Pre-Submission Preflight (jm-submission)

When to trigger

• "We're submitting this week" — the last check before hitting submit
• Unsure what ScholarOne (Sage Track) requires (anonymized file, title page, statements)
• Verifying the manuscript matches current JM/AMA formatting requirements
• Confirming double-anonymization and the Data Availability Statement are in place

Always live-check current limits, required files, and portal prompts on the official JM/SAGE/AMA submission pages before submitting. As of 2026-06-20 the verified key specs are below.

Verified JM/AMA specs (confirm current values)

• Submission portal: ScholarOne / Manuscript Central (Sage Track) at mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ama_jm; online submission only (no mail/email).
• Length: 50-page maximum, properly formatted and inclusive of title, abstract, keywords, text, footnotes, references, tables, figures, and print appendices; web appendices do not count.
• Abstract: 200 words maximum, unstructured.
• Keywords: minimum 3 (AMA also allows up to 8 primary keywords).
• Formatting: 12-point Times New Roman (or 12-pt LaTeX font); double-spaced (tables/references may be single-spaced); 1-inch margins; no page numbers, line numbers, headers, or footers. AMA Word/LaTeX templates are provided.
• Citations: AMA author-date; full author names for up to three authors, "et al." for four or more.
• Statistics: empirical papers must report actual p-values, standard errors, and effect sizes.
• Review: double-anonymized — remove all author/institution identifiers; the handling Editor is the final decision authority.
• Integrity: iThenticate plagiarism screening; conflict-of-interest disclosure.
• Transparency: Data Availability Statement required; replication packet deposited to JM Dataverse at conditional acceptance; preregistration encouraged (anonymized links + attestation). Applies to conditionally accepted revisions of manuscripts submitted on/after 2023-01-01. Some conditionally accepted JM manuscripts may go through a Data Editor verification step.
• Fees: SAGE states there are no fees payable to submit or publish in the subscription route; optional Sage Choice/Open Access may carry a fee, and OA fees do not cover separate page or color charges.
• Preprints / ORCID: preprints are accepted; enter the preprint DOI at submission and avoid posting updated versions during review. Authors and coauthors are encouraged to link ORCID IDs before acceptance.

Pre-submission checklist

Anonymization (double-anonymized)

• Manuscript file contains no author names, affiliations, or acknowledgments
• Self-citations worded neutrally ("prior research (Author, 2020)"), not "our earlier work"
• Acknowledgments, funding, ORCID/author bios live on a separate title page
• Preregistration links are anonymized (no identity leakage)
• File metadata/properties and file names scrubbed of author/institution identity

Format (verify against current AMA/JM guidelines)

• 12-pt Times New Roman, double-spaced; 1-inch margins; no page/line numbers, headers, or footers
• Abstract ≤ 200 words; ≥3 keywords
• AMA author-date citations (full names ≤3; et al. ≥4); reference list complete
• Main document ≤ 50 pages inclusive (text + refs + tables + figures + footnotes + print appendices); web appendices separate
• Tables/figures report exact p-values, SEs, and effect sizes

Files for ScholarOne (Sage Track)

• Anonymized main document (manuscript + tables + figures, or as the portal specifies)
• Separate title page with all identifying information + Data Availability Statement
• Cover letter to the editor (fit, substantive + managerial contribution, not under review elsewhere)
• Web appendix file(s) for supplementary results (excluded from page count)
• Replication materials prepared for JM Dataverse deposit at conditional acceptance

Declarations & ethics

• Human-subjects/IRB approval stated where applicable (on title page, not anonymized text)
• Data Availability Statement on the title page
• Optional OA, page, or color-charge prompts checked if relevant
• ORCID IDs linked before acceptance where possible
• No concurrent submission; conference/working-paper versions disclosed in the cover letter
• Conflicts of interest and funding disclosed on the title page
• Preregistration attestation prepared (faithful representation), if applicable

References & consistency

• Every in-text citation appears in the reference list and vice versa
• The substantive canon of the conversation is cited (routing-aware for Coeditor/reviewers)
• Hypothesis labels, construct names, and exhibit numbers consistent throughout

ScholarOne (Sage Track) operation notes

• Submit through ScholarOne at mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ama_jm; keep your account and ORCID current.
• Select the article type and keywords so the manuscript routes to the appropriate Coeditor (Fischer / Haws / Scott / Slotegraaf) and reviewers.
• Upload the anonymized file and the title page in the slots the system designates; preview the built PDF before final submission.

Anti-patterns

• Self-identifying language ("in our 2019 study") or a preregistration link that reveals identity.
• Stars-only / "p < .05" statistics instead of exact p-values, SEs, and effect sizes.
• Forgetting that tables, figures, references, and print appendices all count toward the 50-page limit.
• Missing Data Availability Statement, or no plan for the JM Dataverse packet.
• Wrong (non-AMA) citation style straight from a reference manager.

Output format

【Anonymization】pass / fix: [...]
【Format vs. AMA guide】50-page inclusive, 12-pt, no page/line numbers, abstract ≤200w, ≥3 keywords: [...]
【Exact statistics】p-values + SEs + effect sizes present? yes/no
【Files ready】anon manuscript / title page + DAS / cover letter / web appendix: yes/no
【Transparency】Data Availability Statement + JM Dataverse plan + prereg attestation: [...]
【Declarations】IRB / disclosures / no concurrent submission: complete?
【Next step】await decision → jm-review-process; on R&R → jm-rebuttal

Resources

• ../../resources/external_tools.md — marketing-research data and analysis software (NielsenIQ / Circana / Prolific / Qualtrics / Stata reghdfe / R lavaan / PROCESS)
• ../../resources/official-source-map.md — official AMA/SAGE/JM URLs behind every verified fact (accessed 2026-06-20) and live-check items