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Checklist

How to Run a Pre-Submission Checklist Before You Submit a Paper

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A pre-submission checklist for a journal paper compiles cleanly, validates citations and word limits, checks methods and figures, anonymizes for double-blind review, and prepares the final files, in that order. Purplelink's free submission checklist lists all twelve checks with a tool for each.

The checklist

Work through these in order on the submission checklist; progress saves only in that browser tab.

  1. Compile from a clean build. Fix every error and overfull box first; line numbers and the page count depend on it.
  2. Validate the bibliography. Run BibTeX Validator for syntax errors, missing fields, duplicate keys and a CrossRef check for a hallucinated citation.
  3. Check the word and page limit. Run Word Counter and Abstract Checker, counted as the venue counts them.
  4. Match the venue's template and reference style. Pull the right template and convert references with Reference Converter.
  5. Check the figures by eye. Readable axes, no truncated scales, a colour-blind-safe palette, embedded fonts. See what reviewers flag in figures.
  6. Check methods against claims. Run Paper Review for claims the data cannot carry or an unjustified sample size.
  7. Scan for missing related work. Run Citation Gap Analysis for prior work a reviewer will expect cited.
  8. Anonymize for double-blind review. Run Anonymity Check for names, institutions, funding and IRB numbers, per COPE's blinding guidance.
  9. Write the cover letter. Run Cover Letter for a one-page statement of contribution and fit, from the abstract and journal name.
  10. Prepare and record the submission. Gather the final PDF, source files, supplementary material and data statement; log the venue, date and ID in Vitae.

What's happening under the hood

The checklist page is static: ticking a box writes to your browser's local storage, and nothing leaves that page on its own. BibTeX Validator checks text against CrossRef without storing the file. Paper Review, Citation Gap Analysis, Anonymity Check and Cover Letter send the manuscript to an AI model, to judge a claim, not match a pattern; Paper Review's copy goes to Anthropic's API, deleted within about a day.

Questions

Do I need to pay to use this checklist?
No. Compiling, validating the bibliography, counting words and converting references are free; Paper Review ($9 to $15), Citation Gap Analysis ($3) and Cover Letter ($2) are not.
What order should I run these checks in?
Compile first, since every later line number and page count depends on it. After that, the order avoids rework, like catching a missing reference before counting words.
Does the checklist store my manuscript?
No. It stores only your checkbox state in this browser, with no account. Each linked tool handles text on its own terms, stated on that tool's page.

Next: the camera-ready checklist if accepted, or how to respond to Reviewer 2 if it needs revision.

Further reading

Two books from the research desk fit here. Writing Your Journal Article in Twelve Weeks walks a draft to a submitted article, one week at a time. The Visual Display of Quantitative Information is behind most of what the figure check above looks for.

Disclosure: the Amazon links above are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Run the full checklist once, in order, at the submission checklist.