Submission Preflight (asr-submission)

The last check before submitting through Sage Track (ScholarOne Manuscript Central). ASR is masked, so the most common avoidable failure is an under-anonymized manuscript or a missing separate title page. Verify volatile specifics (fee, caps, editors) on the official page first.

When to trigger

• "Submitting tomorrow" — last pass before upload
• Unsure what files Sage Track expects (masked manuscript + title page)
• Confirming the caps are met, the manuscript is masked, and the fee is handled

Process facts (verify volatile items on the official page)

• Owner / publisher: American Sociological Association (ASA) / SAGE.
• Portal: Sage Track (ScholarOne Manuscript Central), mc.manuscriptcentral.com/asr.
• Review model: masked (anonymous) — anonymous manuscript without a title page + a separate title page (institutional affiliations, acknowledgments, word count, corresponding- author contact). You may cite your own work but not in identifying wording.
• Scope / fit filter: ASR evaluates general-interest sociology with strong research designs/methods, broad sociological appeal, and theory development that transcends subfields — a fit mismatch is a desk-reject risk before review.
• Previously rejected: ASR does not consider papers previously rejected at ASR — do not resubmit a rejected manuscript.
• Length: Articles ≤ 15,000 words including text, references, and footnotes (tables and figures excluded); Comments/Replies ≤ 3,000 words (uploaded directly in Sage Track).
• Abstract: 200 words or fewer (the manuscript-prep section describes 150-200 words; use the stricter 200-word ceiling for the check), no identifying information.
• Format: double-spaced text, notes, and references; Times New Roman 12 pt, ≥1-inch margins; ASA Style Guide (7th ed., 2022) with author-year in-text citations for references.
• Fee: $25.00 non-refundable manuscript processing fee via Sage Track, waived for ASA student members (verified 2026-06-22; re-check the amount before paying).

Preflight checklist

Type & length

• Article (≤ 15,000 words incl. text + references + footnotes) or Comment/Reply (≤ 3,000)
• Word count recorded on the separate title page
• Abstract ≤ 200 words (150-200 target), non-identifying
• Not previously rejected at ASR (rejected papers are not reconsidered)

Masking (anonymous review)

• Manuscript has no title page, no author names/affiliations/acknowledgments
• Self-citations neutralized ("in a prior study," not "in our prior study")
• Identifying file metadata stripped (document properties)
• Separate title page prepared: affiliations, acknowledgments, word count, contact

Format & files

• Double-spaced, Times New Roman 12 pt, ≥1-inch margins
• ASA Style Guide (7th ed., 2022) references; consistent author-date
• Tables/figures self-contained (see asr-tables-figures)

Fee, ethics & data

• $25 processing fee ready (or ASA student-member waiver applies)
• Not under review at any other journal; prior appearances disclosed
• Data documentation prepared per the ASA data-sharing norm (see asr-data-and-transparency)

Avoidable returns at the ASR desk

The ASA's flagship returns or delays papers most often for masking and length-accounting errors, not for science — all within your control. Confirm any volatile figure against the current guidelines first.

Trip-wire	Consequence	Fix before upload
Title page in the manuscript	masking broken	strip it; use the separate title-page file
"in our prior study" wording	de-anonymizes the author	neutralize to "in a prior study"
References left out of word count	over the 15,000 cap on recount	count text + references + footnotes
Live document metadata	author name in file properties	clear properties before export
Resubmitting an ASR-rejected paper	not reconsidered	do not resubmit; ASR rejects are final

Worked micro-example (illustrative)

An author preps a quantitative inequality paper for Sage Track upload.

Body + references + footnotes: 14,920 words → under 15,000, OK
Abstract: 178 words, no institutions named → under the 200-word ceiling
Files: (1) masked manuscript, no title page; (2) separate title page with affiliations + word count
Masking sweep: 3 self-citations reworded; properties cleared; acknowledgments on title page only
Fee: $25 processing fee ready (verified 2026-06-22; ASA-student waiver applies)

Two files, caps verified on a recount including references, and a clean masking sweep — the most common avoidable rejections pre-empted before upload.

Editor pushback → ASR-specific fix

• "Over length." → Recount with references and footnotes; prune citation strings rather than cutting argument (hand to asr-writing-style).
• "We could identify the authors." → Re-run the masking sweep on wording, acknowledgments, and metadata; the separate title page is the only place identifiers belong.

Calibration anchors

• Masking is the highest-frequency failure. At a masked flagship, an under-anonymized file is the most common avoidable cause of a return.
• References are not free. ASR's cap is unusual in counting the reference list — budget for it early.
• Treat volatile specifics as provisional. Fee, caps, and editor handling can change; verify live.

Anti-patterns

• Leaving a title page or author identifiers in the manuscript (breaks masking)
• Forgetting the separate title page Sage Track expects
• Treating references as outside the word count — they count toward 15,000
• Abstract over the 200-word ceiling
• Resubmitting a paper ASR previously rejected (not reconsidered)
• Forgetting the $25 fee, or submitting elsewhere while under ASR review

Output format

【Type】Article (≤15,000) / Comment-Reply (≤3,000) — cap met? [Y/N]
【Masked】no title page + self-refs neutralized + metadata clean? [Y/N]
【Separate title page】prepared? [Y/N]
【Abstract】word count (≤200), non-identifying?
【Format】double-spaced TNR 12pt + ASA Style Guide (7th ed., 2022)? [Y/N]
【Fee】$25 ready or ASA-student waiver? [Y/N]
【Next】await decision → asr-rebuttal on R&R

Supplementary resources

• ../../resources/external_tools.md — reference managers, masking, repro tooling
• ../../resources/official-source-map.md — official ASR URLs behind every fact in this pack