The core values of Research in Applied Psychology are innovation, dialogue, and integration. We aspire to a high quality academic publication through a rigorous peer review process. The “Review Policy and Standards” is intended to be a statement of our editorial philosophy rather than a set of specific rules governing submissions. We hope that the review process can be conducive to an open and constructive dialogue among the authors, reviewers, and editors.
Guidelines for reviewing the manuscripts
- Clarity of research questions:
What are the questions that the author(s) care about? Carefully and clearly defining a research question makes development of discussion possible. Thus, the clarity of questions is prerequisite to a high quality submission. - Clarity of logic:
Scholarly arguments should be made with a rigorous logic reasoning. Being consistent and coherent are the ground rules. Each manuscript should present a clear framework of analysis, and adhere to the methodological requirements based on the chosen research paradigm. - Clarity of presentation:
Writing is a process of transferring thoughts onto paper, and it is the author’s responsibility to express him/herself clearly. The reviewers are advised to read and respond from a reader’s standpoint. - Inspiration and contributions:
A scholarly paper should have original contributions, either to inspire theoretical construction, or to guide practical application. We encourage “theory-based application”, but respect authors’ preferences to emphasize one or the other. - Overall evaluation:
“The whole is not the sum of its parts.” Having read through the manuscript, we invite you to form an overall judgment, which will then be the basis to evaluate its suitableness for publication. - Additional review:
We welcome you to mark any typos, errors and inconsistencies in quotations of references.
Conclusion: An open and rigorous review process
With the help of our open-minded and professional reviewers, we hope to establish an open yet rigorous review process to ensure the high quality academic publication.