---
name: ecta-submission
description: Use when running the final pre-submission preflight for an Econometrica manuscript via Editorial Express — manuscript assembly, Supplemental Material, the 45-page limit, anonymization, references, the ES-member submission fee, and Data and Code Availability Policy compliance.
---

# Submission Preflight (ecta-submission)

## When to trigger

- "Submitting tomorrow"; final check before clicking submit on Editorial Express
- Unsure how to split the body (≤45 pages) vs. the Supplemental Material
- Unsure which files and declarations the portal needs

> Verify all volatile specifics — portal URL, submission fee, the current Data and Code
> Availability Policy, the editorial board, and formatting rules — on the official journal
> site before submitting. The figures below were current as of 2026-05-30 but change.

## Econometrica specifics (verify; current as of 2026-05-30)

- **Membership + fee:** at least one author must be a member of the **Econometric Society**.
  Submission fee (from Jan 1, 2025): **US$125 regular member, US$50 student member**. Invited
  resubmissions and ES-journal transfers are fee-exempt.
- **Length:** main text **≤45 pages including references and appendices**; font ≥12pt, line
  spacing ≥1.5, margins ≥1.25in. **Supplemental Appendix ≤25 pages**, same formatting;
  additional online Supplemental Material (proofs, Monte Carlo detail) is uploaded with the
  submission and does **not** count toward the limit.
- **Front matter:** abstract **≤150 words**, keywords required, **JEL codes optional**.
- **Portal:** **Editorial Express** (editorialexpress.com, `dbase=econometrica`).
- **Replication:** governed by the **Econometric Society** Data and Code Availability Policy;
  the **Data Editor** runs a reproducibility check at conditional acceptance; deposit at the
  ES Journals' Community on **Zenodo** (see `ecta-replication-package`).
- **Anonymization: UNVERIFIED.** Economics convention is single-anonymous (referees know the
  author); confirm whether Econometrica currently requires a de-identified PDF before relying
  on it.

## Pre-submission checklist

### Manuscript assembly

- [ ] Main text states the contribution / informal main theorem early
- [ ] Main text fits **≤45 pages incl. references and appendices**; font ≥12pt / spacing ≥1.5 / margins ≥1.25in
- [ ] Definitions and assumptions are numbered, displayed objects
- [ ] Theorems numbered consistently; cross-references by number
- [ ] Proof sketches in the body; **full proofs in the Supplemental Material** if long
- [ ] Supplemental Appendix **≤25 pages**; further Supplemental Material carries full proofs, Monte Carlo detail, additional results
- [ ] Every number in the text matches the tables
- [ ] Abstract **≤150 words**; keywords present; JEL codes (optional) included if used

### Supplemental Material

- [ ] Full, complete proofs of every result not proven in full in the body
- [ ] Complete Monte Carlo design and any additional simulations
- [ ] Additional theorems / extensions referenced from the body
- [ ] Supplemental Appendix within ≤25 pages; further material in unrestricted Supplemental Material
- [ ] Self-contained and cross-referenced from the main text

### Anonymization (verify — UNVERIFIED whether currently required)

- [ ] If a de-identified PDF is required: no author-identifying content in the body
- [ ] Self-citation phrased in the third person ("X (2020) shows"), not "our earlier work"
- [ ] Acknowledgments / funding removed from the anonymized manuscript
- [ ] File metadata scrubbed of author names
- [ ] Confirm the journal's **current** blinding policy on the Instructions/Editorial Procedures pages

### References

- [ ] Every in-text citation appears in the reference list and vice versa
- [ ] Theorem-level results cited precisely (which theorem, not just the paper) where the proof relies on them
- [ ] Reference style matches the journal's current requirement
- [ ] Foundational and contemporaneous work cited fairly

### Data and Code Availability Policy (Econometric Society)

- [ ] Replication package built and reproduces from a clean checkout (see `ecta-replication-package`)
- [ ] Monte Carlo / simulation tables reproduce bit-for-bit (seeds recorded) — simulations are in-scope
- [ ] Data provenance / access documented; restricted-data procedures handled
- [ ] README in **PDF** (Social Science Data Editors' template); Zenodo deposit planned (ES Journals' Community)
- [ ] If pure theory (no empirical/experimental/simulation results): exemption noted **at initial submission**
- [ ] Verified against the **current** ES Data Editor policy and deposit location

### Fee and member status

- [ ] Submission fee handled (US$125 regular / US$50 student member, from 2025 — verify current amounts)
- [ ] At least one author is a current Econometric Society member
- [ ] Fee-exemption checked if an invited resubmission or ES-journal transfer

## Editorial Express operation

- Submit via **Editorial Express** (editorialexpress.com, `dbase=econometrica`; verify the
  current URL via the journal site).
- Upload the main manuscript and the Supplemental Material as the portal specifies.
- Enter abstract (≤150 words), keywords, and JEL codes (optional) accurately.
- Provide qualified, conflict-free referee suggestions (see `ecta-referee-strategy`).
- Choose the correct classification / field for routing to an appropriate co-editor.
- At **conditional acceptance**, final files (and the replication package) go to a separate
  Editorial Express account for the **Data Editor**'s reproducibility check.

## Anti-patterns

- Submitting with proofs only in the body and the Supplemental Material not assembled
- A body over **45 pages** (incl. references and appendices) with no prior editor exception
- Submitting without an Econometric Society member among the authors, or unpaid fee
- Asymptotics in, Monte Carlo left for "the revision" — often a fast rejection
- A replication package that does not actually reproduce (the Data Editor will run it)
- An off-the-shelf applied paper with no methodological contribution (eligibility desk-reject)
- Citing a survey where the proof depends on a specific theorem
- Trusting a stale fee / board / policy figure instead of verifying on the journal site

## Output format

```
【Body ≤45pp + split】within limit + proofs split correctly: yes/no
【Supplemental Material assembled】yes/no — missing: [...]
【Anonymization】pass / fix / N/A (verify if required): [...]
【References】in/out consistent: yes/no
【ES Data & Code Policy】reproduces + Zenodo plan / theory-exempt: yes/no
【Fee + ES membership】handled: yes/no (US$125/US$50 — verify)
【Next step】await decision / R&R / conditional acceptance → ecta-rebuttal
```

## Related resources

- [`templates/checklist.md`](templates/checklist.md) — full pre-submission self-check (manuscript, appendix, anonymization, proofs, simulations, references, replication, portal)
- [`templates/manuscript_template.md`](templates/manuscript_template.md) — standard theory/methods manuscript skeleton (assumptions, theorems, proof sketches, Supplemental Material)
- [`../../resources/external_tools.md`](../../resources/external_tools.md) — typesetting, symbolic/computation, and reproducibility toolchain