Pre-Submission Preflight (anmath-submission)

When to trigger

• "I'm submitting tomorrow"
• Final check before clicking submit on the portal
• Unsure what files and metadata the submission system needs

Verify all volatile specifics (portal URL, accepted formats, length expectations, whether a cover letter is collected) on the journal's official submission page first — these change.

Preflight checklist

TeX and format

• Source compiles cleanly with a standard distribution; no errors, no missing refs
• AMS environments used (amsthm for theorem/lemma/proposition/definition/remark/proof)
• A single, consistent theorem-numbering scheme throughout
• All cross-references (\cref/\eqref) resolve; no "??" in the PDF
• Submitted PDF is the version produced by the source you will provide on acceptance

Front matter

• Title, author(s), affiliations, and contact consistent with portal entries
• Abstract present, self-contained, states the Main Theorem in plain terms
• MSC subject classification: primary + secondary, matching the headline result
• Keywords (if requested) chosen to match the area
• Acknowledgments and funding stated as the journal requires

Mathematical content

• Main Theorem stated precisely and early (see anmath-results-framing)
• Proof complete and gap-free; no unresolved "clearly"/"it is easy to see"
• Every external result invoked is published and precisely cited
• No essential step rests on an unpublished/unverifiable claim
• Computer-assisted steps (if any) documented with archived code/data

Proof-risk pass

• Each "standard" argument points to an exact theorem, lemma, or appendix proof
• Boundary cases, degenerate cases, and parameter exclusions are either proved or explicitly ruled out
• Notation introduced for one local proof is not reused with a conflicting meaning later
• Any computer-assisted verification has a human-readable statement of what was certified

References

• Bibliography uses consistent style (BibTeX, MathSciNet abbreviations / \MR)
• Every citation in text appears in the bibliography and vice versa
• Preprints labeled as such; replace with version-of-record where available
• Closest prior results cited with correct authors and statements

Figures / diagrams (if any)

• Vector format (PDF/EPS); labeled; referenced in text; genuinely necessary
• Commutative diagrams typeset with tikz-cd/amscd, arrows consistent

Logistics

• arXiv preprint id ready to declare (if you posted one)
• Cover letter prepared if the portal requests it (see anmath-cover-letter)
• File size / format within portal limits
• Coauthors have approved the final version

Submission system notes (verify currency)

• Submission is electronic; check the official page for the current portal and the exact upload format (compiled PDF for review; TeX source typically requested on acceptance).
• Be prepared for a long review — detailed proof verification can take a year or more.
• Keep the exact submitted source under version control for later latexdiff revisions.

Anti-patterns

• Submitting a PDF that does not match the source you will later provide
• Broken cross-references ("Theorem ??") left in the compiled file
• Missing or mismatched MSC classification
• Bibliography in a default reference-manager style, inconsistent abbreviations
• Citing a preprint for an essential step that has since been superseded or withdrawn
• Discovering the portal wanted a cover letter only at the upload step

Output format

【Compiles cleanly】yes / no
【Abstract + MSC】present / missing: ...
【Proof gaps】none / BLOCKER: ...
【References】in-text↔bib reconciled; preprints labeled
【Figures/diagrams】none / vector & referenced
【arXiv id】... / none
【Cover letter】prepared / not required
【Next step】anmath-referee-strategy (stress-test) → submit; then await report → anmath-revision

Associated resources

• templates/manuscript_template.md — AMS-style manuscript skeleton (front matter, theorem environments, sectioning, references)
• templates/checklist.md — 8-section pre-submission self-check
• ../../resources/external_tools.md — TeX/AMS packages, MathSciNet/zbMATH, proof assistants, diagram tools