The Saudi Journal of Psychological Counseling receives, reviews, and publishes manuscripts in accordance with the following procedures:
- Manuscript Submission
Authors submit their manuscripts, together with the journal's manuscript submission form and a curriculum vitae, via the journal's official email. For co-authored manuscripts, only the CV of the corresponding author is required. - Initial Screening
The Editor-in-Chief, or a designated editor, reviews the manuscript, submission form, and CV to assess the manuscript's alignment with the journal's policies and objectives and its compliance with the standards of scholarly research in the field. - Initial Editorial Decision
The Editor-in-Chief determines whether the manuscript is eligible for initial acceptance and referral to the Editorial Board or whether the author should be notified that the manuscript cannot be considered for publication. - Editorial Board Review
Manuscripts that pass the initial screening are referred to the Editorial Board for consideration and selection of reviewers. Manuscripts rejected at this stage are presented to the Editorial Board with the reason for rejection. - Reviewer Selection
The Editorial Board selects three reviewers for each manuscript in accordance with the journal's policies and regulations: two primary reviewers and one reserve reviewer. - Peer Review
The Editor-in-Chief invites the two primary reviewers to evaluate the manuscript using the journal's approved peer-review procedures and forms. Reviewers are given a maximum of 30 days from receipt of the manuscript to submit their reports. - Peer-Review Decision
The author is notified of the peer-review outcome as follows: - Acceptance: If both primary reviewers recommend acceptance.
- Rejection: If both primary reviewers recommend rejection. In this case, the manuscript may not be resubmitted to the journal.
- Rejection: If one primary reviewer recommends rejection and the other recommends major revisions followed by re-review.
- Use of the Reserve Reviewer
If one primary reviewer recommends rejection while the other recommends acceptance, either with revisions that do not require further review or without revisions, the reserve reviewer is asked to evaluate the manuscript according to the journal's approved procedures and forms, within a maximum of 30 days of receiving the manuscript.
- Revision and Re-evaluation
If the reviewers recommend publication subject to revisions, the author is asked to:
- Address the reviewers' comments and submit a revised manuscript by email within 45 days.
- Provide a response table detailing the reviewers' comments and indicating the corresponding revisions, with the revised portions highlighted in the manuscript.
The revised manuscript and the reviewers' reports are then referred to the Editorial Board, which may:
- Return the manuscript to the original reviewer(s) to verify that the required revisions have been adequately addressed; or
- Assign the manuscript to another editor or reviewer to verify completion of the revisions when the required changes are minor.
- Final Editorial Decision
The Editor-in-Chief notifies the author of the Editorial Board's final decision, whether acceptance for publication or rejection. - Publication Scheduling
The Editorial Board determines which accepted manuscripts will be published in each issue and their order of publication. This authority may be delegated to the Editor-in-Chief. - Production and Publication
The journal's administration, in coordination with the Scientific Journals Unit, oversees the design, production, publication, distribution, and electronic archiving/deposit of each journal issue.
Reviewer Registration
The Saudi Journal of Psychological Counseling welcomes specialists in psychological counseling holding the rank of Professor or Associate Professor to register as peer reviewers. Applicants are required to provide a link to their CV in the registration form.
Click here to register as a reviewer
