Submission Preflight (joe-submission)

When to trigger

• "Submitting tomorrow" — last check before pressing submit through the live official portal
• Unsure whether the current route is Editorial Manager or Editorial Express, or which track to pick
• Confirming format, abstract length, and fee/proof-of-payment requirements
• Checking declarations and the PDF is single-anonymized-ready

Process facts (verified on 2026-06-20; re-confirm volatile portal routing on the official pages)

• JoE is published by Elsevier (founded 1973); Co-Editors-in-Chief Michael Jansson (UC Berkeley) and Aureo de Paula (UCL).
• Portal: ScienceDirect's current Submit your article link points new submissions to Editorial Manager. JoE's own Google Sites Guidelines still says all submissions are made through Editorial Express, and the Editorial Express dbase=je page now says it is for resubmissions only and links new submissions to Editorial Manager. Start from the live ScienceDirect/JoE official link; use Editorial Express when the live route or resubmission flow directs you there.
• Fee: a USD $75 nonrefundable submission fee applies to new submissions and resubmissions over one year old. VAT is added for European authors; no student discounts or refunds.
• Files/format: the ScienceDirect Guide asks for editable source files (.doc/.docx or .tex) and says PDF is not an acceptable source file for that requirement. The Editorial Express resubmission flow instructs a PDF-only upload, with main text around 40 pages at ≥1.5 spacing and 11pt font.
• Abstract: ≤ 250 words, concise and factual; avoid references unless essential, and cite author/year if included.
• Review: single-anonymized — referees know authors; authors do not know referees.
• Tracks: choose Regular, Annals, or Themed Issue (see joe-review-process).

Preflight checklist

Format & style

• Editable source files staged (.doc/.docx or .tex) for the ScienceDirect/Editorial Manager route
• If using the Editorial Express resubmission flow: one single PDF with manuscript, theorems/proofs, tables, figures, and appendices embedded
• Main text ~40 pages, ≥1.5 spacing, 11pt when the Editorial Express resubmission form applies
• Abstract ≤ 250 words; any cited references spelled out in full
• elsarticle LaTeX class / Elsevier reference style; dataset citations tagged [dataset]
• Tables/figures numbered, called out in order, with self-contained notes (DGP, $n$, reps)
• PDF compiles cleanly; math and figures legible at print resolution

Fee & proof of payment

• $75 fee paid if required (VAT added for EU authors); proof of payment file ready if the live route requests it
• Confirmed whether this is a new submission or a resubmission > 1 year (fee trigger)

Single-anonymized readiness

• Manuscript may carry author identity (single-anonymized) — but confirm no confidential referee-only content is exposed
• Acknowledgments/funding handled per the guide

Files for the live portal

• Main manuscript source files (.doc/.docx or .tex) and any portal-requested PDF
• Proof-of-payment document if requested by the live route
• Cover letter (problem, the methodological advance, fit; note the track and any Themed-Issue call)
• Suggested/excluded referees prepared (expert, fair, conflict-free)

Declarations & content sanity

• Conflict-of-interest / funding disclosures prepared; paper not under review elsewhere
• Abstract states the contribution as a property (see joe-writing-style)
• Assumptions/asymptotics airtight (see joe-identification-strategy); Monte Carlo reports size + power (see joe-data-analysis)
• No over-claiming beyond what the theorems support

Anti-patterns

• Forgetting the $75 fee / proof-of-payment step when the live portal requires it
• Assuming the old Editorial Express-only route still governs new submissions without checking the current official link
• A >250-word abstract or a non-PDF upload
• Picking a Themed Issue track the paper does not fit

Output format

【Single PDF】manuscript + proofs + exhibits embedded? [Y/N]
【Abstract】≤250 words, references in full? [Y/N]
【Fee】$75 paid if required + proof-of-payment ready if requested? [Y/N]
【Portal】live official route checked: Editorial Manager new submission or Editorial Express resubmission? [route]
【Files staged】source files / PDF if requested / proof-of-payment if requested / cover letter / referees? [Y/N each]
【Declarations】COI / funding / not-under-review? [Y/N]
【Next step】await editor screen → joe-rebuttal on revision

Supplementary resources

• templates/checklist.md — full pre-submission self-check
• ../../resources/external_tools.md — simulation/estimation tooling and the process/portal table
• ../../resources/official-source-map.md — official JoE URLs behind every fact in this pack