Pre-Submission Preflight (amr-submission)

AMR is theory-only. There is no dataset, code, or replication package to deposit. The preflight centers on the theory paper's format, anonymization, and AOM ethics — not on empirical materials.

When to trigger

• "I'm about to submit to AMR"
• Final check before clicking submit in ScholarOne
• Unsure which files the portal expects for a conceptual paper

Pre-submission checklist

Scope & fit

• The paper builds new theory (constructs / process model / reconceptualization), not an empirical study
• It enters and "challenges and extends" a specific theoretical conversation
• There is no data, no measures, no statistical test anywhere in the manuscript
• Fit confirmed against the current AMR aims & scope (verify on the official page)

Format (verify exact current requirements on the AOM author page)

• Manuscript is a Word file using Times New Roman 12-point body text, double spacing, 1-inch margins, and no page numbers or running heads
• Title page separate from the manuscript body (for anonymous review)
• Abstract present and no more than 200 words
• Within the journal's overall length expectation (verify; AMR articles are full-length)
• Figures meet AOM resolution/format specs; each is a conceptual model/typology, not a data plot
• Propositions numbered consistently and matched to the figure

Anonymization for double-anonymous review

• No author-identifying content in the manuscript body
  • Self-citations phrased neutrally ("prior work (Author, 2020)"), not "in our earlier paper"
  • Acknowledgments removed from the body (added after acceptance)
  • Funding/grant identifiers kept out of the body
• Document file properties scrubbed of author name/affiliation
• File names contain no author or institution name

References & citations

• AOM author–date in-text citations; full reference list per the AOM Style Guide
• Every in-text citation appears in the reference list and vice versa
• The recent, live conversation in the target stream is cited, not only seminal works
• All references are real and accurately quoted (no fabricated or mis-cited sources)

Ethics & originality (AOM Code of Ethics)

• Manuscript is original, unpublished, and not under review elsewhere
• Authorship reflects genuine intellectual contribution; order agreed by all authors
• Any prior conference/working-paper version is disclosed as required
• Similarity check run (institutional tool); overlap acceptable and self-overlap disclosed

Portal files (ScholarOne)

• Anonymized main manuscript (body + figures + references), required format
• Separate title page with author info and corresponding author
• Cover note / response to editor if requested
• Any author-agreement or conflict-of-interest forms the system requires

Desk-reject triggers to preempt

1. It's an empirical study (reports data, tests hypotheses) — the defining AMR desk reject.
2. Incremental theory — a minor extension with no new construct or mechanism.
3. A literature review with no original theoretical move (AMR is not a review journal).
4. Construct proliferation — relabeling existing ideas (cf. Suddaby, AMR 2010, DOI 10.5465/amr.2010.0419).
5. Untestable-in-principle or tautological propositions (AMR's scope demands "testable knowledge-based claims").
6. Poor fit/scope or anonymization/formatting failures.

ScholarOne operation notes

• AMR uses ScholarOne Manuscripts (Manuscript Central) at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/amr; register and submit through the AMR portal linked from the AOM author resources page.
• Enter author metadata only in the system, never in the anonymized manuscript.
• Suggested/opposed reviewers: provide only if the system asks and per its limits.
• Choose the correct submission/article type (theoretical/conceptual article).
• Submission fee: none — the Academy of Management does not charge submission fees. New users establish a ScholarOne account with name, affiliation, address details, and keywords before using the Author Center; check any portal-stage prompts at submission time.
• Keep within the file-size and file-type limits the portal states.

Anti-patterns

• Submitting a paper that is really an empirical study or a literature review
• Author identity leaking through "our prior study," acknowledgments, or file properties
• Reference list missing the recent conversation reviewers belong to
• Figures that are data plots (impossible at AMR) or undefined boxes-and-arrows
• Forgetting to scrub document metadata after a final edit
• Over-length manuscript that ignores the current limit (verify before submitting)

Output format

【Scope】builds new theory, no data: yes / fix
【Format】double-spaced / abstract within limit / figures conceptual: pass / fix
【Anonymization】body + properties + filenames clean: yes / fix
【References】AOM style; recent conversation cited; all real: yes / fix
【Ethics】original, not under review, authorship correct: yes / fix
【Portal files】anonymized MS + title page + forms: complete / missing [...]
【Next step】await decision → amr-review-process; R&R → amr-rebuttal

Related resources

• templates/manuscript_template.md — Standard AMR conceptual-article skeleton (puzzle intro, theory development, propositions, conceptual model, discussion)
• templates/checklist.md — 8-section pre-submission self-check (scope / format / anonymization / abstract / theory / figures / references / ethics & portal)
• ../../resources/external_tools.md — Theory-building tools (citation mapping, reference managers, conceptual-diagram software, argument-logic aids)