Submission Preflight (psci-submission)

The last check before submitting through Manuscript Central (mc.manuscriptcentral.com/psci). Two things sink Psychological Science submissions most often: busting the word format and missing open-science compliance. Verify volatile specifics (format numbers, policy wording, editor) on the official page first.

When to trigger

• "Submitting tomorrow" — last pass before upload
• Unsure what the format and open-science requirements demand
• Confirming the abstract, anonymization, Transparency Statement, and deposits are in order

Process facts (verify volatile items on the official page)

• Owner / publisher: Association for Psychological Science (APS) / SAGE.
• Portal: Manuscript Central, mc.manuscriptcentral.com/psci.
• Review: anonymized — keep author identity out of the manuscript and repository links.
• Word format (Research Article): Introduction + Discussion + Footnotes + Acknowledgments + Appendices ≤ 2,000 words combined; Method + Results excluded (typically ≤ ~2,500); ~40 references.
• Abstract: 150 words, stating sample sizes, participant populations, and design limitations.
• Style: APA 7th edition; tables/figures embedded in the text.
• Open science (since 1 Jan 2024): open data + materials required (justified case-by-case exemptions); Research Transparency Statement between Intro and Methods; DOIs for shared content; preregistration reported and weighed.
• Types: Research Article; Registered Reports (Stage 1/2); RR with Existing Data; Commentary (≤1,000).

Preflight checklist

Format & abstract

• Intro + Discussion (+ footnotes/acks/appendices) ≤ 2,000 words combined
• Method + Results readable (≤ ~2,500 words)
• Abstract 150 words: sample sizes + populations + design limitations
• ~40 references; APA 7th edition; tables/figures embedded near discussion

Anonymization (for review)

• No author names/affiliations in the manuscript
• Repository / preregistration links anonymized (e.g., OSF anonymized view)
• Identifying file metadata stripped

Open science

• Open data deposited + DOI + data dictionary (or justified exemption)
• Open materials deposited + DOI
• Analysis scripts deposited; reproduce in a fresh session
• Research Transparency Statement placed between Intro and Methods
• Preregistration linked; confirmatory/exploratory split consistent

Stats & disclosure

• Effect sizes + confidence intervals for major results
• Sample-size justification (power analysis if appropriate)
• Full disclosure of exclusions, conditions, and measures

Worked micro-example — preflight verdict (illustrative)

Running the two-study attention package through the gate the night before upload:

Format:     Intro 1,180 + Discussion 760 + acks 40 = 1,980 / 2,000 → PASS (margin: 20)
Method+Results: 2,310 words → PASS (readable, < ~2,500)
Abstract:   148 words; states N = 240 and N = 300, undergraduate + online
            adult samples, and the single-culture limitation → PASS
Exhibits:   2 figures (dot + 95% CI), embedded near first mention, APA 7th → PASS
Anonymize:  no names; OSF anonymized-view links; PDF metadata stripped → PASS
Open sci:   data + materials + scripts each have a DOI; Transparency
            Statement sits between Intro and Methods → PASS
Stats:      every primary result carries d and a 95% CI; SESOI-based power → PASS
Verdict:    ready to upload to Manuscript Central.

Last-mile failure modes that trigger a return

Volatile specifics (exact word counts, abstract length, accepted categories, current editor) change. Re-confirm every number above against the journal's current submission guidelines before relying on it.

Anti-patterns

• Submitting over the 2,000-word combined budget
• Abstract missing sample sizes/populations/limitations or over 150 words
• Tables/figures at the end instead of embedded
• Missing or non-anonymized open-science links during masked review
• No Research Transparency Statement

Output format

【Format】Intro+Discussion ≤ 2,000? Method+Results ≤ ~2,500? [Y/N]
【Abstract】150 words + sample sizes + populations + limitations? [Y/N]
【APA 7th + embedded exhibits】[Y/N]
【Anonymized】manuscript + repo/prereg links + metadata? [Y/N]
【Open science】data + materials + scripts + DOIs + Transparency Statement? [Y/N]
【Stats】effect sizes + CIs + sample-size justification + disclosure? [Y/N]
【Next】await decision → psci-rebuttal on R&R

Supplementary resources

• ../../resources/external_tools.md — repositories, DOIs, papaja, power and effect-size tools
• ../../resources/official-source-map.md — official Psychological Science URLs behind every fact in this pack