Submission Preflight (ectheory-submission)

When to trigger

• "Submitting tomorrow" — last check before pressing submit on ScholarOne
• Unsure which files ET expects at submission and what goes in the Supplement
• Confirming the single-PDF format, APA author-date style, and ET prep specs are met
• Deciding Article vs Miscellanea and checking the length ceiling

ET process facts (verified; re-confirm on the official page — 待核实 where noted)

• ET is published by Cambridge University Press, founded by Peter C. B. Phillips (Founding Editor 1985–2025); from 1 January 2026 edited by three joint Editors-in-Chief — Patrik Guggenberger (Penn State), Liangjun Su (Tsinghua), and Yixiao Sun (UC San Diego) (re-confirmed via the Cambridge Core editorial-board page 2026-06-22; re-verify before submission).
• Submission is via ScholarOne / Manuscript Central at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/econ-theory, effective 28 January 2026, replacing the previous Editorial Express system.
• Manuscripts are submitted as a single PDF with all fonts, tables, and graphics embedded.
• No submission fee or APC is stated on the author-instructions pages (none mentioned; 待核实 — not a confirmed zero-fee policy). OA may be available via Cambridge read-and-publish agreements.
• Single-anonymous review — do not strip your identity as for a double-blind journal.
• Cover letter required only when you must convey review-relevant information (e.g., to share prior reviews from another journal); otherwise it is optional.
• Work must not be published or under review elsewhere.

Preflight checklist

Format & style

• One single PDF with manuscript, theorems/proofs, tables, figures, and appendices embedded; all fonts embedded
• References in APA author-date; reference list alphabetical by surname
• Abstract <=200 words; running head <=40 characters
• 11-point min font, >=1.5 line spacing, >=1.25in margins, pages numbered
• Title page: title, authors, affiliations, emails, footnotes as superscripts; p.2: running head, corresponding author, abstract
• Figures as TIFF/EPS/PDF, fonts embedded, legible at 50% reduction

Length & article type

• Article type chosen: Article (<=50 pages incl. everything) or Miscellanea (<20pp, ~15)
• Regular Article within the 50-page ceiling; overflow proofs/derivations moved to the Supplement
• Invited ET Interview NOT targeted (invited only)

Single-anonymous (not double-blind)

• Manuscript shows author identity as normal — do NOT over-anonymize
• Self-citations in natural voice; contribution argued on merit

Files for ScholarOne

• Main manuscript as a single embedded-font PDF
• Supplementary Material as a separate clearly labeled file (already-reviewed only; no new results)
• Cover letter only if conveying review-relevant info (otherwise optional)
• Confirmation the work is not under review/published elsewhere

Final content sanity

• Main theorem stated early with its scope (see ectheory-contribution-framing)
• Assumptions complete and proofs gap-free (see ectheory-identification-strategy)
• Simulations probe the boundary cases (see ectheory-data-analysis)

Anti-patterns

• Double-blind-style anonymization at a single-anonymous journal
• Padding the Article past 50 pages instead of using the online Supplement
• Numeric/Chicago references instead of APA author-date
• An over-200-word abstract or over-40-character running head
• A separate-figure-files upload when ET wants one embedded-font PDF
• Assuming a submission fee/APC exists (none stated; 待核实) and stalling on it

Submission-blocker triage table

The fastest way to fail an ET submission is a format mismatch the editorial office catches before review — each spec maps to its failure mode on this single-PDF, single-anonymous, APA-styled venue.

Spec	If wrong	Fix before pressing submit
File bundle	Separate figure files rejected	Merge into one embedded-font PDF (proofs, tables, figures)
Anonymization	Over-stripped identity	Restore identity — review is single-anonymous, not double-blind
Reference style	Numeric/Chicago bounced	Convert to APA author-date, alphabetized list
Length	Article over the page ceiling	Move overflow proofs to the labeled Supplement file
Abstract / running head	Over-length field	Trim abstract to ≤200 words, running head to ≤40 characters

Worked vignette and the office-pushback fixes

A nonstationary-estimator paper assembles into a single embedded-font PDF and gets under the page ceiling by moving the auxiliary lemma's proof and extra tables into a labeled Supplement reusing the paper's numbering. A cover letter is included only because prior reviews from another journal are shared; no APC question stalls it, since none is stated (待核实). Submission goes through ScholarOne / Manuscript Central, in effect since 28 January 2026 replacing Editorial Express. The fixes: incorrect anonymization → restore identity, as ET is single-anonymous; over the ceiling → relocate overflow to the Supplement. Confirm the ScholarOne URL and any fee policy against the live instructions.

Output format

【Single PDF】all exhibits/proofs embedded, fonts embedded? [Y/N]
【Reference style】APA author-date, alphabetized? [Y/N]
【Specs】abstract<=200w / head<=40ch / 11pt / 1.5sp / 1.25in? [Y/N]
【Type & length】Article(<=50pp) or Miscellanea(~15pp); overflow → Supplement? [Y/N]
【Single-anonymous】identity visible (not over-anonymized)? [Y/N]
【Files staged】PDF / Supplement / cover letter (if needed)? [Y/N each]
【Next step】submit via ScholarOne → ectheory-rebuttal on a decision

Supplementary resources

• ../../resources/external_tools.md — LaTeX/theorem-proof tooling, asymptotic toolkit, Monte Carlo and reproducibility notes
• ../../resources/official-source-map.md — official ET URLs behind every fact in this pack