Author Guidelines

Author Guidelines for Psychiatria et Neurologia Japonica

(Effective as of October 25, 2025)

1. Aims and Scope

With the aim of furthering the development of psychiatry, psychiatric practice, mental health, and mental welfare, ‘Psychiatria et Neurologia Japonica (Seishin Shinkeigaku Zasshi)’ publishes creative reviews, original articles, case reports, debates, statistical compilations, and special features addressing these areas. Although the primary emphasis is put on clinical research, it also publishes translational or basic research papers if they are clearly relevant to the clinical aspect.

2. Submission and Review

1. Members of the Japanese Society of Psychiatry as well as non-members are eligible to submit papers.
2. Papers which have been published, have been accepted for publication, or are under review elsewhere are prohibited for submission.
3. Papers should be submitted in Japanese or English.
4. When submitting reviews or special feature articles that have been requested by the Editorial Board of the Psychiatria et Neurologia Japonica, ensure that they are not redundant or duplicate publications.
5. The acceptance or rejection of submitted papers is to be decided by the Editorial Board based on the opinions of two or more reviewers, which must include outside reviewer(s).
6. Date of receipt: Date when the paper is submitted. Date of acceptance: Date when the paper is accepted.
7. Accepted papers will be published in printed and digital versions of the journal.

3. Compliance with medical research guidelines and the protection of personal information

1. Research involving human subjects must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki (and its revisions) and the latest national laws and guidelines related to medical research including “The Ethical Guidelines for Medical and Health Research Involving Human Subjects”. Research plans must undergo screening conducted by the ethics committee of their research facilities, and the approval of the study obtained from the committee and the subjects’ agreement to it must be stated in the paper. If a research ethics committee is not established in the facilities, the person in charge of the study shall ask facilities or organizations that have ethics committees to conduct a review of the study proposal for its approval. When submitting papers on retrospective clinical observation studies, in principle, the author(s) must obtain approval by the ethical committee as well.
2. In manuscripts presenting case reports, it is essential to obtain informed consent from the patient or their authorized representative—such as a legal guardian, spouse, or another appropriate individual who, based on the actual living situation and the nature of their personal relationship with the patient, is deemed capable of expressing the patient's wishes and acting in their best interests, with due consideration given to potential conflicts of interest. The manuscript must include a statement confirming that such consent was obtained and that appropriate measures to protect the patient's privacy have been implemented. For further details, please refer to the relevant guidelines available on the society’s website:
   「症例報告を含む医学論文及び学会発表におけるプライバシー保護に関するガイドライン」，Guidelines for privacy protection in medical papers and conference presentations, including case reports
   
   「倫理審査が必要な『研究として扱う症例報告』についてのガイドライン」，Guidelines concerning “case reports examined in studies” that require ethical review
   
   「症例報告を含む医学論文及び学会発表におけるプライバシー保護に関するガイドライン Q&A」 Q & A on the guidelines for privacy protection in medical papers and conference presentations, including case reports
   In addition, please refer to the following format examples for case report explanation documents and consent forms on this website.
   
   「症例報告についての説明書・同意書の書式例（精神神経学雑誌用）」Psychiatria et Neurologia Japonica: “Format Examples for Case Report Explanation Documents and Consent Forms”
    
3. Papers involving animal experiments shall include the following description: the experiments were conducted in accordance with the scientific and ethical norms for the implementation of animal experiments.

4. Conflict of Interest (COI) Disclosure Information

1.  Download the designated document (Form 1B) from the society's website or submission system, and have all authors complete the COI disclosure.
2. All authors must report COI disclosure information at the end of the paper.
3. See the following policies of COI on our Website.
   臨床研究の利益相反（COI）に関する指針
   Guidelines on Conflict of interest (COI) in clinical research
   
   臨床研究の利益相反（COI）に関する指針の細則
   Bylaws on Conflict of interest (COI) in clinical research
   
   日本精神神経学会臨床研究の利益相反（COI）に関する指針および細則に関するQ&A
   Q&A concerning Guidelines and Bylaws on Conflict of interest (COI) in clinical research
4. Regarding business-academia collaborative research, the Editorial Board shall conduct strict COI assessment of expected bias risks to the quality and reliability of editing and publication.

5. Categories

Psychiatria et Neurologia Japonica has the following categories:

1. Reviews: Novel discussion based on literature reviews.
2.  Original articles: Academic papers with originality or study reports presenting clinical knowledge, findings, and results.
3.  Case Reports: New findings, Case Studies presenting unique clinical cases
4. Debates: New presentations or proposals
5.  Statistical compilations: Data of the number of patients or dynamic statistics of patients. Status reports of mental health and welfare medical care.
6. Letter to the editor: Opinions of the published paper. General opinions.
7. Special Feature Articles: Several short reviews that offer novel perspectives on a specific topic
   In principle, there is no word limit for “Original articles” or “Statistical compilations”. Maximum words allowed per article are as follows: Reviews up to 8,000 words, Case Reports 5,000 words, Debates 6,000 words, Letter to the editor 1,000 words, and Special Feature Articles 5,000 words, including text, tables and figures (one figure/table is equated to 200 words), and English abstract. The title, subtitle, author(s), affiliation(s), and references are not part of the maximum words. Up to 30 references are allowed for Case Reports and 10 for Letter to the Editor, respectively. For Special Feature Articles, the representing author should submit the purport and overview of the Special Feature according to the designated format, and submit papers after approval is granted.
8.  Requirements for local association reports and reviews/Special Feature Articles requested by the Editorial Board are separately established.
    

   Article Type	Word Limit	English Abstract	Keywords	References	Figures/Tables
   Original Article	No Word limit	Up to 600 words	Up to 5	No limit	Up to 10
   Review　Article	8,000	Up to 600 words	Up to 5	No limit	Up to 10
   Case Report	5,000	Up to 600 words	Up to 5	Up to 30	Up to 5
   Debate	6,000	Up to 600 words	Up to 5	No limit	Up to 10
   Statistical Compilation	No Word limit	Up to 600 words	Up to 5	No limit	Up to 10
   Letter to the editor	1,000	Not required	Up to 5	Up to 10	None
   Special Feature Article	5,000	Up to 600 words	Up to 5	No limit	Up to 10

    

6. Requirements

1. Authorship
   Authors shall fulfill all of the following four requirements in accordance with the standards established by the ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors) (published in December 2019).
   A researcher who has:
   i) Substantially contributed to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work.
   ii) Been involved in drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content.
   iii) Approved the final manuscript.
   iv) Agreed to be held accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
2. Corresponding AuthorAs a general rule, the corresponding author submits the manuscript through the submission system and is responsible for all communication with the journal during the submission, review, and publication stages, as well as for the published paper. The corresponding author is listed as the point of contact for inquiries regarding the paper in the publication.
3. Body text and headings
   Use a unified style of writing and terms to write the body text.
   a) In principle, names of persons, places, and chemicals shall be written in the original language. Numerical quantities shall be written using the CGS system of units.
   b) As for the names of drugs, generic names shall be used in principle, and the names of products shall be accompanied on an as-required basis.
4. Abstract
   Abstracts shall be written in English (up to 600 words) and undergo proofreading by native English speakers.
5. Tables and Figures
   Create clear figures and tables and register them in the designated section of the submission system. Figures containing text should be in Word®, Excel®, or PowerPoint® file format. Photographs may be submitted as image data (300 dpi or higher). Enter the titles and descriptions of figures and tables into the Word® manuscript format.
   ① If colored figures are required, indicate the figure number and request for color publication in the designated field of the submission system.
   ② The number of figures should generally be limited to 10 for reviews, original articles, discussions, and materials; 5 for case reports (maximum 5 MB per figure); and none for letters to the journal.
   ③ Correctly indicate the insertion points for figures and tables within the main text. Figures and tables should be submitted as separate files from the main text.
6. Acknowledgements
   If there are researchers who have contributed to the production of the manuscript but have not fulfilled the qualifications for the authors, the names of the researchers, their affiliations, and contributions shall be stated. The sources of funds used to conduct research shall also be stated on an as-required basis.
7. Conflict of Interest　
   At the end of the manuscript, all authors must declare any conflicts of interest related to the submitted paper. Conflicts of interest unrelated to the paper may be declared voluntarily.
8. References
   References should be entered in the designated section of the Word® form within the submission system. References should be listed in alphabetical order by author name (with authors sharing the same name listed in chronological order by publication year). Assign reference numbers and cite them in the text as 1), 2,3), 4,6–8). For author names, list the first three authors (or two editors) as “Last name, First name” in Japanese (with a space between last and first names if either is one character) or “Last name, First name initial” in English. For four or more authors (or three or more editors), use ‘ほか’ in Japanese or “et al.” in English. Journal titles should follow official abbreviations or Index Medicus abbreviations. Note that personal correspondence and manuscripts under review should not be cited. Papers in press may be cited.
   
   [Examples]
   - 1) Asperger, H.: Die "Autistischen Psychopathen" im Kindesalter. Archiv fur Psychiatrie und Nervenkrankheiten, 117; 76-136,1944 (Translated by Takemoto Takuma: Autistic psychopathy in childhood. Psychiatry. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Related Fields, 34; 180-197, 282-301, 1993)
   - 2) Blankenburg, W.: Der Verlust der naturlichen Selbstverstandlichkeit: Ein Beitrag zur Psychopathologie symptomarmer Schizophrenien. Enke F, Stuttgart, 1971 (Translated by Bin Kimura, Susumu Okamoto, Hiroshi Shima: Loss of obviousness - A phenomenological study of schizophrenia -. Misuzu Shobo, Tokyo, 1978)
   - 3) Ibid., p.98
   - 4) Kasai, K., Shenton, M.E., Salisbury, D.F., et al.: Progressive decrease of left Heschl gyrus and planum temporale gray matter volume in first-episode schizophrenia: a longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging study. Arch Gen Psychiatry, 60; 766-775, 2003

7. Methods for Submission of Papers

1. As a general rule, the corresponding author must submit manuscripts via the journal's submission system (Editorial Manager®) at https://www.editorialmanager.com/pnj/.
2. Upon submission, the corresponding author must declare whether all authors have any COI and provide COI information within the submission system and at the end of the manuscript. If COI exists, download the COI Declaration Form (Form 1B) from the journal's website or the submission system, complete it for all authors with COI, convert it to PDF, and upload it to the submission system.
3. Download and use the Word® form from the submission system. Prepare the following in appropriate English: Title (English), Subtitle (English), Running Title, Author names, Author affiliations, Proofs mailing E-mail address, Corresponding author name, Corresponding author mailing address/affiliation, Corresponding author E-mail address, Japanese Abstract (Japanese, within 800 characters), English Abstract (English, within 600 words), English keywords (up to 5), main text, conflict of interest (COI), references, etc., in accordance with the Word® format, and upload it. However, for Letters to the Editor, abstracts are not required for either Japanese or English submissions. Therefore, use the dedicated Word® format for “Letters to the Editor” and upload it accordingly. Keywords should be entered by referring to the manuals of major domestic and international medical databases. If there is any discrepancy between the content entered in the submission system and the content in the Word® manuscript, the Word® file shall be considered the correct version.
4.  Upload the cover letter to the designated section of the submission system. The cover letter must include the submission category, paper title, manuscript content, word count, and number of figures/tables.
5. If there is any discrepancy between the information entered directly into the submission system and the information in the Word® file, the Word® file shall be considered the correct manuscript.

8. Proof, Publication, Reprints, Copyright:

1. The author is entitled to the first proof only. We may ask for minor changes such as letters, figures, and tables when necessary.
2. The author must bear the excess cost if the publication costs exceed 200,000 yen. Reprint costs are fully on the author.
3. Although the copyright belongs to the authors, a license to reprint and copy for third parties belongs to the Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.
4.  Papers published will be made immediately available in open access format.

9．Inquiries

Contact below for inquiries regarding the submission, edition, publication of the paper.
The Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology
Psychiatria et Neurologia Japonica Editorial Office
E-mail edit@jspn.or.jp