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devpsych-submission

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Use when running the final pre-submission preflight for Developmental Psychology (APA) via Editorial Manager — length-tier compliance, the abstract and Public Significance Statement, APA 7th + JARS reporting, masked-review anonymization, the data-availability statement, and preregistration/data DOIs. Final checks; it does not draft content.

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Submission Preflight (devpsych-submission)

The last check before submitting through Editorial Manager (editorialmanager.com/dvl). Three things sink Developmental Psychology submissions most often: the developmental claim not being credible (age vs. cohort, invariance, attrition), JARS/length-tier non-compliance, and weak transparency. Verify volatile specifics (length numbers, abstract ceiling, policy wording, editor) on the official page first.

When to trigger

  • "Submitting tomorrow" — last pass before upload
  • Unsure what the length tier, abstract, and transparency requirements demand
  • Confirming the Public Significance Statement, anonymization, and deposits are in order

Process facts (verify volatile items on the official page)

  • Publisher: American Psychological Association (APA). ISSN: 0012-1649 (print); 1939-0599 (online).
  • Editor: Koraly Pérez-Edgar (Penn State; editorship since 2023-01-01) (web-verified 2026-06-22; re-verify before submission).
  • Portal: Editorial Manager, editorialmanager.com/dvl.
  • Review: masked peer review available on request — keep author identity out of the manuscript and out of shared links; submit a masked copy via a stable link or supplemental material.
  • Length tiers (检索于 2026-06；以官网为准): ~4,500 words (brief report), ~10,500 (larger report), ~15,000 (multi-study / comprehensive longitudinal); length counts cover page, abstract, text, references, tables, and figures.
  • Front matter: APA-style abstract plus a Public Significance Statement (2–3 sentences, ~30–70 words) on the abstract/keywords page.
  • Style: APA 7th edition; JARS reporting (JARS-Quant / JARS-Qual / MARS).
  • Transparency: TOP guidelines — data-availability statement, persistent identifiers (DOIs), preregistration where applicable, sample-size justification.

Preflight checklist

Format & front matter

  • Manuscript within the chosen length tier (total counts cover page, abstract, text, refs, exhibits)
  • APA-style abstract within the current ceiling; developmental change foregrounded
  • Public Significance Statement present: 2–3 plain sentences (~30–70 words)
  • APA 7th edition style; tables/figures and references formatted per APA

Developmental credibility (JARS)

  • Age vs. cohort addressed; change claim matched to the design
  • Measurement invariance reported before interpreting change (configural→metric→scalar)
  • Attrition analysis + principled missing-data model (FIML/MI)
  • Sample-size justification for the change parameter (power/precision)
  • Effect sizes + confidence intervals for major results; full JARS disclosure

Masked review (if requested)

  • No author names/affiliations in the masked manuscript
  • Repository / preregistration links anonymized (e.g., OSF anonymized view; Databrary view link)
  • Identifying file metadata stripped

Transparency (TOP)

  • Data-availability statement present (what is shared / restricted, why)
  • Data + scripts deposited with DOIs (or a justified restricted-access archive); reproduce in a fresh session
  • Minors'/identifiable data handled per consent/IRB (e.g., permission-based archive)
  • Preregistration linked; confirmatory/exploratory consistent

Worked micro-example — preflight verdict (illustrative)

Running the three-wave effortful-control package through the gate the night before upload:

Tier:       larger research report; total 9,800 / ~10,500 words → PASS
Abstract:   within ceiling; foregrounds within-person growth → PASS
Public Sig: 3 plain sentences, 58 words → PASS
Credibility: scalar invariance reported; FIML + attrition analysis;
            power simulation for the interaction → PASS
Stats:      slope and interaction carry effect sizes + 95% CIs → PASS
Mask:       no names; OSF anonymized-view + Databrary view links;
            PDF metadata stripped → PASS
Transparency: data-availability statement present; data/scripts DOI'd;
            video via Databrary; prereg linked → PASS
Verdict:    ready to upload to Editorial Manager (editorialmanager.com/dvl).

Last-mile failure modes that trigger a return

FailureCaught byQuick fix
Over the length tierformat checkmove robustness/full models to online supplemental material
No Public Significance Statementfront-matter checkadd 2–3 plain sentences (~30–70 words)
Trajectory with no invariance testcredibility checkreport configural→metric→scalar before change
Listwise deletion, real attritioncredibility checkrefit with FIML/MI; add attrition analysis
OSF/Databrary link reveals authormasking checkswitch to anonymized/view links before upload
"Data on request," no statementtransparency checkadd a data-availability statement + DOIs

Volatile specifics (length numbers, abstract ceiling, accepted article types, current editor) change. Re-confirm every number above against the journal's current submission guidelines before relying on it.

Anti-patterns

  • Submitting over the length tier instead of using online supplemental material
  • Missing or jargon-laden Public Significance Statement
  • Interpreting change with no invariance test, or deleting dropouts
  • Non-anonymized manuscript or links during masked review
  • No data-availability statement / transient links instead of DOIs

Output format

【Tier】within the chosen length limit? [Y/N]
【Front matter】abstract + Public Significance Statement (2–3 sentences)? [Y/N]
【Credibility】age/cohort + invariance + attrition + sample-size justification? [Y/N]
【APA 7th + JARS】style + ES/CI + full disclosure? [Y/N]
【Masked】manuscript + links + metadata anonymized? [Y/N]
【Transparency】data-availability statement + DOIs + preregistration? [Y/N]
【Next】await decision → devpsych-rebuttal on R&R

Supplementary resources