Journal of Mental Health and Substance Abuse

1. Overview

The Journal of Mental Health and Substance Abuse welcomes the submission of original, high-quality manuscripts that advance knowledge in mental health, psychiatry, psychology, addiction medicine, behavioral sciences, and related disciplines.

The journal publishes scientifically rigorous, ethically conducted, and clinically relevant research that contributes to the understanding, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and management of mental health disorders and substance use disorders.

Areas of Interest

The journal considers manuscripts in, but is not limited to, the following fields:

• Psychiatry
• Clinical Psychology
• Mental Health
• Behavioral Sciences
• Addiction Medicine
• Substance Use Disorders
• Alcohol and Drug Dependence
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Mood Disorders
• Anxiety Disorders
• Personality Disorders
• Psychotic Disorders
• Eating Disorders
• Sleep Disorders
• Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
• Geriatric Psychiatry
• Community Mental Health
• Psychiatric Nursing
• Psychotherapy
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Public Mental Health
• Suicide Prevention
• Rehabilitation Medicine
• Epidemiology of Mental Health
• Neuropsychology
• Neuroscience
• Social Psychiatry
• Forensic Psychiatry

2. Article Types

The journal accepts:

• Original Research Articles
• Review Articles
• Systematic Reviews
• Meta-Analyses
• Case Reports
• Case Series
• Short Communications
• Mini Reviews
• Opinions
• Perspectives
• Editorials
• Letters to the Editor

3. Manuscript Submission

Manuscripts should be submitted through the journal's designated submission system or official editorial email.

The Corresponding Author is responsible for:

• Submitting the manuscript.
• Managing communication with the Editorial Office.
• Ensuring all authors approve the submission.
• Confirming that the manuscript is original and not under consideration elsewhere.

4. Cover Letter

Each submission should include a cover letter containing:

• The significance of the study.
• Why the manuscript is appropriate for the journal.
• Confirmation that the manuscript has not been submitted elsewhere.
• Disclosure of conflicts of interest.
• Confirmation that all authors approve the submission.

5. Suggested Reviewers

Authors may recommend up to two qualified reviewers.

Suggested reviewers should:

• Possess expertise relevant to the manuscript.
• Not have collaborated with the authors during the previous five years.
• Not belong to the same institution.
• Have no conflicts of interest.

The Editorial Office reserves the right to select reviewers independently.

6. Peer Review Process

All submitted manuscripts undergo:

1. Initial editorial screening.
2. Similarity (plagiarism) assessment.
3. Single-blind peer review.
4. Editorial evaluation.
5. The final editorial decision is made by the Handling Editor.

Editorial decisions are based on:

• Scientific quality
• Originality
• Methodological rigor
• Ethical compliance
• Relevance to the journal

Accepted manuscripts are normally published following completion of copyediting, proofreading, and production.

7. Manuscript Preparation

Authors should ensure manuscripts:

• Are written in clear professional English.
• Follow standard scientific writing conventions.
• Use appropriate reporting guidelines where applicable.
• Define abbreviations upon first use.
• Use SI units where appropriate.
• Follow Vancouver reference style.

8. Manuscript Structure

Title

The title should be concise, informative, and accurately reflect the study.

Avoid unnecessary abbreviations.

Author Information

Include:

• Full names
• Institutional affiliations
• ORCID iD (recommended)
• Corresponding author email

Abstract

Maximum 250 words.

Where appropriate include:

• Background
• Methods
• Results
• Conclusion

Keywords

Provide 4–6 keywords.

Introduction

Describe:

• Background
• Existing literature
• Research problem
• Study objectives
• Clinical significance

Materials and Methods

Provide sufficient methodological detail to enable reproducibility.

Include:

• Study design
• Participants
• Inclusion and exclusion criteria
• Outcome measures
• Statistical analysis
• Ethical approval

Previously published methods should be appropriately cited.

Results

Present findings clearly using text, tables, and figures where appropriate.

Discussion

Interpret the findings.

Discuss:

• Clinical implications
• Comparison with previous research
• Strengths
• Limitations
• Future research directions

Conclusion

Summarize the principal findings and their implications for clinical practice or future research.

Acknowledgments

Recognize contributors and funding organizations.

Funding

Clearly disclose all funding sources.

If none:

The authors received no external funding.

Conflict of Interest

Authors must disclose all competing interests.

If none:

The authors declare no competing interests.

Data Availability

Authors should include a Data Availability Statement.

Supplementary Material

Additional material such as questionnaires, datasets, figures, videos, or appendices may be submitted.

Label supplementary files as:

• Figure S1
• Table S1
• Appendix S1

9. Ethical Requirements

Research involving human participants must receive prior approval from an appropriate Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board.

Where applicable, manuscripts should include:

• Ethics approval number
• Name of approving committee
• Informed consent statement

Studies involving vulnerable populations should clearly describe additional ethical safeguards.

10. Plagiarism Policy

Only original manuscripts are considered.

All submissions undergo similarity screening before peer review.

Plagiarism, duplicate publication, data fabrication, falsification, and unethical image manipulation are grounds for rejection or retraction.

11. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Authors should disclose any use of AI-assisted writing tools.

Artificial intelligence tools cannot be listed as authors and remain unable to take responsibility for the scientific content.

12. References

The journal follows the Vancouver citation style.

References should:

• Be numbered consecutively.
• Be cited in square brackets.
• Include DOI where available.

Journal Article

• Nasta AM, Mayo HG, Kim P. Case report of ventral hernia complicating bariatric surgery. J Ment Health Subst Abuse. 2022;3(2):126.

Journal Article (More than Three Authors)

• Nasta AM, Mayo HG, Kim P, et al. Case report of ventral hernia complicating bariatric surgery. J Ment Health Subst Abuse. 2014;17(1):145–148.

Book

• Mayo HG, Lichtinger A. Principles of Genetics. 8th ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons; 2009.

Book Chapter

• Yeung SN, Lichtinger A, Mayo HG. Adhesion molecules and site-specific metastasis. In: Neri Serneri SS, Gensini GF, editors. Thrombosis: An Update. New York: John Wiley & Sons; 1989. p.269–303.

13. Publication Ethics

Authors should comply with the Publication Ethics policy of Gnoscience Publishing House.

Submission of a manuscript indicates agreement with the journal's policies regarding originality, authorship, ethical approval, conflicts of interest, corrections, and retractions.

14. Contact

For submission inquiries or questions regarding manuscript preparation, authors should contact the Editorial Office using the contact information provided on the journal website.