FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
SUBMISSIONS
I’m submitting to a journal that uses double-anonymized peer review (Psychiatric Services, American Journal of Psychotherapy). What should I include on the separate title page not visible to reviewers?
For the title page that peer reviewers will not have access to, please include an article title (<125 characters including spaces); full name (first name, middle initial, last name) and up to 2 earned academic degrees for each author, separated by commas; up to 2 affiliations per author (consisting of department, institution, city, and U.S. state/country); and an e-mail address of the corresponding author. Also include word count of main text (excluding title page, abstract, references, displayed items) and number of any tables and any figures. The main document that will go to reviewers should include a title page with an identical article title but no author names or email addresses and anonymized disclosures about financial relationships with commercial interests. If required by the journal for the type of article you are submitting, this title page would also include 3 one-sentence highlights of findings.
Whom may I include as a possible reviewer in step 5 on the ScholarOne submission site? May I include editors of the journal along with other researchers in the field?
Your reference list may be a good resource for identifying potential reviewers. Because the editor-in-chief will be adjudicating the decision, do not include that person as a suggested reviewer.
Does APA offer fast-track peer review?
When peer reviewers agree to review a submission, the invitation states that reviews are due in 2 weeks. Much of the time that lapses from submission to decision is spent selecting and inviting reviewers and finding enough who say yes and then complete the reviews. Although we can request a fast review, the review process inevitably takes several weeks.
My coauthors and I were invited to revise and resubmit, but the deadline to do so has expired. Can we still submit?
In most cases, yes. Please contact the journal at the link within the system.
When uploading a revision, should I upload a version with changes tracked or a clean version?
Authors may upload both a version with changes tracked (provided no author name is associated with tracked changes on any uploaded files) and an updated version (named “clean version” or something similar). The tracked version is helpful for reviewers, and the clean version is helpful for expediting the paper into production if the decision is to Accept.
When uploading a revision, I put the appendixes intended for "Online Supplement" in a document separate from the main body of the text. However, I note that they don't appear in the final PDF I approved. Will reviewers have access to the appendixes even though they don't appear in the main body?
Yes, reviewers are able to access supplemental files. Please designate the online supplement file as a “supporting document.”
When can we expect a decision on our submission?
Securing reviewers to agree to review and to complete the review may have taken longer than is typical. If you submitted the manuscript more than 3 months ago, please use the “contact the journal” link in the system so that we can report on the progress of your manuscript.
LIVED EXPERIENCES
Please briefly summarize what the journal means by “lived experience.”
In the context of the journal (i.e., a mental health services research journal), we mean individuals with either current or prior personal experience of the conditions, interventions, and services studied and featured, as well as experience of intersecting systems as relevant (i.e., criminal legal, child welfare, disability-based benefits). “Lived experience” is a broad umbrella term, and we encourage authors to be more specific about the ways in which they are using this term, especially in the context of participatory research submissions.
Doesn’t everyone have “lived experience”?
Epidemiological research suggests that a substantial percentage of the U.S. population has either received some form of “mental health” support and/or might meet criteria for common mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. Meanwhile, a far smaller number of people have received a diagnosis of a condition such as schizophrenia, and of those who have experienced some form of mental health services (e.g., private counseling) a much smaller number will have direct experience of prison-based mental health services, involuntary hospitalization, homelessness services, etc. Racial-ethnic intersections profoundly shape these experiences as well. In general, best practices in stakeholder involvement and participation recommend collaboration with individuals who have experience of the specific diagnoses, interventions, or services in question.
What is the journal doing to increase lived experience involvement?
Psychiatric Services has in place several initiatives designed to strengthen the involvement of reviewers and authors with lived experience. These include a column dedicated to (and regularly featuring submissions about) Lived Experience Inclusion and Leadership and involving individuals with lived experience as reviewers. The journal welcomes inquiries from individuals interested in reviewing for the journal, regardless of whether they have prior academic training.
PEER REVIEWING
As a reviewer, can I get Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit for manuscripts I have reviewed?
APA Publishing does not offer CME credit for completed peer review of manuscripts. Instead, APA Publishing offers individuals through its submission system the possibility of getting recognition for reviews on Web of Science. Individuals who answer yes to the question about documenting their completed reviews will be able to track, verify, and showcase their peer review and editorial contributions as evidence of their standing and influence in their field. An individual’s Web of Science reviewer account produces a verified, downloadable record of review and editorial activity for journals, which may include CVs, funding and job applications, and promotion and performance evaluations.
I agreed to review a paper, but the link does not work.
Within our manuscript submission system you may have a duplicate account, or multiple e-mail addresses associated with your name, which typically occurs when a coauthor enters an e-mail address of yours that is not the e-mail primarily associated with your account. Use the “contact the journal” link, and APA Publishing support can merge the accounts for you.
I’m reviewing a paper that refers to a supplement I can’t find.
Open the record for the manuscript you are reviewing. (You may need to select “Continue review.”) In the Reviewer Scoresheet section, if you click on the Files tab, you will see a link to the Supplemental Material.
I agreed to review two manuscripts for your journal. I may have accidentally submitted my first review for the second manuscript I agreed to review. How can I correct this?
Please write to the mailbox of the journal to which you submitted your review.
The American Journal of Psychiatry: [email protected]
Psychiatric Services: [email protected]
Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences: [email protected]
The American Journal of Psychotherapy: [email protected]
Focus: [email protected]
ACCEPTANCE AND PUBLICATION
We need to change the corresponding author for the paper you just accepted.
Since the paper likely has already entered production, the corresponding author e-mail address in the system will be part of the article record in production. Use the “contact the journal” link so that the Publishing team can update the record as well as the manuscript so that proofs can be directed to the new contact.
As corresponding author, I would like to confirm that my coauthors and I have signed the necessary forms for publication. The system shows that completion of this step is pending.
In general, if you are copied on reminder messages that forms are still needed from you or a coauthor, follow-up action is needed from you. If a coauthor’s e-mail address has changed, for example, please let APA Publishing know where to re-direct forms (write to the journal mailbox for the journal that will publish your article).
When will my paper be published?
The official published versions of items accepted for publication in APA Publishing’s journals typically are live online within 8-12 weeks of acceptance.
I’ve received my typeset proofs. How do I arrange for a press release of my paper?
We can fix this. Please write to the journal mailbox that you submitted your review for:
Please use the contact information you received with your proofs, which will put you in touch with the managing editor for the journal. In your message please let us know whether your institution is planning a release to promote your work and provide contact information for your communications team. The managing editor will coordinate an embargo date and provide a link to use in the release so that readers can access the content. APA Publishing will also share any release you provide with our Communications Office to field any inquiries we receive and will issue publication notices on social media.
How do I access the online version?
When your work is published, you will receive a congratulatory message that includes a digital token for online access and information about sharing that content with others. If you have never accessed content at psychiatryonline.org, you will need to register before you can access your content.
We discovered an error when our article was published online. Can this be corrected?
Please use the “contact journal” link to get in touch with the managing editor. If the error is substantive, we will correct the article and run a correction notice linked and indexed with the article to ensure that the correction accompanies the article in searches. If the error is nonsubstantive, we can update the online version of the article and ensure the corrected version appears in the archival online issue of the journal.
Our work has been published. How will APA Publishing promote our article?
Upon publication, your work will be announced via e-mail Alerts that reach thousands of subscribers who have opted to receive messaging about new publications. APA Publishing will also promote your work on social media. In addition, your article may be featured in a Psychiatric News Alert (a daily blog) or Psychiatric News Update (a weekly e-newsletter). APA’s Communications team may also issue a press release or host a media briefing. APA Publishing has several podcasts that might discuss your work, and our team will be glad to work with your institution’s communications team if it plans to issue a press release on your article.
DISSEMINATION
My manuscript is still in review, and the findings are relevant to an upcoming meeting or for testimony. May I share with the court the paper I submitted?
You may circulate a copy of the manuscript provided that you label it clearly as a draft that has not been peer reviewed and the date of circulation (“Not peer reviewed. Draft circulated October 2023.” “Peer review pending. Draft circulated October 2023.”) You must notify the journal considering the submission that the draft is in circulation so the Editor can determine whether the current submission adds new information.
My paper just got
Written permission to reuse or distribute material accepted for publication in the journals of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) must be secured from APA Publishing by completing a Permission Requests Form . Provided that permission is granted, the content must be appropriately labeled: “Copyright American Psychiatric Association Publishing, accepted for publication in [name of journal]. This is a prepublication version.”
My paper was published recently. I have a presentation coming up and would like to share copies of my article. What is permissible?
Written permission to reuse or distribute material published in the journals of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) must be secured from APA Publishing by completing a Permission Requests Form.
Can I use my paper in [fill in the blank]?
Written permission to reuse or distribute material published in the journals of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) must be secured from APA Publishing (by completing a Permission Requests Form)
Can I put my published paper on ResearchGate?
PDFs cannot be placed on sites such as ResearchGate and Academia.edu. The official published version of the article can reside only on the journal’s website at psychiatryonline.org.
Can you make my paper Open Access?
APA Publishing does not accept article processing charges (APCs) to make the official published version of an article freely available upon publication as Open Access. Instead, APA Publishing makes articles freely available to the public on its website 1 year after publication.
At the time of submission, authors are asked to check one of the following options to provide guidance to American Psychiatric Association Publishing if the manuscript is accepted for publication:
- This article stems from research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and is thereby subject to the NIH Revised Policy on Enhancing Public Access to Archived Publications Resulting from NIH-Funded Research (Public Access Policy). Checking this option means that should the manuscript be accepted for publication American Psychiatric Association Publishing is authorized to submit on the author’s behalf the Accepted Manuscript to the National Institutes of Health Manuscript Submission (NIHMS) system.
- This article stems from research not funded by NIH but my funder stipulates that the journal must allow deposit of the Accepted Manuscript (the version incorporating all modifications from the peer review process but before copyediting, graphic design, formatting, and other work to produce the final published article is performed) in other repositories without restrictions on re-use under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) license. Checking this option means that should the manuscript be accepted for publication the author is responsible for self-archiving the Accepted Manuscript into a funder-specified repository for public viewing after an embargo period mutually agreed upon by all parties.
- There are no stipulations set forth regarding public access to the article. Checking this option means 12 months after publication, the full text of the official version of the article will be freely available to the public on the journal’s Web site.
What is the usual length of time between an article going online in In Advance of print and its being indexed in PubMed?
The length of time between when an article is published online and is discoverable in PubMed is nearly immediate (deposits to the National Library of Medicine are made at the time of publication).
The length of time between when an article is published online and is indexed in MEDLINE is a few months. What initially surfaces in a PubMed search is called the Publisher Record, which stays until the National Library of Medicine officially catalogs the item.
When submitting, we checked option a, but the version deposited is different from the published version.
For papers that APA Publishing deposits to NIHMS on behalf of authors, the version deposited is the accepted manuscript version of the paper (the version incorporating all modifications from the peer review process but before copyediting, graphic design, formatting, and other work to produce the final published article is performed). The official published version of the paper is freely available as part of the issue in which it appears after 1 year.