Pre-Submission Preflight (jmr-submission)

When to trigger

• "We're submitting this week" — the last check before hitting submit
• Unsure what ScholarOne requires (anonymized manuscript, title page, Web Appendix PDF)
• Verifying the print paper meets the 50-page limit and AMA formatting
• Confirming double-anonymization and the Data Availability Statement

Always re-verify current limits and required files on the SAGE author instructions and the AMA submission-guidelines page before submitting — specifics change, and the masthead is mid-handover (see below). As of 2026-06-01 the verified key specs are below.

Verified JMR/AMA specs (confirm current values)

• Portal: ScholarOne / Manuscript Central at mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ama_jmr; questions to jmr@ama.org.
• Length: 50-page maximum, properly formatted and inclusive of title, abstract, keywords, text, footnotes, references, tables, figures, and print appendices. The Web Appendix does NOT count toward the 50 pages. JMR uses a page limit, not a word cap.
• Formatting: 12-point Times New Roman (or 12-point LaTeX font), double-spaced (tables/references may be single-spaced), 1-inch margins; no page/line numbers, no headers/footers.
• Abstract: 200 words max, third person. Title ≤ 25 words; up to 8 keywords.
• Review: double-anonymized; two independent reviews are required to reach a Revise or Accept decision; initial editorial evaluation may desk-reject out-of-scope or non-conforming papers.
• Statistics: empirical papers must report exact p-values (three digits), standard errors, and effect sizes; AMA number style (no leading zero, ≤ 3 decimals).
• Web Appendix: a single separate PDF, excluded from the page limit, with tables/figures labeled 'W'-prefixed ("Table W1", "Figure W1").
• Transparency: AMA Research Transparency Policy; a Data Availability Statement is required on the title page; be ready to share code, instruments, and materials on request and to provide data/materials before final acceptance.
• Integrity & AI: every submission is screened with iThenticate; any AI-generated content must be disclosed in the main document and Acknowledgments.
• Fees: the SAGE MRJ page states "There are no fees payable to submit or publish in this journal" for the standard route; optional Sage Choice open access is available, and the SAGE 2026 Choice price list records JMR's 2026 OA APC as USD 5,780 / GBP 4,238.474. Recheck the annual SAGE price list before quoting fees.
• Editor transition: Rebecca Hamilton (Georgetown) is EIC through 30 June 2026; Raphael Thomadsen's incoming team (WashU, 2026–2029) has processed new manuscripts since 1 April 2026.

Pre-submission checklist (summary; full version in templates/checklist.md)

Anonymization (double-anonymized)

• Manuscript file has no author names, affiliations, or acknowledgments
• Self-citations worded neutrally ("prior research (Author 2020)"), not "our earlier work"
• Title page (separate) holds authors, affiliations, contact, funding, Data Availability Statement
• File metadata and file names scrubbed of identity

Format & length

• Print paper ≤ 50 pages (everything except the Web Appendix counts)
• 12-pt Times New Roman, double-spaced, 1-inch margins, no page/line numbers or headers/footers
• Abstract ≤ 200 words, third person; title ≤ 25 words; ≤ 8 keywords
• AMA author-year citations; exact p-values, SEs, effect sizes in all tables

Web Appendix & files

• Web Appendix as a single separate PDF, exhibits 'W'-prefixed
• Anonymized main document; separate title page with all identifiers + DAS
• Cover letter (fit, contribution, not under review elsewhere)

Declarations & ethics

• Data Availability Statement on the title page
• AI-generated content disclosed in the main document and Acknowledgments
• IRB/human-subjects approval where applicable; no concurrent submission
• iThenticate-clean (paraphrase, quote, and cite properly)

ScholarOne operation notes

• Create/keep your author account and ORCID current; select the article type and the keywords/domain so the manuscript routes to an appropriate Coeditor / Associate Editor by domain.
• Upload the anonymized main document, the title page, and the Web Appendix PDF in the designated slots; preview the built PDF before final submission.

Anti-patterns

• Letting the print paper exceed 50 pages by forgetting tables/figures/references count.
• Web Appendix not a single PDF, or exhibits not 'W'-prefixed.
• Missing the title-page Data Availability Statement, or undisclosed AI use.
• Asterisk/threshold statistics instead of exact p-values, SEs, and effect sizes.

Output format

[Anonymization] pass / fix
[Format & length] <=50pp, AMA format, abstract<=200 (3rd person): pass/fix
[Web Appendix] single PDF, W-prefixed: pass/fix
[Declarations] DAS on title page / AI disclosure / IRB: complete?
[Files] main doc / title page / Web Appendix / cover letter: ready?
[Next step] await decision → jmr-review-process; on R&R → jmr-rebuttal

Resources

• templates/checklist.md — full pre-submission self-check (anonymization / format / 50-page limit / Web Appendix / declarations / references / portal)
• ../../resources/external_tools.md — behavioral and modeling tools, and the Web Appendix / replication workflow
• ../../resources/official-source-map.md — official AMA/SAGE URLs behind every verified fact (accessed 2026-06-01)