Indian Journal of Mental Health Research (IJMHR) is a peer-reviewed, Open Access journal dedicated to advancing high-quality scholarship across the full spectrum of mental health research. The journal aims to connect clinical practice, public mental health, behavioral medicine, and applied psychological science through rigorous empirical work, methodological innovation, and clinically meaningful synthesis.

IJMHR welcomes submissions from India and globally, with particular interest in research that is context-sensitive, ethically conducted, and relevant to real-world mental health needs—across clinical services, community settings, digital platforms, educational institutions, and policy ecosystems.

Focus and Scope

IJMHR publishes work that improves understanding, prevention, assessment, and treatment of mental health problems and promotes psychological well-being across the lifespan. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Clinical psychology and psychotherapy (including mechanism-focused and effectiveness research)

• Psychiatry and clinical neuroscience (with clear mental health relevance)

• Neuropsychology, cognition, and neurocognitive rehabilitation

• Child, adolescent, women’s, and geriatric mental health

• Community mental health, school/college mental health, and suicide prevention

• Addiction and behavioral addictions

• Psychological assessment, psychometrics, and test development/validation

• Digital mental health, tele-psychology, AI-enabled tools (with appropriate safeguards and validation)

• Epidemiology, prevention, and public mental health

• Health psychology, lifestyle medicine, and behavioral medicine

• Occupational mental health and organizational well-being

• Mental health policy, governance, implementation science, and service delivery research

• Socio-cultural determinants, stigma, equity, inclusion, and vulnerable populations

The journal encourages submissions that are methodologically sound and clearly reported, including quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods, and evidence synthesis.

Types of Manuscripts Considered

IJMHR considers:

• Original Research Articles

• Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

• Brief Reports / Short Communications

• Case Reports / Case Series (with clear clinical learning and ethical safeguards)

• Methodology Papers and Instrument Development/Validation

• Perspectives, Commentaries, and Policy Analyses

• Letters to the Editor and Book Reviews (selectively)

Open Access Policy

IJMHR provides immediate Open Access to its content on the principle that free availability of research supports greater global exchange of knowledge and improves public health and clinical practice. Readers may access, read, download, and share articles without subscription or paywall barriers.

Article Processing Charges (APC)

The Indian Journal of Mental Health Research (IJMHR) is an Open Access journal. To support editorial processing, peer review management, production, online hosting, and long-term digital preservation, an Article Processing Charge (APC) is payable only after acceptance. There is no submission fee.

APC (after acceptance)

• ₹5,000 INR (payments in India/INR), or

• US$60 (international payments in USD)

Notes

• APCs are charged only after acceptance; ability to pay does not influence editorial decisions.

• Any applicable bank/payment gateway charges and taxes (if required) will be borne by the payer and communicated at invoicing.

Waivers and Discounts 

Country-based:

IJMHR provides country-based APC waivers/discounts for eligible authors using the Research4Life country classification. Accordingly, manuscripts with the corresponding author’s primary institutional affiliation in a Group A country/territory may be eligible for a full APC waiver, and those in a Group B country/territory may be eligible for a partial discount, as applicable under the journal’s waiver rules. The official eligibility list (Group A and Group B) is maintained by Research4Life.

Need-based:

In addition to country-based eligibility, IJMHR considers need-based waivers/discounts for authors from any country who demonstrate a genuine inability to pay (e.g., students without funding, unfunded research, or documented hardship). Waiver requests should preferably be made at the time of submission (or during editorial processing) and are handled administratively; importantly, waiver status does not influence editorial decisions, which are based solely on scholarly merit and adherence to ethical and reporting standards.

Copyright and Licensing

Unless otherwise stated, IJMHR recommends publishing articles under a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0), which permits sharing and adaptation with proper attribution to the authors and the journal. Authors retain copyright while granting the journal the right of first publication.

Peer Review Process and Editorial Standards

All research submissions undergo editorial screening followed by peer review by independent experts. IJMHR prioritizes:

• scientific validity and transparency of methods and analyses,

• ethical compliance and research integrity,

• clarity of reporting and relevance to mental health science/practice.

Where applicable, authors are encouraged to follow recognized reporting guidelines (e.g., CONSORT, PRISMA, STROBE, COREQ) and to provide data availability statements.

Sponsorship and Funding Disclosure

IJMHR maintains editorial independence. Any sponsorships, partnerships, or financial support—if applicable—will be transparently disclosed on the journal website and within published articles when relevant. Authors must disclose all sources of funding and potential conflicts of interest in their submissions.

Journal History and Publication Schedule

The Indian Journal of Mental Health Research was established in 2025 with the aim of strengthening accessible, high-quality mental health research and practice-relevant scholarship. The journal is published Continuously.

 

Archiving and Digital Preservation (LOCKSS/CLOCKSS)

To ensure long-term preservation and access, IJMHR supports digital archiving through available preservation services. The journal is compatible with PKP Preservation Network and LOCKSS. This helps ensure content remains accessible even in the event of service interruption.

Privacy Statement

Names and email addresses entered in this journal site will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of the journal (submission processing, peer review, editorial communication, and publication workflows). This information will not be made available for any other purpose or to any other party, except as required to operate standard publishing services (e.g., email delivery, DOI registration, indexing services) and only to the extent necessary.

Registration and Submissions

Authors are required to register on the journal website to submit manuscripts and track the editorial process. Detailed submission guidelines, author instructions, and policies are available under the “Submissions” section.