Instructions For Author

Comprehensive guidance for preparing depression and therapy manuscripts.

Journal of Depression and Therapy publishes original research, clinical trials, systematic reviews, methodological studies, and high quality case series that advance depression treatment and therapy outcomes.

Manuscripts should present clear clinical relevance, transparent reporting, and validated outcome measures.

• Title page with author affiliations and corresponding author details
• Structured abstract with objectives, methods, results, and conclusions
• Introduction outlining clinical context and research gap
• Methods detailing participants, interventions, and measures
• Results with clear statistical reporting and effect sizes
• Discussion addressing implications, limitations, and future work
• Conclusion summarizing clinical or therapeutic impact

• Use clear headings and consistent terminology
• Define abbreviations and clinical scales at first use
• Provide units for all outcomes and assessments
• Submit tables in editable format with descriptive titles
• Include figure legends with sample sizes and methods

• Use validated depression scales and outcome measures
• Describe intervention duration, frequency, and fidelity
• Report adherence, attrition, and protocol deviations
• Provide statistical rationale and handling of missing data
• Disclose comorbidities and concurrent treatments

• Provide ethics approval and informed consent statements
• Include data availability statements and repository links
• Describe any access restrictions for sensitive data
• Disclose conflicts of interest and funding sources
• Register clinical trials where applicable

• Ensure references are complete and consistent
• Include DOIs when available
• Match in text citations with reference list entries
• Use standard citation formats and abbreviations

After editorial screening, manuscripts proceed to single blind peer review. Clear reporting and complete submissions accelerate decisions.

Accepted manuscripts move to production for copyediting, proofs, and DOI registration. Authors review proofs promptly to ensure accuracy.

APCs are applied after acceptance. Partial waivers may be available for eligible authors. Contact the editorial office for guidance.

• Scope alignment confirmed for depression and therapy research
• Ethics approval and consent statements included
• Data availability statement prepared
• Outcome measures and scales defined
• Cover letter explains novelty and clinical impact
• All figures and tables labeled clearly

Use this checklist to prepare rigorous depression and therapy manuscripts with transparent reporting and clinical relevance.

• Report diagnostic criteria and screening tools used
• State primary and secondary outcomes clearly
• Describe recruitment setting and inclusion criteria
• Report sample size rationale or power calculations
• Specify depression severity at baseline
• Include comorbidity and medication details
• Describe intervention components and duration
• Report adherence and engagement metrics
• Explain randomization or allocation procedures
• Provide blinding or masking details where applicable
• Describe therapist training or supervision
• Report adverse events and safety monitoring
• Include follow up timelines and assessment intervals
• Explain handling of missing data and attrition
• Report effect sizes and confidence intervals
• Clarify clinical significance thresholds
• Describe subgroup or stratified analyses
• Explain statistical models and assumptions
• Provide data availability statements
• Document ethics approvals and consent
• Report intervention fidelity checks
• Describe measurement instruments and validation
• Provide context for cultural or community factors
• Report clinician or rater training if relevant
• Include limitations and generalizability statements
• Describe concurrent treatments or co-interventions
• Clarify setting for treatment delivery
• Describe treatment adherence support used
• State any protocol deviations
• Provide information on participant compensation
• Describe data preprocessing or scoring methods
• Report any clinical trial registration numbers
• Include a clear interpretation of outcomes
• Link results to practical therapy implications
• Provide a reproducibility statement for methods
• Discuss implications for policy or service delivery
• Explain limitations for digital or remote interventions
• Include ethical considerations for vulnerable groups
• Clarify relapse or remission definitions
• Report any long term outcomes or maintenance data

Clear intervention reporting improves reproducibility and clinical uptake of therapy findings.

• Describe therapy modality and theoretical framework
• Report number and length of sessions
• Clarify delivery mode: in person, group, or digital
• Explain therapist qualifications and supervision
• Include adherence monitoring or fidelity checks
• Describe homework or between session activities
• Report patient engagement and dropout rates
• Provide symptom change trajectories over time
• Report co-interventions or medication changes
• Describe patient safety protocols and escalation
• Explain handling of crisis or suicidal ideation
• Include follow up support or maintenance plans
• Report clinician or participant feedback measures
• Describe cultural adaptations or accessibility steps
• Clarify informed consent processes for therapy studies
• Include measures of functioning or quality of life
• Report treatment setting and care integration
• Explain how outcomes inform clinical practice
• Describe telehealth or digital platform features
• Include data privacy measures for digital therapy

Outcome clarity improves clinical interpretation and comparability across studies.

• Report remission and response criteria used
• Include baseline and follow up scores
• Describe functional outcomes and daily living impact
• Report quality of life measures when available
• Explain clinical significance thresholds
• Include relapse or recurrence tracking
• Provide subgroup outcomes where appropriate
• Describe adverse event monitoring
• Report patient satisfaction or acceptability
• Include caregiver or family outcomes if assessed
• Clarify timing of outcome assessments
• State whether outcomes were clinician or self reported

Clear methods reporting strengthens reproducibility and reviewer confidence.

• Describe recruitment sources and setting
• Report inclusion and exclusion criteria clearly
• Clarify diagnostic tools and criteria used
• Provide details on randomization or allocation
• Describe blinding or masking procedures
• Report protocol deviations and their impact
• Include intervention fidelity measures
• Explain handling of missing data
• Describe statistical software and versions
• Report adjustments for confounders
• Provide sensitivity analyses where relevant
• Clarify sample attrition and reasons

Implementation details help clinicians translate evidence into care.

• Describe care setting and resource requirements
• Report training or supervision needs
• Discuss barriers to implementation
• Provide scalability considerations
• Include cost or resource implications
• Describe patient engagement strategies
• Report cultural adaptations
• Explain coordination with primary care
• Discuss telehealth feasibility
• Provide recommendations for practice
• Include equity and access considerations
• Describe monitoring for treatment adherence

Complete submission files reduce back and forth during editorial screening.

• Cover letter outlining novelty and clinical impact
• Main manuscript file with tables embedded or uploaded
• Separate high resolution figure files
• Supplementary material labeled clearly
• Conflict of interest statement for all authors
• Ethics approval documentation when required
• Data availability statement and repository links
• Clinical trial registration numbers
• Author contribution statements
• Funding statement and acknowledgments
• Suggested reviewers with contact information
• Checklist completion for reporting standards

These small checks help keep manuscripts and communications consistent.

• Keep terminology consistent across sections
• Confirm that tables match reported results
• Use clear headings that guide reviewers
• Provide concise summaries of key findings
• Check that ethics statements are visible
• Align figures with outcome descriptions
• Include clinical implications in discussion
• Verify that all links are current

Quality checks reduce revision cycles and accelerate review.

• Use plain language for complex findings
• Avoid unnecessary jargon or acronyms
• Ensure methods are described in sequence
• Clarify participant flow and attrition
• Report baseline characteristics clearly
• State limitations and generalizability
• Include acknowledgments where needed
• Double check citation formatting

Clear scope alignment improves editorial screening outcomes.

• Confirm scope alignment before submission
• Summarize key takeaways for clinicians
• Highlight novelty in the cover letter
• Provide complete author contact details
• Indicate any supplemental material
• Note any clinical trial registrations
• Share funding statements explicitly
• Check spelling of assessment instruments

These final reminders help keep submissions consistent and reduce delays during editorial checks and production workflows.

• Confirm contact details and institutional affiliations
• Verify that all required statements are present
• Check formatting against journal instructions

Strong documentation helps reviewers focus on the science and clinical impact. Ensure that terminology, outcome measures, and intervention details are consistent across all sections.