete submission of all required appendices.

For approval at this stage, authors must ensure that their manuscript meets all criteria detailed in Sections 3, 4, 5, and 6.

  • If the manuscript does not satisfy the formal criteria, it will be declined at this stage and authors will be notified accordingly.
  • If all requirements are met, the text will proceed to the next stage, 1.2, which is a preliminary desk review by the editors.

1.2. Preliminary desktop review:

In this second stage, the Editorial Committee assesses the scientific relevance, originality, and thematic pertinence of the manuscript for possible publication in the Journal of Psychology. This stage encompasses two complementary sub-stages:

a) Internal editorial evaluation:
The Editorial Committee collectively reviews the manuscript's alignment with the journal's scope, thematic focus areas, and scientific standards. The journal prioritizes empirical research and meta-analysis studies. Other types of manuscripts—such as systematic reviews, bibliometric analyses, or theoretical essays—may be accepted on an exceptional basis, subject to approval by the Editorial Committee in accordance with the journal’s publication interests and priority thematic areas. In the case of manuscripts reporting the development, adaptation, or validation of instruments, authors must justify the relevance of the construct under study, the appropriateness and transferability of the sample, and present a critical appraisal of existing instruments. Authors must also substantiate the necessity of developing, adapting, or validating the proposed instrument, ensuring that the study represents a clear contribution to scientific advancement and/or professional practice.

b) Originality verification:
If the Editorial Committee determines that the manuscript may proceed to peer review, it will be subjected to a similarity analysis using iThenticate software to verify its originality.

    • If the manuscript is approved by the Editorial Committee and its originality is confirmed through iThenticate (similarity index of 20% or below, excluding references), authors will receive notification that their submission will advance to the peer review process.
    • If the manuscript does not pass the internal editorial evaluation and/or the originality verification through iThenticate (similarity index above 20%, excluding references), authors will likewise be notified of these outcomes.

Phase 2: Peer review

Estimated duration: approximately 3 to 6 months

The Journal of Psychology employs a double-blind peer-review system. Each manuscript is evaluated by two reviewers with specialized expertise in the relevant subject area. In cases of substantial disagreement between reviewers' assessments, the opinion of a third reviewer is sought. Reviewers designated by the Editorial Committee will have no conflicts of interest with the authors.

The manuscript may receive one of the following decisions:

  • Approved without revisions: The manuscript proceeds directly to Phase 3: Manuscript production.
  • Minor revisions required: Authors must address the observations noted and resubmit the revised manuscript. Upon receipt of the revised version, the Editorial Committee will verify and approve it for advancement to Phase 3: Manuscript Production.
  • Major revisions required: Authors must implement the requested corrections. The revised manuscript will then undergo a second round of peer review, ideally involving the original reviewers. If both the reviewers and the Editorial Committee consider that no further modifications are necessary, the manuscript will proceed to Phase 3: Manuscript Production. Otherwise, the review process may be repeated until the Editorial Board deems it appropriate.
  • Declined: The editorial process concludes and authors receive the corresponding notification.

Note: When an article is accepted with revisions (minor or major), the total duration of this phase may be extended depending on the time authors take to submit their revised versions. If authors do not address revision requests within the deadlines communicated by the editorial team, the manuscript will be declined.

Phase 3: Manuscript production

Estimated duration: 6 to 12 months

Once the manuscript has received final approval and the authors have submitted the revised version incorporating the reviewers' observations, the editing process begins. As part of this stage, the journal conducts a proof-reading process with authors, consisting of sending them a preliminary final version of their manuscript for verification of data accuracy and correct article presentation. At this stage, authors must confirm information such as author names, institutional affiliations, and ORCID codes, and review tables, figures, captions, and any typographical or formatting errors.

Authors have a maximum of approximately 5 to 10 calendar days to review this preliminary version and submit their observations or confirmation. If no response is received within this period, the process will proceed using the preliminary version on file.

Final notes

  • The average time between receipt of the final manuscript version and its publication is approximately 6 to 12 months. This timeframe may vary depending on the approval date of the final version and the availability of the issue in which it will be included, given that the journal publishes two issues per year.
  • Inquiries and submissions received during the periods of November through January and June through August may experience longer response times, as the journal is engaged in issue publication or editorial reorganization processes during these periods.
  • The complete process — encompassing all three phases — typically spans approximately 12 to 18 months, accounting for a reasonable period for authors to address reviewer observations. All timelines noted above are subject to extension due to variations in the editorial team's workload and availability.

3.     Policies on authorship, consent, and originality

The Journal of Psychology upholds ethical guidelines to ensure the integrity, originality, and transparency of scholarly publication. This section details authorship responsibilities, consent and originality requirements, and the conditions for submitting the final manuscript version. A manuscript will only be admitted for review if it meets each of the following criteria:

Responsibility and consent of authorship

The content of articles published in the Journal of Psychology of the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú is the sole responsibility of their authors. Authors must ensure that all individuals who have made substantive contributions to the work are listed as co-authors, with no omissions or undue inclusions. Likewise, all authors must provide their explicit consent for the submission and publication of the manuscript under review. To verify this requirement, the Journal of Psychology requests that authors complete and attach the "Authorization Letter for Publication and Distribution," available in Section 6: “Appendices”, which must be signed by the corresponding or principal author and uploaded alongside the manuscript through the OJS platform. Finally, authors are responsible for ensuring that the version submitted is the definitive one, as no subsequent modifications will be accepted, except those expressly requested by the Editorial Committee during the peer review or manuscript production processes.

Originality and use of third-party material

Submitted works must be original and unpublished, and must not have been previously published or be under simultaneous consideration in other journals or dissemination outlets. To ensure transparency regarding this commitment, authors must complete and attach the "Originality Declaration Form," available in Section 6:  “Appendices”, at the time of manuscript submission.

The manuscript must not include material belonging to other authors without proper authorization or the corresponding usage rights. In cases where fragments, figures, tables, or other elements from prior publications are incorporated, authors must obtain the relevant permissions and provide appropriate attribution within the submitted manuscript. Likewise, all information or data drawn from prior research must be duly referenced. In cases where the manuscript analyzes, discusses, or replicates a prior publication, explicit citation of the originally published work is mandatory.


4.     Manuscript format and submission requirements

Contributions must be submitted through the journal's Open Journal Systems (OJS) platform in Microsoft Word format (.docx). At the time of submission, authors must attach two mandatory files, in addition to the corresponding supplementary materials:

File 1: First page of the article

This file must contain exclusively the identifying information of the manuscript and its authors. It must include the following elements:

a) The article title in Spanish, English, and Portuguese (maximum 15 to 20 words), in bold.

b) The author's name as it appears in their academic publications, ORCID number, and institutional affiliation.

c) Abstracts in Spanish, English, and Portuguese (maximum 120 to 150 words each).

d) Keywords in the three languages listed above (3 to 5 keywords per language).

This document must not be included within the anonymized manuscript (File 2), but submitted as a separate file.

File 2: Anonymized manuscript

The second file corresponds to the complete article (title, abstracts, introduction, method, results, discussion, graphs, figures, tables, references, and appendices). This document must be fully anonymized — that is, it must not include author names, institutional affiliations, acknowledgments, or any references that would allow direct or indirect identification of the authors.

The manuscript must comply with the following formal specifications:

A) Regarding formal criteria:

  • Manuscripts must conform to the standards of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA, 7th edition).
  • All pages must be numbered in the upper right corner.
  • Subheadings must be presented in bold, without capitalization of all letters.
  • Each paragraph must begin with a first-line indent (0.5 inches).
  • The structure of submitted manuscripts must follow an IMRD format (Introduction, Method, Results, and Discussion).
  • The total length of the article should be approximately 8,500 words, excluding references, tables, and figures.
  • Times New Roman font, size 12, with 1.5 line spacing must be used throughout.
  • Where emphasis is required, italics should be used rather than underlining.                                                      

B) Regarding tables, graphs, and figures:

  • Tables, graphs, and figures must be embedded within the body of the manuscript, placed at the appropriate location in accordance with the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA, 7th edition). Each must include its corresponding title and note (where applicable), following APA format.
  • The number of tables, graphs, and figures should be limited to what is strictly necessary for the adequate development of the subject matter. 

C) Regarding bibliographic references:

  • The journal recommends that references cited in manuscripts be drawn primarily from literature published within the last ten years, except in the case of foundational authors or seminal sources whose inclusion is necessary to contextualize the theoretical framework or support a relevant conceptual argument.
  • The Journal of Psychology also looks favorably upon the incorporation of scholarship produced within the Latin American research landscape, particularly work published in open-access journals, given its contribution to the diversity, relevance, and regional contextualization of scientific knowledge. Where authors identify articles published in the Journal of Psychology that would enrich the theoretical framework or discussion of their manuscript, their inclusion is likewise encouraged.
  • References must be incorporated within the body of the text (not in footnotes) and organized alphabetically at the end of the manuscript under the subheading "References," using a hanging indent format.
  • Authors must ensure that only sources effectively drawn upon in the writing of the manuscript are cited, excluding any sources not mentioned in the text. Electronic sources must include their DOI or URL where applicable.

Below are some examples in accordance with APA 7th edition standards:

Complete book:

Velázquez, T. (2022). Salud mental y COVID-19. Fondo Editorial de la Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú.

Last name, N. N., & Last name, N. N. (Year). Book title in italics. Publisher.

Si el libro tiene DOI, añadir: https://doi.org/...

Chapter within text:

Cueto, R. M., Espinosa, A., & Lewis, H. (2021). “What brings us together and sets us apart”: Regional identities and intergroup relations as the basis of Peruvian national identity in samples from Ayacucho and Lima. En V. Smith-Castro, D. Sirlopú, A. Eller, & H. Çakal (Eds.), Intraregional migration in Latin America: Psychological perspectives on acculturation and intergroup relations (pp. 199–226). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000234-009

Last name, N. N. (Year). Chapter title. In N. N. Last name (Ed. o Eds.), Book title in italics (pp. first page number-last page number). Publisher.

Si el libro tiene DOI, añadir: https://doi.org/...

Article in a scientific journal:

Silva Mercado, M. A., & Arenas, L. (2025). Razones del Voto Inválido en las Elecciones Presidenciales del 2021 en Perú. Revista De Psicología, 44(1). https://doi.org/10.18800/psico.202601.001

Last name, N. N., & Last name, N. N. (Año). Article title. Journal name in italics, volume in italics(Issue number), first page number-last page number. https://doi.org/xxxxx

You can view the APA 7th edition citation guide here: https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/examples


5.     Ethical aspects of publication

The Journal of Psychology of the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú aims to foster the exchange of original scholarship that advances scientific knowledge in the field of psychology. Within this framework, the journal promotes adherence to ethical publication standards and best practices among all contributors. Articles must be developed in accordance with the ethical principles of the psychological profession and with the American Psychological Association (APA) Ethics Code, including its 2010 amendments  (http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx). Likewise, each manuscript submitted for evaluation must comply with the Ethical Principles for Publication established by the Journal of Psychology itself (available at https://revistas.pucp.edu.pe/index.php/psicologia/normaseticas). To ensure adherence to these standards, the journal requires the submission of the "Ethical Principles Form for Authors," which must be signed by the corresponding or principal author. This form is available in Section 6: "Appendices" and must be attached at the time of manuscript submission through the OJS platform.

Manuscripts that do not meet the ethical criteria established by the Journal of Psychology will be declined during the preliminary desk review and will not advance further in the evaluation process.

Additional ethical considerations:

A detailed and thorough account of the ethical considerations applied throughout the research process must be included in the "Method" section of the manuscript, with particular attention to the informed consent protocol and the measures adopted to ensure the protection of participants. In cases where the study involves populations considered vulnerable or at heightened risk, the Journal of Psychology reserves the right to request proof of approval issued by a formal ethics committee, if this documentation has not been included by the authors.


6.     List of appendices for manuscript submission

Once authors have verified that their manuscript meets all of the criteria detailed above, they may proceed to upload the title page file and the anonymized manuscript to the journal's OJS platform. Together with both files, the following documents must be completed and attached without exception. The absence of any of these documents will prevent the article from advancing to the peer review stage.

  • Letter of Authorization for Publication and Distribution. Click to download the document.
  • Originality Form. Click to download the document.

Ethical Principles Form for Authors. Click  to download the document