Submission Preflight (etp-submission)

When to trigger

• "Submitting tomorrow" — last check before pressing submit on ScholarOne
• Unsure which files, statements, and format ETP's submission system expects
• Confirming the page limit, font/spacing, and APA style are met
• Deciding between Original Article and Research Brief
• Verifying the manuscript is properly anonymized for double-anonymized review

Process facts (source map refreshed 2026-06; re-confirm on the SAGE author-instructions page)

• ETP is published by SAGE on behalf of Baylor University and is the official journal of USASBE. Submission is through ScholarOne Manuscripts at mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ETP. Manuscript file format: Word preferred.
• Editor-in-Chief: Johan Wiklund (Syracuse University) is the editor of record (verified 2026-06-22). A 2026 "ETP at 50" editorial signals his departure and an editorial transition; a successor was not yet named publicly as of 2026-06-22, so confirm the current Editor-in-Chief on the SAGE ETP editorial-board page before addressing a cover letter to a named editor.
• Peer review is double-anonymized — the manuscript itself (not just the title page) must be scrubbed of author identity: remove author names/affiliations, anonymize self-citations ("Author, 2020"), strip acknowledgments and identifying file metadata, and avoid telltale dataset or institution references.
• Length: Original Articles are typically ≤40 pages, double-spaced, 12-pt Times New Roman, 1-inch margins (no lower limit). Research Briefs ≤20 pages plus tables and references. Confirm whether tables/references count against the limit on the current author-instructions page (待核实).
• References: APA style throughout.
• Abstract: required; confirm the exact word limit on the current author-instructions page (待核实).
• ORCID, data availability / open-data statements, and any funding/conflict declarations: SAGE policies apply — confirm which are required at submission on the current page (待核实).
• Fees: ETP is a subscription (hybrid) journal; there is no submission fee, and an APC applies only if you choose open access (Sage Choice) (verified 2026-06-22) — confirm the current APC figure and waiver terms before relying on them.

Preflight checklist

Anonymization (double-anonymized)

• Author names/affiliations removed from the manuscript body and headers
• Self-citations anonymized in text and reference list
• Acknowledgments, funding, and thanks moved out of the anonymized file
• File metadata/properties scrubbed of author identity
• No identifying dataset/institution tells that reveal the team

Format & style

• Word file; double-spaced, 12-pt Times New Roman, 1-inch margins
• Original Article ≤40 pages (or Research Brief ≤20 pages) — article type chosen deliberately
• APA references throughout; in-text citations match the reference list
• Abstract present and within the current limit (待核实)
• Tables/figures formatted per SAGE/APA, called out near placement
• A theoretical/mechanism figure (and Gioia data structure for inductive work) included

Files & declarations on ScholarOne

• Anonymized main manuscript + separate title page (with author details)
• Cover letter naming the contribution to entrepreneurship theory AND practice and why ETP
• ORCID linked; data availability statement; conflict/funding declarations as required (待核实)
• Confirmed the paper is not under review elsewhere; AI not listed as an author

Anti-patterns

• Submitting a file that still names the authors or de-anonymizes via self-citation (breaks double-anonymized review)
• Exceeding the page limit and hoping the editor overlooks it
• Mixing citation styles or letting in-text cites diverge from the reference list (not APA-clean)
• A cover letter that pitches only theory and ignores ETP's practice mandate
• Treating ETP like JBV/AMJ's submission system — the portal, limits, and house style differ

Output format

【Anonymization】names/self-cites/metadata scrubbed for double-anonymized review? [Y/N]
【Format】Word / double-spaced / 12pt Times / 1in margins? [Y/N]
【Length】Original ≤40pp or Brief ≤20pp; article type chosen? [Y/N]
【Style】APA references + matched in-text cites? [Y/N]
【Abstract】present and within limit (待核实)? [Y/N]
【Exhibits】mechanism figure (+ Gioia if inductive) included? [Y/N]
【Declarations】ORCID / data statement / conflicts as required (待核实)? [Y/N]
【Cover letter】names theory + practice contribution and why ETP? [Y/N]
【Next step】submit via ScholarOne (mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ETP) → etp-review-process

Worked vignette: a self-citation that breaks anonymization (illustrative)

A team submits an otherwise clean manuscript. In the theory section they write: "Building on our earlier finding (Smith & Jones, 2021) that nascent founders…" and the reference list shows Smith and Jones as the only two authors — who are also the submitting authors. Under ETP's double-anonymized review this is a de-anonymization: any reviewer can infer the authorship. The fix is not to delete the citation (which would orphan a needed reference) but to anonymize it in text — "prior work has found that nascent founders… ([Author], 2021)" — and place the full reference in a separate, non-anonymized title-page file along with names, affiliations, acknowledgments, and funding. Then scrub the Word document's properties (author metadata) and check headers/footers. The substance is unchanged; the team's identity is no longer leaked into the file the reviewers see.

Supplementary resources

• templates/checklist.md — submission self-check
• templates/manuscript_template.md — lightweight manuscript scaffold
• ../../resources/official-source-map.md — official SAGE URLs and volatile facts