# Pnas Submission > Use as the final preflight before submitting to PNAS — a complete checklist across significance, track, Significance Statement, abstract, classification + keywords, figures, statistics, data, references, and required files. Bundles a checklist and a PNAS cover-letter template. Emits GO/NO-GO. - Skill: `thedixitjain/pnas-submission` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 3 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add thedixitjain/pnas-submission` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/thedixitjain/pnas-submission/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: thedixitjain (https://skillmd.com/u/thedixitjain) - Updated: 2026-09-08 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/thedixitjain/pnas-submission --- # Submission Preflight (pnas-submission) ## When to trigger - The manuscript is "done" and you're about to upload. - You want a single gate that confirms every other pnas-* skill's output landed. - A revision is going back and you need to confirm nothing regressed. ## Master preflight checklist ### Significance & venue - [ ] Clears the broad-significance / high-quality bar (`pnas-fit` rung ≥ 2–3, cross-division reader passes). - [ ] PNAS is the right venue (not better at a field journal or Science/Nature). - [ ] Title is declarative, specific, parseable by a non-specialist. ### Submission track - [ ] Track chosen: ☐ Direct ☐ Contributed (NAS member) (`pnas-track`). - [ ] If Contributed: member within annual quota; ≥2 independent reviewers secured; reviews + author responses ready to submit. - [ ] If Direct: suggested editors/reviewers prepared for the cover letter. ### Significance Statement & abstract - [ ] Significance Statement ≤ 120 words, for a non-specialist, distinct from the abstract. - [ ] Abstract ≤ ~250 words, single paragraph, no subheadings/citations, ≥1 quantified result. ### Structure, classification & length - [ ] PNAS order: Title / authors / Significance / Abstract / Intro / Results / Discussion / **Materials and Methods (in-text)** / refs. - [ ] Classification chosen: major division (Biological / Physical / Social Sciences) + minor subject area. - [ ] Keywords provided (≤ ~5). - [ ] Package within length/page budget; extended material in SI Appendix. ### Figures & display items - [ ] Within page/item allowance; sized to 9 / 11.4 / 18 cm; fonts ≥ ~6–8 pt. - [ ] Data shown (points + n); error bars defined; scale bars present. - [ ] Colorblind-safe; RGB/CMYK handled; uncropped key blots + source data retained. ### Statistics & reproducibility - [ ] Each claim: effect size + CI + n + test + assumptions. - [ ] Biological vs technical replication clear; sample-size rationale stated. - [ ] Randomization/blinding reported or justified; multiplicity controlled. - [ ] Analysis code public + archived (DOI). ### Data, materials, ethics - [ ] Data deposited with accession numbers/DOIs (no "on request" for primary data). - [ ] Data Availability Statement drafted and compliant. - [ ] Materials/reagent sharing plan; ethics approvals (IRB/IACUC/permits) as needed. ### References - [ ] PNAS numbered style, ordered by appearance, single numbered list. - [ ] Full author lists; journal abbreviations; all in-text numbers resolve. ### Required files & metadata - [ ] Main text (title, Significance Statement, abstract, body, Materials and Methods, refs). - [ ] Figures at required resolution + figure legends; tables. - [ ] SI Appendix (extended methods, supporting figs/tables, supplementary text); Datasets if any. - [ ] Cover letter (significance + track + suggested editor/reviewers if Direct). - [ ] Author list, affiliations, ORCIDs, corresponding author. - [ ] Author contributions, competing interests, funding statements. - [ ] Classification + keywords entered in the submission system. ## Final integrity sweep - [ ] No over-claiming beyond the evidence (re-read the Significance Statement, abstract, and last paragraph). - [ ] Significance Statement is genuinely broader/plainer than the abstract — not a duplicate. - [ ] Every figure's n, error bar, and test are defined in its legend. - [ ] All accession numbers/DOIs are live and correct. ## Templates - `templates/checklist.md` — copyable preflight checklist. - `templates/cover_letter_template.md` — PNAS cover-letter scaffold (significance + track + suggested editor/reviewers). ## Track-specific preflight, side by side The three PNAS tracks fail preflight for different reasons — check the one you chose: - **Direct Submission:** the editor is assigned by PNAS, so the cover letter must argue broad significance and name suggested editors/reviewers. Blocker: no suggested editor in a field where the paper is cross-divisional. - **Contributed:** an NAS member communicates their own paper, secures ≥2 independent reviewers, and submits their reviews plus author responses. Blockers: member over the annual quota; reviewers not demonstrably independent; review file missing. - **Prearranged Editor:** an NAS member is lined up to handle a Direct submission before upload. Blocker: the editor arrangement is claimed but not confirmed in the cover letter. ## Cover-letter significance paragraph: before / after The cover letter's opening is the editor's first read of your general-significance case. - **Before:** "Please consider our manuscript, which reports new results on system X of interest to specialists in the field." - **After:** "We report that system X resolves a question debated across two PNAS divisions: [one-sentence broad claim]. Because the result [general implication], it will interest readers well beyond the immediate subfield — which is why we submit to PNAS rather than a specialist journal." The revision states the cross-division stake, ties it to the Significance Statement, and justifies the venue choice — exactly what a handling editor triages on. ## Output format ``` 【Track】 Direct / Contributed (+ eligibility confirmed) 【Blocking gaps】 [...] (must fix before upload) 【Warnings】 [...] (should fix) 【Files ready】 main / figures+legends / SI Appendix / cover letter / metadata 【Verdict】 GO / NO-GO + the top 3 fixes 【Next】 submit | pnas-rebuttal (after decision) ``` ## Anti-patterns - **Do not** upload before accession numbers/DOIs exist. - **Do not** submit without the Significance Statement and Classification. - **Do not** let the Significance Statement duplicate the abstract. - **Do not** rely on memory; run the checklist top to bottom. --- **Source:** [`brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills`](https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills) → `PNAS-Skills/skills/pnas-submission/SKILL.md`