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