brycewang-stanford Pre-Submission Preflight (jm-submission)
When to trigger
- "We're submitting this week" — the last check before hitting submit
- Unsure what ScholarOne (Sage Track) requires (anonymized file, title page, statements)
- Verifying the manuscript matches current JM/AMA formatting requirements
- Confirming double-anonymization and the Data Availability Statement are in place
Always live-check current limits, required files, and portal prompts on the official JM/SAGE/AMA submission pages before submitting. As of 2026-06-20 the verified key specs are below.
Verified JM/AMA specs (confirm current values)
- Submission portal: ScholarOne / Manuscript Central (Sage Track) at mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ama_jm; online submission only (no mail/email).
- Length: 50-page maximum, properly formatted and inclusive of title, abstract, keywords, text, footnotes, references, tables, figures, and print appendices; web appendices do not count.
- Abstract: 200 words maximum, unstructured.
- Keywords: minimum 3 (AMA also allows up to 8 primary keywords).
- Formatting: 12-point Times New Roman (or 12-pt LaTeX font); double-spaced (tables/references may be single-spaced); 1-inch margins; no page numbers, line numbers, headers, or footers. AMA Word/LaTeX templates are provided.
- Citations: AMA author-date; full author names for up to three authors, "et al." for four or more.
- Statistics: empirical papers must report actual p-values, standard errors, and effect sizes.
- Review: double-anonymized — remove all author/institution identifiers; the handling Editor is the final decision authority.
- Integrity: iThenticate plagiarism screening; conflict-of-interest disclosure.
- Transparency: Data Availability Statement required; replication packet deposited to JM Dataverse at conditional acceptance; preregistration encouraged (anonymized links + attestation). Applies to conditionally accepted revisions of manuscripts submitted on/after 2023-01-01. Some conditionally accepted JM manuscripts may go through a Data Editor verification step.
- Fees: SAGE states there are no fees payable to submit or publish in the subscription route; optional Sage Choice/Open Access may carry a fee, and OA fees do not cover separate page or color charges.
- Preprints / ORCID: preprints are accepted; enter the preprint DOI at submission and avoid posting updated versions during review. Authors and coauthors are encouraged to link ORCID IDs before acceptance.
Pre-submission checklist
Anonymization (double-anonymized)
- Manuscript file contains no author names, affiliations, or acknowledgments
- Self-citations worded neutrally ("prior research (Author, 2020)"), not "our earlier work"
- Acknowledgments, funding, ORCID/author bios live on a separate title page
- Preregistration links are anonymized (no identity leakage)
- File metadata/properties and file names scrubbed of author/institution identity
Format (verify against current AMA/JM guidelines)
- 12-pt Times New Roman, double-spaced; 1-inch margins; no page/line numbers, headers, or footers
- Abstract ≤ 200 words; ≥3 keywords
- AMA author-date citations (full names ≤3; et al. ≥4); reference list complete
- Main document ≤ 50 pages inclusive (text + refs + tables + figures + footnotes + print appendices); web appendices separate
- Tables/figures report exact p-values, SEs, and effect sizes
Files for ScholarOne (Sage Track)
- Anonymized main document (manuscript + tables + figures, or as the portal specifies)
- Separate title page with all identifying information + Data Availability Statement
- Cover letter to the editor (fit, substantive + managerial contribution, not under review elsewhere)
- Web appendix file(s) for supplementary results (excluded from page count)
- Replication materials prepared for JM Dataverse deposit at conditional acceptance
Declarations & ethics
- Human-subjects/IRB approval stated where applicable (on title page, not anonymized text)
- Data Availability Statement on the title page
- Optional OA, page, or color-charge prompts checked if relevant
- ORCID IDs linked before acceptance where possible
- No concurrent submission; conference/working-paper versions disclosed in the cover letter
- Conflicts of interest and funding disclosed on the title page
- Preregistration attestation prepared (faithful representation), if applicable
References & consistency
- Every in-text citation appears in the reference list and vice versa
- The substantive canon of the conversation is cited (routing-aware for Coeditor/reviewers)
- Hypothesis labels, construct names, and exhibit numbers consistent throughout
ScholarOne (Sage Track) operation notes
- Submit through ScholarOne at mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ama_jm; keep your account and ORCID current.
- Select the article type and keywords so the manuscript routes to the appropriate Coeditor (Fischer / Haws / Scott / Slotegraaf) and reviewers.
- Upload the anonymized file and the title page in the slots the system designates; preview the built PDF before final submission.
Anti-patterns
- Self-identifying language ("in our 2019 study") or a preregistration link that reveals identity.
- Stars-only / "p < .05" statistics instead of exact p-values, SEs, and effect sizes.
- Forgetting that tables, figures, references, and print appendices all count toward the 50-page limit.
- Missing Data Availability Statement, or no plan for the JM Dataverse packet.
- Wrong (non-AMA) citation style straight from a reference manager.
Output format
【Anonymization】pass / fix: [...]
【Format vs. AMA guide】50-page inclusive, 12-pt, no page/line numbers, abstract ≤200w, ≥3 keywords: [...]
【Exact statistics】p-values + SEs + effect sizes present? yes/no
【Files ready】anon manuscript / title page + DAS / cover letter / web appendix: yes/no
【Transparency】Data Availability Statement + JM Dataverse plan + prereg attestation: [...]
【Declarations】IRB / disclosures / no concurrent submission: complete?
【Next step】await decision → jm-review-process; on R&R → jm-rebuttal
Resources
../../resources/external_tools.md— marketing-research data and analysis software (NielsenIQ / Circana / Prolific / Qualtrics / Stata reghdfe / R lavaan / PROCESS)../../resources/official-source-map.md— official AMA/SAGE/JM URLs behind every verified fact (accessed 2026-06-20) and live-check items