--- name: psci-submission-preflight source: https://app.decimal.ai/s/psci-submission-preflight@1/SKILL.md source_sha256: af965b426d4d --- # Psychological Science submission preflight ## Contract Given a Research Article being prepared for the journal *Psychological Science*, state the journal's own submission requirements and check a manuscript against them. The numbers and placements below are the journal's fixed, non-default spec — apply them exactly, not generic "most journals" advice. ## Rules — the submission spec ### Word format (the part authors get wrong most) 1. **Combined 2,000-word budget.** The **Introduction + Discussion + footnotes + acknowledgments + appendices** must together total **no more than 2,000 words combined**. These sections share ONE budget; they are not counted separately. 2. **Method and Results are excluded** from that 2,000-word count. Keep them readable — aim for **2,500 words or fewer** for Method + Results together — but they do not count against the 2,000. 3. Also **excluded** from the 2,000: the **abstract, the cover/title page, and the reference list**. The limit is on the argument sections, not the whole document. 4. **Do not count total manuscript words.** A 5,000-word manuscript can be fully compliant; what matters is that Intro + Discussion (+ footnotes/acks/appendices) stays ≤ 2,000. ### Abstract 5. The abstract is **≤ 150 words**. 6. The abstract must explicitly state the **sample sizes**, the **participant populations** studied, and the **important limitations of the research design**. An abstract missing any of these three is non-compliant even if under 150 words. ### References and style 7. **≈ 40 references** is the guideline for most Research Articles — a soft target the editors can relax when more are genuinely needed, **not a hard cap**. 8. Format the manuscript in **APA 7th edition** (Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition). ### Tables and figures 9. In the version to be published, **tables and figures are embedded in the main text near the point where they are first discussed** — not collected at the end of the document. ### Research Transparency Statement 10. Empirical manuscripts include a **Research Transparency Statement**. 11. It is placed **between the end of the Introduction and the start of the Method section** — not in the Method, not at the end. It **does not count toward the word limit**. ### Open data, materials, and preregistration 12. Make the **raw / primary research data publicly available**, with a **persistent identifier (a DOI)**. Justified case-by-case exemptions are allowed, but the default is a public deposit. 13. Make the **original study materials publicly available**, also with a **DOI**. 14. **"Data available on request" is not sufficient** — the data must be deposited in a repository with a persistent identifier before submission. 15. If any study was **preregistered**, disclose it in the Transparency Statement and give a **publicly accessible persistent identifier (DOI)** to the preregistration. 16. **Open Practice badges** are **no longer offered for manuscripts submitted on or after 1 January 2024** — the open-science requirements still apply, but do not expect badges. ### Masked review and portal 17. Review is **anonymized**: upload an **anonymized version** of the manuscript with author names, affiliations, and identifying metadata removed, and **mask repository / preregistration links** (for example, use an OSF anonymized view) so they do not reveal the authors. 18. Provide a **sample-size justification** with attention to **statistical power or precision** for the key tests. 19. Manuscripts are submitted through **Manuscript Central** at **mc.manuscriptcentral.com/psci**. ## Worked examples (base default → conforming) - **Word budget.** BEFORE "Keep the whole manuscript under about 3,000 words." → AFTER "Introduction + Discussion (with footnotes, acknowledgments, appendices) ≤ 2,000 words combined; Method + Results are excluded from that count (aim ≤ 2,500 for those)." - **Abstract.** BEFORE "Write a concise 200-word abstract summarizing aims, method, and findings." → AFTER "≤ 150 words, and it must name the sample sizes, the participant populations, and the key design limitation." - **Exhibits.** BEFORE "Place all tables and figures after the reference list." → AFTER "Embed each table and figure in the text near where it is first discussed." - **Transparency statement.** BEFORE "Add a data-availability note at the end of the paper." → AFTER "Insert a Research Transparency Statement between the Introduction and the Method." - **Open data.** BEFORE "State that data are available from the authors on request." → AFTER "Deposit the data publicly and cite its DOI; do the same for the study materials." ## Edge cases & exceptions - **A long Method is fine.** A 2,400-word Method does not break the limit — Method and Results are outside the 2,000-word budget. - **Footnotes count, references don't.** Footnotes, acknowledgments, and appendices are inside the 2,000; the reference list and abstract are outside it. - **Exemptions are the exception.** Data or materials may be withheld only with a specific, justified reason; the default is public deposit with a DOI. - **Badges gone, rules stay.** No badges for 2024-onward submissions does not relax the open-data / open-materials requirement. ## Do / Don't - DO enforce ONE combined 2,000-word budget over Intro + Discussion (+ footnotes/acks/ appendices); DON'T count Method and Results in it, and DON'T use a total-manuscript limit. - DO keep the abstract ≤ 150 words WITH sample sizes, populations, and limitations; DON'T ship a generic 200-word summary abstract. - DO embed exhibits near first mention; DON'T collect them at the end. - DO place the Transparency Statement between Introduction and Method; DON'T bury it in the Method or the end matter. - DO deposit data AND materials publicly with DOIs; DON'T write "available on request". - DO submit at mc.manuscriptcentral.com/psci with an anonymized manuscript; DON'T leave author-identifying links unmasked. ## Common mistakes - Applying a single whole-manuscript word count instead of the 2,000-combined-sections rule. - Counting Method and Results against the 2,000-word budget. - A 180-250-word abstract, or one that omits sample sizes / populations / design limitations. - Not knowing the ~40-reference guideline, or using APA 6th instead of 7th. - Tables and figures dumped after the references instead of embedded. - Omitting the Research Transparency Statement or misplacing it inside the Method. - Promising data "on request" rather than a public deposit + DOI. - Expecting Open Practice badges on a current submission. - Uploading a manuscript that still names the authors or links an identifying OSF page. ## Quick checklist - [ ] Intro + Discussion + footnotes + acks + appendices ≤ 2,000 words combined. - [ ] Method + Results excluded from that limit (aim ≤ 2,500 for those). - [ ] Abstract ≤ 150 words, stating sample sizes + populations + design limitations. - [ ] ~40 references (soft guideline); APA 7th edition. - [ ] Tables/figures embedded near first mention. - [ ] Research Transparency Statement between Introduction and Method. - [ ] Data + materials deposited publicly with DOIs (not "on request"); preregistration DOI if any. - [ ] Anonymized manuscript + masked links; sample-size justification included. - [ ] Submitted via mc.manuscriptcentral.com/psci.