Author Guidelines

Thank you for choosing to submit your paper to us. Please take the time to read and follow the guidelines below as closely as possible, as this will ensure your paper meets the journal’s requirements. Manuscripts must be submitted in English and prepared according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). The APA website offers resources for authors learning APA style, including an overview of the manual, free tutorials on APA Style basics, and the APA Style Blog. Please consult the Guide for Authors for more details.

BEFORE SUBMISSION

Length of Manuscript: The average article length is approximately 7,500 words. Articles must be no shorter than 5,000 words and no longer than 10,000 words.

Originality and Plagiarism: Authors must ensure their work is entirely original. Any use of others' work or words must be appropriately cited or quoted. Submitted manuscripts must not have been previously published nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere.
In accordance with its publishing policies, JOHAH requires that all studies undergoing the "Blind Review Process" undergo plagiarism detection to protect scholarly integrity.  Manuscripts not accepted for publication will not undergo plagiarism screening. The final publication decision for accepted manuscripts will be based on the plagiarism detection report.

Editorial Board Submissions: If an Editor or Editorial Board Member is an author or has any competing interest regarding a submitted manuscript, this must be declared in the competing interests section. In such cases, another Editor or Editorial Board Member will oversee the peer review. These submissions undergo the same review process as any other manuscript. Editorial Board Member submissions receive no priority, and their status does not influence editorial consideration.

Informed Consent: Informed consent involves informing potential research participants about essential aspects of a study and their involvement. It is a critical element in upholding ethical standards for research involving human subjects. Typically, researchers provide participants with a written consent document outlining the required information.
In most cases, researchers must obtain a participant's signature on the informed consent document, unless the Institutional Review Board (IRB) waives either the consent requirement or the need for written documentation (e.g., a signature).

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest: All submissions must include disclosure of any relationships that could be viewed as potential conflicts of interest.

Hazards and Human or Animal Subjects: A statement of compliance is required if the work involves chemicals, procedures, or equipment with unusual hazards, or if it involves animal or human subjects. Manuscripts submitted to JOHAH must contain a statement confirming that all research involving human subjects was approved by an appropriate ethics committee (e.g., an IRB) and conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki and its subsequent amendments. Specifically, the statement must either:
(a) Note—where appropriate—that informed consent was obtained from all participants and confidentiality was protected, or
(b) Explain why such steps were unnecessary (e.g., because the research does not constitute human subjects research).

Role of the Funding Source: Identify all sources of financial support for the research and/or article preparation. Briefly describe the sponsor(s)' role, if any, in study design; data collection, analysis, or interpretation; report writing, or the decision to submit. If the funding source(s) had no involvement, state this explicitly.

Research Involving Vulnerable Populations: The Journal of Happiness and Health places special emphasis on ethical standards in research involving vulnerable populations such as children, adolescents, elderly individuals, refugees, persons with disabilities, or other at-risk groups. Research involving vulnerable populations requires additional ethical considerations.
All studies involving such groups must:

• Clearly describe the inclusion of vulnerable populations in the research design,


• Ensure that informed consent is obtained from legal guardians or representatives where necessary,


• Describe extra protective measures to minimize potential risk,


• Be approved by a registered ethics committee that explicitly reviews such research protocols.

Manuscripts that do not comply with these standards may be rejected or retracted even after publication.

Clinical Trials Policy: The Journal of Happiness and Health requires all submitted clinical trials to be prospectively registered in a publicly accessible registry such as:

• ClinicalTrials.gov,


• ISRCTN Registry,


• EU Clinical Trials Register,


• WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform.

The trial registration number must be included in both the abstract and the manuscript. The journal encourages the use of the CONSORT statement for transparent and comprehensive reporting of clinical trials. We follow the ICMJE guidelines for clinical trial registration and reporting.

Authorship and Contributorship

Definition of Authorship: Authorship provides credit for an individual’s contributions to a published work and carries responsibility and accountability for the content. The Journal of Happiness and Health adheres to the authorship criteria defined by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). According to ICMJE, authorship should be based on the following four criteria, and all four must be met:

• Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND


• Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND


• Final approval of the version to be published; AND


• Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that any questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

All individuals who meet these criteria should be listed as authors. The specific responsibilities of each author must be clearly indicated during submission. Please refer to the “Author Information” section for guidance on how to disclose individual contributions.

Group Authorship: If a manuscript is authored by a large group or research consortium, all named authors must meet the four ICMJE authorship criteria. The corresponding author is responsible for identifying the group name and listing the individual members, in accordance with any disclosure or authorship agreements.

Non-Author Contributions: Contributors who do not meet all four authorship criteria must not be listed as authors but may be acknowledged for their contributions. Individuals who meet at least one of the ICMJE criteria may be recognized as non-author contributors and listed in the Acknowledgments section of the manuscript’s title page, with a clear description of their role.

Equal Contribution and Corresponding Author Roles: Authors who contributed equally should be identified as such in the manuscript. The corresponding author must ensure all co-authors approve the final version and take responsibility for all communication with the journal during the submission and peer-review process. For detailed guidance, authors are encouraged to consult the ICMJE Recommendations.

Plagiarism and Misconduct Policy: Plagiarism in any form, including self-plagiarism, is strictly prohibited. The journal uses plagiarism detection software to screen all submitted manuscripts. If plagiarism is detected, the manuscript will be rejected or retracted depending on the stage of publication.
Other forms of misconduct include data fabrication or falsification, duplicate submission, and manipulation of images or citations. Suspected misconduct will be investigated following COPE flowcharts and may result in disciplinary actions.

Conflict of Interest: All authors, reviewers, and editors must disclose any financial or personal relationships that could be perceived as potential conflicts of interest.
Authors must declare any funding sources, affiliations, or financial interests that could affect the research. If no conflicts exist, a statement such as “The authors declare no conflict of interest” must be included. Undisclosed conflicts may result in rejection, correction, or retraction of the manuscript.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tools: We acknowledge the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in research and writing. To ensure transparency, any such use must be declared and fully described to readers and must comply with our plagiarism policy and best practices regarding citation and acknowledgements. Generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT) do not meet authorship accountability requirements and must not be listed as authors.
Specifically:

• AI-Generated Images:Any image generated by an AI tool must include a full description of the process used and a clear declaration in the image caption.


• AI-Generated Text:Any text generated by an AI tool must include a full description of the process used, appropriate and valid references/citations, and a declaration in the manuscript’s Acknowledgements.


• AI for Data Analysis/Insights:Any use of AI tools (e.g., text/data mining) for data analysis or insight generation must include a full description of the process used, including details and appropriate citations of any datasets or materials analyzed, within relevant sections of the manuscript.


• Third-Party Material:AI tools must not present third-party ideas, words, data, or material without appropriate acknowledgement or permission.

Descriptions of AI use must include, at minimum: the tool/algorithm version, its source/access point, relevant proprietary information, any modifications made by the researchers, and the date(s) of use. Any relevant competing interests or potential biases arising from tool/algorithm use must be transparently declared and may be discussed in the article.

Copyright: Authors declare to the Journal of Happiness and Health (JOHAH) that the manuscript is original, has not been previously published, and is not under consideration elsewhere. Authors accept full scientific and legal responsibility for the manuscript. All articles published in JOHAH are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Data Availability: All original articles must include a Data Availability Statement. This statement should indicate where data supporting the reported results can be found (if applicable), including hyperlinks to publicly archived datasets analyzed or generated during the study. "Data" refers to the minimal dataset necessary to interpret, replicate, and build upon the findings. If data cannot be shared publicly (e.g., to protect individual privacy), state this in the manuscript along with access conditions.
Examples:

• The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article [and/or] its supplementary materials.


• The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available in the [Repository Name] repository, [PERSISTENT WEB LINK TO DATASETS].


• The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Include the Data Availability Statement within the manuscript text, before the 'References' section, with the heading 'Data Availability Statement'.

PREPARING YOUR MANUSCRIPT
Submitted manuscripts must not have been previously published nor be under consideration elsewhere. Manuscripts must be in English and prepared according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.), as detailed below. Authors for whom English is a second language are encouraged to seek professional editing before submission.
Compile manuscripts in this order:

• Title Page


• Abstract


• Keywords


• Main Text (Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion)


• References


• Table(s)


• Figure(s)


• Appendices (if any)

Text Formatting

• Submit manuscripts in Microsoft Word (.docx).


• Use double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font.


• Use italics for emphasis.


• Enable automatic page numbering.


• Use standard heading levels per APA 7th ed. for all sections, including appendices, acknowledgments, and conflicting interests.

Title Page: Include: Full author name(s); affiliation(s) and address(es); corresponding author's email address and telephone number. Also include acknowledgments, disclosures, or funding information on this page.

Abstract: A 200–250-word abstract is required. It must not contain undefined abbreviations or unspecified references. Clearly and concisely state the study's aim, scope, method, results, important features, and original value. Avoid references.

Keywords: Provide 4 to 6 keywords for indexing.

Tables and Figures: Prepare tables and figures according to APA 7th ed. guidelines.

Citation and References List: Cite references in the text by author(s) and year in parentheses (e.g., (Smith, 2020); (Jones & Lee, 2021)). Format the reference list strictly according to APA 7th ed. examples below:
Journal Article Reference:
Grady, J. S., Her, M., Moreno, G., Perez, C., & Yelinek, J. (2019). Emotions in storybooks: A comparison of storybooks that represent ethnic and racial groups in the United States. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 8(3), 207–217. https://doi.org/10.1037/ppm0000185
Parenthetical citation: (Grady et al., 2019)
Narrative citation: Grady et al. (2019)
Book Reference (Authored):
Jackson, L. M. (2019). The psychology of prejudice: From attitudes to social action (2nd ed.). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000168-000
Sapolsky, R. M. (2017). Behave: The biology of humans at our best and worst. Penguin Books.
Parenthetical citations: (Jackson, 2019; Sapolsky, 2017)
Narrative citations: Jackson (2019) and Sapolsky (2017)
Book Reference (Edited Volume):
Kesharwani, P. (Ed.). (2020). Nanotechnology-based approaches for tuberculosis treatment. Academic Press.
Torino, G. C., Rivera, D. P., Capodilupo, C. M., Nadal, K. L., & Sue, D. W. (Eds.). (2019). Microaggression theory: Influence and implications. John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119466642
Parenthetical citations: (Kesharwani, 2020; Torino et al., 2019)
Narrative citations: Kesharwani (2020) and Torino et al. (2019)
Edited Book Chapter Reference:
Dillard, J. P. (2020). Currents in the study of persuasion. In M. B. Oliver, A. A. Raney, & J. Bryant (Eds.), Media effects: Advances in theory and research (4th ed., pp. 115–129). Routledge.
Parenthetical citation: (Dillard, 2020)
Narrative citation: Dillard (2020)

AFTER ACCEPTANCE
Accepted articles undergo bibliography preparation, reference checking, and online publication as "Online First" articles.

Publication and Submission Fees: There are no submission fees, publication fees, or page charges. All content is freely accessible worldwide. JOHAH publishes your work without access barriers, enabling global distribution and greater visibility and citation potential.

Plagiarism Detection: In accordance with its publishing policies, JOHAH requires plagiarism detection for all studies accepted after the "Blind Review Process."  Screening commonly uses Turnitin and iThenticate software. Matches found are analyzed in detail. Correctly referenced matches are identified. Remaining matches are scrutinized for errors, and a detailed report is submitted to the editorial board. The board makes the final publication decision based on this report.

References and Citation Control: Scientific research builds upon previous work. References and attributions must adhere to established rules. Errors, intentional or unintentional, harm study and publication reliability.
In line with its publication ethics, JOHAH requires correct and complete references and attributions for all accepted studies. Therefore, after acceptance, each study undergoes bibliography, referencing, and attribution checking by a service selected by the editorial board.

Assigning a DOI: A Digital Object Identifier (DOI) is a unique access number enabling identification and accessibility of electronically published articles. Every article published in JOHAH or in "Online First" must have a DOI.

Language Editing: The editorial board may request language editing for manuscripts during review or after acceptance.

Online First (FirstView) Articles: "Online First" articles are final, accepted articles published online via the JOHAH platform before inclusion in a print/online issue. They are copyedited, typeset, and approved by authors. We aim to post articles within four weeks of acceptance. When published in an issue, articles are removed from the Online First page.
This version is normally definitive. However, if errors are identified, they may be corrected during issue publication or, exceptionally, by uploading a corrected version. The issue publication constitutes the Version of Record; subsequent corrections require an erratum.

Publication Ethics
The Journal of Happiness and Health adheres to the highest standards of publication ethics and follows the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). We are committed to maintaining integrity in academic publishing and expect all parties involved—authors, reviewers, editors, and publishers—to uphold these standards.
Authors must ensure that their work is original, accurate, and properly cited. Fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism in any form constitutes unethical behavior and is unacceptable. Reviewers are expected to evaluate manuscripts fairly, confidentially, and without conflict of interest. Editors must ensure transparency, objectivity, and fairness in the editorial process. Learn more: Publication Ethics

Retraction Policy: The Journal of Happiness and Health follows the COPE Retraction Guidelines. Articles may be retracted under the following circumstances:

• Evidence of unreliable findings due to misconduct (e.g., data manipulation) or honest error,


• Plagiarism or redundant publication,


• Unethical research practices,


• Legal issues or copyright infringement,


• Author conflict or authorship disputes.

All retractions will be clearly identified on the journal website, including the reason for the retraction. The original article will remain accessible, but it will be watermarked as “Retracted” and accompanied by a retraction notice. Authors and affiliated institutions will be informed of the decision. The Journal follows the COPE Retraction Guidelines in managing such cases. For detailed information, please refer to the COPE Retraction Guidelines: https://publicationethics.org

Article Withdrawal: Responsibilities for withdrawing a study/article are shared between author(s) and the editorial board per JOHAH policies:

Author Responsibilities:

• If an author discovers an error in an unpublished, "Online First," or under-review study, they must cooperate with the journal editor during withdrawal.


• Authors wishing to withdraw a study under review must email to editor@journalofhappinessandhealth.com. The editorial board will evaluate the request within two weeks.


• Manuscripts submitted to JOHAH cannot be submitted elsewhere unless officially withdrawn.

Editorial Responsibilities:

• The editorial board must investigate if plagiarism or copyright infringement is suspected in a submitted study.


• If plagiarism/copyright breach is detected in a manuscript under review, the board will retract it, cancel the review process, and notify the author(s) with detailed evidence.


• If plagiarism/copyright breach is detected in a published or "Online First" article, the following retraction procedures must be applied within one week:


• Label the article "Retraction:" in the online version.


• Replace the Abstract and Full Text with a notice stating the reasons for retraction, detailed evidence, and any institutional statements.


• Announce the retraction on the journal's homepage.


• Include the article as "Retraction: [Article Title]" in the contents of the next published issue. The first page of the retraction notice must state the reasons and original citations.


• Inform the author(s)' affiliated institution(s).


• Report the retraction to the journal's indexing services.


• The editorial board may suggest to other publishers or journals where the author(s) has previously published that those works be reviewed for validity/reliability or retracted.