Editorial and publishing policies

The papers submitted for publication in the PNU Journal for Educational and Psychological Sciences should meet the following conditions:

• The manuscripts should not violate the provisions of Islamic Law (Sharia), enforceable laws, or the state's orientations, policies, plans, and initiatives. 
• The contents of manuscripts should not incite discord and division, undermine the state's security and public order, harm public interests, or serve foreign interests conflicting with public ones.
• The published materials should not offend human dignity and rights, promote sectarianism, damage reputation, or cause slander.
•  The research work should be original, novel, and innovative and should contribute knowledge in the field.
• The manuscripts should adhere to scientific integrity and observe the methods and ethics of scientific research.
• It should be ensured that the manuscripts have not been previously published in full by any entity, including scientific journals or using any media.
• Plagiarism should not exceed (20%), following the publication guidelines at Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University.
• The manuscript must not exceed (30) A4 pages, including the abstracts in Arabic and English and references (10,000 words).
• The references should be cited according to the latest version of the American Psychological Association (APA).
• The manuscripts should adhere to linguistic accuracy and consider the proper use of punctuation marks.
• The manuscripts could be in Arabic or English, and the abstracts should be in Arabic and English.
• Authors should adhere to the template and guidelines of the journal.
• Correspondence should be via e-mail, and submission of a manuscript implies the author's acceptance of the journal's publication conditions. ​
  

• The manuscript must include the following sections:

• Introduction covers a statement of the problem and theoretical background, and the literature review is included without a subtitle.
• Statement of the Problem includes the questions/ hypotheses and objectives.
• Significance highlights the theoretical and applied significance of the study.
• Definition of Terms includes conceptual and procedural definitions of terms.
• Procedures include (the methodology, population and sampling, tools, validity and reliability of the tool, procedures, data analysis and statistical methods).
• Results present the questions and answers, tabulating results, and commentary.
• Discussion offers a discussion of the results in light of the literature and theoretical frameworks and making recommendations and suggestions, if any.
• References: References are provided in Arabic and English and are cited according to the latest version of the APA style.

• The author attaches 250-word abstracts in Arabic and English, including (background, objectives, method, results, and recommendations), which should be carefully edited.
• The abstract is followed by keywords not more than (4) not included in the title, expressing the themes of the study.
• The title page should be separate and include the title, name(s) of author(s), affiliation(s) in Arabic and English, and correspondence address. It is followed by a page containing the title and the content.
• The margins are customized to (3) cm, and the line spacing is single.
• In Arabic manuscripts, the font is (Traditional Arabic), the size of the main titles is (18), the size of the subtitles is (16 dark), the size of the content is (16), the size of the abstract and margin is (13), and the size of the tables and figures is (10) and dark for the table's head and commentary.
•  In English manuscripts, the font is (Times New Roman), the size of the main titles is (12), the size of the subtitles is (11 dark), the size of the content is (11), the size of the abstract and margin is (9), and the size of the tables and figures is (8) and dark for the table's head and commentary.
• Tables should be numbered sequentially above the table, followed by the title in italics. Using tables should be minimized, if possible.
• Figures should be numbered sequentially, with the number below followed by the title.
• Page numbers should appear at the center bottom of the page.
• The numbering system throughout the paper should be in Arabic numerals.
• The manuscript should not contain the name(s) of the author(s) in the content or margins explicitly or implicitly, to avoid revealing their identity. Instead, author(s) could be used.
  

• The author submits the paper using the journal's template via email with a letter to the Editor-in-Chief requesting publication in the journal.
• The author provides a written declaration (available on the journal's website) that the paper has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere.
• The author receives notifications of the confirmation of submission, preliminary review, final review, and publication in the journal.
• The manuscript is presented to the editorial board for preliminary review to determine its alignment with the journal's policy and goals, adherence to scientific research standards, and suitability for peer-review. If deemed unsuitable, the author is notified “rejected".
• In case of initial acceptance, the editorial board selects three reviewers, two of whom are primary.
• The manuscripts are reviewed by two reviewers; if their opinions differ, the manuscript is sent to the third reviewer.
• If the primary reviewers recommend acceptance, the author is notified to make modifications, along with a table detailing the reviewers' comments. After making modifications, a “Research Acceptance for Publication" statement is sent to the author, specifying the issue.
• If both primary reviewers recommend rejecting the manuscript, the author is informed of the rejection. Resubmission of the same paper to the journal is not permitted.​