Submission Preflight (jpube-submission)

When to trigger

• "Submitting tomorrow" — last check before pressing submit on Editorial Manager
• Unsure which files and fees Editorial Manager expects at submission
• Confirming abstract length, reference style, and source-file format are JPubE-compliant
• Checking declarations (AI, conflicts) and the SSRN preprint choice

Process facts (live-check operational fields on the official Guide for Authors)

• Publisher Elsevier; submission through Elsevier's Editorial Manager online system. Founded 1972 by Tony Atkinson; current Editors Nathaniel Hendren (MIT) and Wojciech Kopczuk (Columbia) (re-verified 2026-06-22; re-confirm the masthead on the ScienceDirect editorial-board page before naming an editor).
• Submission fee: US$165 per unsolicited manuscript. A reduced US$82.50 fee applies to full-time students via a student discount code (obtained by contacting the journal, entered during submission). The fee is waived when the manuscript is transferred into the journal via Elsevier's article transfer service. Unlike many top economics journals that are free or charge only a handling fee, JPubE charges this fee — budget for it unless you are transferring.
• Single anonymized review; suitable submissions go to a minimum of two reviewers (author identity is known to reviewers — see jpube-review-process).
• Short Paper track: no more than 6,000 words, up to five exhibits, main text and exhibits standing on their own; the journal aims for 4-6 week decisions on refereed short papers.
• Abstract: 250 words maximum, concise and factual (purpose, principal results, major conclusion).
• Highlights: required at submission; 3-5 bullet points, each at most 85 characters including spaces.
• References: author-date (name-and-year) in-text per Elsevier formatting.
• Source files: editable Word (single-column) or LaTeX (.tex; double-column permitted only for LaTeX).
• Generative-AI use must be declared at submission; one appeal per submission is considered under Elsevier's Appeal Policy.
• Optional SSRN preprint at submission, with no effect on the editorial outcome.
• Research data: Elsevier Option C requires deposit/citation/linking of research data, or a statement explaining why data cannot be shared.

Preflight checklist

Format & style

• Editable source files ready (Word single-column or LaTeX .tex)
• Abstract ≤ 250 words, factual (purpose / results / conclusion)
• Highlights file ready (3-5 bullets, ≤85 characters each)
• References in author-date style, alphabetical by surname
• Tables/figures numbered, called in order, with self-contained notes
• Figures legible at print resolution (vector preferred)

Fee & system

• US$165 fee budgeted (or US$82.50 student code obtained, or waived via article transfer)
• Editorial Manager account and manuscript metadata complete
• Suggested / excluded reviewers prepared (expert, fair, conflict-free)
• SSRN preprint opt-in decision made

Declarations

• Generative-AI use declared if applicable
• Conflict-of-interest / disclosure statement prepared
• Funding and data-source disclosures prepared
• Data-availability statement ready; repository link or restricted-data explanation prepared (see jpube-replication-and-data-policy)
• Confirmed the paper is not under review elsewhere

Content sanity

• Abstract states the policy finding with a number (see jpube-writing-style)
• Identification + welfare mapping complete (see jpube-identification-strategy, jpube-data-analysis)
• No over-claiming beyond what the design supports

Anti-patterns

• Forgetting the US$165 fee (or the student code / transfer waiver) and stalling at payment
• A PDF-only submission with no editable Word/LaTeX source
• An abstract over 250 words or with no headline number
• Numbered/footnote references instead of author-date
• Undeclared AI assistance; planning to "appeal twice" (only one appeal is considered)

Desk-reject screen: what trips the first read

Before referees, a handling editor scans for fit and form. These are the avoidable stumbles that send a public-finance manuscript back without review.

Worked vignette: a bunching paper at the payment screen (illustrative)

An author finishes a taxable-income-elasticity paper (headline e = 0.3, illustrative) and opens Editorial Manager the night before a deadline. The preflight catches three things: the abstract is 268 words and never states the DWL implication (trimmed to 248 with the welfare line added); the manuscript is a compiled PDF (editable .tex and figures gathered); and the US$165 fee is a fresh submission, not a transfer (payment arranged, not discovered at the final step). None is about the economics — all three are stall risks the screen removes.

Calibration anchors

• The fee, abstract cap, single-anonymized model, and author-date style are operational tells of JPubE specifically — treat them as binding form checks.
• Live-check fee amounts, the student-discount route, and transfer handling on the official Guide for Authors immediately before quoting them to coauthors.

Output format

【Source files】editable Word single-column / LaTeX .tex? [Y/N]
【Abstract】≤250 words, states finding? [Y/N]
【Highlights】3-5 bullets, ≤85 characters each? [Y/N]
【References】author-date, alphabetical? [Y/N]
【Fee】US$165 / US$82.50 student / transfer-waived — handled? [which]
【Declarations】AI / COI / funding / data-availability ready? [Y/N each]
【SSRN】opt-in decision: [yes/no]
【Next step】submit via Editorial Manager → jpube-rebuttal on a decision