Research Articles
Empirical studies that make a substantive theoretical, mechanistic, methodological, or integrative contribution.
JERN For Authors
Guide for Authors
Prepare a clear, rigorous, and transparent submission.
This guide outlines JERN’s scope, article types, recommended manuscript lengths, submission requirements, editorial process, and publication model.
Journal fit
Submissions should make a clear contribution to understanding how experience shapes neural, cognitive, behavioural, developmental, or adaptive change.
Strong submissions do more than document an association. They clarify mechanisms, boundary conditions, time courses, individual variability, causal inference, measurement, theory, or the cumulative state of evidence.
Article types
Manuscript length
JERN does not impose a strict word-count limit. Manuscripts should be as concise as the subject matter permits while providing the theoretical, methodological, analytical, and interpretive detail needed to evaluate the work fully.
The following ranges are recommended for the main text:
Word counts refer to the main text and exclude the abstract, references, acknowledgments, tables, figure captions, and supplementary materials. Shorter manuscripts are welcome, and longer manuscripts will be considered when their scope, methodological detail, or scholarly contribution justifies the additional length. Editors may request shortening when material is repetitive or not essential to the article’s contribution.
Submission preparation checklist
Before submitting, authors should confirm that the manuscript satisfies each of the following requirements.
- Scope fit: The submission fits JERN’s aims and scope and makes a clear contribution to understanding experience-related neuroplasticity.
- Originality and exclusive consideration: The manuscript is original, has not been published previously, and is not under consideration by another journal. Posting as a preprint or presenting a conference abstract does not count as prior publication, but any such dissemination has been disclosed.
- Manuscript file and formatting: The manuscript is submitted as a .docx file, or as a .doc file when necessary, and is complete, readable, and internally consistent. JERN’s publication design and production template are not required at initial submission.
- Section numbering: Number main-text sections consecutively using Arabic numerals, such as 1. Introduction, 2. Methods, 3. Results, and 4. Discussion. Number subsections hierarchically, such as 2.1 Participants, 2.2 Materials, and 2.3 Procedure. Third-level headings may use numbering such as 2.1.1 when needed. Article types that use a different structure should apply the same numbering system to their corresponding main sections and subsections. The abstract, references, acknowledgments, author-contribution statement, funding statement, competing-interest declaration, and supplementary materials should not be numbered.
- Required manuscript information: The manuscript includes the title, abstract, keywords, author names and affiliations, corresponding-author details, acknowledgments, funding information, competing-interest declaration, and any other statements required for the article type.
- Authorship and contributions: All listed authors meet JERN’s authorship criteria, approved the submitted version, and accept accountability for the work. Multi-author manuscripts include an author-contribution statement using the CRediT taxonomy.
- Figures, tables, and permissions: All figures and tables are included in the manuscript, numbered, cited in the text, and accompanied by clear titles, captions, or notes. Necessary permissions have been obtained for third-party material, copyrighted instruments, images, or identifiable participant content.
- References: Every reference cited in the manuscript appears in the reference list, and every entry in the reference list is cited in the manuscript. References are complete and consistently formatted, and DOI links are included where available. APA Style, 7th edition, is strongly encouraged at initial submission and is required after acceptance before production.
- Ethics and consent: The research complies with applicable ethical standards. Ethics approval or exemption, informed consent, and consent for publication of identifiable material are reported where applicable.
- Data, code, and research materials: The data, code, materials, instruments, and supplementary files needed to evaluate the work are included, uploaded, or clearly described. Any access restrictions and the reason for them are stated.
- Generative AI disclosure: Any use of generative AI or AI-assisted tools in preparing the submission has been disclosed in accordance with JERN policy, and no AI system is listed as an author.
- Editor or Editorial Board member submissions: If any author is a JERN editor or Editorial Board member, that role has been disclosed in the submission. The author-editor confirms that they will not participate in reviewer selection, peer review, editorial correspondence or discussion, access to confidential review materials, or the publication decision, and will not use editorial access to view or influence the manuscript’s evaluation.
Flexible initial submission and required post-acceptance formatting: Authors may submit a complete, readable manuscript in any clear and internally consistent scholarly format. The manuscript does not need to reproduce JERN’s publication design or production template at initial submission. After acceptance and before production, the corresponding author must revise the manuscript to the JERN production template, including APA Style, 7th edition, for citations and references; a readable 12-point font; double spacing; consecutively numbered main sections and hierarchical subsections; and all required declarations and publication materials. Following these requirements before submission is strongly encouraged because it reduces post-acceptance revisions and speeds entry into production. ERN Press prepares the final typeset article.
Editorial process
01
Submission
Authors submit the manuscript and required information through JERN’s secure online submission system.
02
Editorial assessment
Editors evaluate journal fit, scholarly contribution, methodological rigor, ethics, transparency, and readiness for external review.
03
Peer review
Suitable manuscripts undergo single-blind peer review by qualified scholars with relevant expertise.
04
Revision and decision
Authors receive a reasoned editorial decision and focused revision requests when appropriate.
05
Production and publication
After acceptance, authors revise the manuscript to JERN’s production template and prepare the Mechanistic Contribution statement. ERN Press then completes copyediting, author review, final typesetting, DOI registration, assignment of a year-based article number, and continuous publication.
Mechanistic Contribution statement: After acceptance and before production, authors prepare a concise statement explaining how the work advances mechanistic understanding, clarifies boundary conditions or time course, improves measurement, or accounts for individual variability.
Publication charges
Inaugural APC
US$750 article processing charge
JERN does not charge a submission fee. The inaugural article processing charge is US$750 and is payable only after acceptance.
Questions and support
For questions about journal fit, manuscripts, peer review, policies, or editorial decisions, contact jern.editorial@ernpress.com.
For registration, login, file upload, or submission-system problems, contact jern.support@ernpress.com.
