PSI Publishing Standards

This page provides the standards for members who are writing articles or research papers to be published Professional Standards Institute (PSI). These standards are grouped in three categoreies: (1) Common Standards, apply to both articles and research papers, (2) Article Standards, apply to articles only, and (3) Research Paper Standards, apply to research papers only. These standards may change without notice.

Currently, PSI will only accept submissions from PSI certification holders as part of their certification or re-certification process. Authors who submit their work to be published by PSI must agree to the standards on this page.

  Common Standards

The Common Standards apply to both articles and research papers published by PSI.

1. Submitted articles and research papers must only have one author, the PSI member.
2. All work must be original. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. All referenced work must be cited.
3. Published work must use the APA or MLA writing style standard. (see note below)
4. All submitted articles and research papers must be written and presented in a professional manner.
5. Copyright laws and other laws must not be violated in the published work.
6. Submitted articles and research papers must not include any foul language, or classified or privacy information.
7. Published work must not disparage an individual, group, or organization (private or public).
8. Quoting other work must be used very sparingly, and must be cited. Over quoted work will not be accepted, even when cited. It is recommended to paraphrase other work, also used sparingly, and must be cited.
9. Submitted articles and research papers must not include any email addresses or web URL links, unless otherwise specified in these Publishing Standards. One exception is links may be included in the "References" section to articles cited in the work.
10. References must come from quality sources such as professional journals and conferences. Sources such as blogs and open source websites are not acceptable.
11. Articles and research papers must be submitted in the PDF format, without security. The metadata within the PDF document must adhear to these Publishing Standards as appropriate.
12. Authors own the copyrights to the submitted articles and research papers, but give PSI permission to permanently publish the work on the PSI website. Articles and research papers are published using the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/).
13. Submitted articles and research papers must not include any type of commercial advertising.
14. Submitted work must not have a conflict of interest with other work, organizations, or any other circumstances.
15. Submitted articles and research papers must not be affiliated with or sponsored by an organization.
16. Authors must not include any additional legal terms or technical methods that would affect or restrict the terms of these Publishing Standards or Creative Commons licensing.

Note: Professional Standards Institute is developing a writing style standard. It will be intuitive, easy to use, and not complex. Members will use the writing styles mentioned above until the PSI writing style is released.

  Article Standards

The Article Standards apply to articles published by PSI.

1. Articles must include a header. The header will include the title of the work, the author name, and the date of the article. The title must not be in all capital letters. Only the first letter of each word would be capitalized.
2. Optional: Authors may obtain an Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID) and include the ORCID link under the author name in the header. A free ORCID can be obtained at https://orcid.org/.
3. All pages of the article will include a page number, centered, in the footer of the document.
4. Articles must include a minimum of five sections: Header, Abstract, Article Body, Conclusion, and References. Additionl sections may be added as needed.
5. The minimum size of the article is 3000 or more words. Authors may format the articles as single or double spaced pages or in single spaced columns. References are not included in the word count.

  Research Paper Standards

The Research Paper Standards apply to research papers published by PSI.

1. Research Papers must include a title page. The title page will include the title of the work, the author name, and the date of the research paper. The title must not be in all capital letters. Only the first letter of each word would be capitalized.
2. Optional: Authors may obtain an Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID) and include the ORCID link under the author name on the title page. A free ORCID can be obtained at https://orcid.org/.
3. All pages of the research paper will include a page number, centered, in the footer of the document, except for the title page.
4. Research Papers must include a minimum of eight sections: Title Page, Abstract, Introduction, Literature Review, Data Collection and Research Methodology, Research Analysis and Findings, Summary and Conclusion, and References. Additionl sections may be added as needed. A Table of Contents, List of Figures, and List of Tables must be included as appropriate.
5. Within the eight sections, the following items must also be addressed (as necessary): Definitions, background, problem statement, purpose and significance of research, research questions, theoretical framework, scope, delimitations, limitations, data sources, proposals, recommendations, discussion, and future research.
6. The minimum size of the research paper is 7000 or more words. Authors may format the research paper as single or double spaced pages. The table of contents, list of figures, list of tables, and references are not included in the word count.