Guidelines for Authors

Why and How to Write Articles for The Diversity of Love Journal: Knowledge from Research and Practice

Overview & Purpose

The Diversity of Love Journal, published by The International Institute of Love and Relationship Studies (love-studies-institute.org), serves as a bridge between academic inquiry and public scholarship. The main purpose of the journal is to share research-based and practice-based knowledge about love, relationships, and positive human connections with a wide audience of researchers across disciplines, curious intellectuals, practitioners, and other interested readers worldwide.

Unlike traditional academic journals that primarily communicate within specific disciplinary silos, The Diversity of Love Journal focuses on accessible, cross-disciplinary reviews of studies. Articles are written in plain, engaging, and narrative-driven language to translate complex research and practice into clear, accessible insights without losing intellectual depth.

Focus on Brief Reviews and Accessibility

The Diversity of Love Journal specializes in the publication of Brief Reviews—concise, targeted syntheses of specific themes covering love, relationships, and related topics. Designed to deliver evidence-based insights in a digestible and time-efficient format, these reviews:

  • Target Focused Topics: Explore well-defined aspects of love, relationships, and positive human connections without overwhelming the reader.
  • Synthesize Existing Scholarship: Offer accessible overviews of single or multiple publications, highlight key theoretical debates, and identify future research directions.
  • Bridge Perspectives: Connect interdisciplinary and international perspectives to foster a globally integrated understanding of human intimacy.

We invite submissions of Brief Reviews that follow the detailed guidelines below. If you have questions or wish to discuss an article concept, please feel free to reach out to us at love.studies.institute@gmail.com.

An article should be written in plain language, accessible to scholars across disciplines and curious intellectuals. The journal’s articles differ from academic articles in that they serve different purposes and belong to different genres. Scholarly articles in this journal give research-based knowledge away to other scholars and the educated public in a narrative genre.

Key Features of Publishing with Us

  • Broad Outreach & Public Visibility: Translating academic findings into concise, accessible articles gives your research greater visibility among scholars across disciplines, educators, practitioners, and the educated public.
  • Author Rights & Open Access: Articles are published under an Open Access framework. Authors retain full writing rights to their work without formal copyright transfers or restrictive contracts.
  • Ethical Standards: Publication operates under standard, fair scholarly practices. Authors are expected to maintain academic integrity, avoid plagiarism and self-plagiarism, and provide proper citations for all referenced sources.
  • Concise & Focused Format: Articles are designed to be concise, highly readable, and focused—typically ranging from 1,500 to 2,500 words—making them ideal for highlighting core conceptual ideas, key empirical findings, or thoughtful scholarly observations.

Key Specifications at a Glance

  • Body Length: 1,500 – 2,500 words (excluding references).
  • References: Up to 35 relevant citations.
  • Key Takeaways Box: 3–5 bullet points highlighting core insights, placed at the beginning of the article.
  • Subheadings: Short, descriptive subheadings every 300–400 words to enhance navigation and scannability.
  • Visual Elements: Summary tables, diagrams, or conceptual infographics are encouraged to support readability.

What Can You Write About? (Content Scope)

The Diversity of Love Journal publishes Brief Reviews and reflective articles focused on ways of how people love, interpersonal relationships, positive human connections, and related fields of research.

Authors are welcome to contribute work through any of the following approaches:

  • Synthesizing a Previously Published Academic Article: You can adapt a research paper you published—whether recently or in years past—into a clear, narrative-driven Brief Review. Compile and summarize your research by highlighting the main theoretical ideas, key concepts, and central empirical findings in plain language. Referencing your original publication alongside related work helps bring broader public visibility and interdisciplinary reach to your foundational research.
  • Reviewing & Merging Multiple Related Papers: If you have published two, three, or more articles on the same focused topic, you can write a comparative synthesis. Compile, review, and converge the key points from those separate publications into one cohesive narrative summary that provides a broader overview of that research line.
  • Presenting Original Observations or Conceptual Pieces: You may write on a new topic or emerging perspective that has not yet been presented in formal academic journals. This includes concise theoretical insights, occasional scholarly observations, cross-cultural stories, or case studies about human intimacy that offer valuable knowledge without requiring a full empirical report.
  • Developing a Multi-Part Article Series: Authors are welcome to submit several articles covering distinct aspects of their research or scholarly observations. If a proposed review becomes too long or covers multiple broad themes, we encourage splitting the work into a connected series of two or three focused articles linked by cross-references.

The Writing Suggestions for a Good Article (structural and style guidelines):

To ensure your submission is engaging, accessible, and well-structured, please keep the following structural and stylistic principles in mind when preparing your manuscript:

1. Maintain a Sharp, Single-Topic Focus

  • One Core Topic Per Article: Each submission should focus on one well-defined topic, concept, or theoretical question.
  • Avoid Multi-Topic Overload: If your material covers two or more distinct topics, divide the content into two or more separate articles or a multi-part series rather than combining them into a single broad piece.

2. Craft an Engaging Pitch & Title

  • Hook the Reader: Select the most compelling facts, conceptual points, or insights to draw the reader in immediately.
  • Write a Concise Article Pitch: Compose a short summary paragraph (roughly 160 characters) along with a clear title that captures the core essence of your article and communicates its value at a glance.

3. Adopt an Accessible, Narrative Style

  • Engaging Academic Journalism: Write smoothly in a simple, narrative, yet scholarly style. Articles should read like thoughtful science journalism rather than formal empirical lab reports.
  • Use Storytelling & Examples: Incorporate personal observations, cross-cultural stories, case studies, or cited observations from other scholars to ground abstract theoretical concepts and make the text lively.
  • Seamless Transitions: Generously use transition words and phrases to connect ideas, evidence, and conclusions logically throughout the text.

4. Optimize Readability & Sentence Structure

  • Active Voice: Limit passive voice to no more than 10% of total sentences.
  • Varied, Concise Sentences: Avoid overly complex, lengthy sentences and dense, unbroken paragraphs.
  • Paragraphing: Break text into focused, bite-sized paragraphs to maintain momentum and ease eye strain for digital readers.

5. Structure with Headings, Visuals, and Key Takeaways

  • Descriptive Subheadings: Use short, clear subheadings every 300–400 words to divide core concepts, structure units of knowledge, and guide reading attention.
  • Key Takeaways Box: Include 3 to 5 concise bullet points at the beginning of the article summarizing the primary insights.
  • Visual Illustrations: Include at least one featured image. Summary tables, conceptual diagrams, or infographics are encouraged to illustrate complex ideas or cross-cultural comparisons.

Citation & Referencing Format

The Diversity of Love Journal follows the American Psychological Association (APA 7th Edition) style guidelines. To maintain consistency across our open-access publications, both authors and readers should adhere to the following standards.

1. Reference Guidelines for Submitting Authors

When preparing a manuscript for submission, authors must ensure all in-text citations and end-of-article references comply with APA 7th edition standards:

  • In-Text Citations: Use parenthetical or narrative author-date citations throughout the body text (e.g., Lee, 1973; Sternberg, 1986).
  • Reference List: Include a complete reference list at the end of the manuscript (up to 35 references). List entries alphabetically by the first author’s last name.
  • DOIs and URLs: Include active DOI links or web addresses for all accessible electronic sources and original journal publications referenced in your review.

2. How to Cite Articles Published in The Diversity of Love Journal

When referencing an article published in this journal in your own scholarship, research papers, or media, please use the following APA 7th edition citation format:

  • Reference List Format:
    Author Last Name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). Article title in sentence case. The Diversity of Love Journal. URL
  • Example:
    Karandashev, V. (2026, July 23). The Pragma style of love: Understanding the practical path to compatibility. The Diversity of Love Journal. https://love-diversity.org/pragma-style-of-love/
  • In-Text Parenthetical Citation: (Karandashev, 2026)
  • In-Text Narrative Citation: Karandashev (2026)

Closing Note

Once your article is completed and accepted, it will be published on The Diversity of Love Journal website in a fully Open Access format. This offers an excellent opportunity to bring broader public visibility and interdisciplinary engagement to your scholarship. The insights, theoretical contributions, and empirical findings of your past publications are no less valuable than your recent work, and we look forward to helping you share them with a global audience.