Author Guidelines & Submissions

Authors are invited to submit manuscripts to this journal. All submissions will be initially reviewed by the editorial team to determine whether they fall within the aims and scope of the journal. Manuscripts deemed suitable will be sent for peer review to assess their acceptability for publication.

Before submitting a manuscript to NOUS, it is the author's responsibility to obtain permission from the copyright holder for any images or extensive quotations used in the text. Due to its scope, NOUS does not accept manuscripts that require ethics committee approval (studies involving experimental research on humans or animals). However, submitted theoretical works must comply with the ethical standards of the Declaration of Helsinki and the principles of academic integrity.

Editors may reject submissions without sending them for peer review if they do not meet minimum quality standards. Before submitting, please ensure that the study design and research argument are clearly and coherently structured. The title should be concise, and the abstract should provide a self-contained summary of the article’s content. Meeting these standards will facilitate the reviewers’ decision on whether to engage with the manuscript.

Once you are confident that your manuscript fulfills these requirements, please consult the checklist below and complete any missing elements before submission.

WRITING AND SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

1) NOUS: Journal of Theoretical Psychology [NOUS: Teorik Psikoloji Dergisi] is a scientific, peer-reviewed, and open-access online academic journal published biannually (February and September), where theoretical issues in the discipline of psychology are discussed in an academic style.

2) The publication languages of NOUS are Turkish and English. The journal publishes academic articles, article translations, book and article reviews, and interviews. It does not publish research articles based on quantitative methods or case reports. The types of articles published are as follows:

2.1) Theoretical Articles: These are articles that aim to develop a theoretical framework, explain an existing theory, or establish connections between different theories, without including empirical data. They involve conceptual analysis, literature review, critical thinking, and theoretical contributions. Often, new conceptual models or theories are proposed.

2.2) Review Articles: These are articles that systematically examine, critique, and synthesize previous studies in a particular area. Types include systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and literature reviews.

2.3) Editorial and Commentary Articles: These are short articles written by experts in the field, typically addressing current issues, problems, ethical matters, or scientific developments, and offering commentary or evaluation on specific topics.

2.4) Methodological Articles: Articles that conduct philosophical and theoretical discussions on research methods, statistical models, or measurement tools used in psychology. This category covers the discussion of the theoretical foundations and validity of the method itself, rather than the analysis of a dataset (application).

3) NOUS also publishes translated articles that provide significant contributions to the field. The original author of the article, the journal or book in which it was published, publication date, volume and issue information, and page numbers must be fully and accurately cited in a footnote on the first page of the translation. Furthermore, if the translated work is under copyright protection, written permission from the author and/or the publisher must be obtained by the translator. In order to avoid copyright violations, translations should be limited to works that have already been published and whose copyright has expired (see Section 6.4).

4) Article Length: There is no upper word limit for submitted articles; however, articles must be at least 1,500 words in length. There is no minimum or maximum word limit for submitted translations. For book and article reviews, the word count must be between 500 and 3,000 words. There is no minimum or maximum word limit for interviews.

5) Article Format:

5.1) In the full text of the article, which consists of the title, body, and references, the author's name or any identifying information must not be included to ensure an anonymous double-blind peer review process. The article must begin with both Turkish and English titles. Below the title, abstracts in Turkish and English (150–250 words) and keywords in Turkish and English (3–7 words) must be provided.

5.3) Section structure and headings are the responsibility of the author. Each section must be numbered and bolded, such as: “1- Introduction”. Subsections should also be bolded and numbered, using periods between numbers and a dash at the end, e.g., “1.1- Conceptual Framework”. The use of italics in section headings is optional, but bold formatting is mandatory.

5.4) Authors who will write articles in English are required to follow the spelling rules specified by the New Oxford Style Manual (NOSM). Spelling errors may be corrected by editors without requiring the author’s approval. Authors must ensure that their manuscript complies with spelling conventions before submission. If there are any intentionally non-standard usages that may appear as spelling errors, these must be explained in a separate document titled “Note to the Editor”.

5.5) APA Style 7th Edition must be used for citations and references. The article should be written in Times New Roman, 12-point font size, with 1.15 line spacing. Examples and formats for references and in-text citations in APA Style 7 are as follows:

5.5.1) Book:

Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year). Title of the book: Subtitle. Publisher.

Smith, J. A. (2020). Psychology of learning: Theoretical and practical approaches. Academic Press.

5.5.2) Journal Article:

Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year). Title of the article. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), Page Range. https://doi.org/xxxxx

Brown, K. P., & Lewis, R. (2019). Cognitive restructuring in educational settings. Journal of Educational Psychology, 75(3), 234–250. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0001234

5.5.3) Book Chapter:

Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year). Title of the chapter. In Editor Name, Initial(s). (Ed.), Title of the Book (pp. Page Range). Publisher.

Khan, M. (2018). Social dynamics of youth culture. In R. J. Mendes (Ed.), Contemporary Youth Movements (pp. 45–72). Sage Publishing.

5.5.4) Website:

Author Surname, Initial(s). (Publication Date). Title of the webpage. Website Name. URL

Jones, L. M. (2022, April 5). Climate change and public policy: A timeline. Environmental Advocacy Network. https://www.environmentaladvocacy.org/timeline

5.5.5) Report:

Institution Name. (Year). Title of the report (Report No. if available). Publisher.

World Health Organization. (2021). Global health challenges: Annual review (Report No. 456). WHO Publishing.

5.5.6) Thesis/Dissertation:

Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year). Title of the thesis (Type of thesis, University Name). Publisher.

Ramirez, P. S. (2017). Urban migration patterns and economic impact (Doctoral dissertation, Columbia University). ProQuest Dissertations Publishing.

5.5.7) Tables and Figures

Tables should be numbered consecutively in the order in which they appear in the text. The table title must always appear above the table and be written in italics. The table number (e.g., "Table 1") should be written in plain text, and the title should follow on the next line in italics. For example:

Table 1

Age Distribution and Demographic Characteristics of Participants

Data within the table are generally not separated by vertical lines. According to APA guidelines, only horizontal lines should be used to distinguish major sections (e.g., between the title and the body of the table). Explanatory notes can be included below the table and are categorized as follows: (i) General notes provide an overall explanation of the table and begin with “Note:”; (ii) Specific notes explain particular data points or sections, often using superscripts (e.g., a, b, c); (iii) Probability notes indicate statistical significance (e.g., p < .05).

Figures should also be numbered in the order in which they appear in the text. The figure number (e.g., “Figure 1”) is written in plain text below the figure, followed by an italicized caption in sentence form. For example:

Figure 1

Academic Achievement Scores of the Experimental Group

Figures may include graphics, drawings, photographs, or diagrams. The content of the figure should be clear and as simple as possible. Graphs and diagrams should use color palettes compatible with the text or colors that enhance contrast. If any explanatory symbols or indicators are used, they must be clearly identified in the figure caption. Figure notes appear below the figure and may provide additional information. Like table notes, they may explain general or specific elements.

Tables and figures should be discussed at the point they appear in the text and integrated appropriately. Expressions like “As shown in Table 1…” or “As seen in Figure 2…” may be used. Tables and figures must be placed within the text, not on separate pages.

5.5.8) In-Text Citations

5.5.8.1) Single Author Source

Direct Citation:

The author’s name appears in the sentence, with the year in parentheses.
Example: “Kara (2021) states that learning processes are influenced by social factors.”

Indirect Citation:

The author’s name and year are both in parentheses.
Example: “Learning processes may be influenced by social factors (Kara, 2021).”

5.5.8.2) Two Authors

Direct Citation:

The authors’ names are joined by “and”, followed by the year in parentheses.
Example: “Yılmaz and Erdem (2019) in their study…”

Indirect Citation:

The authors’ names are joined with “&”.
Example: “Studies on this topic (Yılmaz & Erdem, 2019)…”

5.5.8.3) Three or More Authors

Direct Citation:

Only the first author’s surname is listed, followed by “et al.”

Example: “Demir et al. (2020) reported the findings as follows…”

Indirect Citation:

Only the first author’s surname is listed, followed by “et al.” which means “and others”.

Example: “This hypothesis has been supported by related studies (Demir et al., 2020).”

5.5.8.4) Group or Institutional Author

On the first citation, the full name of the institution is written, optionally followed by an abbreviation.

First citation (direct): “The World Health Organization (WHO, 2021) reported…”

Subsequent citations (indirect): “The findings are included in WHO’s (2021) report.”

5.5.8.5) Multiple Works by the Same Author (Same Year)

Works are distinguished by letters after the year (e.g., 2020a; 2020b).

Example: “The studies (Kaya, 2020a; 2020b) addressed different aspects.”

5.5.8.6) Multiple Sources in One Citation

Authors are listed in alphabetical order, separated by semicolons.

Example: “Recent findings support this view (Aydın, 2018; Can & Şahin, 2020; Yıldırım, 2017).”

5.5.8.7) Direct Quotations (with Page Number)

Page numbers are indicated with the abbreviation “p.” for direct quotes.

Example (indirect quote): “Learning is directly related to motivation” (Eriksen, 2020, p. 45).

Example (direct quote): Eriksen (2020) discusses this as “the role of personal motivation” (p. 45).

5.5.8.8) Secondary Sources (Citing a Source Within Another Source)

The original source is mentioned, followed by the source actually accessed (using “as cited in”).

Example: “According to Gündüz (2010), human behavior carries instinctive traits (as cited in Kaplan, 2022).”

5.5.8.9) Personal Communications

Personal interviews, emails, or conversations are cited in the text only and not in the reference list.

Example: “This information was obtained from A. Demir (personal communication, March 15, 2022).”

For more on APA Style 7th Edition examples, please see APA7 Reference Examples.

5.6) Articles must adopt an academic tone and avoid emotional or personal commentary. It is important to use technical terminology appropriately and to provide explanations where necessary.

5.7) Files Required for Submission: Authors are required to upload the following documents as separate files to the submission system (OJS):

5.7.1) Full Text: An anonymized Word file containing the title, abstract, keywords, and body of the manuscript, with no information identifying the author (name, affiliation, etc.). (Please ensure that you have removed author/user name metadata from the "File > Info" section of the Word document).

5.7.2) Author Information: A separate file containing the names, titles, affiliations, ORCID IDs, and contact information of all authors. [Click here to obtain an ORCID number.]  

5.7.3) Plagiarism Report: Authors are strongly encouraged to upload a similarity report obtained from software such as Turnitin or iThenticate. Submissions from authors who are unable to submit a report will be screened by the editor using iTheticate software and uploaded to the system.

5.7.4) Declaration of Compliance with Ethical Principles: A signed form declaring that the study complies with ethical rules and does not contain plagiarism. (Click here to download)

5.7.5) Transfer of Publication Right Form: A signed form indicating that the publication rights of the article have been transferred to the journal. (Click here to download)

5.7.6) Authorship Contribution and Conflict of Interest Form: A signed form detailing the contributions of each author and declaring the absence of any conflict of interest. (Click here to download)

6) Additional Notes:

6.1) The submitted work must not have been previously published elsewhere.

6.2) Resubmission: Manuscripts rejected by the editorial board or reviewers cannot be resubmitted in the same form. However, manuscripts that receive a "Revise & Resubmit" decision may be reconsidered after the necessary corrections have been made.

6.3) For interviews, a single joint document (Interview Publication Permission Form) stating that all participants in the interview consent to its publication must be uploaded to the system along with the interview text. This document must contain the name, surname, signature, and date for everyone involved in the interview. You can access the Interview Publication Permission Form [here]. The documents to be uploaded for interviews are: Full Text (Interview Transcript), Author Information, Interview Publication Permission Form (must also include the signature of the interviewee), and Copyright Transfer Form (signed by the interviewer).

6.4) For translation submissions, the original text, the translated text, and written approval for copyright must be uploaded to the system (see Article 3). You can access the Translation Copyright and Publication Permission Form [here]. Translation editors may evaluate the submitted translation text and request revisions from the translator. The documents to be uploaded for translations are: Original Text, Translated Text, Author and Translator Information (as a single document), Translation Copyright and Publication Permission Form (the permission document obtained from the foreign publisher/author must be attached to this form), and Copyright Transfer Form.

6.5) For article and book reviews, the mandatory documents to be uploaded to the system are: Full Text (Article or book review), Declaration of Compliance with Ethical Principles, and Copyright Transfer Form. (Submission of a plagiarism report is recommended but not mandatory).

6.6) The double-blind peer review process applies not only to article submissions but to all types of content submitted to NOUS.

6.7) The subject matter of submissions is broad and left entirely to the author’s discretion. To provide some guidance, the following general themes represent the range of topics published in NOUS: Philosophy of Mind, Phenomenology, Philosophy of Psychology/Psychiatry, Psychoanalysis, Critical Psychology, Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness Studies, Cognitive Science, Neuroscience, Psychiatry, Neuropsychoanalysis, Psychotherapy, History of Psychology, Mathematical Psychology, Psychopathology, Evolutionary Psychology, Biological Psychology, Psychopharmacology, Behavioral Sciences, Clinical Philosophy, Neurophilosophy, Experimental Psychology, Cognitive Psychology, Neuropsychology, Neurobiology, Forensic Psychology, Social Psychology, Psychology of Religion, Existential Psychology, Positive Psychology, Behavioral Psychology, Learning Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Health Psychology, Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Clinical Psychology, Psycholinguistics, Cultural Psychology, Post-Structuralist and Post-Modern Psychology, Ecological Psychology, Moral Psychology, Personality Psychology, Animal Cognition, Psychology of Emotions.