Academic Journal Manuscript Submissions: A Checklist

November 3, 2022 | Blog

Achieving publication in an academic journal is no easy task. The competition is fierce, and to succeed you must be thorough, well prepared and meticulous. No matter the quality of your research, failing to meet the standard conventions of the journal will land your manuscript in the rejection pile. To help ensure that you’ve covered all your bases, use our manuscript submission checklist. Before submitting your manuscript, ask yourself the following questions to be sure that you have the best chance of a successful submission:

• Are you within the recommended minimum and maximum word limits?
• Have you used the correct style and referencing guidelines, e.g. APA, Oxford, Harvard etc?
• Have you written in the required style of English (US/UK)?
• Will the manuscript receive a single/double blind review? If the answer is yes, ensure that there are no ‘footprints’ that directly relate the work to you.
• Do you require permission to use any secondary materials included from other sources?
• Have you included a covering letter? Make sure it is precise and highlights the key features of your manuscript in a compelling manner.
• Has the manuscript been thoroughly and accurately proofread and edited?
• Have you conformed to academic writing conventions:

1. Title, abstract, keywords
2. Purposeful introduction that clearly outlines aims
3. Hypothesis: clear, unambiguous, answerable
4. Methodology including any constraints/limitations
5. Analysis and discussion: flowing coherently, well supported
6. Tables, illustrations and figures where appropriate
7. Results and key findings
8. Conclusion

This last one sounds so obvious but it is, in fact, a common mistake amongst authors:

• Submit the manuscript to the correct person for review. Is there an online submission process, or should you send it directly to the journal’s editor?

Make sure you get all of these basics right, and good luck!

Need help making sure that your manuscript is compliant with your target journal’s guidelines? Our editors are standing by; get an instant quote on our order page.