Author Guidelines & Submission Requirements

These guidelines are a draft and may be updated.

Scope and article types

The journal accepts original manuscripts within the field of art therapy and the expressive arts therapies. The following article types may be submitted:

• Research article
• Review article
• Case study
• Commentary / note
• Experience report

General requirements

• The manuscript must not have been published elsewhere, nor be under consideration by another journal; simultaneous submission is not permitted.
• All authors must have approved the final version and agreed to its submission.
• Informed consent is mandatory for research involving human participants; where required, the approval code of the competent research ethics committee must be stated.
• Images of clients’ artwork may only be published with written consent and after removal of any identifying features; for children and adolescents, consent of a legal guardian is required.
• Authors are responsible for the accuracy of the content, data and citations.

Manuscript structure

Research articles should comprise the following sections; other article types may follow a structure appropriate to their genre:

1. Title (in Persian and English);
2. Persian and English abstracts with keywords;
3. Introduction: problem statement, background and aim;
4. Method: design, participants, instruments, procedure and data analysis;
5. Findings;
6. Discussion and conclusion, including limitations and recommendations;
7. References.

Abstract and keywords

• Every manuscript must include a Persian abstract and an English abstract.
• Each abstract should be 150–250 words; abstracts of research articles should preferably state the aim, method, findings and conclusion.
• Provide 3–7 keywords in Persian together with their English equivalents.

Length

• Research and review articles: up to 8,000 words including references;
• Case studies and experience reports: up to 5,000 words;
• Commentaries and notes: up to 2,500 words.

Formatting

• Submit the manuscript as a Word file (.docx).
• Use a standard Persian typeface (e.g. B Nazanin or Vazirmatn) at 12 pt for Persian text and Times New Roman at 11 pt for English text.
• Use 1.5 line spacing and 2.5 cm margins, and number all pages.
• Number and title all tables and figures and refer to each of them in the text.
• Submit images of artwork as separate files at a resolution of at least 300 dpi.
• Give authors’ names and details only on a separate title page, so that double-blind review is possible.

Citation and references (APA 7)

In-text citations and the reference list must follow the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA 7). General patterns:

Persian and English references are listed together in a single list, in alphabetical order of the first author’s surname, with DOIs where available.

Peer review

After an initial editorial screening, manuscripts undergo double-blind peer review. Details are given on the Peer Review Process page.

Research ethics

Authors must comply with the principles set out on the Research & Review Ethics page, in particular informed consent, client confidentiality and the disclosure of conflicts of interest.

Copyright and licensing

Authors retain copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication. Published articles are made available to all under the CC BY-NC 4.0 licence.

Fees

Information on review and publication fees (if any) will be announced on this page.

Files required at submission

• The anonymized main manuscript file, without authors’ names or details;
• A title page giving each author’s name, affiliation, e-mail address and ORCID iD (if available), and identifying the corresponding author;
• A cover letter and a signed declaration that the manuscript has not been submitted elsewhere;
• A declaration of conflicts of interest and funding sources;
• Consent forms, where images of artwork or clients’ data are used.