{"id":1245,"date":"2026-06-29T17:36:40","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T17:36:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/more.efpsa.org\/rpblog\/?p=1245"},"modified":"2026-06-29T17:41:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T17:41:24","slug":"inside-the-mind-of-a-jeps-editor-what-we-look-for-in-submissions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/more.efpsa.org\/rpblog\/2026\/06\/29\/inside-the-mind-of-a-jeps-editor-what-we-look-for-in-submissions\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the Mind of a JEPS Editor: What we Look for in Submissions"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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As Editor-In-Chief of the <\/span>Journal of European Psychology Students<\/span> (JEPS), I am frequently asked what defines a strong manuscript and what we, as editors, prioritize when reviewing submissions. Many students assume that only \u201cperfect\u201d studies\u2014or those with statistically significant results\u2014are worth submitting. This belief often discourages early-career researchers from sharing their work and engaging with the publication process. However, that assumption could not be further from the truth. What matters most to us is not perfection, but whether submissions are rigorous, transparent, ethical, and meaningfully contribute to the broader conversation in psychology.<\/span><\/p>\n

JEPS exists to support and showcase student-led research, and our editorial philosophy reflects this mission. We recognize that learning how to conduct and communicate research is a process, and we view submissions not merely as products to be judged, but as opportunities for development. In this blog post, I want to take you inside the editorial mindset by explaining what we hope to see in submissions, common pitfalls that can undermine otherwise promising work, and why student research, when conducted thoughtfully, can make a valuable contribution to psychological science.<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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First Things First: Psychology Must be at the Core<\/h1>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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JEPS is a journal dedicated to psychological science. While psychology is an inherently interdisciplinary field, submissions must be clearly rooted in psychological theory, concepts, or practice. Many strong papers draw on perspectives from related disciplines such as sociology, education, neuroscience, or public health, and this interdisciplinarity is welcome. However, the psychological relevance of the work must be explicit and well-justified. Authors do not necessarily need to hold a degree in psychology, but their research questions, hypotheses, and interpretations should be grounded in psychological literature. For instance, a study on workplace motivation framed through organizational or social psychology would clearly fall within scope, as would an experiment testing memory recall strategies. In contrast, a purely medical or technical study without a clear psychological dimension would be unlikely to meet our criteria.<\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Submission Guidelines and Scope<\/h1>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Before a reviewer begins evaluating the content of a manuscript, we assess whether it meets JEPS\u2019s formal requirements. These submission guidelines are not arbitrary; they exist to ensure fairness, consistency, and efficiency in the review process. First authors must be students or have completed their degree within the past two years, and manuscripts must not be previously published elsewhere. Preprints are permitted, but they must be clearly declared at the time of submission.<\/p>

\nManuscripts must also adhere to formatting and stylistic requirements, including APA style, anonymization for double-blind peer review, and appropriate structuring of sections. Surprisingly often, submissions are delayed or rejected because these basic requirements were not met. While this can feel frustrating, following the guidelines carefully demonstrates professionalism and respect for reviewers\u2019 time. It also allows reviewers to focus on the substance of your work rather than avoidable technical issues.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Ethics and Transparency<\/h1>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Ethical integrity is foundational to psychological research, and JEPS takes this responsibility seriously. Any study involving human participants or animals must demonstrate compliance with established ethical standards, such as the Declaration of Helsinki (World Medical Association, 2013). Authors are expected to report ethics approval from an appropriate institutional review board or ethics committee, along with clear descriptions of informed consent procedures, participant rights, and confidentiality safeguards.<\/p>

\nTransparency extends beyond ethics approval. JEPS requires authors to include Open Data Statements, disclose funding sources, and declare any competing interests. These practices are not meant to create barriers, but to promote trust in the research process. Open science principles help ensure that findings can be evaluated, replicated, and built upon by others. Even when data cannot be shared openly, for example, due to privacy concerns, authors should explain these limitations clearly.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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The Role of Pre-Registration<\/h1>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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One of the most important methodological developments in psychology over the past decade has been the increased use of pre-registration. Pre-registering hypotheses, methods, and analysis plans before data collection helps prevent questionable research practices such as p-hacking or HARKing (i.e., hypothesizing after the results are known). JEPS strongly encourages pre-registration, although it is not mandatory.<\/p>

\nAs editors, we view pre-registration as a strong indicator of methodological rigor and transparency. The American Psychological Association has identified pre-registration as a key practice for improving reproducibility (Appelbaum et al., 2019), and large-scale initiatives in open science have demonstrated its effectiveness in reducing bias (Nosek et al., 2018). Papers that include pre-registration often stand out during review.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Beyond Statistical Significance<\/h1>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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A common misconception among student authors is that journals only want \u201cpositive\u201d or statistically significant results. At JEPS, this is simply not the case. Null findings are not grounds for rejection. What matters is whether the study was conducted rigorously, methodologically sound, and transparently reported. In fact, overemphasizing weak effects or selectively reporting results is far more damaging to a manuscript\u2019s credibility than openly acknowledging null or unexpected outcomes. A carefully designed study that yields null results can still make an important contribution by challenging assumptions, refining theories, or informing future research directions. Science advances through honest reporting, not through selectively highlighting favorable outcomes.<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Common Weaknesses to Avoid<\/h1>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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Even promising manuscripts can be undermined by recurring issues. Some of the most common weaknesses we encounter include:<\/p>