Get your Current Opinion in 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 7 August, 2026
Submitting to Current Opinion in Psychology goes smoothly when your draft already matches the journal's own rules. Editors screen new manuscripts against the Current Opinion in 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 Current Opinion in 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 Current Opinion in 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 Current Opinion in 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 Current Opinion in 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 the journal (invitation-only).
| Element | Current Opinion Psychol requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | Abstract must not exceed 250 words. It should be concise and factual, briefly stating the purpose of research, principal results, and major conclusions. Abstracts must be able to stand alone. Avoid references if possible (if essential, cite author(s) and year(s)). Avoid non-standard or uncommon abbreviations (if essential, define at first mention). Structure is unstructured/narrative, not structured with specific headings |
| Main text | 2000 word limit (excluding abstract, references, and figure captions) exploring the most important developments in the last 2 years. No more than 4 tables or figures (include at least one figure to summarize main concepts). No more than 5 authors. Divide manuscript into clearly defined and numbered sections |
| Declarations | Ethics approval/consent as applicable; competing interests; funding; data availability |
| Figures/tables | Publication-ready; cited in order |
| Supplemental | Upload separately when used |
| Keywords | Required: 1 to 7 keywords for indexing purposes. Keywords should be written in English. Try to avoid keywords consisting of multiple words (using 'and' or 'of'). Only use abbreviations in keywords if they are firmly established in the field |
| References | Numbered reference style (Vancouver/NLM format). References indicated by number(s) in square brackets in line with text. Numbered consecutively in order of appearance. Approximately 50 references maximum. At least 10% of references should be selected and annotated as papers of special interest (*) or outstanding interest (**). Annotated references MUST be from the past 2 years with brief description of major findings and importance. Journal names abbreviated according to LTWA (List of Title Word Abbreviations). Format follows ICMJE Recommendations |
| Peer review | Single anonymized review process (single-blind). Submission will initially be assessed by editors to determine suitability. If deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to a minimum of two reviewers for independent expert assessment. Editors make the final decision on acceptance or rejection |
| Submission | Invitation-only / commissioned; details provided to invited authors |
Read the Current Opinion in 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 Current Opinion in Psychology in under a page.
Skim two or three recent Current Opinion 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 Current Opinion in Psychology journal page requires it. Disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in the cover letter.
Do one focused pass against the Current Opinion in Psychology guide for authors: scope, length, reference style, required declarations, and figure quality. Then submit through the journal (invitation-only).