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.

1. 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.

1. 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.

1. 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

1. The abstract is ≤ 150 words.
2. 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

1. ≈ 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.

1. Format the manuscript in APA 7th edition (Publication Manual of the American

Psychological Association, 7th edition).

Tables and figures

1. 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

1. Empirical manuscripts include a Research Transparency Statement.
2. 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

1. 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.

1. Make the original study materials publicly available, also with a DOI.
2. "Data available on request" is not sufficient — the data must be deposited in a

repository with a persistent identifier before submission.

1. If any study was preregistered, disclose it in the Transparency Statement and give a

publicly accessible persistent identifier (DOI) to the preregistration.

1. 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

1. 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.

1. Provide a sample-size justification with attention to statistical power or

precision for the key tests.

1. 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.