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Taylor & Francis

Prepare your manuscript for Journal of Professional Counseling: Practice, Theory & Research.

Review the checklist, choose your article type, and turn your draft into a cleaner submission package.

Checked 2026-08-02
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Article types

Review
Research Article
Lectio
Perspective
Editorial
Clinical Trial
Protocol
Systematic Review
Letter

Readiness requirements

Review the key details below, or download the complete checklist with every stored source-backed requirement.

Abstract length

  • Provide an author-written abstract of no more than 150 words.
  • Use a structured abstract.
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  • Include an abstract no longer than 100 words.
  • Your abstract should focus on what your research is about, what methods have been used, and what you found out.
  • JPC requires authors to use a structured abstract based on their submission category to ensure readers have access to a brief but comprehensive summary of the article contents.
  • The instructions for authors for each journal will give specific guidelines on what’s required here, including whether it should be a structured abstract or graphical abstract, and any word limits.

Keywords

  • Authors should include 5 keywords that are descriptive and capture the most important aspects of the manuscript.

Reference style

  • Articlo formats your supplied references in APA style and checks that citations match the reference list; source validity is not verified.
  • Manuscripts should not exceed 20 double-spaced pages, including references, tables, and figures.
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  • References should follow the style described in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition, 2019.
  • Where applicable, this should include the hyperlink, DOI or other persistent identifier associated with the data set(s).
  • Readers should be able to interpret the table without reference to the text.
  • Use a reference page instead.
  • A declaration must be included within the submission stating: Confirmation the authors take full responsibility for the integrity of the whole content, including accuracy of references.

Figure and table rules

  • Keep every figure and table numbered, captioned, and cited in the manuscript. Keep figures embedded; Articlo also extracts numbered source files for the package.
  • Group figures at the end of the manuscript.
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  • Group tables at the end of the manuscript.
  • Figures should be high quality (1200 dpi for line art, 600 dpi for grayscale and 300 dpi for colour, at the correct size).
  • Tables and figures Show clearly in your article text where the tables and figures should appear, for example, by writing [Table 1 near here].
  • Figures should be saved separately from the text.
  • Tables should present new information rather than duplicating what is in the text.
  • It’s very important that you have been given permission to use any tables or figures you are reproducing from another source before you submit.
  • Authors should clearly describe methodological choices and include synthesizing illustrations (e.g., diagrams, tables), of their findings if useful in communicating findings to readers.
  • Figures should be supplied in one of our preferred file formats: PS, JPEG, TIFF, or Microsoft Word (DOC or DOCX) files are acceptable for figures that have been drawn in Word.
  • No more than 3 tables and 2 figures with each manuscript will be accepted.
  • Check the instructions for authors to see how you should supply tables and figures, whether at the end of the text or in separate files, and follow any guidance given on the submission system.

Funding statement

  • Add or confirm the author-written Funding statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.
  • You should declare only the acquired funds and grants that are directly relevant to the work reported in your article; for example, This work was supported by the [Funding Agency #1] under Grant [number xxxx]; [Funding Agency #2] under Grant [number xxxx]; and [Funding Agency #3] under Grant [number xxxx].
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  • Statements relating to research ethics and publication integrity: All authors are required to include disclosures related to research ethics and publication integrity on their title page: Funding statement.

Competing interests

  • Add or confirm the author-written Conflict of interest statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.
  • Statements relating to research ethics and publication integrity: All authors are required to include disclosures related to research ethics and publication integrity on their title page: Conflict of interest disclosure.

Data availability statement

  • Add or confirm the author-written Data availability statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.

Ethics statement

  • Add or confirm the author-written Ethics statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.
  • Statements relating to research ethics and publication integrity: All authors are required to include disclosures related to research ethics and publication integrity on their title page: Ethics approval statement.
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  • Statements relating to research ethics and publication integrity: All authors are required to include disclosures related to research ethics and publication integrity on their title page: Generative AI use disclosure.
  • Statements relating to research ethics and publication integrity: All authors are required to include disclosures related to research ethics and publication integrity on their title page: Data availability statement.

Blinded manuscript

  • Remove author names, affiliations, acknowledgements, and other direct identifiers from the blinded manuscript file.

Cover letter

  • Using Third-Party Material in your Paper You must obtain the necessary permission to reuse third-party material in your article.
  • The use of short extracts of text and some other types of material is usually permitted, on a limited basis, for the purposes of criticism and review without securing formal permission.
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  • If you wish to include any material in your paper for which you do not hold copyright, and which is not covered by this informal agreement, you will need to obtain written permission from the copyright owner prior to submission.

Title page and author information

  • Do not include any identifying information on the title page, in your manuscript or in the file name.
  • All authors of a manuscript should include their full name and affiliation on the cover page of the manuscript.
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  • One author will need to be identified as the corresponding author, with their email address normally displayed in the article PDF (depending on the journal) and the online article.

Article structure and word limits

  • The title of manuscripts should be up to 20 words and should be accurate and fully explanatory of key elements such as the key activities, variables, sample, and setting.
  • This could be adapted from your departmental website or academic networking profile and should be relatively brief (e.g., no more than 200 words).
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  • Margins Margins should be at least 2.5cm (1 inch).
  • Abstracts should not exceed 150 words.
  • These instructions will ensure we have everything required so your paper can move through peer review, production and publication smoothly.
  • Theoretical foundations and/or research concerning the approach/technique, if such exists, should be included.
  • Manuscripts should be relevant to current trends and issues affecting counselors, their clients, and the field.
  • Manuscripts may include but are not limited to topics such as social policy, advocacy, and social justice.
  • Manuscripts should be well-organized and concise so that the development of ideas is logical.
  • Your goal should be to assist the reader in understanding the contemporary conceptualization and understanding of the constructs included in your study.
  • Manuscripts that include identifying information will be automatically declined and authors will be required to resubmit once identifying information is removed.
  • Your manuscript should easily be identified as one of the types of articles noted above.
  • Your research funder or your institution may require you to publish your article open access.
  • Use our APC finder to view the APC for this journal.
  • Queries Should you have any queries, please visit our Author Services website or contact us here.
  • A declaration must be included within the submission stating: Originality and accuracy of content has been confirmed by the authors.
  • Authors must provide full methodological details and adhere to relevant reporting guidelines where applicable.
  • Authors must retain the original and revised versions which must be shared upon request.
  • The PLSP guidelines for authors must be followed at all times.
  • Before you submit your article, make sure you’ve checked the instructions for authors for your chosen journal, so you are aware of everything required.
  • Most journals create image descriptions during the production process, but a minority may require authors to provide image descriptions.
  • Review: Running heads and received dates These aren’t required when submitting a manuscript for review.
  • Manuscripts concerning new practices, innovative use of existing approaches/techniques, or experimental programs should fully describe the application(s) of approaches/techniques in order that readers can have a clear understanding of what is being done.
  • Sound reasoning and scholarship are expected so that readers can logically assess the meaning and impact for themselves, their clients, and the field, and should enable readers to identify or clarify issues of importance to them.
  • Submit all manuscripts electronically to http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ujpc.
  • Please use SI units (non-italicized).
  • Special characters If you are preparing your manuscript in Microsoft Word and your article contains special characters, accents, or diacritics, we recommend you follow these steps: European accents (Greek, Hebrew, or Cyrillic letters, or phonetic symbols): choose Times New Roman font from the dropdown menu in the “Insert symbol” window and insert the character you require.
  • Special characters If you are preparing your manuscript in Microsoft Word and your article contains special characters, accents, or diacritics, we recommend you follow these steps: Asian languages (such as Sanskrit, Korean, Chinese, or Japanese): choose Arial Unicode font from the dropdown menu in the “Insert symbol” window and insert the character you require.
  • If you are at the early stage of your research, you may also need to read how to start writing a journal manuscript.
  • Image descriptions are typically used by systems such as pronouncing screen readers to make images accessible to people that cannot read or see the object due to a visual disability.
  • The system has limited formatting abilities.

Reporting guidelines

  • Include or confirm the reporting guidelines required by the journal. Articlo checks this item and flags anything that still needs author input.

Preprints and prior publication

  • If you have shared an earlier version of your Author’s Original Manuscript on a preprint server, please be aware that anonymity cannot be guaranteed.

Artificial intelligence disclosure

  • Add or confirm the author-written Artificial intelligence statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.
  • Please include a statement disclosing whether and how generative AI has been used in the research and manuscript preparation process.
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  • Use of AI tools as part of ethical research studies is permitted.
  • A declaration must be included within the submission stating: The name and version number of the AI tool used.
  • Systematic Review: Use of AI tools as part of ethically conducted literature reviews, systematic reviews, meta-analysis and bibliometrics studies is permitted.
  • Use of AI tool assisted plain language summaries (PLS) of authors own work is permitted.
  • Please read our guidance on using AI tools in your research and manuscript preparation to understand scenarios where their use may be permissible, and the required information that must be disclosed.
  • A declaration must be included within the submission stating: Confirmation the authors have checked terms of use for the specific AI tool used, and therefore confirm suitability for publication.

Article type and manuscript length

  • Research Submissions: Research submissions should be written with the following elements in the following order: title page; abstract; keywords; main text introduction, method, results, and discussion; references; table(s) with caption(s) on individual pages; figures with captions on individual pages; and appendices.

Statistical reporting

  • Authors should report and interpret statistical hypothesis tests and estimates of effect size accurately and clearly for each of the study outcomes.
  • Thus, authors should organize the headings within their method section to include: (a) Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria, (b) Participant Characteristics, (c) Sampling Procedures, (d) Measurement of Constructs, (e) Data Collection, (f) Data Diagnostics, and (g) Analytic Strategy.

Manuscript structure

  • Research Article: Qualitative Research Articles: Discussion of trustworthiness appropriate for the qualitative method used in the study must be included.
  • Do not use footnotes in your manuscript document or the online submission manager.
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  • Thus, authors should organize the headings within their method section to include: (a) Participants and Data Sources, (b) Participant Recruitment, (c) Data Collection, (d) Data Analysis, and (e) Methodological Integrity.
  • Research Article: Mixed Methods Research Articles: Demonstration of sound mixed methods design must be included with details relevant to the quantitative and qualitative features of the research activities.
  • Authors must retain full records of the methods undertaken, including full descriptions and records of the prompts used, which must be shared with the journal upon request.
  • Headings This will show you the different levels of the heading section in your article: First-level headings (e.g. Introduction, Conclusion) should be in bold, with an initial capital letter for any proper nouns.

Language and text style

  • Please use American spelling style consistently throughout your manuscript.
  • Please use double quotation marks, except where “a quotation is ‘within’ a quotation”.
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  • Please note that long quotations should be indented without quotation marks.
  • The statement should express the central idea of the article in nontechnical language and engage the reader’s interest.
  • Headings This will show you the different levels of the heading section in your article: Fourth-level headings should be in bold italics, at the beginning of a paragraph.
  • Headings This will show you the different levels of the heading section in your article: Fifth-level headings should be in italics, at the beginning of a paragraph.
  • Headings This will show you the different levels of the heading section in your article: Second-level headings should be in bold italics, with an initial capital letter for any proper nouns.
  • Headings This will show you the different levels of the heading section in your article: Third-level headings should be in italics, with an initial capital letter for any proper nouns.

Study reporting guidelines

  • Authors must provide full methodological details and adhere to relevant reporting guidelines where applicable (e.g. CONSORT-AI, STARD-AI, GAMER, TRIPOD-AI, etc).
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What your package checks

Abstract: 150 words
References: APA
Declarations: Data availability, Funding, Conflict of interest, Ethics, Artificial intelligence
Format: Times New Roman, double spacing

Source transparency

This preparation guide uses published journal-specific author requirements. Journal instructions can change, so authors should complete a final review before submission.

Open official guideline source