Getting published in an academic journal is rarely easy, and high-impact journals have particularly strict criteria as part of their editorial selection process. To maximise your chances of success, you need to be well prepared, thorough, and meticulous when preparing your manuscript. Regardless of the quality of your research, failure to follow the journal’s formal requirements can quickly lead to delay, return without review, or rejection.

Once your manuscript is written and you are ready to submit, make sure you can tick off every item in the following checklist to avoid delays or rejection on purely formal grounds:

  • Have you formatted your manuscript according to the journal’s author instructions, including style requirements for the main text, headings, tables, figures, references, and supplementary materials?
  • Have you checked that all required manuscript sections are included, such as title page, abstract, keywords, acknowledgements, author contributions, funding information, conflict-of-interest statement, data availability statement, ethics approval, and consent statements, where applicable?
  • Have you checked the journal’s policy on AI-assisted writing and disclosed any relevant use of AI tools in the cover letter, manuscript, or submission system, if required?
  • Have you reviewed any AI-assisted text carefully to ensure that it has not introduced factual errors, unsupported claims, inappropriate terminology, fabricated references, or subtle changes in scientific meaning?
  • Have you proofread your manuscript more than once to ensure that there are no factual, grammatical, typographical, or formatting errors?
  • Have you checked that all in-text citations appear in the reference list and that all references in the reference list are cited in the text?
  • Have you numbered all pages, figures, tables, equations, and supplementary files in the correct order?
  • Have you checked that all figures and tables are cited in the text and that all captions and legends are complete and accurate?
  • Have you ensured that all figure axes are labelled, units are provided where needed, and image quality meets the journal’s resolution requirements?
  • Have you included the corresponding author’s contact details, and are they correct?
  • Is the manuscript within the journal’s recommended word, page, figure, table, and reference limits?
  • Have you used the correct spelling convention for the target journal (US or UK English)?
  • Have you acknowledged all contributors and funding agencies, and obtained copyright clearance for any third-party material included from other sources?
  • Have you prepared a clear and compelling cover letter that highlights the key findings, novelty, and relevance of your manuscript?
  • Does your manuscript conform to academic writing style and conventions?

AI-assisted writing tools can be useful for drafting, translating, or improving the readability of scientific text, but they must be used with care. Authors remain responsible for the accuracy, originality, interpretation, and integrity of the submitted manuscript. AI tools should not be listed as authors, and many journals now require authors to disclose whether and how AI-assisted tools were used during manuscript preparation. If you have used AI to draft, translate, or substantially revise your manuscript, check the target journal’s AI policy before submission and ensure that the final text has been carefully reviewed by a human expert. For more information, see our pages on editing AI-assisted manuscripts and whether AI can replace human editors.

If you can tick off each of the above items, you are ready to submit. One final point is often overlooked: you need to identify the correct submission route for your manuscript. Many journals use dedicated online submission systems where you upload your manuscript files, enter author and funding information, confirm ethical declarations, and suggest or oppose potential reviewers. Other journals may still require submissions to be sent directly by email to the editorial office. Before submitting, make sure you have all required files and declarations ready.

To learn how manuscripts are assessed by editorial offices before being considered for publication, see our short guide to the academic journal editorial process.

Good luck!