Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry

Manuscript Submission Guidelines: Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry

The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry is a peer-reviewed, monthly Journal of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists that aims to promote the practise of psychiatry and extend the science of mental illness and recovery.

The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry is the leading psychiatry journal of the Asia-Pacific region.

The journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics. It recommends that authors follow the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals formulated by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

Please read the guidelines below then visit the journal’s submission site https://sage.atyponrex.com/journal/anp to upload your manuscript. Please note that manuscripts not conforming to these guidelines may be returned. Remember you can log in to the submission site at any time to check on the progress of your paper through the peer review process. 

Only manuscripts that are of sufficient quality and that meet the aims and scope of Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry will be reviewed.

There are no fees payable to submit or publish in this Journal. Open Access options are available - see section 3.3 below.

As part of the submission process you will be required to state that you are submitting your original work, that you have the rights to the work, that you are submitting the work for first publication in the journal (that it is not being considered for publication elsewhere and has not already been published elsewhere), and that you have obtained and can supply all necessary permissions for the reproduction of any copyright works not owned by you. Please see our guidelines on prior publication and note that the journal will consider submissions of papers that have been posted on preprint servers: please alert the Editorial Office when submitting and include the DOI for the preprint in the designated field in the manuscript submission system. Authors should not post an updated version of their paper on the preprint server while it is being peer reviewed for possible publication in the journal. If the article is accepted for publication, the author may re-use their work according to the journal's author archiving policy. If your paper is accepted, you must include a link on your preprint to the final version of your paper.

1. What do we publish?
   1.1 Aims & Scope
   1.2 Article types
   1.3 Writing your paper
2. Editorial policies
   2.1 Peer review policy
   2.2 Authorship
   2.3 Acknowledgements
   2.4 Funding
   2.5 Declaration of conflicting interests
   2.6 Research ethics and patient consent
   2.7 Clinical trials
   2.8 Reporting guidelines
   2.9 Data
3. Publishing policies
   3.1 Publication ethics
   3.2 Contributor's publishing agreement
   3.3 Open access and author archiving
4. Preparing your manuscript
   4.1 Formatting
   4.2 Artwork, figures and other graphics
   4.3 Supplemental material
   4.4 Reference style
   4.5 English language editing services
5. Submitting your manuscript
   5.1 ORCID
   5.2 Information required for completing your submission
   5.3 Permissions
6. On acceptance and publication
   6.1 Sage Production
   6.2 Online First publication
   6.3 Access to your published article
   6.4 Promoting your article
7. Further information

1. What do we publish?

1.1 Aims & Scope

The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry is the official Journal of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists.

The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry is a monthly journal publishing original peer reviewed review articles that describe research or report opinions of interest to psychiatrists and mental health researchers. These contributions may be presented as original research, reviews, perspectives, or correspondence.

1.2 Article Types

The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry publishes several types of manuscripts: Editorials, Short Communications, Perspectives, Review Articles, Research Articles and Correspondences.

Note: Word counts do not include the title, authorship, abstract, tables, keywords, acknowledgement/COI/funding statements, or references.

Perspectives

Editorials

The Editor normally commissions Editorials. Editorials address contemporary topics of interest and provide thought-provoking discussion.

Word count: 2000

Maximum refs: 5

Abstract required: No

Authorship: Editor, Deputy Editors, Associate Editors, Invited Guest Editors

Short Communications

These are brief accounts that provide perspectives on a single issue or topic. The focus may be similar to that of Editorials and Viewpoints, but In Brief articles are generally shorter pieces that make one or two salient points. In addition to providing perspectives on issues relevant to clinical practice and research, In Brief articles can also include reviews of books, films, art exhibitions, and other cultural events relevant to psychiatry.

Word count: 1200

Maximum refs: 5

Abstract required: No

Authorship: At invitation of Editor (who can be contacted with an article proposal)

Perspectives

Viewpoint articles are longer pieces that allow for personal perspectives and opinions on issues relevant to psychiatry practice and research. They will offer novel insights, show academic rigour, and be of interest to the journal’s readership.

Word count: 3000

Maximum refs: none

Abstract required: Yes, unstructured, 250 words

Authorship: At invitation of Editor (who can be contacted with an article proposal)

Articles

Reviews

These papers provide a synthesis of a topic in psychiatry. They will generally use a systematic review methodology, and will be pre-registered (e.g., via PROSPERO) and follow appropriate guidelines (e.g., PRIMSA).

Word count: 6000

Maximum refs: none

Abstract required: Yes - structured, 250 words

Authorship: Anyone

Research

These are papers that report original high-quality research.

Word count: 4000

Maximum refs: none

Abstract required: Yes - structured, 250 words

Authorship: Anyone

Correspondence

Research Letters

These are brief research reports that provide a pithy account of one or two salient research findings, which would not usually be of sufficient import to constitute a Research article. We will consider case series as Research Letters, though will no longer consider single case studies. The manuscript does not require an abstract. It will generally have sections headed Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion, and it can have 1 table and 1 figure. Sufficient detail should be provided to allow for replication and rigorous peer review. Supplementary materials are not permitted: where these are considered important for providing sufficient detail, the manuscript should be submitted as a Research article.

Word count: 1200

Maximum refs: 9

Abstract required: No

Authorship: Anyone

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor comment on articles that have appeared in the journal. Letters must be submitted within 4 weeks of the article appearing in an issue (which is usually some weeks after an article has been published online), and the authors of the original article will have 2 weeks in which to respond to the letter. Both the letters and the authors’ response to the letters will be published together. The title should adhere to the following format: Letter to the Editor regarding ‘(title of the original paper)’. The authors’ response should be entitled Author reply to Letter to the Editor regarding  ‘(title of the original paper)’ (or Letters to the Editor if there are multiple letters). Letters to the editor can have a maximum of 3 authors, including letters in reply (for the latter, the 3 authors will sometimes need to be selected from the longer list of authors of the primary article). Note, any concerns related to the accuracy of work published in the journal are not subject to a time limit.  Letters highlighting potential ‘errors’ or issues resulting in a publishing ethics investigation will not be published in the journal, but will be investigated by the Editor-in-Chief, or Deputy Editor, in line with COPE guidelines.

Word count: 800

Maximum refs: 3

Abstract required: No

Authorship: Anyone, maximum 3 authors.

1.3 Writing your paper

The Sage Author Gateway has some general advice and on how to get published, plus links to further resources. Sage Author Services also offers authors a variety of ways to improve and enhance their article including English language editing, plagiarism detection, and video abstract and infographic preparation.

1.3.1 Make your article discoverable

When writing up your paper, think about how you can make it discoverable. The title, keywords and abstract are key to ensuring readers find your article through search engines such as Google. For information and guidance on how best to title your article, write your abstract and select your keywords, have a look at this page on the Gateway: How to Help Readers Find Your Article Online.

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2. Editorial policies

2.1 Peer review policy

The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry operates a strictly anonymous peer review process in which the reviewer’s name is withheld from the author. The reviewer may at their own discretion opt to reveal their name to the author in their review but our standard policy practice is for the identity to remain concealed. All manuscripts are reviewed as rapidly as possible, and an editorial decision is generally reached within 4-6 weeks of submission.

2.2 Authorship

Papers should only be submitted for consideration once consent is given by all contributing authors. The person who submits the paper should carefully check that all those whose work contributed to the paper are acknowledged as contributing authors.

The list of authors should include all those who can legitimately claim authorship. This is all those who:

1. Made a substantial contribution to the concept or design of the work; or acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data,
2. Drafted the article or revised it critically for important intellectual content,
3. Approved the version to be published,
4. Participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content.

Authors should meet the conditions of all of the points above.

Acquisition of funding, collection of data, or general supervision of the research group alone does not constitute authorship (although contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in the Acknowledgments section). Please refer to the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) authorship guidelines for more information on authorship.

Please note that AI chatbots, for example ChatGPT, should not be listed as authors. For more information see the policy on Use of ChatGPT and generative AI tools.

2.3 Acknowledgements

Contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should be listed in an Acknowledgements section. Examples of those who might be acknowledged include a person who provided purely technical help, or a department chair who provided general support.

2.3.1 Third party submissions

Where an individual who is not listed as an author submits a manuscript on behalf of the author(s), a statement must be included in the Acknowledgements section of the manuscript and in the accompanying cover letter. The statements must:

•    Disclose this type of editorial assistance – including the individual’s name, company and level of input 
•    Identify any entities that paid for this assistance 
•    Confirm that the listed authors have authorized the submission of their manuscript via third party and approved any statements or declarations, e.g. conflicting interests, funding, etc.

Where appropriate, Sage reserves the right to deny consideration to manuscripts submitted by a third party rather than by the authors themselves.

2.3.2 Writing assistance

Individuals who provided writing assistance, e.g. from a specialist communications company, do not qualify as authors and should be included in the Acknowledgements section. Authors must disclose any writing assistance – including the individual’s name, company and level of input – and identify the entity that paid for the assistance.

It is not necessary to disclose use of language polishing services.

Any acknowledgements should appear at the end of your article prior to your Declaration of Conflicting Interests (if applicable).

2.4 Funding

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry requires all authors to acknowledge their funding under a separate heading.  Please visit the Funding Acknowledgements page on the Sage Journal Author Gateway to confirm the format of the acknowledgment text in the event of funding, or state that: “The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, or publication of this article.” 

2.5 Declaration of conflicting interests

It is the policy of Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry to require a declaration of conflicting interests from all authors enabling a statement to be carried within the paginated pages of all published articles.

Please ensure that a ‘Declaration of Conflicting Interests’ statement is included at the end of your manuscript, after any acknowledgements and prior to the references. If no conflict exists, please state that ‘The Author(s) declare(s) that there is no conflict of interest’. For guidance on conflict of interest statements, please see the ICMJE recommendations here.

2.6 Research ethics and patient consent

Medical research involving human subjects must be conducted according to the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki.

Submitted manuscripts should conform to the ICMJE Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals, and all papers reporting animal and/or human studies must state in the methods section that the relevant Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board provided (or waived) approval. Please ensure that you have provided the full name and institution of the review committee, in addition to the approval number.

For research articles, authors are also required to state in the methods section whether participants provided informed consent and whether the consent was written or verbal.

Information on informed consent to report individual cases or case series should be included in the manuscript text. A statement is required to the effect that written informed consent for patient information to be published was provided by the patient(s) or a legally authorised representative. Please do not submit the patient’s actual written informed consent with your article, as this in itself breaches the patient’s confidentiality. The Journal requests that you confirm to us, in writing, that you have obtained written informed consent but the written consent itself should be held by the authors/investigators themselves, for example in a patient’s hospital record. The confirmatory letter may be uploaded with your submission as a separate file.

Please also refer to the ICMJE Recommendations for the Protection of Research Participants.

All research involving animals submitted for publication must be approved by an ethics committee with oversight of the facility in which the studies were conducted

2.7 Clinical trials

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry conforms to the ICMJE requirement that clinical trials are registered in a WHO-approved public trials registry at or before the time of first patient enrolment as a condition of consideration for publication. The trial registry name and URL, and registration number must be included at the end of the abstract.

2.8 Reporting guidelines

The relevant EQUATOR Network reporting guidelines should be followed relevant to the type of study. For example, all randomised controlled trials submitted for publication should include a completed CONSORT flow chart as a cited figure, and the completed CONSORT checklist should be uploaded with your submission as a supplementary file. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses should include the completed PRISMA flow chart as a cited figure and the completed PRISMA checklist should be uploaded with your submission as a supplementary file. The EQUATOR wizard can help you identify the appropriate guideline.

Other resources can be found at NLM’s Research Reporting Guidelines and Initiatives.

2.9 Research Data

Sage acknowledges the importance of research data availability as an integral part of the research and verification process for academic journal articles.

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry encourages all authors submitting primary research articles to provide detailed information in their articles on how the data can be obtained. This information should include links to third-party data repositories or detailed contact information for third-party data sources. Examples of data types include but are not limited to statistical data files, replication code, text files, audio files, images, videos, appendices, and additional charts and graphs necessary to understand the original research.

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3. Publishing Policies

3.1 Publication ethics

Sage is committed to upholding the integrity of the academic record. We encourage authors to refer to the Committee on Publication Ethics’ International Standards for Authors and view the Publication Ethics page on the Sage Author Gateway.

3.1.1 Plagiarism

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry and Sage take issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism or other breaches of best practice in publication very seriously. We seek to protect the rights of our authors and we always investigate claims of plagiarism or misuse of published articles. Equally, we seek to protect the reputation of the journal against malpractice. Submitted articles may be checked with duplication-checking software. Where an article, for example, is found to have plagiarised other work or included third-party copyright material without permission or with insufficient acknowledgement, or where the authorship of the article is contested, we reserve the right to take action including, but not limited to: publishing an erratum or corrigendum (correction); retracting the article; taking up the matter with the head of department or dean of the author's institution and/or relevant academic bodies or societies; or taking appropriate legal action.

3.1.2 Prior publication

If material has been previously published it is not generally acceptable for publication in a Sage journal. However, there are certain circumstances where previously published material can be considered for publication. For instance, Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry will consider submissions of papers that have been posted on preprint servers (see information in the introduction section of these submission guidelines for details). The journal will also accept manuscripts that report research findings that have been presented at conferences. You can refer to the guidance on the Sage Author Gateway, or if in doubt, contact the Editor at the address given below.

3.2 Contributor's publishing agreement

Before publication, Sage requires the author as the rights holder to sign a Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement. Sage’s Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement is an exclusive licence agreement which means that the author retains copyright in the work but grants Sage the sole and exclusive right and licence to publish for the full legal term of copyright. Exceptions may exist where an assignment of copyright is required or preferred by a proprietor other than Sage. In this case copyright in the work will be assigned from the author to the society. For more information please visit the Sage Author Gateway.

3.3 Open access and author archiving

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry offers optional open access publishing via the Sage Choice programme and Open Access agreements, where authors can publish open access either discounted or free of charge depending on the agreement with Sage. Find out if your institution is participating by visiting Open Access Agreements at Sage. For more information on Open Access publishing options at Sage please visit Sage Open Access. For information on funding body compliance, and depositing your article in repositories, please visit Sage’s Author Archiving and Re-Use Guidelines and Publishing Policies.

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4. Preparing your manuscript for submission

4.1 Formatting

The preferred format for your manuscript is Word. LaTeX files are also accepted. The text should be double-spaced throughout and with a minimum of 3cm for left and right hand margins and 5cm at head and foot. Text should be standard 10 or 12 point. Word and (La)Tex templates are available on the Manuscript Submission Guidelines page of our Author Gateway.

4.2 Artwork, figures and other graphics

For guidance on the preparation of illustrations, pictures and graphs in electronic format, please visit Sage’s Manuscript Submission Guidelines. 

Tables: Tables should be self-contained and complement, but not duplicate, information contained in the text. Tables should be numbered consecutively in Arabic numerals. Tables should be double-spaced and vertical lines should not be used to separate columns. Column headings should be brief, with units of measurement in parentheses; all abbreviations should be defined in footnotes. Footnote symbols: $, %, §, ’, should be used (in that order) and *, **, *** should be reserved for p-values. The table and its legend/footnotes should be understandable without reference to the text.

Figures: All illustrations (line drawings and photographs) are classified as figures. Figures should be cited in consecutive order in the text. Figures should be sized to fit within the column (80 mm), intermediate (118 mm) or the full text width (169 mm).

Line figures should be supplied as sharp, colour graphs or diagrams, drawn professionally or with a computer graphics package; lettering should be included.

Individual photographs forming a composite figure should be of equal contrast, to facilitate printing, and should be accurately squared. Photographs need to be cropped sufficiently to prevent the subject being recognized, or an eye bar used; otherwise, written permission to publish must be obtained. Magnifications should be indicated using a scale bar on the illustration.

Photographs should be supplied as high-resolution (minimum 300 dpi.) files, saved in eps or tif format. Digital images supplied only as low-resolution printouts cannot be used.

Figure legends: Legends should be self-explanatory and should form part of the manuscript. The legend should incorporate definitions of any symbols used and all abbreviations and units of measurement should be explained so that the figure and its legend are understandable without reference to the text. (Provide a letter stating copyright authorization if figures have been reproduced from another source.)

Colour figures: Colour figures will be published without charge in both the online version and the hard copy of the journal.

4.3 Supplemental material

This journal is able to host additional materials online (e.g. datasets, podcasts, videos, images etc) alongside the full-text of the article. These will be subjected to peer-review alongside the article.

Sage will only publish supplemental material subject to full copyright clearance. This means that if the content of the file is not original to the author, then the author will be responsible for clearing all permissions prior to publication. The author will be required to provide copies of permissions and details of the correct copyright acknowledgement. Copyright in article supplementary material depends on the source of that material:

If the content is the property of the author – the author needs to grant a non-exclusive licence to Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists (RANZCP), using the following statement:“ grants the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists a non-exclusive worldwide licence to reproduce and publish the aforementioned material as supplemental material to Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry in the English language in all print and electronic formats of Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry for the life of Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, including any future Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists print and electronic media, formats and products which may include Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry in its entirety. Full copyright acknowledgement will be made to the rights holder for this use.”

If the content belongs to a third party– authors will need to clear (and pay, where necessary) all permissions prior to our posting any third party content, and provide us with copies of the permissions and details of the correct copyright acknowledgement for our site. The wording above can be sent to the third party copyright holders and be used for them too. 

Please note that data supplements are permanent records just like the articles themselves – ie, they may not be altered after they have gone live (been published). 

For more information please refer to our guidelines on submitting supplemental files, which can be found within our Manuscript Submission Guidelines page.

4.4 Reference style

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry adheres to the Sage Harvard reference style. View the Sage Harvard guidelines to ensure your manuscript conforms to this reference style.

If you use EndNote to manage references, you can download the Sage Harvard EndNote output file.

4.5 English language editing services

Authors seeking assistance with English language editing, translation, or figure and manuscript formatting to fit the journal’s specifications should consider using Sage Language Services. Visit Sage Language Services on our Journal Author Gateway for further information.

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5. Submitting your manuscript

Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry – to submit a new article, please go to our new submission site, Sage Journals Submission: https://sage.atyponrex.com/journal/anp. From this site you can create submissions and revisions and track the status of your manuscripts. Please note, you will need to create a new CONNECT account on the Sage Journals Submission site the first time you use it, your Sage Track account will not work on this submission system.

IMPORTANT: To submit a revision for a manuscript that was submitted to Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry via Sage Track prior to 15th November 2023, please submit your revision in Sage Track, not via Sage Journals Submission. All transfers into Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry will also need to be submitted via Sage Track. Please reference the email you received after approving the transfer or reach out to our Transfer Support Team for assistance.

5.1 ORCID

As part of our commitment to ensuring an ethical, transparent and fair peer review process Sage is a supporting member of ORCID, the Open Researcher and Contributor ID. ORCID provides a unique and persistent digital identifier that distinguishes researchers from every other researcher, even those who share the same name, and, through integration in key research workflows such as manuscript and grant submission, supports automated linkages between researchers and their professional activities, ensuring that their work is recognized. 

The collection of ORCID iDs from corresponding authors is now part of the submission process of this journal. If you already have an ORCID iD you will be asked to associate that to your submission during the online submission process. We also strongly encourage all co-authors to link their ORCID ID to their accounts in our online peer review platforms. It takes seconds to do: click the link when prompted, sign into your ORCID account and our systems are automatically updated. Your ORCID iD will become part of your accepted publication’s metadata, making your work attributable to you and only you. Your ORCID iD is published with your article so that fellow researchers reading your work can link to your ORCID profile and from there link to your other publications.

If you do not already have an ORCID iD please follow this link to create one or visit our ORCID homepage to learn more.

5.2 Information required for completing your submission

You will be asked to provide contact details and academic affiliations for all co-authors via the submission system and identify who is to be the corresponding author. These details must match what appears on your manuscript. The affiliation listed in the manuscript should be the institution where the research was conducted. If an author has moved to a new institution since completing the research, the new affiliation can be included in a manuscript note at the end of the paper. At this stage please ensure you have included all the required statements and declarations and uploaded any additional supplementary files (including reporting guidelines where relevant).

5.3 Permissions

Please also ensure that you have obtained any necessary permission from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere. For further information including guidance on fair dealing for criticism and review, please see the Copyright and Permissions page on the Sage Author Gateway.

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6. On acceptance and publication

6.1 Sage Production

Your Sage Production Editor will keep you informed as to your article’s progress throughout the production process. Proofs will be made available to the corresponding author via our editing portal Sage Edit or by email, and corrections should be made directly or notified to us promptly. Authors are reminded to check their proofs carefully to confirm that all author information, including names, affiliations, sequence and contact details are correct, and that Funding and Conflict of Interest statements, if any, are accurate. 

6.2 Online First publication

Online First allows final articles (completed and approved articles awaiting assignment to a future issue) to be published online prior to their inclusion in a journal issue, which significantly reduces the lead time between submission and publication. Visit the Sage Journals help page for more details, including how to cite Online First articles.

6.3 Access to your published article

Sage provides authors with online access to their final article.

6.4 Promoting your article

Publication is not the end of the process! You can help disseminate your paper and ensure it is as widely read and cited as possible. The Sage Author Gateway has numerous resources to help you promote your work. Visit the Promote Your Article page on the Gateway for tips and advice. 

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7. Further information

Any correspondence, queries or additional requests for information on the manuscript submission process should be sent to the Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry editorial office as follows:

To the Editor
Professor Chris Davey
c/o the ANZJP Editorial Office: anzjp@editorialoffice.co.uk

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