Format your manuscript to the Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes requirements — abstract, APA 7th references, and required declarations — and submit through Editorial Manager without a formatting rejection.
4.7
Authored by Sumalatha Gangadhar | Published on 19 August, 2026
A strong study can still bounce at Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes before review if the manuscript ignores the journal’s formatting requirements. This template is built around OBHDP’s actual requirements — its abstract rules, APA 7th references, and the required declarations — so your submission clears screening on the first pass. Everything below tracks the OBHDP Guide for Authors; check it directly if anything looks out of date by the time you submit.
It’s a manuscript shell set up to OBHDP’s specifications for organizational behavior, judgment, and decision-making. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes is published by Elsevier. The shell covers the title page, the abstract, a body in Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD) order, and a reference list in APA 7th style.
Start with the title page (authors, affiliations, and ORCID iDs). The abstract is a single unstructured paragraph, generally ≤250 words, with no references or non-standard abbreviations. OBHDP also expects Highlights (3–5 bullets, 85 characters max each). The body follows Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD), and the reference list uses APA 7th. Close with the declarations block: ethics approval, conflict of interest, funding, and data availability.
The details that trip up most first submissions: missing or over-length Highlights, no Declaration of Competing Interest statement, and a reference list that isn't consistent within the manuscript. Beyond that, match your article type’s specific limits rather than assuming the defaults apply, keep APA 7th formatting consistent from the first draft, and submit only through Editorial Manager — email submissions aren’t processed.
The shell mirrors what OBHDP’s editorial staff check first: abstract format and length, APA 7th reference formatting, and a complete declarations block. For the journal’s full aims and scope, see the OBHDP journal home page. OBHDP offers an open-access option; check the current article-processing charge and any waiver before you commit. Manuscripts go in through Editorial Manager, which also tracks your paper through peer review.
| Element | OBHDP requirement |
|---|---|
| Abstract | a single unstructured paragraph, generally ≤250 words, with no references or non-standard abbreviations |
| Main text | Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion (IMRaD) |
| Declarations | Ethics approval, conflict of interest, funding, and data availability |
| Figures / tables | Captioned, cited in order; check format and resolution rules in the guide |
| Supplemental | Large datasets, extra tables, code — uploaded separately and cited in text |
| Submission | Editorial Manager |
Read the OBHDP Guide for Authors once before drafting and once before upload. Draft the abstract after your results are stable so it matches the paper. Set APA 7th as your reference style before adding a single citation — retrofitting it later is where errors creep in. Prepare Highlights (3–5 bullets, 85 characters max each) early rather than leaving it to the end.
Skim two or three recent OBHDP papers to calibrate depth, structure, and figure style. State your contribution in the first two paragraphs, not on page ten. Write a data-availability statement that names a real repository rather than a placeholder, and disclose any preprint or conference version with identifiers in your cover letter. Confirm current open-access pricing and any institutional agreement before committing to a fee.
Do one focused pass against the OBHDP Guide for Authors: scope fit, abstract format, length, APA 7th references, required declarations, and figure quality. Re-check the items that most often cause a bounce here — missing or over-length Highlights, no Declaration of Competing Interest statement, and a reference list that isn't consistent within the manuscript. Then submit through Editorial Manager.