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About

BJPsych Bulletin prioritises research, opinion and informed reflection on the state of psychiatry, management of psychiatric services, and education and training in psychiatry. It provides essential reading and practical value to psychiatrists and anyone involved in the management and provision of mental healthcare. Please see Author Instructions for further details of the journal’s aims and scope.

BJPsych Bulletin is not responsible for statements made by contributors and material in BJPsych Bulletin does not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor-in-Chief or the College.

Preparing your Submission

Authors will be asked to confirm the following elements are included during submission. Any omissions may cause delays.

Word Document:

Required Information

1. Article Title – The title should be brief and relevant. Titles should not announce the results of articles and (apart from editorials) they should not be phrased as questions. Authors should ensure that the title given in this document matches the title they enter in the system during online submission.
2. Author Names – The full names of the authors should appear on the title page in the form that is wished for publication. When submitting a manuscript authored by a group, please specify the name of the group and identify the group members on the title page who can take credit and responsibility for the work as authors. Other group members (non-author contributors) should be listed under Acknowledgements or in Supplementary Material.
3. Author Details – At the end of the manuscript under heading About the authors the following should be listed: names, degrees (optional), job titles, affiliations (place of work including department) and countries at the time the work described in the paper was carried out.
4. Corresponding Author – a corresponding author needs to be included. An email address appropriate for publication required. We recommend avoiding personal email addresses.
5. Clinical Trials Registration – In accordance with ICMJE guidelines, BJPsych Bulletin requires all clinical trials to be registered in a public trials registry at the beginning of the research process (prior to patient enrolment). Trial registration numbers should be included in the abstract, with full details of the trial in the Methods section. We require authors to register the protocol for systematic reviews on PROSPERO before data extraction and to include the registration number in the abstract.
6. Abstract/Summary and Main Text – See relevant Article Type for individual specification.
7. References – References should be numbered in the order that they appear in the text and listed at the end of the manuscript using the Vancouver style. All references must be cited in the text. Unpublished doctoral theses may be cited but no other citation of unpublished work, including unpublished conference presentations, is permissible. Opinion pieces can include references from news items and blogs. Authors are responsible for checking all references for accuracy and relevance before submission. Read our guide to Vancouver referencing here.
8. Acknowledgements – Authors may acknowledge individuals or organisations who provided non-financial advice and/or support. Names and descriptions of the contributions of all non-author contributors should be included (as identified in the ICMJE guidelines). We are aware that authors sometimes receive assistance from technical writers, language editors, artificial intelligence (AI) tools, and/or writing agencies in drafting manuscripts for publication. Such assistance must be noted in the Acknowledgements section. Failure to acknowledge assistance from technical writers, language editors, AI tools and/or writing agencies in drafting manuscripts for publication in the Acknowledgements section may lead to disqualification of the paper. Examples of how to acknowledge assistance in drafting manuscripts:    • “The author(s) thank [name and qualifications] of [company, city, country] for providing [medical/technical/language] writing support/editorial support [specify and/or expand as appropriate], which was funded by [sponsor, city, country]."  • “The author(s) made use of [AI system/tool] to assist with the drafting of this article. [AI version details] was accessed/obtained from [source details] and used with/without modification [specify and/or expand as appropriate] on [date(s)]."

Required Statements

1. Declaration of Interest – Authors should include a Declaration of Interest statement in their manuscript, detailing all conflicts of interest. Conflicts of interest are situations that could be perceived to exert an undue influence on an author’s presentation of their work. They may include, but are not limited to, financial, professional, contractual or personal relationships or situations. Conflicts of interest do not necessarily mean that an author’s work has been compromised. Authors should declare any real or perceived conflicts of interest in order to be transparent about the context of their work. If the manuscript has multiple authors, the author submitting the manuscript must include a Declaration of Interest statement relevant to all contributing authors. Example wording for your declaration is as follows: “Declaration of Interest: Author A is employed at company B. Author C owns shares in company D, is on the Board of company E and is a member of organisation F. Author G has received grants from company H.” If no Conflicts of Interest exist, your declaration should state “Declaration of Interest: None”.
2. Funding Statement – Authors must include a Funding Statement in their manuscript. Within this statement please provide details of the sources of financial support for all authors, including grant numbers, for example: “Funding Statement: This work was supported by the Medical Research Council (grant number XXXXXXX)”. Grants held by different authors should be identified as belonging to individual authors by the authors’ initials, for example: “Funding Statement: This work was supported by the Wellcome Trust (AB, grant numbers XXXX, YYYY), (CD, grant number ZZZZ); the Natural Environment Research Council (EF, grant number FFFF); and the National Institutes of Health (AB, grant number GGGG), (EF, grant number HHHH).” Where no specific funding has been provided for research, you should include the following statement: “Funding Statement: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.”
3. Ethics Statement – All authors are required to follow the ICMJE guidelines on the protection of research participants. Articles reporting original research must include an ethical approval statement which either confirms that ethical approval was obtained for the work (giving details) or explains why ethical approval was not required.

   Ethical Oversight / Research with Humans or Animals. We expect any authors who submit content to BJPsych Bulletinto have obtained the necessary ethical approvals and consents for their research and its publication, and to be able to produce evidence of this if requested. For more information on clinical trial requirements and consent statement requirements, see the 'Preparing your submission' section.

4. Consent Statement – Articles mentioning studies/research involving human participants must include the following statement in the Introduction or Methods section: Written [or verbal] informed consent was obtained from all subjects/patients. Where verbal consent was obtained this must be followed by a statement such as: Verbal consent was witnessed and formally recorded. This confirms that any research participant has consented to the inclusion of material pertaining to themselves, that they acknowledge that they cannot be identified via the manuscript, and that the participant has been fully anonymised by the author. If research participants are identifiable, authors should complete a Consent Form and email it to the editorial team at BJPBulletin@rcpsych.ac.uk. Where someone is deceased, authors must obtain written consent from the family or estate.
5. Professional Medical Writer Statement – If a professional medical writer has been employed in connection to the work, the writer must be named in the Acknowledgements section with their contact information.
6. Author Contribution Statement – All authors should meet all four ICMJE criteria for authorship. Please provide a very brief description of the contribution of each author to the research including their roles in formulating the research question(s), designing the study, carrying it out, analysing the data and writing the article. The journal will follow COPE guidance to investigate if ghost, guest or gift authorship is suspected in a paper.
7. Transparency Declaration - The lead author and manuscript guarantor will be required to affirm that the manuscript is an honest, accurate, and transparent account of the study being reported; that no important aspects of the study have been omitted; and that any discrepancies from the study as planned (and, if relevant, registered) have been explained.
8. Data Availability - In the interests of research transparency, authors are required to maintain accurate records of data associated with their manuscript, and to supply or provide access to these data on reasonable request for purposes of reproducing results or replicating procedures. Authors are encouraged to deposit data in a recognized data repository that can mint a persistent digital identifier (e.g. DOI), provides timestamped entries and recognizes a long-term preservation plan. Please include a brief statement indicating whether the materials supporting the findings are available, and if so, where readers may access them. For example:

• The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in [repository name] at http://doi.org/[doi], reference number [reference number].
• The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, [initials]. The data are not publicly available due to [restrictions e.g. their containing information that could compromise the privacy of research participants].
• Data availability is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analysed in this study.
• The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, [author initials], upon reasonable request. Please find more sample statements here. 

Thesis Citing

The journal welcomes research that has been completed as part of a thesis. All submissions are required to meet the standards of the journal and will be subject to the usual peer review process. 

In accordance with the journal’s Publishing Ethics Policy, it is mandatory for authors to disclose whether the research is part of a thesis by following the below points: 

• Authors are required to indicate in ScholarOne and disclose in their covering letter their work is part of or is a whole thesis.
• Authors are required to update the title page of the thesis with a link to the new version of record.
• Authors are required to cite and reference their thesis. 
• Authors should refer to the general rights detailed in the thesis and confirm they hold copyright/have permission to reuse this material in the new paper.
• Authors are reminded that final decisions are at the discretion of the Editor in Chief.

 

Failure to disclose this information will result in the submission being withdrawn and the University notified.

Other Documents:

1. Tables - Tables exceeding one printed PDF page will be moved into Supplementary Material – see below. Authors are encouraged to limit the number of tables/figures to a maximum of three. Tables should be numbered (e.g. Table 1, Table 2...) and referenced in the text of the manuscript. Authors must indicate the desired position of the table in the manuscript. Authors must obtain permission from the original publisher if they intend to use tables from other sources, and due acknowledgement should be made in a footnote to the table as follows: Permission to replicate this table has been given to the authors by XXX. Please ensure tables are a reasonable size. Tables over two typeset pages (around 1,400 words) will be moved to supplementary material.
2. Figures - Figures should be numbered (e.g. Fig 1, Fig 2, Fig 3...) and referenced in the text of the manuscript. Authors must indicate the desired position of the figure in the manuscript. Please consult the journal artwork guide for a detailed specification on accepted file formats. Authors must obtain permission from the original publisher if they intend to use figures from other sources, and due acknowledgement should be made in the legend as follows: Permission to replicate this figure has been given to the authors by XXX.
   Any figures supplied in colour will be published online in colour but converted to tints of the journal's Pantone shade for printing. The optional charge for full colour figure print publication is £200/$320 per figure (up to a maximum of £1000/$1600 per article). To request colour figures in print, authors should tick the appropriate box when submitting the manuscript. Authors who request colour figures in the printed version will be contacted after acceptance by CCC-Rightslink who are acting on our behalf to collect colour charges. Authors should respond as soon as possible and follow their instructions to avoid delay in publication.
3. Supplementary Material – Material related to a paper but not essential to a general understanding of the paper will be published as an online data supplement. Supplementary material is peer reviewed but will not be copy-edited or typeset and should be supplied as authors wish it to appear online. Supplementary material should be uploaded as a separate file and referenced in the manuscript. This material includes, but is not restricted to:
   • Additional data presented as tables or figures
   • Details of a search strategy employed in a literature review
   • Details of the literature retrieved but not further discussed in the body of the manuscript
   • Technical details of specialist (but not novel) methodology, statistical analysis and supporting references
   • Authors who have contributed in some sense to the paper but don't qualify for an authorship credit (e.g. group authorship) should be added to supplementary material rather than included in the footnote or acknowledgement section.
   • Long lists of contributors who don’t qualify for an authorship credit (e.g. group authorship) should be added to supplementary material. Shorter lists can be included in the acknowledgement section.
4. Author Publication Agreement - A signed Author Publication Agreement must be submitted online when submitting a revised version of the manuscript, or immediately after acceptance if no revision is required.
5. CONSORT, PRISMA, or CHEERS Checklist/Flow Diagram – Must be included if relevant. See Transparent Reporting for more information.

During Online Submission:

1. Cover letter – Authors may include a cover letter highlighting the main strengths of the paper.
2. Revised submissions – When submitting a revised manuscript, authors are expected to respond to reviewers' comments on the previous submission, point by point, where prompted on the online submission site. Authors should highlight in yellow those sections of the manuscript that have been changed in response to reviewers' comments.
3. ORCID - The corresponding author is required to register for an ORCID profile during manuscript submission. We recommend that all authors register for an ORCID profile and link their ORCID to their ScholarOne account. Please find more information about registration here.

Article Types

Jump to: | Editorial | Commentary | Original Paper | Review Article | Against the Stream | Cultural Reflections | Education and Training | Interviews | Correspondence and eLetter | Obituary | Book Review

Editorial

• Editorials may be controversial but must be backed up by appropriate references.
• The word count should be around 2,000 words excluding references.
• An unstructured summary of approximately 100 words is required.

Commentary

• Commentaries are commissioned articles commenting on other papers.
• The length should be shorter than the paper with which the commentary is linked.
• A new separate title should be given to the commentary (as opposed to using the title of the linked paper).
• An unstructured summary between 50 and 100 words is required.

Original Paper

• There is a preference for studies that will generalise to other areas and countries rather than being simply of local interest.
• Preference will be given to full studies with appropriate statistics rather than preliminary enquiries.
• We only consider qualitative studies of outstanding quality which contribute something new to the existing literature.
• Surveys with a low response rate (less than 60%) will only be accepted for publication in exceptional circumstances and similar considerations apply to retrospective case note studies.
• Papers on audit must demonstrate a completed audit cycle.
• An abstract of 100–150 words is required and should be structured under three headings: Aims and Method, Results, and Clinical Implications.
• If the paper is a report of a clinical trial, that trial must be registered in a public trials registry and the trial registration number stated in the abstract.
• The recommended length is 3,000 words.
• A brief introduction (maximum 250 words) is required. Any more extended consideration of the relevant literature is appropriate in the Discussion section.
• We encourage limiting the number of tables/figures to a maximum of three.
• We suggest that authors review previous issues of BJPsych Bulletin and place their work in the context of material previously published.

Review Article

• Review articles should give an overview of previously published work on a topic and include reappraisal of existing knowledge, new theoretical interpretations or implications for practice, but rarely present original data.
• Review articles may be narrative or systematic but there is a preference for the latter.
• For such articles there is a word limit of 5,000 words and no maximum number of references, tables or figures - authors should use their discretion. An abstract is required.

Against the Stream

• The Against the Stream editors commission articles for this section but also welcome unsolicited contributions. Pre-submission enquiries should be emailed to BJPBulletin@rcpsych.ac.uk
• The common element of the articles in this section is a challenge to conventional thinking and practice that is based on good evidence. Articles that reinforce or modify current thinking without challenging it are not appropriate for this section.
• We normally expect such articles to be relevant to ordinary practice. An article on deep brain stimulation or on feng shui would probably not qualify.
• Most articles in the series make the reader sit up with a start when they recognise the basis of a common belief may be unsound.
• We recommend that each article begins with a brief statement of conventional thinking on the topic as well as the evidence to support it. From that point on the conventional view should then be robustly challenged, and, if done well, the style of the article will be lively and readable.
• Contributors should aim for around 1500 words and about ten key references to support the more controversial position.
• An unstructured summary of approximately 100 words is required.
• We suggest that authors refer to the Against the Stream online collection as this helps in understanding material previously published in BJPsych Bulletin.

Cultural Reflections

• Cultural Reflections is to provide a framework which enables engagement between psychiatric practice and a broad conception of our cultural environment.
• We will be seeking observation and commentary on psychiatry from other cultural domains, as well as psychiatric accounts relating practice to culture.
• Our intention is that the article type has sufficient flexibility to incorporate submissions couched in the style of the source culture, and not be limited to a medical academic framework.
• Peer review will be used to ensure that this increased stylistic latitude does not impair quality.
• Please read editorial "Introducing the new culture section of BJPsych Bulletin".
• An unstructured summary of no more than 150 words is required.
• The recommended maximum word count is 3,000 words (4,000 words exceptionally and only by prior agreement with the editor). 

Education and Training

• The journal has a new trainees' section with specific article types but is also interested in publishing high-quality educational research.
• Topics of particular interest include recruitment in psychiatry, changes in the curriculum and new models of training.
• Articles should include either an unstructured summary of approximately 100 words, or an abstract of 100–150 words structured under three headings: Aims and Method, Results, and Clinical Implications.
• The recommended length is 3,000 words.

Interviews

• Interviews are commissioned. Peer review process: the interviews editors review each other's interviews and the final approval stands with the Editor-in-Chief. Enquiries may be emailed to BJPBulletin@rcpsych.ac.uk.

Correspondence and eLetters

• We are unable to consider submissions sent by email.
• Letters should be submitted online as responses to published articles by navigating to the eLetters tab when viewing an article online and selecting 'Submit a response'.
• General letters unrelated to a published article may be submitted by selecting 'Submit a General eLetter' on the journal website home page. Navigate to the eLetters tab at the top of the screen and click 'Submit a response'.
• Letters may be up to 500 words in length with a maximum of 5 references.
• All letters must include a Declaration of Interest statement.
• All Letters will be considered by the Correspondence Editor. Accepted letters will appear online and a selection from these will subsequently be included in the printed journal at the Correspondence Editor's discretion.
• More detailed instructions for writing eLetters, including the eLetter moderation policy, can be found here.

Obituary

• The journal aims to publish obituaries on psychiatrists who have made a significant contribution to the specialty or in other fields, at national and/or at international level. Members and Fellows of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, friends and family are welcome to submit obituaries to the journal.
• Contributors should kindly note that submission to the journal does not guarantee publication. All obituaries submitted to the BJPsych Bulletin will be considered, and if accepted, may be edited at the discretion of the Obituaries Editor.
• As a general rule, the word count for brief obituaries is between 350 and 400; longer articles should be between 750 and 1,000 words long.
• The name and positions held by the individual should be included in the article's title or opening paragraph. A description of the person's main achievements should follow, and by way of background, information about the subject's parents and childhood (if thought to be relevant), medical education, specialist training and positions held should follow. Personal information about the subject's marriage or partnerships, children, outside interests and last illness (in no particular order) could also be included. One or two references from academic or scientific journals illustrating the person's contribution to research along with any anecdotes or stories about the individual are always welcome.
• Obituaries that have previously appeared in a national or local newspaper may be considered and if necessary may be altered to make them more relevant to the readers of the journal.
• Articles should be sent as Word documents and include a good quality photo of the individual ideally with a minimum resolution of 300 dpi. Preference is given to jpeg or tiff file types. Submissions should be emailed to the Obituaries Editor, Philip Graham — pjgraham32@gmail.com with copy to BJPBulletin@rcpsych.ac.uk.
• Members and Fellows of the College who wish to write their own obituaries during their lifetime may email them to BJPBulletin@rcpsych.ac.uk. Contributors should kindly note that submission does not guarantee publication.
• The College also publishes obituaries of Members and Fellows on its website. Guidance on how to submit an obituary for publication on the RCPsych website is available here: https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/members/obituaries/guidelines-on-submitting-members'-obituaries

Book Review

• Book reviews are commissioned by the book review editors. Enquiries should be emailed to BJPBulletin@rcpsych.ac.uk.
• Submitted book reviews should include the name, job title, postal address and email address of the corresponding author as well as full book details: book title, author(s), price, whether the hardback or paperback, publisher, publication year and number of pages. A picture of the book cover should be supplied.

The British Journal of Psychiatry and BJPsych Bulletin accept copies of books for review but submitting a copy does not guarantee a review will be published. Only one copy of the book should be sent to the Publishing Team, Royal College of Psychiatrists, 21 Prescot Street, London E1 8BB.

Case reports are not considered for publication in BJPsych Bulletin and should be submitted to BJPsych Open.

Transparent Reporting

BJPsych Bulletin believes in the importance of transparent and reproducible research.

Where possible we encourage authors to make evidence, data, code, and other materials that underpin their findings available to readers.

We also encourage authors to cite materials and data they have used in their research, alongside literature citations, to recognise the importance of all kinds of research outputs.

We expect authors to follow best practices in reporting their methodology. Reporting guidelines for many study designs, including quantitative and qualitative scholarship across many disciplines, can be found in the EQUATOR Network.

Authors must abide by the following guidelines and documentation, if applicable:

• CONSORT guidelines: Randomised controlled trials (submit a completed checklist and flowchart)
• STROBE guidelines: Cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional observational studies in epidemiology
• PRISMA guidelines: systematic reviews or meta-analyses of evaluations studies including randomised controlled trials (submit a completed checklist and flowchart)
• MOOSE guidelines: meta-analyses of observational studies in epidemiology
• SAGER Guidelines: We encourage authors to consult the Sex and Gender Equity in Research (SAGER) Guidelines for reporting sex and gender information in study design, data analyses, results and interpretation. Authors should use the terms sex and gender carefully in order to avoid confusing both terms and include separate reporting and interpretation of the data by sex and gender. If sex and/or gender information are not reported, this should be explained. 
• PPI Guidelines: The journal encourages active patient and public involvement (PPI) in research. If appropriate, please report PPI in your manuscript using GRIPP2-LF, a longer checklist for studies where PPI forms the primary focus of a study or GRIPP2-SF, a short checklist for studies where PPI is a secondary or tertiary focus.

Statistics

Attention should be paid to clear description of study designs and objectives, and evidence that the statistical procedures used were both appropriate for the hypotheses tested and correctly interpreted. The statistical analyses should be planned before data are collected and full explanations given for any post hoc analyses carried out. The value of test statistics used (e.g. t, F-ratio) should be given as well as their significance levels so that their derivation can be understood. Standard deviations and errors should not be reported as ± but should be specified and referred to in parentheses.

Trends should not be reported unless they have been supported by appropriate statistical analyses for trends. The use of percentages to report results from small samples is discouraged, other than where this facilitates comparisons. The number of decimal places to which numbers are given should reflect the accuracy of the determination and estimates of error should be given for statistics. Use of confidence intervals is encouraged but not mandatory. Authors are encouraged to include estimates of statistical power where appropriate. To report a difference as being statistically significant is generally insufficient, and comment should be made about the magnitude and direction of change.

Qualitative research

The Editorial team recognises that the term 'qualitative research' encompasses diverse methods, manuscripts will be evaluated based on the appropriateness of the selected framework, the coherence of the report and its adherence to quality criteria consistent with the methodology and method as follows:

Epistemological and/or theoretical frameworks

• The epistemological underpinnings and/or theoretical framework are made explicit and applied consistently

Study design and method

• The research goal is clear, justified and in context regarding the literature
• The approach matches the purpose of research and is justified
• Methods of sampling, data collection, data management and analysis are made explicit and consistent with the methodology
• Analytical and interpretative processes are described in full

Findings, discussion and implications

• Findings represent the depth and breadth of data
• Findings and interpretations are supported by the data
• Direct quotations, exemplars or other data presentations are used judiciously to illustrate the findings
• Findings are presented in a way that is consistent with the methodology, method and study aims
• Authors are appropriately cautious about knowledge claims
• Findings are explored theoretically and applications discussed

Process issues

• The report provides an account of reflexive practice in keeping with the methodology

Publication ethics

See our publishing ethics page for details on our related policies.