---
name: ajs-submission
description: Use when running the final pre-submission preflight for the American Journal of Sociology (AJS) via Editorial Manager — the $30 submission fee (waived for sole-author grad students), the separate cover page for double-blind review, the ~150-word abstract, mandatory figure alt text, AJS house style, and the originality statement. Final checks; it does not draft content.
---

# Submission Preflight (ajs-submission)

The last check before pressing submit on **Editorial Manager** (`editorialmanager.com/ucp-ajs`). AJS
is **double-blind**, so the most common avoidable failures are an under-anonymized manuscript and a
cover page left inside the manuscript file. Also unique to AJS: a **$30 submission fee** and **AJS's
own house style** (not the ASA Style Guide). Verify volatile items on the live pages (待核实; UChicago
Press pages are 403 to automated fetch).

## When to trigger

- "Submitting tomorrow" — last pass before upload
- Unsure which files/metadata Editorial Manager expects
- Confirming the fee, anonymization, abstract, alt text, and house style are all handled

## Process facts (verify volatile items on the official page)

- **Owner / publisher:** University of Chicago (Dept. of Sociology) / **University of Chicago Press**
  (NOT SAGE/ASA).
- **Portal:** **Editorial Manager** (`editorialmanager.com/ucp-ajs`); accepts **Word, PDF, or LaTeX**.
- **Review model:** **double-blind** — anonymize the manuscript; submit the **cover page as a separate
  file** so personal information is not in the manuscript.
- **Submission fee:** **$30** per new submission; **waived for graduate students submitting as sole
  authors** (proof of status may be requested). (待核实 — confirm current amount/waiver.)
- **Abstract:** **~150 words** (as close to 150 as possible); must state the question/puzzle, identify
  the data, and indicate findings. **No abstract → not sent to reviewers.**
- **Length:** **no fixed word cap**; be concise (referees may need more time over ~18,000 words). (待核实.)
- **Style:** **AJS's own author-date house style** (name + year; "et al." for 3+); **NOT the ASA Style
  Guide**. Notes start at "1"; acknowledgment note on the cover sheet with an asterisk; footnotes or
  endnotes both fine.
- **Figures:** **alt text required for every figure** at submission, with the captions.
- **Format:** serif typeface ≥11 pt (preferably 12), double-spaced, ≥1-inch margins.

## Preflight checklist

### Fee & files
- [ ] $30 submission fee ready (or sole-author grad-student waiver + proof of status)
- [ ] Manuscript file (Word/PDF/LaTeX) **with no cover page inside it**
- [ ] **Separate cover page** file (names, affiliations, acknowledgments)

### Anonymity (double-blind)
- [ ] No author names, affiliations, or acknowledgments in the manuscript
- [ ] Self-references worded to avoid specific attribution
- [ ] Identifying **file metadata stripped** (document properties, comments)

### Content & format
- [ ] Abstract present, ~150 words, states question + data + findings
- [ ] AJS house-style citations/notes/references (NOT ASA Style Guide)
- [ ] Serif ≥11 pt, double-spaced, ≥1-in margins
- [ ] Post-text sections in order: notes, references, tables, figures, appendices
- [ ] Alt text for every figure, with captions
- [ ] Originality statement prepared if the paper overlaps prior work
- [ ] Not under review elsewhere (concurrent submission violates Press ethics)

## Anti-patterns

- Leaving the cover page / author identifiers inside the manuscript file (breaks double-blind)
- Formatting to the **ASA Style Guide** instead of AJS house style
- Forgetting the **$30 fee** (or wrongly assuming the grad-student waiver applies to coauthored papers)
- Submitting with no abstract (it will not be sent to reviewers) or missing figure alt text
- Submitting while the paper is under review at another journal

## Output format

```
【Fee】$30 paid or sole-author grad waiver (+proof)? [Y/N]
【Files】manuscript clean of cover page + separate cover page file? [Y/N]
【Anonymized】text + self-refs + file metadata clean? [Y/N]
【Abstract】~150 words, states question/data/findings? [Y/N]
【House style】AJS author-date (NOT ASA Style Guide)? [Y/N]
【Alt text】every figure? [Y/N]
【Originality / ethics】statement if needed + not under review elsewhere? [Y/N]
【Next】await decision → ajs-rebuttal on R&R
```

## Supplementary resources

- [`../../resources/external_tools.md`](../../resources/external_tools.md) — reference managers, anonymization, portal summary
- [`../../resources/official-source-map.md`](../../resources/official-source-map.md) — AJS fee, abstract, house style, alt-text, and ethics policy