---
name: curranthro-submission
description: Use when running the final pre-submission preflight for Current Anthropology (CA) via Editorial Manager — article-type selection, word/abstract caps, file formats (.doc/.rtf text + separate TIFF/EPS figures), Chicago author-date in final files, ethics statement, figure permissions, and the Wenner-Gren copyright assignment. Final checks; it does not draft content.
---

# Submission Preflight (curranthro-submission)

The last check before submitting on **Editorial Manager** (CA's submission system). CA is published by
the **University of Chicago Press for the Wenner-Gren Foundation**; its Major Articles will, on
acceptance, receive the **CA✩ Treatment** — simultaneous publication of multiple peer commentaries with
your Reply (Major Articles only; not Reports/Forums/Discussion items). The most common avoidable
failures are wrong **article-type/word-count** fit, **figures embedded in the PDF** instead of supplied as
separate files, and an **unresolved ethics or permissions** issue. Verify volatile specifics on the
official Instructions for Authors before relying on them.

## When to trigger

- "Submitting tomorrow" — last pass before upload
- Unsure which files/metadata Editorial Manager expects
- Confirming the chosen article type's caps are met and files are in the right formats
- Finalizing the ethics statement, figure permissions, and the Wenner-Gren copyright assignment

## Process facts (checked 2026-06; verify live portal prompts)

- **Publisher / sponsor:** **University of Chicago Press** for the **Wenner-Gren Foundation for
  Anthropological Research**. Founded **1959** (Sol Tax). ISSN **0011-3204** (print) / **1537-5382** (web).
- **Editors:** co-editors **Caroline Schuster** and **Catherine J. Frieman** (Australian National
  University), effective **1 January 2025**, succeeding **Laurence Ralph** (Princeton) — the first
  cross-disciplinary, first Australia-based editorial team (verified 2026-06-22; re-confirm on the live
  masthead, as editors rotate).
- **Portal:** **Editorial Manager**.
- **Selectivity & review filter:** operating figures from the 2023 editor search are **~230 manuscripts/year**,
  **about 50% receiving full peer review** (the other half screened/desk-handled before full review), and
  **about 10% accepted** — *(year-dependent operating figures, not a standing promise; 需复核)*.
- **Issues:** **six core issues/year plus one open-access supplementary issue**; each core issue runs
  **five–six major articles** plus reports/other content.
- **Open access:** CA is a **subscription journal** with **green open access for all articles**; **gold open
  access** is available for authors with **qualifying funder requirements**; the editor may select **one
  article per core issue** for open-access availability — *(confirm current OA/APC terms on the rights page; 需复核)*.
- **Article types & caps:** **Major Article 6,000–10,000 words** (incl. references and endnotes; **abstract
  ≤ 200 words**; up to 12 figures/tables) — **receives the CA✩ Treatment**; **Report 3,000–5,000 words**
  (incl. refs/notes; abstract ≤ 200; up to 4 figures/tables); **Forum**; **Discussion / Comment ≤ 800
  words** including references (reply to a CA piece from roughly the prior 8 months); **Current
  Applications** (open-access section).
- **File formats:** submit text + tables as a **single `.doc` or `.rtf` file (not PDF)**; submit figures
  (graphs and images) as **separate TIFF (`.tif`) or EPS (`.eps`) files**.
- **Style:** **free-format** accepted at submission; **final accepted files** use **Chicago Manual of
  Style author-date**, references **alphabetized** and **not embedded in endnotes**; include **DOIs**.
- **Copyright:** assignment of copyright to the **Wenner-Gren Foundation** for major articles, reports,
  forums, discussion items, and commentaries.
- **Review/anonymity:** confirm the current model on the live Instructions for Authors before deciding how
  to anonymize.

## Preflight checklist

### Article type & length
- [ ] Article type chosen and its word cap met (Major 6,000–10,000 / Report 3,000–5,000 / Discussion ≤ 800)
- [ ] Abstract ≤ 200 words (Major Article & Report), states question + approach + intervention
- [ ] Figure/table count within the type's cap (12 Major / 4 Report)

### Files & formats (Editorial Manager)
- [ ] Text + tables in a **single `.doc`/`.rtf`** file (not PDF)
- [ ] Figures supplied as **separate TIFF/EPS** files (not embedded)
- [ ] Title-page information ready (title, short title, authors/affiliations, corresponding-author contact)

### Format & references
- [ ] Free-format acceptable now; one consistent style; plan Chicago author-date for final files
- [ ] References **alphabetized**, **not embedded in endnotes**; **DOIs** included where available
- [ ] Every in-text citation in the list and vice versa; all references real and accurate

### Ethics, rights & copyright
- [ ] **Ethics statement**: informed consent, IRB/ethics approval where applicable, anonymization
- [ ] Heritage/repatriation and vulnerable-community obligations addressed (see `curranthro-transparency-and-data`)
- [ ] Image/media consent and permissions secured; sensitive material withheld appropriately
- [ ] **Wenner-Gren copyright** assignment understood; you hold the rights you will assign
- [ ] Original work, not under review elsewhere; preprint status checked against CA/UChicago policy

## Anti-patterns

- Submitting a Major Article-length manuscript as a Report, or vice versa
- Uploading a single PDF with figures embedded instead of `.doc`/`.rtf` text + separate TIFF/EPS
- Abstract over 200 words; references embedded in endnotes or not alphabetized (final files)
- Missing figure permissions; publishing images without consent
- No ethics statement; assigning Wenner-Gren copyright over materials you don't control

## Output format

```
【Article type】Major Article / Report / Forum / Discussion / Current Applications (cap met? Y/N)
【Word count + abstract】within cap / ≤ 200? [Y/N]
【Files】single .doc/.rtf text + separate TIFF/EPS figures? [Y/N]
【References】Chicago author-date plan + alphabetized + DOIs? [Y/N]
【Ethics statement】consent / IRB / heritage / anonymization present? [Y/N]
【Copyright】Wenner-Gren assignment rights confirmed? [Y/N]
【Next】await decision → curranthro-rebuttal on R&R or to write the CA✩ Reply
```

## Supplementary resources

- [`templates/checklist.md`](templates/checklist.md) — full pre-submission checklist for CA
- [`../../resources/official-source-map.md`](../../resources/official-source-map.md) — official CA / Wenner-Gren / UChicago Press URLs behind every fact in this pack