General format

To ensure consistency and readability, manuscripts submitted to JPSS should adhere to the following formatting guidelines:

1. Format your manuscript for standard A4 paper with 1-inch (2.54 cm) margins on all sides.

2. Type your manuscript as a Word document (DOCX) using Times New Roman font, size 12 pt, with double spacing. This font and spacing ensure clear legibility and easy comprehension for readers.

3. Follow the American spelling variation and use proper verb tense throughout your manuscript. For guidance on verb tense, refer to the APA Style Grammar Guidelines (https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/grammar/verb-tense).

4. The manuscript should not exceed 8,000 words, equivalent to approximately 25 pages. Keeping the manuscript within this word limit allows for concise and focused research presentations. Please note that exceeding this limit may require revisions or potential rejection.

5. Avoid using footnotes, endnotes, or appendices unless they are essential to your research. Including unnecessary supplementary materials can disrupt the flow of the manuscript.

6. To ensure compliance with the academic language requirements, we kindly request you to thoroughly review your submission, paying careful attention to the proper use of English and adherence to the prescribed style of our scholarly journal. We highly recommend considering the assistance of a professional editing service to support you in this process. Please note that submissions not meeting the specified language use and style standards will be regrettably returned to the author for further correction.

By following these formatting guidelines, authors can ensure that their manuscripts are presented consistently and professionally, facilitating ease of reading and comprehension for the readership of JPSS.

Cover page

The cover page of your manuscript should be distinct from other sections and should include the following elements:

1. Please center the paper's title at the top of the cover page. Ensure that the title is concise (12–15 words) and accurately reflects the article's main theme. The title must be written in Title Case, and avoid bolding, underlining, or the use of quotation marks.

2. Provide the name(s) of the author(s) below the title. Format the author's name in the standard manner, starting with the first name, then a middle name or initial (if applicable), and the last name. The author's primary affiliation should be listed, along with the country location, in a separate line below the name.

3. If applicable, indicate the corresponding author by including their email address on the following line. Typically, the corresponding author is the first author listed. This email address allows for efficient communication during the publication process.

4. Omit listing the author's academic degree (e.g., PhD) or specific position (e.g., Professor, Associate Professor, Dean). Focus on the author's name, affiliation, and contact information to maintain clarity and conciseness.

Adhering to these formatting guidelines for the cover page will ensure a professional and organized presentation of your manuscript.

Acknowledgments, if any, should be placed at the bottom of the cover page.

At the lower part of the cover page, it is recommended to include the following statement regarding the author's report about the manuscript:

"This article is not simultaneously submitted to any other journal for review and/or publication."

By including this statement, the author confirms that the manuscript being submitted to JPSS is not under consideration by any other publication simultaneously. This declaration reinforces the author's commitment to the ethical practices of publishing and ensures transparency in the submission process.

Example of a cover page:

The Effect of Migration on Health   Rumana Saifi International Center for Health and Population Research, Bangladesh  Email: [email protected] Chai Podhisita Institute for Population and Social Research  Mahidol University, Thailand Philip Guest  The Population Council  South & East Asia - Thailand Office John Bryant Institute for Population and Social Research  Mahidol University, Thailand   This article is not simultaneously submitted to any other journal  for review and/or publication.     The authors would like to thank WHO-Thailand for their support and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments.

Abstract

On a separate page, center the title of your paper at the top. Below the title, center the word "Abstract" without any additional formatting (no bolding, italics, underlining, or quotation marks). Do not provide the author(s)' name on this page.

Starting from the next line, write a concise summary of the key points of your article. The abstract should include the research questions, materials and methods, data analysis, results, and conclusions. You may also include the implications of your research and any future work connected to your findings.

Ensure that the abstract does not exceed 200 words.

At the end of the abstract, on a new line, include the word "Keywords:" in italics, followed by a list of up to five keywords related to your paper.

The main body of the article

To adhere to scholarly conventions, it is recommended to format the article with page numbers positioned at the bottom right side of each page, starting with Page 1 on the first page of the article, following the title page and abstract. 

Tables and figures type

It is essential to present tables and figures in a standardized format easily comprehensible to readers. To ensure clarity, avoiding excessively large or small tables and figures and limiting their number within the manuscript is advisable. The content displayed in tables and figures should be legible, with clear and concise captions that a broad audience can understand.

For guidance on formatting tables and figures, including caption conventions, please refer to the APA Style guidelines (available at https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/tables-figures).

Tables and figures should be sequentially numbered, with the first letter of each word capitalized, followed by a colon and a descriptive caption written in Title Case. To distinguish them, the terms "Table" and "Figure" should be presented in bold typeface.

Examples:

Table 1: Attitude Toward Parental Control Over Children Among Adolescents
Figure 1: Household Expenditures During the Economic Crisis by Place of Residence

Please note that in the context of JPSS, the term "Figure" should refer to all visual information, including diagrams and pictures. Avoid using the word "graph" to describe such visual elements.

When presenting tables and figures that require the inclusion of data sources, it is recommended to place the sources below them in parentheses. Additionally, it is important to ensure that these sources are appropriately cited and included in the reference list.

Example:
Note: National Statistical Office of Thailand (2003)

Protection of human subjects

JPSS maintains the expectation that all research reported in submitted manuscripts adheres to international standards for protecting human subjects. It is necessary to provide evidence that research protocols have been thoroughly reviewed and approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB). In the Methods section of the manuscript, authors must explicitly state the name of the approving entity, along with the approval reference code.

Furthermore, it is important to note that JPSS reserves the right to request additional documentation as evidence of IRB ethics approval. This is done to ensure compliance with ethical guidelines and safeguard the welfare and rights of human participants involved in the research.

Promoting authorship accountability and ethical AI usage

JPSS acknowledges that it is the author's utmost responsibility to maintain the originality, validity, and integrity of their manuscript's content. Therefore, it is imperative to clarify that AI chatbots like ChatGPT and large language models (LLMs) cannot be considered authors and should not be credited in manuscripts.

While AI can assist in the writing process, it is widely recognized in scholarly circles that AI technology cannot assume accountability for the content it generates. In the context of academic papers, authors must disclose the use of AI tools appropriately when submitting an article to JPSS. Authors must clearly indicate which tools were employed in the "Acknowledgments" section and provide a comprehensive description of their implementation in the "Materials and Methods" section.

JPSS maintains a steadfast commitment to holding authors fully responsible for the content of their manuscripts, including any portions created with the assistance of AI tools. Thus, authors are accountable for any potential violations of publication ethics that may arise.

By adhering to these updated guidelines, JPSS prioritizes transparency, ethical practice, and the preservation of scholarly publishing integrity amidst the advancements of AI technology.

Citations and references 

JPSS strictly adheres to the American Psychological Association (APA) style for citations and references in all submitted manuscripts. The APA style, widely recognized and utilized in social science research papers, ensures consistency and clarity in the presentation of scholarly work.

Authors are strongly encouraged to consult the authoritative resources for the APA style, namely the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th Edition) and the APA Style Guide to Electronic References. These references provide comprehensive guidelines on formatting citations, references, and other aspects of scholarly writing according to the APA style. The guidelines cover various publication formats, including electronic sources, to assist authors in accurately and effectively documenting their sources  (See https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references).

While Reference Management software, such as EndNote, Mendeley, and Zotero, can be valuable tools for organizing and formatting citations and references, JPSS kindly requests that authors remove all field codes generated by these programs before submitting their manuscripts. This ensures the submitted document is clean and free from hidden coding or formatting issues that may disrupt the review and publication process. By removing the field codes, authors contribute to smoothly processing their manuscripts within JPSS's editorial system. 

Language editing policy