People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

PEER REVIEW PROCESS

Please note that submissions for 2026 publication are now closed. 

Articles can be submitted at any time for review via the online submission system.

At the point of submission, the Editors evaluate the Abstract of each article for suitability for the journal and whether it should be reviewed. If accepted for review, the article is reviewed by (usually) two independent reviewers, appointed by the Editors. Independent reviewers will not know the names of the submitting authors, nor the authors the name of the reviewers. This initial review takes up to 6 weeks. Feedback is given in a template with specific criteria used to assess the quality of the submission. Based on the recommendations and comments of the two independent reviewers, a decision about rejection, acceptance with minor amends or acceptance with major amends will be made by the Editors. If the recommendation from the initial review is for major or minor revisions, authors have 30 days to upload a revised submission. Revisions will not be considered after this time. Revisions must clearly explain and highlight how each point of the reviewers’ feedback has been addressed in the revised submission. The resubmission is evaluated within 30 days and a final decision lies with the Editors.

Articles will be published online as soon as they have been accepted by the Editors and the copy-writing and type-setting processes are complete.

HOW TO SUBMIT AN ARTICLE

All submissions must be made via the online submission process, which is currently closed.

Before uploading your submission, please ensure you have read the ‘instructions for authors’ below, which advises on formatting and content.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR AUTHORS

Please read the following requirements before submitting a manuscript.

1. Length and formatting requirements

  • Write your article in English
  • Maximum length of 5000 words, including abstract, appendixes, tables, figures and references
  • An abstract of 250 words maximum must be submitted
  • Keywords – a maximum of six keywords must be included
  • Line numbers and page number must be inserted
  • Do not include a title page, abstract or author details in your article. These should be submitted separate from your article as part of the online submission process. Begin the document with the introduction. A title page, including the abstract, will be added to your paper by the editors
  • Submit your manuscript, including tables, figures, appendices, etc., as a single file (Word, RTF, or PDFfiles are accepted)
  • If figures are included, use high-resolution figures, preferably encoded as encapsulated PostScript (eps).
  • Headings (e.g. start of sections) should be distinguished from the main body text by their fonts or by using small caps
  • Titles: Whenever possible, titles of books, movies etc. should be set in italics rather than underlined
  • Tables and figures: These should appear in the document near where they are referenced in the text and not in a separate document or file. All tables and figures must fit within 1.5” margins on all sides in both portrait and landscape view
  • Referencing: Use APA style referencing. Here is a link that you may find helpful
  • Use of Alt-text. Alt-text is a concise (ideally 25-30 word) visual description of an image used by screen readers that enable people to listen to a publication rather than read it. Alt-text is required for all photos, drawings, charts, graphs, etc. Please submit the Alt-text wording underneath the drawing, chart etc. it relates to
  • More information about alt-text and best practices for writing it is available at Purdue’s LibGuide on Accessibility, as well as elsewhere on the internet. This is a particularly good resource for constructing alt-text for charts and graphs.

2.Content guidelines

We welcome both Research and Practice manuscripts.

We encourage all manuscripts, wherever possible and relevant, to reflect the:

Research  manuscripts

For original research articles (this may include quantitative and qualitative research, mixed methods, observational and evaluative research), please include the following:

  • Abstract plus max 6 keywords
  • Introduction/Scientific Background
  • Research Question
  • Methods (including sample, sample size for both participant and animals and instruments, including statistical tests where appropriate)
  • Results
  • Discussion
  •  *Summary for Practitioners
  • Ethical permissions/Informed consent
  • Acknowledgements
  •  References

*The summary for HAI and AAS practitioners is a mandatory section. It should summarize the most important information from all sections, elaborating on the abstract to comment on the relevance of the information, especially the results, for the practice of AAI, companion animal ownership or human-animal interactions in general. If possible and feasible from your research findings, in your summary please consider the perspectives of both the animals and humans involved.

Practice manuscripts

These can take the form of:

Program descriptions

Articles in this category can describe innovative programs delivering AAS or promoting the human-animal bond and human-animal interactions. Focus on relevant aspects of the program for both humans and animals involved and include the following:

  • Introduction
  • Program description
  • Implementation (Number of participants, Risks, Problems etc.)
  • Financial aspects
  • Outcomes (including any outcome or evaluation measures applied)
  • Conclusion
  • References
  • Acknowledgements (e.g. funding grants, foundations, etc.)

Best practices

Articles in this category can describe best practices in AAS and companion animal ownership or promoting the human-animal bond and human-animal interactions. This can include certain protocols or procedures to ensure the well-being of humans and animals in a specific setting, practical approaches to increase the benefits for the humans and animals in this interaction, implementation of handbooks, regulations or codes of practice, training methods, evaluation/quality assurance, or similar topics.

Education

Articles in this category can describe or review education, training programs and accreditation protocols for AAS practitioners/those involved in the delivery of AAS. Should include details on scope (target group, education level e.g. postgraduate or CPD), format (e.g. online or practical or mixed etc.), content overview, accreditation or certification process if applicable and any follow-up evaluation of the training.

Other articles

We encourage authors to submit articles on topics such as ethics, law, hygiene, zoonoses/allergies, policies, politics, animal welfare, or other aspects as long as they are relevant for animal-assisted services, companion animal ownership or human-animal interactions. Articles should focus on benefits or risks for either the human, the animal, or both or advance the understanding of issues affecting the human-animal bond. The structure of the article depends on the topic and is up to the author/s.

Please note that we will only consider literature reviews if they have a clear research question, clear methodology, strong conclusions and are current.

For both research and practice articles – language and ethics

 Language: Use language that is respectful to animals and people (e.g., don’t refer to animal as “it” but rather, e.g. the animal (the cat(s); “guardian/caregiver” for an animal, instead of “owner”) so as to not objectify the animal. Do not use the word “use”(of animal), but rather participate or involve.

Also, the use of ‘person first language’ which is standard language etiquette in Psychology and education in the USA. “By using such a sentence structure the speaker articulates the idea of a disability as a secondary attribute, not a characteristic of a person’s identity. Critics of this rationale point out that separating the “person” from the “trait” implies that the trait is inherently bad or “less than”, and thus dehumanizes people with disabilities.” U.Kansas, p 3

  • Statement of any conflict of interest (if applicable)
  • Statement of good animal welfare practices (and no animal harmed or welfare compromised during research) – if applicable
  • All submissions must reflect the principles of the IAHAIO’s terminology for animal-assisted services, its guidelines for Minimum Research Standards in AAS/HAI/HAB and its guidelines for Representing HAI in the Digital Age, as outlined above.