Preparing Your Manuscript for Journal Review: A Step-by-Step Checklist

Preparing Your Manuscript for Journal Review: A Step-by-Step Checklist

Submitting a manuscript to a scholarly journal is more complex than uploading a document and waiting for reviewer feedback. Journal editors frequently reject manuscripts before peer review not because the research is weak, but because authors overlook essential pre-submission requirements. Many journals receive hundreds or thousands of submissions each year, so they rely on strict formatting and structural rules to maintain efficiency. Manuscripts that ignore these rules—even accidentally—signal a lack of preparation and professionalism.

A successful submission requires meticulous attention to detail. Beyond proofreading, researchers must verify author information, prepare abstracts precisely, ensure compliance with ethical requirements, conform to formatting rules, check numerical accuracy, prepare tables and figures correctly and ensure perfect reference formatting. This article presents a comprehensive pre-submission checklist designed to ensure that your paper meets journal expectations and stands the best possible chance of progressing to peer review.

Why a Pre-Submission Checklist Matters

Editors make their first judgement about a paper within moments of opening the file. They assess the professionalism of the writing, the clarity of the structure, adherence to guidelines and the completeness of required information. If these are lacking, the manuscript may be rejected—regardless of the quality of the underlying research.

A pre-submission checklist helps researchers:

• present their work professionally;
• avoid unnecessary rejections;
• save time on multiple rounds of technical revisions;
• demonstrate respect for the editor’s process;
• ensure transparency and ethical compliance.

Every component listed below is essential for a polished, credible and submission-ready manuscript.

1. Verify Author Information and Corresponding Author Details

Author details must be prepared exactly according to journal requirements. Editors expect accuracy, transparency and proper formatting.

• List all authors in the correct order, as agreed by the team.
• Ensure each author’s full name, affiliation and ORCID iD (if required) are correctly provided.
• Confirm that the corresponding author’s email address is accurate and professional.
• Check whether the journal uses a blind review process—if so, remove all identifying information from the manuscript file.

Errors in author details cause administrative delays and, in some cases, manuscript rejection.

2. Complete Acknowledgements, Funding and Conflict-of-Interest Statements

Most journals require declarations that demonstrate ethical transparency. These must be complete and formatted exactly as instructed.

• List all funding sources, including grant numbers.
• Declare potential conflicts of interest clearly.
• Provide acknowledgements of assistance, permissions or institutional support.
• If the journal prohibits acknowledgements during blind review, place them in a separate file.

Failing to include these statements may prevent the paper from entering peer review.

3. Prepare the Title, Running Head, Keywords and Page Numbering

These elements may appear simple, but journals frequently reject manuscripts for errors in basic formatting.

• Ensure the title matches journal specifications for length, structure and capitalisation.
• Prepare a running head if required (often 40 characters or fewer).
• Choose keywords carefully and respect limits on their number.
• Apply proper page numbering throughout the document.

Titles and keywords also affect how your article is indexed—so precision matters.

4. Ensure the Abstract Meets Journal Requirements

Abstracts are often the most heavily prescribed element of a manuscript. Each journal specifies structure, length and content expectations.

• Use the correct format (structured, unstructured or graphical abstract).
• Stay within the word limit—never exceed it.
• Ensure the abstract reflects the full manuscript accurately.
• Avoid citations in the abstract unless allowed.

A strong abstract improves visibility, discoverability and reviewer engagement.

5. Confirm Word Count, Structure and Section Organisation

Many journals perform automatic checks on word count and structure. Submissions that exceed limits or use incorrect section headings are often rejected immediately.

• Check that the full manuscript does not exceed the required word count.
• Ensure all sections follow the journal-specific order (e.g., IMRaD structure).
• Verify margins, spacing, headings and paragraph styles.
• Include all required sections such as Highlights, Key Points or Graphical Abstracts.

Length and layout demonstrate whether authors have followed instructions—a major factor in editorial decisions.

6. Ensure Accuracy of Numbers, Units, Equations and Symbols

Scientific manuscripts often include complex quantitative information. Errors undermine credibility and slow down the review process.

• Check consistency of units (SI units unless stated otherwise).
• Verify that all numerical values match those in tables and figures.
• Inspect equations for formatting accuracy.
• Ensure special characters and Greek letters display correctly in all file formats.

Incorrect numerical details are a common reason for revision requests.

7. Review Language, Tone and Use of Terminology

Your manuscript must use clear, formal academic language and follow the journal’s preferred English variant (British or American).

• Ensure the writing is bias-free, objective and precise.
• Define specialised terminology and nonstandard abbreviations.
• Use discipline-appropriate vocabulary consistently.
• Avoid colloquialisms and conversational tone.

Professional editing services can help refine clarity, coherence and style.

8. Prepare Tables, Figures, Captions and Supplementary Files

Tables and figures must not only communicate content effectively—they must also follow journal formatting rules exactly.

• Check placement rules: some journals require tables and figures in the main text; others require separate files.
• Ensure each table and figure has a fully compliant caption and title.
• Confirm acceptable file formats (TIFF, EPS, PNG, etc.).
• Verify resolution requirements (commonly 300 dpi for images).

Inconsistencies in visual elements often delay peer review or require immediate resubmission.

9. Use Footnotes and Endnotes Only as Allowed

Many journals restrict or completely prohibit footnotes and endnotes for anything other than author information or limited commentary.

• Check whether notes are permitted in research articles.
• Ensure note numbers appear exactly where the journal requires.
• Verify consistency of font size, style and numbering.

Misplaced or excessive notes can disrupt layout and lead to formatting rejection.

10. Check References Meticulously

Reference formatting is one of the most common sources of errors and immediate rejections.

• Follow the journal’s required citation style precisely (APA, Chicago, Vancouver, Harvard or journal-specific).
• Ensure every in-text citation appears in the reference list and vice versa.
• Verify all DOIs and URLs.
• Check the maximum number of references allowed.
• Ensure consistency in punctuation, abbreviations and ordering.

Perfect reference formatting signals careful manuscript preparation and scholarly professionalism.

Final Thoughts

Submitting an academic or scientific manuscript is not simply a matter of sharing your research—it is a professional process that requires precision, clarity and strict adherence to guidelines. By following this ten-point pre-submission checklist, researchers can dramatically improve their chances of passing the initial editorial screening and entering full peer review.

If you want to ensure your manuscript is polished, accurate and publication-ready, you may wish to use specialist manuscript editing services or journal article editing provided by expert academic editors.