Editorial Policies
JBTM maintains rigorous standards for integrity, quality, and transparency in behavioral therapy and mental health research publishing.
Commitment to Publishing Excellence
The Journal of Behavior Therapy and Mental Health upholds the highest standards of editorial integrity and ethical publishing. Our policies ensure fair treatment of authors, rigorous peer review by qualified psychology experts, and transparent processes serving the mental health research community worldwide.
We adhere to best practices established by COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics), ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors), and APA (American Psychological Association) publication standards. These policies guide all manuscript handling from initial submission through final publication. Authors, reviewers, and editors share responsibility for maintaining the integrity of the scientific record in behavioral therapy research.
All manuscripts undergo rigorous peer review by behavioral therapy and mental health experts. JBTM uses single-blind review where reviewer identities remain confidential but author identities are known to reviewers. This approach enables honest and thorough assessment while allowing appropriate contextualization of psychological research within the field.
Reviewer Selection
Reviewers are selected based on expertise in specific mental health conditions or therapy approaches, absence of conflicts of interest, and availability. The editorial team identifies appropriate reviewers using publication databases and expert networks.
Review Criteria
Reviewers assess scientific rigor, methodological quality, novelty, significance, reproducibility, and conclusion appropriateness. Behavioral therapy manuscripts must meet all quality criteria for publication consideration in JBTM.
JBTM follows ICMJE authorship guidelines. All authors must have made substantial contributions to conception, design, data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of the mental health research. All authors must approve the final version and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work ensuring accuracy and integrity.
Corresponding Author Responsibilities
The corresponding author handles all journal communication, ensures co-author approval of behavioral therapy submissions and revisions, manages conflict of interest disclosures for all authors, and responds to post-publication inquiries. Authorship changes after submission require written approval from all parties.
Authors must disclose all financial and non-financial interests that could influence their mental health research interpretation. This includes funding sources, pharmaceutical industry relationships, consulting arrangements, and therapy method affiliations. Reviewers and editors must recuse themselves from decisions involving potential conflicts.
Human subjects research requires institutional review board approval and informed consent per the Declaration of Helsinki. Mental health research requires particular attention to participant vulnerability and consent capacity. Research involving children or individuals with mental illness requires careful documentation of consent procedures.
Authors are responsible for accuracy of all submitted data. Fabrication, falsification, and inappropriate manipulation result in rejection or retraction. JBTM uses plagiarism detection software to screen all behavioral therapy submissions for originality.
Submit Your Research
Publish your behavioral therapy research with a journal committed to editorial excellence and integrity.
Submit Manuscript Author Guidelines
