thedixitjain Submission Preflight (restat-submission)
When to trigger
- "Submitting tomorrow" — last check before pressing submit on Editorial Express
- Unsure which files, fees, and declarations the REStat submission expects
- Confirming format (PDF, 12pt, double-spaced) and house style are REStat-compliant
- Deciding Article vs Short Paper, and whether proprietary data affects the fee timing
Process facts (refreshed 2026-06-20; live-check volatile items on MIT Press)
- REStat is published by MIT Press, edited at the Harvard Kennedy School; submission is via Editorial Express (
editorialexpress.com/.../e-submit...?dbase=restat). Editors as of 2026: Will Dobbie (Harvard) and Raymond Fisman (Boston U), co-chairs. - Submission fee: nonrefundable US$125 per new submission, paid online by credit card at submission. Proprietary-data papers: do NOT pay the fee until the editorial office confirms the data comply with the Data and Code Availability Policy.
- Article categories: full-length Articles, Notes, and (since Dec 2019) Short Papers — Short Papers strictly ≤6000 words and ≤5 exhibits; live-check category text before upload.
- Format: one PDF; 12-point font; double-spaced throughout (including abstract, acknowledgments, footnotes, references); online appendix ≤20 pages, but the manuscript must be self-contained.
- Abstract ≤100 words, in JEL-suitable form; JEL codes / keywords on the title page.
- Data & code: empirical papers fall under the Data and Code Availability Policy (deposit to the REStat Harvard Dataverse before publication); indicate proprietary data at submission (
restat-replication-package).
Preflight checklist
Format & style
- One PDF; font 12-point; double-spaced throughout (abstract, acknowledgments, footnotes, references included)
- Abstract ≤100 words, JEL-suitable; JEL codes + keywords on the title page
- Online appendix ≤20 pages; main manuscript self-contained
- Standard economics house style: SEs in parentheses; stars permitted but never instead of SEs; self-contained exhibit notes
- Tables/figures legible; the headline result readable from one main exhibit
Category & files
- Article vs Note vs Short Paper chosen; if Short Paper, ≤6000 words and ≤5 exhibits
- Cover letter prepared (state the contribution and venue fit)
- Online appendix file ready (≤20 pp)
Fees & data policy
- Submission fee (US$125, nonrefundable) ready by credit card
- Proprietary data: fee held until the editorial office confirms policy compliance; access instructions documented
- Replication plan in place for the REStat Harvard Dataverse (
restat-replication-package)
Declarations
- Original, unpublished work, not under review elsewhere; no duplicate submission
- Funding / conflict-of-interest disclosures prepared; AI not listed as an author
Anti-patterns
- Paying the US$125 fee on a proprietary-data paper before compliance is confirmed
- Abstract over 100 words, or single-spaced manuscript (REStat wants double-spacing throughout)
- Online appendix doing work the self-contained main paper must do, or exceeding 20 pages
- Submitting a Short Paper over 6000 words / 5 exhibits
- Stars with no standard errors; exhibits with non-self-contained notes
- Planning the Harvard Dataverse deposit only after acceptance
Output format
【Format】PDF / 12pt / double-spaced throughout? [Y/N]
【Abstract】≤100 words + JEL/keywords? [Y/N]
【Category】Article / Note / Short Paper (≤6000w, ≤5 exhibits if Short)? [Y/N]
【Appendix】online appendix ≤20pp; main self-contained? [Y/N]
【Fee】US$125 ready; proprietary-data fee HELD until compliance? [Y/N]
【Data policy】Harvard Dataverse plan + proprietary flagged? [Y/N]
【Declarations】originality / disclosures / no AI author? [Y/N]
【Next step】submit via Editorial Express → await editor-managed review
Supplementary resources
templates/checklist.md— 8-section pre-submission self-check../../resources/official-source-map.md— official REStat / MIT Press URLs behind every fact
Source: brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills → Review-of-Economics-and-Statistics-Skills/skills/restat-submission/SKILL.md