Get your Canadian Journal of School Psychology paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
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Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 3 August, 2026
Submitting to Canadian Journal of School Psychology goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Canadian Journal of School Psychology guide for authors before peer review, so formatting, structure, and required statements should be right on the first draft rather than repaired during upload. This template sets that structure up for you.
It is a manuscript shell aligned to Canadian Journal of School Psychology. It covers front matter, the abstract the journal expects, a body organized to the journal's article types, and a reference list in the journal's required style. Confirm current scope and article types on the Canadian Journal of School Psychology journal page before you draft.
Prepare the title, authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs. Write the abstract to the journal's rule and word limit, organize the body to the article type, and apply the required reference style from the first citation. Complete every declaration (ethics, competing interests, funding, data availability) the Canadian Journal of School Psychology guide for authors lists, and cite figures and tables in order.
The common failure modes are formatting or reference style that does not match the guide for authors, missing required statements, and an incomplete portal checklist. Clear all three against the Canadian Journal of School Psychology guide for authors before you submit.
The shell mirrors what editorial staff check first: article-type fit, the abstract rules, required declarations, and the journal's reference style. For more detail see the author resources. When your draft is ready, upload it through ScholarOne (Manuscript Central).
| Element | Can J Sch Psychol requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Structured abstract of 150-200 words that concisely states the purpose of the research, major findings, and conclusions. For clinical trials, the trial registry name, URL, and registration number must be included at the end of the abstract |
| Main text | Article type limits: Original Articles: less than 5,000 words, less than 60 references; Literature Reviews and Meta-analyses: less than 8,000 words, less than 100 references; Book and Test Reviews: 1,600 to 2,000 words; Brief Reports: limited to 2,500 words with no more than three tables or figures, 15 references or less, and an abstract of 100 words; Registered Reports: Variable length (introduction, methods, and data analysis plan submitted for pre-review). All articles in CJSP must have an explicitly labelled subsection entitled 'Relevance to the Practice of School Psychology' in the conclusion section |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Minimum of 4 keywords required, listed after the abstract. Keywords should be as specific as possible to the research topic |
| References | APA reference style (American Psychological Association Publication Manual, most recent edition). The guide states: 'The journal follows the APA reference style.' |
| Peer review | Double-anonymized (double-blind). The guide explicitly states 'Identity transparency: Double anonymized' and 'CJSP adheres to a rigorous double-anonymized reviewing policy in which the identity of both the reviewer and author are always concealed from both parties.' |
| Submission | mc.manuscriptcentral.com/cjsp |
Read the Canadian Journal of School Psychology guide for authors once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after results are stable. Set the reference style before adding citations. Keep a cover letter that states your contribution and fit to Canadian Journal of School Psychology in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Can J Sch Psychol papers to calibrate depth and figure style. Make the novelty clear in the first two pages. Deposit data and code when the policy on the Canadian Journal of School Psychology journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Canadian Journal of School Psychology guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through ScholarOne (Manuscript Central).