Editors’ Newsroom is a regular feature in Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal (SBP) and brings you the latest perspectives and updates from our editors and wider publishing team.

In our first edition (Fullan et al., 2024), we talked about emerging research trends, the types of studies the journal has received over the last year, and other important, worldwide topics that we encourage our authors to research.

In this edition, we look at what makes an excellent research article and offer our personal tips on how to get published.

A Recipe for Success

You’ve completed an investigation of your topic, formed hypotheses, designed and conducted your study, and analyzed the results. Now it is time to write! What should you consider when faced with the perhaps daunting task of writing up your research? By following these tips and this general outline, your paper will likely meet a receptive audience when it is read by reviewers and the SBP editorial team.

Introduction: What has come before and how you will add to it

Critically review previous research, focusing on the most relevant studies. Acknowledging any similar studies (and creating a compelling argument as to why your study is necessary in light of these) demonstrates academic integrity and is preferable to glossing over the existence of such studies. Point out gaps in the literature that you intend to fill or inconsistencies in previous research that you hope to address.

Fully explain all key terms or theories introduced in the body of the manuscript. This is important in helping readers to understand your article.

Write clear, testable hypotheses that follow logically from the reviewed literature.

Method: What did you do?

Justify all your methodological decisions. Explain, for example, why you decided to sample a particular demographic or use a certain scale.

Describe all study procedures in enough detail for a reader to be able to replicate your study if they so desire. This includes information on participant recruitment, inclusion/exclusion criteria, measures administered, and statistical analysis techniques.

Results: What did you find?

Include all data that indicate whether your hypotheses were supported. Give enough detail to justify your conclusions. It is best to leave the discussion of your findings to the Discussion section. In the Results section, just report.

Do not avoid sharing results that did not support your hypotheses. Even uncomfortable or nonsignificant findings will be useful additions to the research area.

Discussion: The meaning and implications of your findings

Discuss your findings in the context of the existing literature. Be thorough. Are the results consistent with what we already know? Were any results surprising? If the results differ from those of previous studies, are there methodological differences that could plausibly account for this? What unique contribution does your study make?

Demonstrate an awareness of the limitations of your study. What could have been done differently? Cite existing literature where relevant (e.g., if suggesting that certain uncontrolled variables may have impacted your results or that cultural differences might be relevant to consider).

General Tips

Ensure your language is appropriate based on the study design. For cross-sectional studies, take care to avoid language implying that causality was established (e.g., claiming that one variable impacted, affected, or influenced another). Instead, you can state (based on a regression analysis) that a variable was demonstrated to predict or be related to another.

Consider whether the manuscript would benefit from editing by a colleague who is proficient in English or a professional English editor. Academic writing requires precise language, and it is important that your intended meaning is effectively conveyed.

Final Questions to Ask Before Submitting

Competition to publish in SBP is high. Have you checked the following?

• Have I read the journal’s aims and scope?
• Have I read past articles in the journal that are on a similar topic?
• Have I followed the author guidelines?
• Have I used a spell check and asked a colleague to read through my paper?
• Have I used a professional editing service?
• Have I declared any conflicts of interest?
• Have I declared the usage of any artificial intelligence tools?
• Have I stored my research data in a recognized data repository and included a data availability statement in my manuscript?
• Have I spent enough time on my title, abstract, and highlights? These are important elements of an article, even if they are left until the end!

We wish you all the best with your submission and future publishing journey!

References

Yvette Lamb, Associate Editor, Scientific Journal Publishers Limited, New Zealand. Email: [email protected]