Get your Clinical Psychological Science paper right the first time: a ready-made structure with the right abstract and citations, so editors see your science, not formatting slips.
4.8
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 7 August, 2026
Submitting to Clinical Psychological Science goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Clinical Psychological Science 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 Clinical Psychological Science. 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 Clinical Psychological Science 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 Clinical Psychological Science 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 Clinical Psychological Science 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 | Clin Psychol Sci requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Unstructured abstract, maximum 150 words for Empirical Articles (12,000-word limit including front and back matter), Brief Empirical Reports (5,000-word limit), and Theoretical and Review Articles (17,000-word limit). Short Communications and Commentaries: 100 words maximum (3,500-word total limit). Abstract word count is included in the total word limit |
| Main text | Empirical Articles: 12,000-word maximum inclusive of front (title page) and back matter (references, footnotes, appendices), plus up to 6 tables/figures combined (not in word count). Brief Empirical Reports: 5,000-word limit inclusive of front and back matter, plus up to 4 tables/figures combined. Theoretical and Review Articles: 17,000-word maximum inclusive of front and back matter, plus up to 6 tables/figures. Short Communications and Commentaries: 3,500-word maximum inclusive of front and back matter, plus 1 table or figure |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Not specified in the official submission guidelines. Published articles include keywords, but the guidelines do not state requirements for count, range, or whether they are author-provided or editor-assigned |
| References | APA 7th edition (Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th ed.) for references, abbreviations, and symbols |
| Peer review | The journal does not require masked review. Authors' names and affiliations should be listed on the manuscript title page, indicating an open (non-blind) review process |
| Submission | mc.manuscriptcentral.com/cpx |
Read the Clinical Psychological Science 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 Clinical Psychological Science in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Clin Psychol Sci 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 Clinical Psychological Science journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Clinical Psychological Science guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through ScholarOne (Manuscript Central).