Introduction
European Psychiatry is the official journal of the European Psychiatric Association, the largest international association of psychiatrists in Europe. The purpose of the EPA is to improve the lives of patients with psychiatric disorders and to promote professional excellence through education and research. European Psychiatry supports the mission of the EPA and publishes articles on topics relevant to all mental health clinicians, researchers, and neuroscientists.
European Psychiatry publishes one continuous Open Access volume annually with articles on original research on pre-clinical and clinical scientific fields investigating the aetiology, pathophysiology and treatment of psychiatric disorders. European Psychiatry accepts publications originating from any part of the world based only on their scientific merit. All articles are published in English. The quality of the language is of paramount importance as it influences how the manuscript is received by Editors, reviewers and readers. For authors who are not English speakers and may not be experienced in scientific writing in English we strongly recommend the use of appropriate language services.
Article types accepted
Types of accepted articles and their specifications are given below. Word count for the main manuscript includes only the main body of text (i.e., not tables, figures, abstracts or references). All pages should be numbered. Manuscripts should be double-spaced. All abbreviations (other than those for units of measure) should be spelled out the first time they are used anywhere in the manuscript. Idiosyncratic abbreviations should not be used.
Research Articles*: Abstract no longer than 250 words, structured as follows: Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions
Main text should not exceed 3,500 words, with the following structure: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion. There is no limit on the number of figures, tables, or references.
Reviews / Meta-Analyses*: Abstract no longer than 250 words, structured as follows: Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions
Main text should not exceed 4,000 words, with the following structure: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion. There is no limit to figures, tables, or references.
Editorials: Editorials may only be authored by the Editors or by authors invited by the Editors or proposed by the EPA board. No unsolicited editorial will be accepted. An editorial cannot exceed 1,000 words, with no more than 10 references and one table or figure. Editorials will not be subject to peer review. Authors will be expected to uphold standards of civility and professionalism in presenting their views. Editorials are required to cover topics on mental health policy and related topics, in accordance with the aim of the European Psychiatric Association.
Viewpoint*: Viewpoint articles may be submitted by any author. These may address important topics in psychiatry, public health or health policy, research, ethics, or health law. Viewpoints are not required to be linked to a specific article in European Psychiatry.
Viewpoints cannot exceed 1,500 words and 10 references, and may include no more than one figure or one table.
Viewpoints should be tightly focused on the topic they cover, and scholarly; in other words, viewpoints cannot rely on personal or idiosyncratic views unsupported by evidence. Viewpoints will be subjected to editorial review to ensure they meet these basic criteria, followed by peer-review.
EPA Policy Papers*: EPA policy papers may only be submitted by authors of the EPA board or by authors commissioned by the EPA board, and address any topic in psychiatry, public health or health policy, research, ethics, or health law that is important to the mission of the EPA. EPA policy papers cannot exceed 3500 words and should include an unstructured abstract that cannot exceed 250 words. Figures and tables should be limited to five each; references to 75. Policy papers should be tightly focused on the topic they cover, and scholarly. Policy papers will be peer-reviewed after being endorsed by the EPA board.
EPA Guidance Papers**: EPA Guidance Papers aim to improve the quality of mental health care in Europe by disseminating written information based on best evidence and psychiatric practice and to facilitate countries learning from each other in areas where guidelines are lacking.
EPA Guidance Papers are commissioned by the EPA Board and are written by experts in their field.
EPA Guidance Papers cannot exceed 3,500 words and should include an unstructured abstract that cannot exceed 250 words. Figures and tables should be limited to five each; references to 75. Guidance papers will be approved by the EPA Board and will be subjected to peer-review.
Comments: Comments can be made on any article published by the journal. They cannot exceed 750 words, with no more than five references. These are not submitted through the peer-review system but through the 'Comments' section of the article web-page on Cambridge Core. Comments do not have a DOI, are not indexed, and are not counted in citation statistics, but are online posts aimed at generating online discussion about papers published in European Psychiatry. Comments will not be subject to peer review in order to enable the free exchange of ideas, though will be moderated by the Editors. Authors will be expected to uphold standards of civility and professionalism in presenting their comments, particularly if critical.
To submit a comment, click on the 'Comments' tab on an article's Abstract/HTML page and choose 'Submit a Response'.
European Psychiatry no longer accepts case reports or case series and no longer routinely considers manuscripts on the psychometric properties, standardisation, translation or transcultural validation of psychiatric questionnaires, instruments or cognitive tests.
* All or part of the publication costs for these article types may be covered by one of the agreements Cambridge University Press has made to support open access. For authors not covered by an agreement, and without APC funding, please see this journal's open access options for instructions on how to request an APC waiver.
** No APCs are required for these article types.
Clinical trials: As a condition of consideration for publication, registration of clinical trials in a public trials registry is required. A clinical trial is defined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (in accordance with the definition of the World Health Organisation) as any research project that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes. Registration information must be provided at the time of submission, including the trial registry name, registration identification number, and the URL for the registry.
Reporting on psychotropic medications: When reporting on psychotropic medications, authors are encouraged to use the NbN nomenclature as described in https://nbn2r.com/
Continuous publication: European Psychiatry benefits from a continuous publication format. Completed articles are assigned an e-number and are published in an open volume, closed at the end of each year. Once an article has been published online, it is considered to be in its final format and no changes can be made.
Further information: Any correspondence, queries or additional requests for information on the manuscript submission process should be sent to the Editor at EPJournal@cambridge.org