Journal scope statement
Practice Innovations serves practitioners by publishing clinical, practical, and research articles on current and evolving standards, practices, and methods in professional mental health practice. Designed as a cross-disciplinary publication with a multi-theoretical scope, the journal supports innovation and the highest standards of care in mental health practice. Coverage areas include population-based practice issues, procedure or technique-based practice issues, diagnosis-based practice issues, and service delivery models.
Journal diversity statement
Practice Innovations (PRI) is committed to embedding diversity in all areas of research, practice, and training. PRI implements the revised APA multicultural guidelines, which emphasize the integration of an ecological approach to diversity (APA, 2017). PRI has a deep understanding that diversity extends well beyond race and ethnicity, and includes but is not limited to gender identity, ability status, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religion, language, and acculturation levels, and acknowledges the impact of the intersectionality of each of these aspects.
Now more than ever, it is vital for psychologists to not only inform themselves but to also inform others about ethnic and cultural differences and similarities between and within individuals of all backgrounds. Psychologists also need to, in an ongoing way, evaluate their own practices to determine whether they are cultivating inclusive practices. Given the diversity across cultures, and the quickly changing environmental systems impacting individuals, it is imperative that psychologists be committed to cultural sensitivity and cultural humility.
Practice Innovations is committed to continually aspiring to cultural competence and to attracting manuscripts that impact diverse populations. This includes advancing our clinical and empirical knowledge about diversity, increasing our awareness, confronting structural oppression and the biases within our profession, and applying principles of cultural sensitivity when reviewing manuscripts and making editorial decisions.
APA regularly publishes task force reports and guidelines regarding many areas of equity, diversity, and inclusion. It is expected that Practice Innovations authors, reviewers, and editors stay abreast of and adhere to the current guidelines and methods of demonstrating cultural competence and humility.
Equity, diversity, and inclusion
Practice Innovations supports equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in its practices. More information on these initiatives is available under EDI Efforts.
Editor’s Choice
One article from each issue of Practice Innovations will be highlighted as an “Editor’s Choice” article. Selection is based on the recommendations of the associate editors, the paper’s potential impact to the field, the distinction of expanding the contributors to, or the focus of, the science, or its discussion of an important future direction for science. Editor’s Choice articles are featured alongside articles from other APA published journals in a bi-weekly newsletter and are temporarily made freely available to newsletter subscribers.
Author and editor spotlights
Explore journal highlights: free article summaries, editor interviews and editorials, journal awards, mentorship opportunities, and more.
Prior to submission, please carefully read and follow the submission guidelines detailed below. Manuscripts that do not conform to the submission guidelines may be returned without review.
Submission
To submit to the Editorial Office of Jeff Zimmerman, please submit manuscripts electronically through the Manuscript Submission Portal.
Prepare manuscripts according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association using the 7th edition. Manuscripts may be copyedited for bias-free language (see Chapter 5 of the Publication Manual). APA Style and Grammar Guidelines for the 7th edition are available.
Masked review
This journal has adopted a policy of masked review for all submissions.
The title page should include all authors' names and institutional affiliations and full contact information for the corresponding author. The first page of text should omit this information but should include the title of the manuscript and the date it is submitted.
Make every effort to ensure that the manuscript itself contains no clues to the authors' identity.
Client/patient confidentiality is your professional, ethical, and legal imperative. The journal requires that patient identity be thoroughly disguised in published articles.
The ethical standards for reporting/publishing scientific information, including patient information, are outlined in Section 8 of APA's Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.
Manuscript preparation
Review APA's Journal Manuscript Preparation Guidelines before submitting your article.
Articles should not exceed 25–30 pages inclusive of tables, figures, and references. Authors may request consideration of longer papers, in advance of submission, when there is clear justification for additional length.
Authors must include a cover letter when they first submit their manuscript to the journal for publication. The cover letter is a formal way to communicate with journal editors and editorial staff during the manuscript submission process. Cover letters should be addressed to the journal editor and should include the manuscript title, authors, notice of any conflicts of interest or disclosures, and the contact details for the corresponding author. Authors it should also specify that this is an original manuscript that has not been published elsewhere. Please refer to the APA Style website for further guidance.
Bias-free language and using “client” versus “patient”
Authors should review the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition’s chapter on bias-free language guidelines carefully, and should ensure their manuscripts follow the guidelines outlined here.
Specifically relevant to articles in Practice Innovations, Section 5.6 (“Participation in Research”) of the Publication Manual (7th ed.) includes guidance for using appropriate terms to describe participants:
“Use the term ‘patient’ to describe an individual diagnosed with a mental health, behavioral health, and/or medical disease, disorder, or problem who is receiving services from a health care provider (e.g., psychologist, physician, nurse, or other provider). This language is consistent with the language used in the health care system and promotes psychologists as being perceived a part of, and consistently integrated into, the culture of interprofessional, integrated health care. However, in academic, business, school, or other settings, the term ‘client’ (or some other term) might be preferred instead of ‘patient.’ Within all contexts, respect the individual and/or cultural preferences expressed by recipients of psychological services and their families when you choose language to describe those individuals, families, or populations. (For further information, see Resolution for the Use of the Term Patient; APA, 2018.)”
Formatting
Double-space all copy. Other formatting instructions, as well as instructions on preparing tables, figures, references, metrics, and abstracts, appear in the Manual. Additional guidance on APA Style is available on the APA Style website.
Below are additional instructions regarding the preparation of display equations, computer code, and tables.
Display equations
We strongly encourage you to use MathType (third-party software) or Equation Editor 3.0 (built into pre-2007 versions of Word) to construct your equations, rather than the equation support that is built into Word 2007 and Word 2010. Equations composed with the built-in Word 2007/Word 2010 equation support are converted to low-resolution graphics when they enter the production process and must be rekeyed by the typesetter, which may introduce errors.
To construct your equations with MathType or Equation Editor 3.0:
- Go to the Text section of the Insert tab and select Object.
- Select MathType or Equation Editor 3.0 in the drop-down menu.
If you have an equation that has already been produced using Microsoft Word 2007 or 2010 and you have access to the full version of MathType 6.5 or later, you can convert this equation to MathType by clicking on MathType Insert Equation. Copy the equation from Microsoft Word and paste it into the MathType box. Verify that your equation is correct, click File, and then click Update. Your equation has now been inserted into your Word file as a MathType Equation.
Use Equation Editor 3.0 or MathType only for equations or for formulas that cannot be produced as Word text using the Times or Symbol font.
Computer code
Because altering computer code in any way (e.g., indents, line spacing, line breaks, page breaks) during the typesetting process could alter its meaning, we treat computer code differently from the rest of your article in our production process. To that end, we request separate files for computer code.
In online supplemental material
We request that runnable source code be included as supplemental material to the article. For more information, visit Supplementing Your Article With Online Material.
In the text of the article
If you would like to include code in the text of your published manuscript, please submit a separate file with your code exactly as you want it to appear, using Courier New font with a type size of 8 points. We will make an image of each segment of code in your article that exceeds 40 characters in length. (Shorter snippets of code that appear in text will be typeset in Courier New and run in with the rest of the text.) If an appendix contains a mix of code and explanatory text, please submit a file that contains the entire appendix, with the code keyed in 8-point Courier New.
Tables
Use Word's Insert Table function when you create tables. Using spaces or tabs in your table will create problems when the table is typeset and may result in errors.
Academic writing and English language editing services
Authors who feel that their manuscript may benefit from additional academic writing or language editing support prior to submission are encouraged to seek out such services at their host institutions, engage with colleagues and subject matter experts, and/or consider several vendors that offer discounts to APA authors.
Please note that APA does not endorse or take responsibility for the service providers listed. It is strictly a referral service.
Use of such service is not mandatory for publication in an APA journal. Use of one or more of these services does not guarantee selection for peer review, manuscript acceptance, or preference for publication in any APA journal.
Submitting supplemental materials
APA can place supplemental materials online, available via the published article in the PsycArticles® database. Please see Supplementing Your Article With Online Material for more details.
Abstract and keywords
All manuscripts must include an abstract containing a maximum of 250 words typed on a separate page. After the abstract, please supply up to five keywords or brief phrases.
Clinical impact statement
Please submit a short statement of 1–2 sentences, written in conversational English, that summarizes the article's findings and why they are important to practice. This new article feature allows authors greater control over how their work will be interpreted by a number of audiences (e.g., practitioners, policy makers, news media).
Please refer to the Guidance for Translational Abstracts and Public Significance Statements to help you write this text.
References
List references in alphabetical order. Each listed reference should be cited in text, and each text citation should be listed in the References section.
Examples of basic reference formats:
Journal article
McCauley, S. M., & Christiansen, M. H. (2019). Language learning as language use: A cross-linguistic model of child language development. Psychological Review, 126(1), 1–51. https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000126
Authored book
Brown, L. S. (2018). Feminist therapy (2nd ed.). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000092-000
Chapter in an edited book
Balsam, K. F., Martell, C. R., Jones. K. P., & Safren, S. A. (2019). Affirmative cognitive behavior therapy with sexual and gender minority people. In G. Y. Iwamasa & P. A. Hays (Eds.), Culturally responsive cognitive behavior therapy: Practice and supervision (2nd ed., pp. 287–314). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000119-012
Figures
Preferred formats for graphics files are TIFF and JPG, and preferred format for vector-based files is EPS. Graphics downloaded or saved from web pages are not acceptable for publication. Multipanel figures (i.e., figures with parts labeled a, b, c, d, etc.) should be assembled into one file. When possible, please place symbol legends below the figure instead of to the side.
Resolution
- All color line art and halftones: 300 DPI
- Black and white line tone and gray halftone images: 600 DPI
Line weights
- Adobe Photoshop images
- Color (RGB, CMYK) images: 2 pixels
- Grayscale images: 4 pixels
- Adobe Illustrator Images
- Stroke weight: 0.5 points
APA offers authors the option to publish their figures online in color without the costs associated with print publication of color figures.
The same caption will appear on both the online (color) and print (black and white) versions. To ensure that the figure can be understood in both formats, authors should add alternative wording (e.g., “the red (dark gray) bars represent”) as needed.
For authors who prefer their figures to be published in color both in print and online, original color figures can be printed in color at the editor's and publisher's discretion provided the author agrees to pay:
- $900 for one figure
- An additional $600 for the second figure
- An additional $450 for each subsequent figure
Permissions
Authors of accepted papers must obtain and provide to the editor on final acceptance all necessary permissions to reproduce in print and electronic form any copyrighted work, including test materials (or portions thereof), photographs, and other graphic images (including those used as stimuli in experiments).
On advice of counsel, APA may decline to publish any image whose copyright status is unknown.
Commentaries and rebuttals
Commentaries and rebuttals on articles recently published in Practice Innovations will be considered and are subject to peer review. Commentaries, which may also be solicited by the editorial staff, should provide new and important information on the same topic as the original paper. The goal of the commentary should be clearly stated in the first paragraph. Commentaries may present data or other evidence in support of their intended point(s). A commentary should generally be submitted no later than 3 months from the print date of the article to which it corresponds. If submitted later, authors must present a strong rationale for considering a comment beyond the standard time frame.
Commentaries and rebuttals must be limited to 1,200 words (about six double-spaced text pages). Commentaries should not summarize the original article, but rather, should assume the reader has already read the article. Commentaries should discuss key focal points in response to the original article. Up to 10 references may be provided that clearly support the primary tenets. References are not included in the word count.
Commentaries and rebuttals should include an abstract and keywords. The title should consist of a brief content-related title followed by a subtitle that identifies the target article, as in "Brief Content-Related Title: Commentary (or “Rebuttal to Commentary”) on Authors (20xx)." Commentaries should follow APA style.
Authors of commentaries must disclose in their cover letter any real or perceived conflicts of interest with any of the authors of the original paper.
Commentaries and rebuttals are customarily handled by the action editor for the original manuscript. Commentaries and rebuttals should be scholarly in focus and should avoid hostility and personal attacks.
Commentary and rebuttal submissions that meet journal standards for further consideration will be peer reviewed. Authors may be asked to revise the commentary or rebuttal. If a commentary is deemed acceptable for publication, authors of the original submission are typically given an advanced copy of the accepted commentary so that they may accept or decline the opportunity to reply to the commentary.
Accepted commentaries and rebuttals are published together in the earliest possible issue of the journal.
Publication policies
For full details on publication policies, including use of Artificial Intelligence tools, please see APA Publishing Policies.
APA policy prohibits an author from submitting the same manuscript for concurrent consideration by two or more publications.
See also APA Journals® Internet Posting Guidelines.
APA requires authors to reveal any possible conflict of interest in the conduct and reporting of research (e.g., financial interests in a test or procedure, funding by pharmaceutical companies for drug research).
Ethical Principles
It is a violation of APA Ethical Principles to publish "as original data, data that have been previously published" (Standard 8.13).
In addition, APA Ethical Principles specify that "after research results are published, psychologists do not withhold the data on which their conclusions are based from other competent professionals who seek to verify the substantive claims through reanalysis and who intend to use such data only for that purpose, provided that the confidentiality of the participants can be protected and unless legal rights concerning proprietary data preclude their release" (Standard 8.14).
APA expects authors to adhere to these standards. Specifically, APA expects authors to have their data available throughout the editorial review process and for at least 5 years after the date of publication.
Authors are required to state in writing that they have complied with APA ethical standards in the treatment of their sample, human or animal, or to describe the details of treatment.
The APA Ethics Office provides the full Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct electronically on its website in HTML, PDF, and Word format. You may also request a copy by emailing or calling the APA Ethics Office (202-336-5930). You may also read "Ethical Principles," December 1992, American Psychologist, Vol. 47, pp. 1597–1611.
Other information
See APA’s Publishing Policies page for more information on publication policies, including information on author contributorship and responsibilities of authors, author name changes after publication, the use of generative artificial intelligence, funder information and conflict-of-interest disclosures, duplicate publication, data publication and reuse, and preprints.
Visit the Journals Publishing Resource Center for more resources for writing, reviewing, and editing articles for publishing in APA journals.
Editor
Jeffrey Zimmerman, PhD
Independent Practice, United States
Associate editors
Linda Campbell, PhD
University of Georgia, United States
Amy E. Ellis, PhD
Nova Southeastern University, Unites States
Gerald Koocher, PhD
Capella University and Harvard Medical School, United States
Consulting editors
Norman Abeles, PhD
Michigan State University, United States
Page L. Anderson, PhD, ABPP
Georgia State University, United States
Tyson D. Bailey, PsyD, ABPP
Spectrum Psychological Associates, United States
Steven Barreto, PhD
William James College, United States
Jeffrey E. Barnett, PsyD, ABPP
Loyola University Maryland, United States
Stephen H. Behnke, JD, PhD, MDiv
Harvard Medical School, United States
Lauren J. Behrman, PhD
Independent Practice, United States
Lindsey R Buckman, Psy.D.
Buckman Psychological Consultants, PLLC, United States
Jennifer L. Callahan. PhD
University of North Texas, United States
Jean Carter, PhD
Independent Practice, United States
LaKeita D. Carter, PsyD
Institute for Healing, LLC, United States
June W. J. Ching, PhD
University of Hawaii Manoa Clinical Studies, United States
Traci Cipriano, JD, PhD
Yale School of Medicine, United States
Lillian Comas-Diaz, PhD
Independent Practice, United States
Claire Coyne, PhD
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, United States
Eugene J. D'Angelo, PhD
Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, United States
Elaine Ducharme, PhD
Independent Practice, United States
Maria del Pilar Grazioso, PhD
Proyecto Aigle Guatemala, Guatemala
Pat DeLeon, PhD
Past President, American Psychological Association, United States
Amy Ellis, PhD
Nova Southeastern University, United States
Carol A. Falender, PhD
Pepperdine University; UCLA, United States
Eva Feindler,, PhD
Long Island University, United States
Bruce Frumkin, PhD
Forensic and Clinical Psychology Associates, P.A., United States
Rodney Goodyear, PhD
University of Redlands, United States
Barney Greenspan, PhD
Independent Practice, United States
Lisa Grossman, PhD
Independent Practice, United States
Thomas Hadjistavropoulos, PhD, ABPP, FCAHS
University of Regina, Canada
Douglas Haldeman, PhD
JFK University, United States
Steven J. Hendlin, PhD
Independent Practice, United States
Gordon Herz, PhD
Forward Psychology Group, LLC, United States
Jennifer Imig Huffman, PhD, ABPdN
Independent Practice, United States
Nadine J. Kaslow, PhD
Emory University, United States
Jennifer F. Kelly, PhD, ABPP
Independent Practice, United States
Eileen Kohutis, PhD
Independent Practice, United States
Keely Kolmes, PsyD
Independent Practice, United States
Mark M. Leach,, PhD
University of Louisville, USA
Patrick W. L. Leung, PhD
The Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
Ronald F. Levant, EdD, ABPP
University of Akron (Emeritus), United States
Lisa Lilenfeld, PhD
The Chicago School, Washington DC Campus, United States
Bill MacGillivray, PhD
Oak Ridge Psychotherapy Practice, United States
Jeffrey J. Magnavita, PhD
Strategic Psychotherapeutics, LLC, United States
Akihiko Masuda, PhD
University of Hawaii at Manoa, United States
Nancy A. McGarrah, PhD
Independent Practice, United States
Stanley B. Messer, PhD
Rutgers University, United States
Hamid Mirsalimi, PhD, ABPP
Emory University, United States
Emily Mouilso, PhD
University of Georgia, United States
Steven I. Pfeiffer, PhD
Florida State University, United States
Vicky Phares, PhD
University of South Florida, United States
Antonio E. Puente, PhD
University of North Carolina Wilmington, United States
Robert J. Resnick, PhD
Former President, American Psychological Association
Lawrence P. Riso, PhD
The Chicago School, Washington DC Campus, United States
Bradley M. Rosenfield, PsyD
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, United States
David B. Sarwer, PhD
Temple University, United States
David L. Shapiro, PhD
Nova Southeastern University, United States
Peter Sheras, PhD
University of Virginia, United States
Linda C. Sobell, PhD
Nova Southeastern University, United States
Mark B. Sobell, PhD
Nova Southeastern University, United States
Ashley M. Stripling, PhD
Nova Southeastern University, United States
Joshua K. Swift, PhD
Idaho State University, United States
Lori C. Thomas, JD, PhD
Independent Practice, United States
Steve Tuber, PhD
City College of New York, United States
Stefanie Tweedly, PsyD
Better Being Psychological Services, Inc., United States
W. Douglas Tynan, PhD, ABPP
Independent Practice, United States
Kristi S. Van Sickle, PsyD
Independent Practice, United States
Peter W. Vik, PhD
Pacific University, United States
Rachel N. Waford, PhD
Emory University, United States
Lenore E. Walker, PhD
Walker & Associates, LLC, United States
Jeffrey Younggren, PhD
University of New Mexico, United States
Abstracting and indexing services providing coverage of Practice Innovations
- OCLC
- PsycInfo
- Multicultural Considerations:
Practice Innovations special issue on multicultural considerations.
- Contemporary Perspectives in Forensic Practice:
Special issue of APA's journal Practice Innovations, Vol. 8, No. 3, September 2023. This special issue focuses on the contemporary perspectives of forensic practice.
- Race, Culture, and Practice:
Special issue of the APA journal Practice Innovations, Vol. 7, No. 3, September 2022. Articles discuss the definition, mechanisms, consequences, determinants of emotional regulation, and intervening to change emotional regulation.
- Embracing Clinical Complexity:
Special issue of APA journal Practice Innovations, Vol. 7, Iss. 2, June 2022. The articles in this special issue address the complexity of general clinical practice with particular attention to co-occurring problems and challenging risk behaviors.
- Recent Innovations and Challenges in Practice:
Special issue of the APA journal Practice Innovations, Vol. 5, No. 2, June 2020. Articles focus on innovations and challenges in private practice, including implications for telehealth during COVID-19, master’s-level practitioners, and retirement.
- Innovations in Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD):
This special issue of the APA journal Practice Innovations, Vol. 4, No. 3, September 2019, published jointly with a companion issue in Psychotherapy, features the APA Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
Journal equity, diversity, and inclusion statement
Practice Innovations (PRI) is committed to embedding diversity in all areas of research, practice, and training. PRI implements the revised APA multicultural guidelines, which emphasize the integration of an ecological approach to diversity (APA, 2017). PRI has a deep understanding that diversity extends well beyond race and ethnicity, and includes but is not limited to gender identity, ability status, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religion, language, and acculturation levels, and acknowledges the impact of the intersectionality of each of these aspects.
Now more than ever, it is vital for psychologists to not only inform themselves but to also inform others about ethnic and cultural differences and similarities between and within individuals of all backgrounds. Psychologists also need to, in an ongoing way, evaluate their own practices to determine whether they are cultivating inclusive practices. Given the diversity across cultures, and the quickly changing environmental systems impacting individuals, it is imperative that psychologists be committed to cultural sensitivity and cultural humility.
Practice Innovations is committed to continually aspiring to cultural competence and to attracting manuscripts that impact diverse populations. This includes advancing our clinical and empirical knowledge about diversity, increasing our awareness, confronting structural oppression and the biases within our profession, and applying principles of cultural sensitivity when reviewing manuscripts and making editorial decisions.
APA regularly publishes task force reports and guidelines regarding many areas of equity, diversity, and inclusion. It is expected that Practice Innovations authors, reviewers, and editors stay abreast of and adhere to the current guidelines and methods of demonstrating cultural competence and humility.
Inclusive study designs
- Collaborative research models
- Diverse samples
Definitions and further details on inclusive study designs are available on the Journals EDI homepage.
Inclusive reporting standards
- Bias-free language and community-driven language guidelines (required)
- Data sharing and data availability statements (recommended)
- Impact statements (required)
- Year(s) of data collection (recommended)
- Participant sample descriptions (required)
- Constraints on Generality (COG) statements (required)
- Inclusive reference lists (recommended)
More information on this journal’s reporting standards is listed under the submission guidelines tab.
Pathways to authorship and editorship
Steven O. Walfish Grants
This journal offers Steven O. Walfish Grants to promote and support the next generation of student and early career practitioner psychologists to expand the knowledge base in the practice of psychology.
Other EDI offerings
ORCID reviewer recognition
Open Research and Contributor ID (ORCID) Reviewer Recognition provides a visible and verifiable way for journals to publicly credit reviewers without compromising the confidentiality of the peer-review process. This journal has implemented the ORCID Reviewer Recognition feature in Editorial Manager, meaning that reviewers can be recognized for their contributions to the peer-review process.
Masked peer review
This journal offers masked peer review (where both the authors’ and reviewers’ identities are not known to the other). Research has shown that masked peer review can help reduce implicit bias against traditionally female names or early-career scientists with smaller publication records (Budden et al., 2008; Darling, 2015).
Review and editorial boards
Practice Innovations seeks greater diversity on its review and editorial boards. Mentoring is available for new reviewers. Ideas and interest in developing special issues related to diversity are also encouraged. If interested, please reach out to Editor Dr. Jeff Zimmerman.
Announcement
From Monitor on Psychology
- The top 10 journal articles (December 2019)
“The Therapeutic Relationship in Cognitive–Behavioral Therapy: Essential Features and Common Challenges” (June 2019) is one of the top 10 most downloaded APA-published articles from 2019.
Grant funding
- Division 42 Steven O. Walfish grants
Editor Spotlight
From APA Journals Article Spotlight®
- Contemporary perspectives in forensic practice
- Couples therapy and intimate partner violence: Insights for mental health professionals
- New insights on self-care can promote ethical practice
- Providing trauma-informed affirmative care: Evidence-based relationship variables in working with affectional and gender minorities
- Uncovering the Trauma of Racism
