Paper Submission Desk
Check a paper against a journal's limits and get a cover letter, title page and checklist ready for submission
1. Journal limits
From the journal's author instructions. Leave a box empty if there is no limit.
2. Paper
3. Authors
4. Declarations
Checklist (3 to fix)
- The title is empty.
- The abstract is empty.
- No keywords yet.
- No authors listed.
- Not yet confirmed: the work is original and not under consideration elsewhere; all authors have approved the submission; ethics approval or consent is covered, if it applies; conflicts of interest are declared; funding is acknowledged; data availability is stated.
About Paper Submission Desk
Gets a paper ready to submit to a journal: checks the title, abstract, keywords, authors, ORCID iDs, DOIs and declarations against the limits you enter, then writes a cover letter and title page and packs them with the checklist.
Copy the limits from the journal's author instructions, fill in your paper's details, and read the checklist. Fix anything marked Fix, then download the pack (PDF, cover letter and title page as text).
The checks use the limits you type, because journals differ and change their rules. They check the format of DOIs and ORCID iDs, not whether they exist.
- Does it know my journal's rules?
- No. You enter the limits from the journal's author instructions, so the checks stay right when those rules change.
- Does it check that my DOIs and ORCID iDs are real?
- No. It checks the format, and for ORCID also the check digit, which catches most typing mistakes. It does not look anything up.
- What do I get when I download?
- A ZIP with a PDF (cover letter, title page and checklist), the cover letter as text and the title page as text.
- Will the cover letter claim things that are not true?
- No. It states only the declarations you tick, such as originality or that all authors approved.
- Is my manuscript uploaded?
- No. You enter the title, abstract and details, not the manuscript file, and everything stays in your browser tab until you close it.
How to use Paper Submission Desk
Copy the limits from the journal's author instructions, fill in your title, abstract, keywords, authors and declarations, and read the checklist. Fix anything marked Fix, then download the pack: a PDF with the cover letter, title page and checklist, plus the cover letter and title page as plain text.
When to use it
Use it in the last stage before submitting a manuscript, to catch an over-long abstract, a missing corresponding author, a mistyped ORCID iD or a badly formed DOI, and to get a clean cover letter and title page.
When not to use it
It does not format the manuscript, check references against a style, judge the science or the writing, or guess a journal's rules. It cannot confirm that a DOI or ORCID iD exists, and it does not submit anything for you.
Tips for best results
Read the journal's instructions for authors first and enter their limits. Keep the cover letter short and specific to the journal. Check every author has agreed before submitting.
Limitations
Limits are the ones you type, because journals differ and change their instructions; the journal's own guidelines always decide. The ORCID check tests the format and check digit, and the DOI check tests the format only. Word counts split on spaces, which suits most languages but not those written without spaces. The cover letter states only what you tick as confirmed.
Privacy
Everything is worked out in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored by us, and your entries are erased when you close the tab; use Back up to keep a copy on your own device.
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