MANUSCRIPT TYPE

The International Journal of Counseling and Psychotherapy (IJCP) accepts four types of manuscripts: Original Research Articles, Review Articles, Case Reports, and Conceptual Papers. Each manuscript must correspond to one of these categories and comply with the structure and formatting requirements specified for the selected manuscript type.
Authors are required to select the appropriate manuscript type during online submission and use the corresponding IJCP manuscript template. The selected manuscript type must accurately reflect the research design, methodological approach, and primary objective of the submitted work.
The Editorial Team reserves the right to reclassify a manuscript during initial screening or peer review when the selected manuscript type does not accurately represent the nature and methodology of the submitted paper.

Manuscript Categories
Select the manuscript category that best represents the research design, clinical orientation, and methodological characteristics of your submission:

1. Original Research Articles
Original Research Articles present empirical, data-driven investigations that contribute new knowledge to the fields of counseling, psychotherapy, mental health interventions, psychological assessment, counselor education, and therapeutic processes. These studies may employ quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods designs (such as randomized controlled trials, experimental or quasi-experimental studies, longitudinal investigations, psychometric validations, or phenomenological inquiries) supported by rigorous data collection and ethical compliance.

Recommended Article Structure: Title; Abstract; INTRODUCTION; MATERIALS AND METHODS; RESULTS AND DISCUSSION; IMPLICATIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS; LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS; CONCLUSION; Acknowledgments; CRediT Authorship Contribution Statement; Declaration of GenAI Usage in Scientific Writing; Conflict of Interest Statement; Funding Statement; REFERENCES; Author Information.

2. Review Articles
Review Articles provide comprehensive, critical, and structured syntheses of existing scholarly literature on significant topics, emerging therapeutic modalities, or unresolved debates within counseling and psychotherapy. Acceptable formats include systematic reviews, meta-analyses, scoping reviews, and narrative state-of-the-art reviews conducted in accordance with recognized reporting standards (e.g., PRISMA). These manuscripts must move beyond mere descriptive summaries to identify research gaps, evaluate methodological quality, and chart future clinical and research directions.

Recommended Article Structure: Title; Abstract; INTRODUCTION; MATERIALS AND METHODS; RESULTS AND DISCUSSION; IMPLICATIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS; LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS; CONCLUSION; Acknowledgments; CRediT Authorship Contribution Statement; Declaration of GenAI Usage in Scientific Writing; Conflict of Interest Statement; Funding Statement; REFERENCES; Author Information.

3. Case Reports
Case Reports offer in-depth, contextualized clinical examinations of specific therapeutic processes, rare psychological presentations, culturally adapted interventions, or innovative counseling strategies applied to individual clients, couples, families, or groups. Submissions must demonstrate rigorous clinical documentation, clear diagnostic or case formulation, ethical safeguards (including informed consent and strict client anonymization), and transferable clinical insights for practitioners.

Recommended Article Structure: Title; Abstract; INTRODUCTION; MATERIALS AND METHODS; RESULTS AND DISCUSSION (Case Presentation & Discussion); IMPLICATIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS; LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS; CONCLUSION; Acknowledgments; CRediT Authorship Contribution Statement; Declaration of GenAI Usage in Scientific Writing; Conflict of Interest Statement; Funding Statement; REFERENCES; Author Information.

4. Conceptual Papers
Conceptual Papers are rigorous analytical manuscripts that propose novel theoretical models, integrate cross-disciplinary counseling paradigms, critically re-examine established psychotherapeutic frameworks, or advance philosophical and ethical arguments in mental health practice. These manuscripts must offer substantial original intellectual contributions, logical coherence, and clear applicability to counseling theory, training, or clinical practice rather than mere descriptive commentary.

Recommended Article Structure: Title; Abstract; INTRODUCTION; THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK; DISCUSSION; IMPLICATIONS AND CONTRIBUTIONS; LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS; CONCLUSION; Acknowledgments; CRediT Authorship Contribution Statement; Declaration of GenAI Usage in Scientific Writing; Conflict of Interest Statement; Funding Statement; REFERENCES; Author Information.