When submitting your manuscript to Research Directs in Psychology and Behavior, be sure to type and submit the manuscript using the RDPB TEMPLATE and be sure to indicate the manuscript type (Original Research, Direct Original Research, Case Study, Commentary, Review) on the template. The submitted manuscript must include all tables, figures, and properly formatted references as they will be presented for the final copy of the manuscript. 

On the manuscript submission page, the corresponding author must include all pertinent contact information and include a certifying statement that all work is original, not previously publish in any journal, and that all authors made significant contributions to the manuscript.   

Research Directs in Research Directs in Psychology and Behavior only accepts original works not published or under review in any other peer-reviewed journal. The journal reserves the right to reject research for flaws in research design, statistical analyses, overall low impact, and content outside of the aims and scope. The journal can also reject research due to typographical errors and failure to format according to the template provided below. For additional questions, please contact the editor of the journal.

Article Processing Charge (APC)

Research Directs is committed to an affordable article processing charge (APC). Upon acceptance of a manuscript the APC of $350 USD must be processed by Research Directs prior to publication. Manuscripts will not be published by Research Directs until the APC is finalized via PayPal. 

Guidelines for Human Subjects Research

Authors must state within the manuscript that written informed consent was obtained and the university or institutional review board approved the study. A statement must be included in the manuscript stating “subjects provided informed consent to participate in the study.” Authors are prohibited from providing private and identifiable information of research participants in a manuscript. If a photo is used within a manuscript to illustrate an example of the methods, etc. then the individuals face and other identifiable information must be concealed, blurred or boxed out. All studies, including experimental and non-experimental (surveys, questionnaires, etc.) must ensure complete anonymity for all participants. Any institutional review board exemptions must be explained and identified in the manuscript and information must be included why approval was not required.

Guidelines for Animal Research

Authors must state within the manuscript the university or institutional review board approved the study for animal use. A statement must be included in the manuscript stating ethical treatment of animals was utilized at all times. Authors must disclose information about animal housing, treatment, and if needed, disposal in the manuscript. Any institutional review board exemptions must be explained and identified in the manuscript and information must be included as to why approval was not required. If ethical approval is not required due a national law exemption or lack of national law, then a detailed explanation must be provided.

Manuscript Guidelines

Please use the RDPB TEMPLATE to prepare your manuscript.

Title

Provide a clear and informative title the closely reflects the study. Following the title, include each author's name and affiliation. 

Abstract

All manuscripts must include an abstract of less than 200 words with the following subheadings: Purpose, Methods, Results, Conclusion. Be sure to include main findings followed by a succinct conclusion statement. After the abstract, provide three key words that are not included in the title.

Introduction

Research Directs encourages authors to write introductions that are clear, concise (1-2 paragraphs are encouraged for Case Studies and Direct Originals) and include a clear purpose statement at the end of the final paragraph.

Methods

The manuscript should include a detailed methods section to precisely explain and outline all aspects of the methods, measurement tools, and statistical analyses utilized in the study. 

Results

Verbally explain the results and/or present the findings as clear tables and figures in this section. Do not replicate the results in both the paragraph and a data table. Support all findings with appropriate statistics and significance levels. 

Discussion

Explain the main findings of the study and how the results can be applied. Support main findings with citations as needed. Avoid exhaustive conclusions that do not add to the literature or support the results.

Manuscript Types

Case Studies

Case studies should include detailed findings with specific application for a novel methodological aspect of the specific aims of the journal. Case studies are small sample sized studies, typically N = 1 or N = 2. An ideal case study should include 1000 words (recommended), not including abstract and references, and a maximum of three tables or figures.

Direct Original Research

A Direct Original Research manuscript is original research written as a condensed manuscript. Direct Original Research should adhere to the following simple guidelines:

• Abstract must be less than 250 words
• 1,000-1,500 words, not including abstract and references
• Maximum of three tables and/or figures
• Brief introduction of 1-2 paragraphs
• Clear and well-articulated methods section
• Results are supported with the appropriate statistics
• Discussion section details the main findings confirmed/disconfirmed with citations
• Maximum of 10-15 references

Original Research

Original research should be novel and original in design with a focus on how the study applies to advancing the aims and scope of the journal. Original Research manuscripts do not have any guidelines for length, tables, and references.

Reviews

Reviews are concisely written reviews that compare, contrast and summarize recent research in the field. Reviews should be no more than 2500 words and a recommended maximum of six total tables and/or figures with no more than 25-30 references.

Commentary

A Commentary (Commentary Template) is a manuscript or authors comment about a new or controversial topic in the field. Commentaries undergo the peer review process and can be submitted by any author. Commentaries do not have to be initiated or invited by the editor. Research Directs encourages authors to submit commentaries to disseminate topics of interest. 

Learn more about commentaries here

Dissertation or Thesis

An adapted (formatted for the journal) Dissertation or Thesis is to be properly formatted using the Research Directs Dissertation/Thesis Template. An author can submit their work but must provide institutional notification or signatures from their committee that their dissertation or thesis was successfully defended. This notification must be submitted to the editor as part of the submission process. Each submission will undergo single peer-review. Single editorial peer-review is utilized since the work has already passed rigorous institutional peer-review. After single peer-review, an author will receive either a reject, revisions, or accepted for publication decision.

Rationale for Dissertation/Thesis Dissemination

Research Directs provides authors the opportunity to publish their dissertation or thesis in an open access, peer-reviewed journal. A dissertation is a scholarly work completed as part of the final requirement for a doctoral degree. Whereas, a thesis is a scholarly work completed as part of the final requirement for a master’s degree. The adapted Dissertation and Thesis is an effective dissemination tool for authors after completing a demanding period of intense research, peer evaluation, editing, revisions and data presentations in front of a professional committee whose purpose is to rigorously evaluate the work of the candidate.

Each university or institution differs regarding the requirements, style, and formatting of a dissertation or thesis. Research Directs recognizes institutional differences exists, however, the content of a dissertation and thesis is valuable in the field and should be citable and published like all other rigorously peer-reviewed research. A dissertation or thesis has been peer-reviewed by at least two, frequently 3-4 or more, academic and research trained professionals. Therefore, Research Directs is committed to provide authors with a systematic approach to submit and publish their dissertation or thesis scholarship, if it accepted after editorial peer-review.

Reporting Information

Units of Measurement

All units of measurement must be reported using the International System of Unit (SI) unless a traditional system of measurement is more appropriate to enhance the reader's understanding.

Tables and Figures

Authors are strongly encouraged to present data in a visually appealing format. Figures and graphs are encouraged over length data tables. 

Acknowledgements

Authors can acknowledge any notable persons or agencies that made the study possible that are not authors of the study after the conclusion section within the manuscript. If grant funded, please provide the grant awarding organization and the grant number in this section.

Conflict of Interest

Be sure to acknowledge if any financial benefits were provided to you or any authors of the study. If you have no conflict of interest please state, “No conflict of interest.”

References

Manuscripts must follow the citation style in medical journals created by the American Medical Association (AMA or JAMA) 11th edition format. The JAMA citation style is available in EndNote. Authors should avoid adding excessive citations that do not enhance the manuscript.