Journal of Psychology & Counselling Practical Cases: Reviewer Guidelines
Thank you for serving as a reviewer for the Journal of Psychology & Counselling Practical Cases. Your expertise and insights are vital to maintaining the quality and integrity of our publication. These guidelines will help you conduct thorough, fair, and constructive reviews.
Reviewer Responsibilities
Confidentiality
- Treat all manuscript content as strictly confidential
- Do not share or discuss manuscripts under review with anyone
- Do not use information from unpublished manuscripts for personal advantage
Conflicts of Interest
- Immediately notify the editorial office if you have personal, financial, or professional connections to the authors
- Decline to review if objectivity might be compromised
- Disclose any potential conflicts that might influence your assessment
Review Timeline and Process
- Complete reviews within 21 days of acceptance
- Request extensions promptly if needed
- Evaluate manuscripts based on originality, methodological rigor, clarity, and contribution to psychology and counselling practice
Assessment Criteria
Relevance and Contribution
- Does the manuscript align with the journal’s focus on psychology and counselling?
- Does it make a meaningful contribution to theory, research, or practice?
- Is the work novel or does it provide valuable replication/extension?
Methodological Quality
- Evaluate research design appropriateness
- Assess procedural rigor and analytical techniques
- Consider sample adequacy and participant selection
- Examine data collection procedures and analysis
Results and Interpretation
- Are findings clearly presented and logically organized?
- Do interpretations follow logically from the data?
- Are limitations acknowledged appropriately?
- Are implications for practice articulated?
Organization and Clarity
- Assess overall manuscript structure and flow
- Evaluate quality of writing and precision of language
- Check for adherence to formatting guidelines
References and Literature Integration
- Review currency and relevance of citations
- Verify appropriate citation of seminal and recent literature
- Check compliance with APA formatting standards
Providing Feedback
Structure Your Review
- Summary paragraph – Briefly summarize the manuscript’s purpose, methods, and findings
- Major comments – Address fundamental issues regarding theory, methodology, and conclusions
- Minor comments – Note issues with clarity, organization, or presentation
- Line-by-line comments – Provide specific suggestions for improvement
Recommendations
Based on your assessment, recommend one of the following:
- Accept: Manuscript requires no substantive changes
- Minor Revisions: Requires limited changes that can be completed quickly
- Major Revisions: Requires substantial changes to methodology, analysis, or interpretation
- Reject: Manuscript has fundamental flaws or is unsuitable for the journal
Ethical Considerations
- Ensure research complies with ethical standards for human subjects
- Verify appropriate informed consent procedures
- Watch for potential data manipulation or misrepresentation
- Flag any concerns about plagiarism or duplicate publication
Revision Reviews
- Evaluate whether authors have adequately addressed previous feedback
- Focus on substantive changes rather than stylistic preferences
- Be open to authors’ reasoned disagreement with certain suggestions
Final Thoughts
Your thoughtful evaluation helps maintain the journal’s standards while supporting authors in improving their work. Remember that constructive criticism can significantly enhance the quality of published research and its impact on the field of psychology and counselling.
We appreciate your dedication to advancing scholarship in our discipline through your careful review work.