Get your Canadian Psychology paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
4.4
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 3 August, 2026
Submitting to Canadian Psychology goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Canadian 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 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 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 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 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 Editorial Manager.
| Element | Can Psychol requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Maximum 250 words typed on a separate page. Unstructured abstract (no specific headings required). All manuscripts also require a Public Significance Statement of 2-3 brief sentences written for a lay audience, included on the abstract/keywords page |
| Main text | (no word or page limits specified for main text in the official guidelines; general instruction is to double-space all copy) |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Up to 5 keywords or brief phrases (no MeSH requirement specified, not stated as editor-assigned or optional) |
| References | APA Style 7th edition. References listed in alphabetical order; all text citations must be in reference list and vice versa |
| Peer review | Single-blind (anonymous/masked review): authors remove identifying information from manuscripts and reviewers do not see author identities, but reviewers are not blinded to authors. may request non-masked review in cover letter |
| Submission | www.editorialmanager.com/can/default1.aspx |
Read the Canadian 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 Psychology in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Can 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 Psychology journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Canadian Psychology guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through Editorial Manager.