Submission guidelines
Submit manuscript
Please read the guidelines in full before submitting your manuscript.
Manuscripts not conforming to these guidelines may be returned.
This Journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics.
The Journal 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).
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 author responsibilities section on the Sage Journal Author Gateway.
We also encourage you to familiarize yourself with our Editorial Policies and our Publication Ethics Policies.
Sage Publishing disseminates high-quality research and engaged scholarship globally, and we are committed to diversity and inclusion in publishing. We encourage submissions and peer review from a diverse range of authors and reviewers from across all countries and backgrounds. Read our diversity, equity, and inclusion pledge.
There are no fees payable to submit or publish in this journal. Open access options are available – see below.
Please read the guidelines below then submit your manuscript here.
Access: Open Access
APC: See article processing charge information below
Accepts preprints? Yes
Identity transparency: Double anonymized
Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine is an open access, peer-reviewed journal. All accepted articles are made freely available online immediately upon publication, are published under a Creative Commons license, and hosted online in perpetuity.
There are currently no Article Processing Charges (APCs) to publish in this journal.
For general information on open access at Sage please visit the Open Access page.
Your article must be within the scope of the journal and be of sufficient quality. If not, it will not be reviewed. Please read the journal’s Aims and Scope to see if your article is appropriate.
The manuscript must be your original work, you must have the rights to the work, and you must have obtained and be able to supply all necessary permissions for the reproduction of any copyright works not owned by you, including figures, illustrations, tables, lengthy quotations, or other material previously published elsewhere.
Article types
Please visit the Sage Journal Author Gateway for guidance on producing visual and/or video abstracts.
The Journal accepts the following paper types for publication:
1. Review Articles: Review Articles must address clearly defined questions in global mental health using reproducible methods, including scoping reviews, with explicit search and selection strategies, as appropriate. Prospective protocol registration (e.g., OSF) is desirable. Authors must provide a balanced synthesis of the literature, describe information sources, eligibility criteria, data extraction, and evidence synthesis methods, and critically appraise the quality and limitations of the available evidence. Reporting must comply with ICMJE recommendations and relevant EQUATOR guidelines (e.g., PRISMA-ScR).
2. Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses: Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses must address clearly defined questions in global mental health using a priori protocols and reproducible methods, including systematic searches, explicit eligibility criteria, standardized data extraction, and risk-of-bias assessment. Meta-analyses must apply appropriate quantitative synthesis, with transparent reporting of heterogeneity, sensitivity analyses, and publication bias, where applicable. Authors must provide a balanced interpretation, include a data availability statement, and follow ICMJE and relevant EQUATOR guidelines (e.g., PRISMA).
Guidelines: (including clinical trials, psychosocial, behavioral, educational, implementation, program or training evaluation/effectiveness, device and digital health interventions, effectiveness studies, and policy-related research):
A) The study MUST have been prospectively registered in a registry, such as PROSPERO, before the start of the review. On the title page, please provide full details of the Study registration (registry name, URL, and registration number), which the editorial board should have access to. In the full text, at the end of the abstract, please mention the 'blinded' registry name, the 'blinded' URL, the 'blinded' registration number, and the date of registration. The details MUST be added later if the manuscript is accepted.
3. Original Articles: Original Articles must address clearly formulated research questions in global mental health using methodologically rigorous, prospectively planned, and ethically approved study designs, including randomized controlled trials, intervention and implementation research, cohort and case–control studies, population-based surveys, diagnostic or screening accuracy studies, and health economic analyses. Authors must present transparent, reproducible analyses, clearly describe study design, participant selection, outcomes, and statistical methods, and provide a balanced interpretation of findings. Reporting must comply with ICMJE recommendations and relevant EQUATOR Network reporting guidelines, as appropriate to the study design.
4. Study Protocol: Study Protocol manuscripts MUST report prospectively planned research studies. Authors are encouraged to submit protocols early; ideally, they should be submitted before the study starts. If data collection is nearing completion or has been completed, we will not consider the manuscript. Instead, consider submitting it as an Original Article. Study protocols for reviews or systematic reviews, or for pilot or feasibility studies, are not considered. Authors are encouraged to submit the pilot results as an original article and the study protocol for the definitive study. Additionally, we will not consider study protocols for which the authors have other articles published or under consideration related to the same protocol. The study dates must be included in the manuscript and the cover letter. The final decision on whether to consider a protocol for publication will rest with the Editor-in-Chief.
The journal MANDATES that all interventional mental health research—including drug trials, psychosocial, behavioral, educational, implementation, program or training evaluations, device and digital health interventions, effectiveness studies, and policy-related research—MUST be prospectively registered in a WHO-approved trials registry; for Indian studies, CTRI: https://ctri.nic.in/Clinicaltrials/login.php. This requirement applies to any research involving an intervention with assessed outcomes, not only drug trials.
5. Practical Psychotherapy: Practical Psychotherapy must address clearly defined clinical applications in global mental health using established psychotherapeutic or psychosocial interventions, described through individual cases or case series. Submissions must focus on the practical conduct of psychotherapy, including clinical decision-making, contextual, ethical, and cultural challenges, barriers to delivery, and strategies to address them. Authors must demonstrate established evidence of effectiveness, clearly distinguish clinical application and contextual adaptation from efficacy testing, and provide a balanced interpretation of clinical implications. Reports of unproven or experimental interventions are not considered. The section welcomes adaptations of evidence-based psychotherapies in LMIC contexts, particularly in India, grounded in a clearly articulated, evidence-supported therapeutic framework and explicitly discussing cultural relevance, feasibility, and applicability.
6. Viewpoints: Viewpoints must address clearly defined issues relevant to the mental health profession using scholarly, experience-informed perspectives. Submissions should be grounded in the author's demonstrated expertise or professional experience and present a reasoned argument or critical analysis of current, debatable, or controversial topics, with appropriate reference to existing evidence where relevant. Authors must clearly distinguish opinion from empirical evidence, present a balanced and transparent interpretation, and adhere to standards of ethical responsibility and academic integrity. Reporting must comply with ICMJE recommendations, as appropriate.
7. Research Pearls: These are brief scholarly articles addressing key methodological, statistical, and interpretive issues relevant to mental health research and practice. Submissions are limited to topics within the field of mental health.
Research Pearls may discuss rating scales, inventories, or questionnaires, with emphasis on measurement validity, interpretation, limitations, ethical considerations, and common methodological errors. Submissions should not introduce new instruments, reproduce scale content, or serve as manuals. Manuscripts are evaluated for clarity, originality, strength of evidence, practical relevance, and scholarly value.
8. Case Series: Case Series must address clearly defined clinical observations in global mental health using systematically collected data from two or more cases sharing a common diagnosis, clinical feature, or treatment exposure. Submissions must clearly describe case selection, assessment methods, and follow-up, and must adhere to ethical standards and patient confidentiality. Authors should provide a balanced interpretation of the clinical insights and place the findings in the context of the existing literature.
9. Letters to the Editor: Letters to the Editor must address clearly defined clinical, scientific, or professional issues in mental health through concise, scholarly communications. Submissions may include brief observations, single case reports, treatment-related adverse drug reactions, and short research communications or pilot studies that meet the scientific and ethical standards of Original Articles, but are limited in scope or sample size.
This section also includes:
i) Comments on Published Articles, which must provide constructive, evidence-informed critique or clarification and be submitted within six months of online publication of the original article. Such submissions should be titled "Comments on [Title of the Article]".
ii) Replies to Comments on Published Articles, which must be submitted within three months of online publication of the comment.
10. Resident's Corner: This section is dedicated to manuscripts authored by resident trainees and provides a forum for the dissemination of their scholarly work, subject to the same academic, peer-review, and ethical standards applied to all submissions to the Journal.
Submission Guidelines:
· The first and the corresponding author MUST be a resident trainee enrolled in one of the following programs:
- Psychiatry Residents (MD / DNB / Diploma / DM Fellowships)
- Psychology Trainees (MPhil / PsyD / PhD Coursework)
- Psychiatric Social Work Trainees (MPhil / MSW with Specialization)
- Psychiatric Nursing Trainees (MSc or Specialized Diploma Programs)
- Other Residents (MBBS, Nursing Undergraduates, Psychology Undergraduates, Interns)
· The research must have been conducted and the manuscript submitted during the course of residency. The work submitted after residency will not be considered.
· Senior Residents can be authors, but they are not eligible as first or corresponding authors.
· A qualified faculty mentor in the relevant specialty MUST co-author the manuscript, offering guidance and oversight, but they cannot be the first or corresponding author. If multiple residents are involved, they will be recognized as initial authors, with faculty listed at the end.
· Each author (including the faculty member) MUST fulfill the ICMJE criteria for authorship.
· Types of Submissions:
- Original Articles
- Scoping Reviews
- Systematic Reviews/Meta-analyses
- Viewpoints: This can encompass reflections on training experiences, innovative educational practices, field/practicum insights, psychotherapy processes, and collaborative interprofessional works!
· Submissions must meet the regular manuscript requirements:
· Only one manuscript in the "Residents' Corner" will be featured per issue.
|
Article types |
Maximum Word Count (excluding references) |
Headings and Sub-headings |
Tables + Figures (Maximum) |
Peer Reviewed? |
|
Review Article |
Abstract: 250 Text: 5000 |
Title: Purpose of the review: Collection and Analysis of Data: Results: Conclusions: Registration Details: (if any). Key Messages: · Question: · Findings: · Meaning: Introduction Hypotheses of the review: Objectives of the review: Methods Selection criteria Inclusion criteria: Exclusion criteria: Search strategy Study screening and selection Data extraction Risk of bias (ROB) assessment (not mandatory) Results Study Selection Characteristics of the included studies Risk of bias assessment Main results about the primary and secondary outcomes: qualitative synthesis Discussion Limitations Conclusions Reporting guideline (Supplementary online material): Name Citation: Declaration Regarding the Use of Generative AI: Citation Diversity Statement: References: Data availability: Tables and Figures Supplementary material (order): 1. Concept terms table 2. Search history of PubMed 3. List of excluded studies (at the full-text stage) with reasons 4. PRISMA Chart 5. Additional information on the study characteristics from the extracted data 6. ROB tables/figures (traffic light plots), if performed |
6 |
Yes |
|
Systematic Review/ Meta-analysis |
Abstract: 250 Text: 5000 |
Title: Abstract Purpose of the review: Collection and Analysis of Data: Results Conclusions: Key Words: Key Messages: · Question: · Findings: · Meaning: PROSPERO Registration: · URL: · Registration number: Introduction Background: Hypotheses and the objectives of the review Methods Selection criteria Inclusion criteria: Exclusion criteria: Search strategy Study screening and selection Data extraction Risk of bias (ROB) assessment Data analysis Certainty of evidence Results Study Selection Characteristics of the included studies Risk of bias assessment Main results about the primary and secondary outcomes: Part 1: qualitative synthesis Main results about the primary and secondary outcomes: Part 2: meta-analysis CoE Discussion Summary of evidence: Contextualize Limitations Conclusions Reporting guideline (Supplementary online material): Name Citation: Declaration Regarding the Use of Generative AI: Citation Diversity Statement: References: Data availability Tables and Figures Supplementary material (order):
|
6 |
Yes |
|
Original Article |
Abstract: 250 Text: 5000 |
Title: Abstract Background: Methods: Results: Conclusions: Registration: for interventional studies: Registry name: URL: Registration number: Key Words: Key Messages: · Question: · Findings: · Meaning: Introduction Methods: Results: Discussion: Conclusions: Reporting guideline (Supplementary online material): Name Citation: Declaration regarding the use of Generative AI: Citation Diversity Statement: References |
6 |
Yes |
|
Study Protocol |
Abstract: 250 Text: 5000 |
Title: Abstract: Background: Novelty: Objectives: Methods: Expected outcome:
Key Words: Key Messages: • Bullet point 1:
|
6 |
Yes |
|
Practical Psychotherapy |
Abstract: 250 Text: 2000 |
Title: Abstract: Unstructured Key Words: Introduction: Case Context and Method: Case Description: Case Formulation and Treatment Plan Case Formulation and Treatment Approach: Treatment Plan and Goals: Therapist and Relational Factors: The Course of Treatment and Monitoring of Treatment Progress: Treatment Outcome: Discussion and Limitations: Implications and Recommendations Implications for Clinical Practice and Theory: Implications for Research: Reporting guideline (Supplementary online material): Name Citation: Declaration regarding the use of Generative AI: Citation Diversity Statement: References: |
1 |
|
|
Viewpoint |
Abstract: 50 Text: 3,000 References: 20 |
Title: Abstract: Unstructured Key Words: Key Messages:
• Bullet point 1:
|
1 |
Yes |
|
Research Pearls |
Abstract: 50 Text: 1,500 References: 10 |
Title:
Key Words: Key Messages: • Bullet point 1:
|
1 |
Yes |
|
Case Series |
Abstract: 50 Text: 2000 |
Title: Abstract: Unstructured Key Words: Introduction: Case Report 1: Case Report 2: Case Report 3: -- -- Discussion: Conclusions: Reporting guideline (Supplementary online material): Name Citation: Declaration regarding the use of Generative AI: Citation Diversity Statement: References: |
2 |
Yes |
|
Letter to the Editor |
Abstract: Nil Text: 750 References: 10 |
Title: Introduction: Case Report (if this manuscript is a case report): Adverse Effects (if this manuscript is a case report describing the Adverse Effect of a medication): please provide the total scores on the Naranjo Adverse Drug Reaction Probability Scale (and cite): https://www.evidencio.com/models/show/661. Discussion: Conclusions: Key Words: Reporting guideline (Supplementary online material): Name Citation: Declaration regarding the use of Generative AI: Citation Diversity Statement: References: |
1 |
Yes |
|
Resident's Corner Guidelines are the same as those listed for Original Articles, Reviews, Systematic Reviews/Meta-Analyses, and Viewpoints. |
- |
- |
- |
Yes |
Other Guidelines:
· Blinding: During manuscript submission, all the details should be anonymized for peer review
· Key Words: Only MeSH words, Capitalize Each Word, 4-5, in alphabetical order, separated by semicolon
· Tables and Figures:
-Do not include in the Main Document. Upload EACH table and EACH figure as a separate file.
-Extra tables/figures should be uploaded as "Supplementary online material.
Clinical trial registration
The journal conforms to the ICMJE requirement that clinical trials are registered in a WHO-approved public trials registry at or before the time of first participant enrollment 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.
If your research involves animals, you will be asked to confirm that you have carefully read and adhered to the ARRIVE guidelines.
Formatting your manuscript
Accepted file types
The preferred format for your manuscript is Word. You do not need to follow a template, but please ensure your heading levels are clear, and the sections clearly defined.
The LaTeX files are also accepted. A LaTeX template is available on the Sage Journal Author Gateway.
Your article title, keywords, and abstract all contribute to its position in search engine results, directly affecting the number of people who see your work. For details of what you can do to influence this, visit How to help readers find your article online.
Title
Your manuscript’s title should be concise, descriptive, unambiguous, accurate, and reflect the precise contents of the manuscript. A descriptive title that includes the topic of the manuscript makes an article more findable in the major indexing services.
Abstract
Please include a structured abstract of 250 words between the title and main body of your manuscript that concisely states the purpose of the research, major findings, and conclusions. If your research includes clinical trials, the trial registry name and URL, and registration number must be included at the end of the abstract. Submissions that do not meet this requirement will not be considered.
For clinical trials, the trial registry name and URL, and registration number must be included at the end of the abstract.
Keywords
Please include a minimum of 4-6 keywords, listed after the abstract. Keywords should be as specific as possible to the research topic.
Artwork, figures, and other graphics
For guidance on the preparation of illustrations, pictures, and graphs in electronic format, please read Sage’s artwork guidelines.
Figures supplied in color will appear in color online.
Please 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 Frequently Asked Questions page on the Sage Journal Author Gateway.
Statements and declarations
To ensure proper anonymization, please include a section with the heading ‘Statements and Declarations’ on your title page, after the Acknowledgements section [and Author Contributions section if applicable] including each of the sub-headings listed below. If a declaration is not applicable to your submission, you must still include the heading and state ‘Not applicable’ underneath. Please note that you may be asked to justify why a declaration was not applicable to your submission by the Editorial Office. This information will be added to the end of your published paper.
Ethical considerations
Please include your ethics approval statements under this heading, even if you have already included ethics approval information in your methods section. If ethical approval was not required, you need to explicitly state this. You can find information on what to say in your ethical statements as well as example statements on our Publication ethics and research integrity policies page.
All papers reporting studies involving human participants, human data or human tissue must state that the relevant Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board approved the study, or waived the requirement for approval, providing the full name and institution of the review committee in addition to the approval number. If applicable, please also include this information in the Methods section of your manuscript.
Consent to participate
Please include any participant consent information under this heading and state whether informed consent to participate was written or verbal. If the requirement for informed consent to participate has been waived by the relevant Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board (i.e. where it has been deemed that consent would be impossible or impracticable to obtain), please state this. If this is not applicable to your manuscript, please state ‘Not applicable’ in this section. More information and example statements can be found on our Publication ethics and research integrity policies page.
Consent for publication
Submissions containing any data from an individual person (including individual details, images or videos) must include a statement confirming that informed consent for publication was provided by the participant(s) or a legally authorized representative. Non-essential identifying details should be omitted. Please do not submit the participant’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 to publish 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 in addition to the statement confirming that consent to publish was obtained within the manuscript text. If this is not applicable to your manuscript, please state ‘Not applicable’ in this section.
Declaration of conflicting interest
The journal requires a declaration of conflicting interests from all authors so that a statement can be included in your article. For guidance on conflict of interest statements, see our policy on conflicting interest declarations and the ICMJE recommendations.
If no conflict exists, your statement should read: ‘The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article’.
Funding statement
All articles need to include a funding statement, under a separate heading, even if you did not receive funding. You’ll find guidance and examples on our Funding page.
Data availability
The Journal is committed to facilitating openness, transparency and reproducibility of research, and has the following research data sharing policy. For more information, including FAQs please visit the Sage Research Data policy pages.
Subject to appropriate ethical and legal considerations, authors are encouraged to:
- Share your research data in a relevant public data repository
- Include a data availability statement linking to your data. If it is not possible to share your data, use the statement to confirm why it cannot be shared.
- Cite this data in your research
Reference style and citations
The journal follows the Sage Vancouver reference style. View the Sage Vancouver guidelines to ensure your manuscript conforms.
Every in-text citation must have a corresponding citation in the reference list and vice versa. Corresponding citations must have identical spelling and year.
Authors should update any references to preprints when a peer reviewed version is made available, to cite the published research. Citations to preprints are otherwise discouraged.
EndNote
If you use EndNote to manage references, you can download the Sage Vancouver EndNote output file.
Supplemental material
This Journal can host additional materials online (e.g. datasets, podcasts, videos, images etc.) alongside the full text of the article. Your supplemental material must be one of our accepted file types. For that list and more information please refer to our guidelines on submitting supplemental files.
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 Author Services. Visit Sage Author Services for further information.
Acknowledgments
If you are including an Acknowledgements section, this will be published at the end of your article. The Acknowledgments section should include all contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship. Per ICMJE recommendations, it is best practice to obtain consent from non-author contributors who you are acknowledging in your manuscript.
Writing assistance and third party submissions: if you have received any writing or editing assistance from a third-party, for example a specialist communications company, this must be clearly stated in the Acknowledgements section and in the covering letter. Please see the Sage Author Gateway for what information to include in your Acknowledgements section. If your submission is being made on your behalf by someone who is not listed as an author, for example the third-party who provided writing/editing assistance, you must state this in the Acknowledgements and also in your covering letter. Please note that the journal editor reserves the right to not consider submissions made by a third party rather than by the author/s themselves.
As part of the submission process you will need to confirm that this is your original work, that you have the rights in the work, that this is for first publication in this Journal, that it is not being considered for/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.
Preprints
The journal will consider submissions of manuscripts that have been posted on preprint servers.
Please enter the preprint DOI in the designated field when submitting your manuscript. We advise that you inform the Journal Editorial office about your posted preprint at submission.
Note that you should not post an updated version of your manuscript on a preprint server while it is being peer reviewed.
Submission site
Submit your manuscript online here.
IMPORTANT: Please check whether you already have an account in Sage Track before trying to create a new one. If you have reviewed or authored for the journal in the past year it is likely that you will have had an account created. For further guidance on submitting your manuscript online please visit ScholarOne Online Help.
Manuscripts should only be submitted with the consent of all contributing authors. The individual responsible for submitting the manuscript should carefully check that all those whose work contributed to the manuscript are listed as authors.
Ensure you upload all relevant manuscript files, including any additional supplemental files (including reporting guidelines where relevant).
Authorship
Please view our authorship policies, which includes information on criteria for authorship, who should be the corresponding author and more.
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.
Files
- Cover letter. To help the Editor in their preliminary evaluation, please indicate why you think the manuscript suitable for publication.
- Title Page with all required identifying information as laid out in Preparing your manuscript for submission (above). This will not be sent to the peer reviewers.
- Your manuscript, properly formatted and anonymized according to all stipulations above, and within the scope of the journal. Any information that compromises the anonymity of the author(s) should be removed or anonymized and included on the Title Page instead. See above for more information on anonymization. This version will be sent to the peer reviewers.
- Figures and images.
- All figures must be numbered consecutively in the order in which they appear in the text – they will appear in the published article in the order they are numbered.
- Figure resolution is 300dpi. More information on figure/image preparation can be found here.
- Supplemental material. This journal can host additional materials online (e.g. datasets, podcasts, videos, images, etc) alongside the full-text of the article. Your supplemental material must be one of our accepted file types. For that list and more information please refer to our guidelines on submitting supplemental files.
Other information required for submission
-
ORCID ID of the submitting author.
- It is strongly encouraged that all co-authors ensure their ORCID IDs are linked to their accounts in the submission system prior to article acceptance, as this is the only way to have their ORCID ID present on the published article. ORCID IDs cannot be added to manuscripts after acceptance/publication. Please note that each co-author must log in to the submission system to add their own ORCID ID to their account. To add an ORCID ID, edit your account, click the link when prompted, and sign into your ORCID account to validate your ID. You will then be redirected back to the submission system and your ORCID ID will become part of your accepted publication’s metadata.
- Please create an ORCID ID if you do not already have one or visit our ORCID homepage to learn more.
- Complete list of authors, with their institutional affiliations.
- The author information you enter at submission must exactly match what is included on your manuscript and/or title page, including full names, academic affiliations, and corresponding author contact details.
- The listed affiliation 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 note at the end of the manuscript.
- All listed authors must meet the criteria for authorship (above).
- All persons eligible for authorship must be included at the time of submission.
- All authors must have given consent for the manuscript to be submitted in its current form.
- Keywords: During submission, you may be asked to select or enter keywords for your manuscript. These keywords are used to match appropriate reviewers to your manuscript.
- The number of figures, tables, and words in your manuscript.
- Funder information: Name, grant/award number.
- You may be required to enter your declaration of conflicting interest as part of the submission process, in addition to listing it on your manuscript and/or title page. Please have it on hand.
- If you have posted your manuscript to a preprint server, you will be asked to supply the DOI (this does not prohibit submission, but no changes should be made to the preprint version while your manuscript is under evaluation in this journal). Please see our guidelines on prior publication. If the article is accepted for publication, the author may re-use their work according to the journal's author archiving policy. If your manuscript is accepted, you must include a link in your preprint to the final version of your published article.
The following summary describes the peer review process for this journal:
Identity transparency: Double-anonymized
Reviewer interacts with: Editor
Review information published: None
Your manuscript will undergo an initial evaluation. If it does not conform to the requirements laid out in these guidelines, it will be returned to you for amendments prior to peer review. Manuscripts may be desk rejected without peer review at this point if they are out of scope for the journal or otherwise unsuitable.
After passing the initial evaluation, your manuscript will then be peer reviewed. You can log in at any time to check the status of your manuscript. We will notify you when a decision has been reached.
Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine is an open access, double-anonymize peer-reviewed journal. Each article accepted by peer review is made freely available online immediately upon publication, is published under a Creative Commons license and will be hosted online in perpetuity. There is no charge for submitting a paper to the journal.
For general information on open access at Sage, please visit the Open Access page or view our Open Access FAQs.
To ensure the integrity of the peer review process we assign reviewers and cannot accept author recommendations.
All manuscripts are reviewed as rapidly as possible, while maintaining rigor. Reviewers make comments to the author and recommendations to the Editor who then makes the final decision on all manuscripts, including those appearing in a special issue or special collection. The Editor or members of the Editorial Board may occasionally submit their own manuscripts for possible publication in the Journal. In these cases, the peer review process will be managed by alternative members of the Board and the submitting Editor/Board member will have no involvement in the decision-making process.
As a COPE member we engage with multiple forms of post-publication discussion in line with wider guidance from Sage: Commentaries, Critiques and Responses.
You can view our complaints and appeals policy here.
Read Sage's complete peer review policy.
Plagiarism
The journal and Sage take issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism or other breaches of best practice in publication very seriously. Please read Sage's complete policy on plagiarism and the actions we may take.
After acceptance you will receive instructions via email inviting you to complete the Open Access process. This will include signing the appropriate Creative Commons license and, where applicable, paying the Article Processing Charge (APC) or assigning a bill payer. Once the APC has been processed, your article will be prepared for publication and can appear online within an average of 30 days. Please note that, where an APC is applicable, production work cannot be completed on your manuscript until payment has been received.
Contributor’s Publishing Agreement
Before publication we require the author as the rights holder to sign a Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement. The journal publishes manuscripts under Creative Commons licenses. The standard license for the journal is Creative Commons by Attribution Non-Commercial (CC BY-NC), which allows others to re-use the work without permission as long as the work is properly referenced and the use is non-commercial. For more information, you are advised to visit Sage's OA licenses page. Alternative license arrangements are available at the author’s request (e.g. to meet particular funder mandates).
Preprints
If your manuscript was posted on a preprint server prior to acceptance, you must include a link in your preprint to the final published version of your published article.
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 should be returned promptly to avoid delaying publication. 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. This is the final opportunity to make changes to your manuscript. Further corrections will not be possible after publication. Changes to the author list are not permitted at this stage.
Publication
One of the many benefits of publishing your research in an open access journal is the speed to publication. With no page count constraints, your article will be published online in a fully citable form with a DOI number as soon as it has completed the production process. At this time it will be completely free to view and download for all.
OnlineFirst publication: This enables us to publish final articles online immediately, without waiting for assignment to a future issue of the Journal. This usually significantly reduces publication lead time. Visit the Sage Journals help page for more details, including how to cite OnlineFirst articles.
Promoting your article
Publication is not the end of the process. Between us, we can ensure that your article is found, read, downloaded and cited as widely as possible. Many of the most effective tactics are those you can do quickly and easily to your network of contacts and peers. Visit the Promote Your Article page on the Sage Journal Author Gateway for numerous resources to help you promote your work.
The Sage Journal Author Gateway has some general advice on how to get published, plus links to further resources. Sage Author Services also offers authors a variety of ways to improve and enhance your article including English language editing, plagiarism detection, and video abstract and infographic preparation.
If you have any questions about publishing with Sage, please visit the Sage Journals Solutions Portal.
You can view our complaints and appeals procedure.
Contact us
You can direct any questions to the journal’s editorial office:
Editor-in-Chief - Dr Rajshekhar Bipeta
E-mail: editor@ijpm.info
Any complaints regarding the functioning of the journal or the editorial team can be sent to the Journal Tribunal Committee of Indian Psychiatric Society South Zonal Branch. The Chairperson is Dr. Suresh Kumar M (email: msuresh1955@gmail.com) and the members are Drs. MS Reddy (email: msreddyiapp@gmail.com) and Suresh Bada Math (email: sureshbm@gmail.com).