Instructions for Authors
What to prepare, how to report it, and the standards that apply to research addressing mental health in women and girls.
Types
Article types
Scope eligibility and evidence strength are separate questions. A design is not too small for this journal if its claims match what it can support.
- Original research
- Clinical, epidemiological, health-services, qualitative, mixed-methods, mechanistic and methodological studies, including observational, diagnostic, intervention and implementation designs. Relevant preclinical, computational and simulation studies should explain the model or method, its relevance and limitations. Pilot and feasibility studies should be identified as such.
- Systematic reviews and meta-analyses
- Including scoping reviews with a stated and reproducible search strategy.
- Narrative and literature reviews
- Considered where the review advances a question rather than summarizing a field, and where the search is described.
- Short communications
- Complete but concise studies, including replications and negative findings.
- Case reports
- Reports that contribute to recognition, assessment or care, with clear clinical context, limitations, protection of privacy and documented consent for publication.
- Editorials, perspectives and commentary
- Evidence-informed scholarly analysis of women’s mental health, with transparent reasoning and acknowledgment of limitations.
Preparation
Manuscript preparation
- Language
- English. Use clear scholarly American English. Optional language assistance may improve clarity without changing scientific meaning or affecting the editorial decision.
- Title page
- A separate file carrying the title, every author's full name and affiliation, ORCID iDs where held, the corresponding author's email, funding, and competing interests.
- Title
- Describes what was studied, in whom, and by what design. Avoid a conclusion in the title.
- Abstract
- Structured for empirical work — background, methods, results, conclusions — and stating the population and setting. Numbers in the abstract match the text.
- Keywords
- 5–12 keywords, using recognized subject terms where they exist.
- Main text
- Introduction, methods, results, discussion for empirical work. Reviews and qualitative work follow the structure their reporting guideline implies.
- Methods
- Enough detail for the work to be appraised and repeated: the population and setting, how participants were identified and recruited, the instruments used and their validation status, how missing data were handled, the analysis plan and whether it was pre-specified, and the ethical approval under which the work was conducted.
- Results
- Report what was found, including what was not significant. Give effect sizes with their uncertainty, not p-values alone.
- Discussion
- State what the design can and cannot support, the limitations that matter to the conclusion, and what would resolve them.
- Figures and tables
- Each cited in the text, each readable without the text, and each with a caption that says what is shown. Protect participant privacy and obtain the required permissions and documented publication consent for case material.
- References
- List the first three authors and then et al. Every reference cited in the text appears in the list, and every entry in the list is cited.
- Supplementary material
- Named so a reader can tell what each file is. Material essential to the conclusion belongs in the manuscript, not in a supplement.
Reporting
Reporting standards
Follow the guideline that matches your design, and supply its checklist with the submission. Do not cite a guideline that does not apply to your study.
| Design | Guideline |
|---|---|
| Randomized trial | CONSORT |
| Observational study | STROBE |
| Systematic review or meta-analysis | PRISMA |
| Scoping review | PRISMA-ScR |
| Diagnostic or prognostic accuracy | STARD or TRIPOD |
| Qualitative research | COREQ or SRQR |
| Case report | CARE |
| Clinical trial protocol | SPIRIT |
| Animal research | ARRIVE 2.0 |
Qualitative research is assessed on its own terms. It is judged on the fit between question, sampling, analysis and claim, on reflexivity, and on whether the interpretation is supported by the data presented — not on sample size or on criteria borrowed from quantitative work.
This subject
Reporting that this subject requires
- Sex and gender
- Report sex and gender as distinct variables where both are relevant, state how each was ascertained, and say who was and was not included. Where a subgroup analysis by sex or gender is appropriate to the question, say whether it was pre-specified; where it is not appropriate to the design, do not perform one to satisfy a convention.
- Mixed cohorts
- If the study population is not women only, state what makes the finding a finding about women — a pre-specified stratified analysis, a tested interaction, or an interpretation that genuinely addresses implications for women. Reporting the proportion of women enrolled is not such an analysis.
- Perinatal and reproductive research
- State the reproductive stage precisely and the timing of each assessment relative to it — gestational week, weeks postpartum, menopausal stage by a named criterion. Define clinical terms rather than assuming them, and report parity, pregnancy outcome and feeding status where they bear on the result.
- Trauma and violence research
- Describe the distress protocol, the referral route offered to participants, and how participant safety was protected, including where disclosure could place a participant at risk. Report how exposure was measured rather than assuming a shared definition.
- Suicide and self-harm
- Follow recognized safe-reporting practice: do not publish method or means detail, and do not frame findings in a way that could serve as instruction. Report ascertainment and the case definition used.
- Privacy in a small setting
- Remove detail by which a participant or a service user could be recognized, including combinations of detail — role, age, location, timing — that identify someone in a single service or community.
- Instruments
- Name the instrument, the version, the language, and the validation evidence in a population like yours. Where an instrument was adapted or translated, report how, and what was done to check it still measures what it claims.
- Claims
- Observational associations alone do not establish causation; causal analyses should state assumptions, address bias and report uncertainty and sensitivity analyses. Interpret findings within the design’s strengths and limitations, including the population and setting to which they apply.
Declarations
Required declarations
- Ethics approval
- For research requiring ethics approval, identify the approving committee and reference. Report any approved exemption or waiver and its basis. Animal studies should report the applicable approval and welfare safeguards.
- Informed consent
- How consent was obtained, and for case material, that documented consent for publication was obtained.
- Trial registration
- Interventional clinical trials must be registered in an accepted public trial registry at or before the first participant provides consent for enrollment. The registry name, registration number, and registration date must be reported in the manuscript.
- Data availability
- Every empirical research manuscript must include a data-availability statement. Where mental-health data cannot be shared, say so and give the reason.
- Author contributions
- What each author contributed. Contributions below the authorship threshold are acknowledged instead.
- Funding
- Every source, with grant numbers, and the funder's role in the work if any.
- Competing interests
- Financial and non-financial, for every author. A declaration of none is still a declaration.
- AI use
- Any use of an AI tool in preparing the manuscript, with the tool named and the use described. An AI tool cannot be an author, and authors remain responsible for everything in the submission.
- Double-blind review
- For double-blind review, remove author names, affiliations, acknowledgments, funding details, institution names, and other identifying information from the reviewer manuscript. Provide identifying information separately in the title-page file or submission form.
Checklist
Before you submit
- The manuscript answers a question that meets the relevance test in the aims and scope.
- The article type is stated, and the manuscript is structured for it.
- The title page is a separate file and carries every author, affiliation and ORCID iD.
- The abstract states population, setting, design and findings, and its numbers match the text.
- Methods report recruitment, instruments and their validation, missing data, and the analysis plan.
- The reporting guideline for the design is followed and its checklist is attached.
- Reproductive stage and assessment timing are stated where relevant.
- Sex and gender are reported as distinct variables where both are relevant.
- No figure, table or quotation could identify a participant.
- Ethics approval, consent, trial registration and data availability are all stated.
- Funding and competing interests are declared for every author.
- References list the first three authors and then et al., and text and list agree.
- An anonymized manuscript is prepared, if double-blind review is requested.
Next
Submitting, and related pages
| Route | Where |
|---|---|
| Primary route | ManuscriptZone |
| Alternative route | Simple manuscript submission form |
| Assisted route | [email protected] |
Authors must use only one submission route for the same manuscript. All submissions undergo initial editorial screening. Manuscripts that meet the journal’s scope and minimum requirements proceed to independent peer review. Single-blind by default; double-blind review is available on request. Manuscripts that proceed to external peer review are normally evaluated by at least two independent subject-matter experts.
- Submit a ManuscriptThe approved routes and what happens after submission.
- Aims and ScopeThe relevance test and the boundaries.
- Editorial PoliciesEthics, authorship, integrity, corrections and appeals.
- Article Processing ChargesThe charge, when it applies, and the withdrawal terms.
Preparation
Length and structure
| Manuscript type | Maximum words | Structure |
|---|---|---|
| Original Research Articles | 6,000 | Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion; structured abstract |
| Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses | 8,000 | Review question, Methods, Results, Discussion; structured abstract |
| Clinical Studies | 5,500 | Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion; structured abstract |
| Measurement & Assessment Studies | 5,000 | Question, Methods, Results, Discussion; structured abstract |
| Qualitative Research | 6,000 | Question and context, Methods, Findings, Interpretation; abstract appropriate to design |
| Brief Reports | 3,000 | Concise complete study; structure appropriate to design |
| Case Studies | 3,500 | Clinical context, case presentation, assessment, management/outcome, discussion and consent |
| Review Articles | 7,000 | Defined review question, selection approach, synthesis and discussion |
| Perspectives & Commentaries | 2,500 | Clearly structured scholarly argument, evidence and limitations |
Provide a manuscript word count on the title page. The publisher’s general limits are a title of up to 30 words, a running title of up to 60 characters including spaces, and an abstract of up to 250 words. Use 5–12 keywords. Structure an empirical abstract around the question, methods, results and conclusions.
For empirical reports, the publisher’s general guidance limits the Introduction to 500 words and the Discussion to 1,500 words, including citations. Reviews, case reports and scholarly analyses should use the structure appropriate to their purpose. References, figures and tables should support the question and allow the work to be appraised.
The journal also considers supported concise communications, editorials and other formats through the submission guidance. Identify the format clearly and apply the relevant reporting and ethical requirements.
Preparation
Files, figures and supplementary material
- Manuscript file
- Prepare the manuscript in Word or LaTeX format and follow the upload instructions for the selected submission route. Supply the title page separately. Keep the manuscript and supplementary files consistently named.
- Figures
- Supply high-resolution TIFF or EPS figures, at least 300 dpi, with readable labels and separate explanatory captions. Identify reused material and supply required permissions.
- Tables
- Number tables in order of citation, provide a descriptive title, define abbreviations and make each table understandable on its own. Place tables and figures at the end of the manuscript, each on a separate page, as the publisher guidance specifies.
- Supplementary files
- Submit supplementary material with the manuscript. Name and cite each file, explain its contents, and provide the information needed to interpret data, code or instruments. The main manuscript must remain a complete account of the study.
- Statistics and methods
- Report design, sampling, analysis decisions, missing data, uncertainty, model assumptions and relevant sensitivity analyses. State which analyses were planned and which were exploratory. Qualitative, computational and preclinical work should use methods and reporting standards appropriate to their questions.
Preparation
Reference formats and examples
Number references in the order they are cited. List the first three authors followed by “et al.” when there are additional authors. Check authors, title, year, volume, pages or article number, and the persistent identifier against the source.
The examples below are reference-format patterns. Replace the example fields with the details of the source you cite; retain the original source title and author spelling.
- Journal article
- Heidari S, Babor TF, De Castro P, et al. Sex and Gender Equity in Research: rationale for the SAGER guidelines and recommended use. Research Integrity and Peer Review. 2016;1:2. doi:10.1186/s41073-016-0007-6.
- Book
- Author AA. Book title. Edition. Publisher; year.
- Book chapter
- Author AA. Chapter title. In: Editor AA, editor. Book title. Publisher; year. p. first–last.
- Webpage
- Organization or author. Page title. Publication or update date. URL. Accessed date.
- Dataset
- Creator AA. Dataset title [dataset]. Repository; year. Version. DOI or persistent URL.
- Preprint
- Author AA. Preprint title [preprint]. Repository; year. Version or posting date. DOI or persistent URL.
- Trial registration
- Responsible party. Registered study title. Registry name. Registration number; registration date. Record URL.
- Software or code
- Creator AA. Software or code title [software]. Version. Repository or publisher; year. DOI or persistent URL.
The Journal of Women's Mental Health (JWMH) is published by Open Access Pub under CC BY 4.0. Contact the editorial office.