---
name: mksc-submission
description: Use when preparing to submit a Marketing Science manuscript through ScholarOne — blinding for double-anonymous review, choosing the track (regular / Frontiers / Database / Practice), assembling the replication package, the cover letter, preferred AEs/reviewers, and the optional Open Option. Preflight only; it does not interpret decisions (mksc-review-process).
---

# Submission Preflight (mksc-submission)

## When to trigger

- The manuscript is finished and you are ready to submit
- You are unsure which track fits or what files ScholarOne expects
- You need to blind the manuscript and assemble the replication materials
- You are weighing the Open Option (gold OA)

## Submission system and blinding

- Submit through **ScholarOne Manuscripts at mc.manuscriptcentral.com/mksc**.
- Regular submissions use **double-anonymous review**: remove author names, institutions, and acknowledgments from the manuscript; phrase self-citations in the third person.
- The **cover letter is visible to the Editor and AE but not reviewers** — use it for context, prior-review history, and self-overlap disclosure, while keeping the manuscript itself blinded.

## Choose the right track

- **Regular (Original Article)** — no fixed length cap, but write succinctly.
- **Frontiers in Marketing Science** — Science-like, faster review, **strict 6,000-word total cap** (including references, tables, graphs, appendices); requires a major contribution on one primary dimension.
- **Database** — built around a novel dataset.
- **Practice Paper / Practice Prize** — requires a **500–1,000-word Impact Statement** and uses a **single-blind** process; Science-to-Practice is a related track.

## Format and front matter

- Double-spaced, single column, 11- or 12-point font, one-inch margins; Word or LaTeX (INFORMS style files), uploaded as Word or PDF.
- Abstract **≤ 200 words** on the first page; **3–6 keywords** (theoretical and methodological orientation).
- INFORMS author-year citations; alphabetical reference list.
- You may suggest **2 preferred Associate Editors and 3 preferred reviewers**.
- Disclose any self-overlap with your published or under-review work and how this paper goes beyond it.

## Replication package

Although the deposit is required **on acceptance** (Replication and Disclosure Policy), assemble it now: estimation code and a master script that reproduces every table/figure/counterfactual; for licensed data (NielsenIQ, Compustat, CRSP, Census), access instructions and linking/build code rather than raw data.

## Fees / Open Option

No mandatory submission or publication fee for standard subscription publication. **Open Option** (gold OA) is optional: a one-time **US$3,000** fee charged only after acceptance, before publication; it does not affect peer review.

## Checklist

- [ ] Manuscript blinded (names, affiliations, acknowledgments, self-citations)
- [ ] Track chosen; Frontiers within 6,000-word total cap; Practice has Impact Statement
- [ ] Abstract ≤ 200 words; 3–6 keywords; INFORMS author-year + alphabetical refs
- [ ] Format: double-spaced 11–12 pt, one-inch margins; Word/LaTeX → Word/PDF
- [ ] Cover letter (Editor/AE-only) with self-overlap disclosure
- [ ] 2 preferred AEs and 3 preferred reviewers suggested
- [ ] Replication package assembled (code + licensed-data access/build)
- [ ] Open Option decision noted (US$3,000, post-acceptance, optional)

## Anti-patterns

- Leaving author identifiers or "our prior paper" phrasing in a double-anonymous manuscript.
- Submitting an over-length Frontiers paper.
- Treating replication as an afterthought; "code on request."
- Confusing the single-blind Practice track rules with regular double-anonymous submission.

## Output format

```
【Track】regular / Frontiers / Database / Practice
【Blinding】manuscript anonymized? self-cites third-person?
【Front matter】abstract ≤200w; 3–6 keywords; INFORMS format
【Handlers】2 preferred AEs + 3 reviewers; cover letter (Editor/AE-only)
【Replication】code + data access/build ready
【Fees】subscription (none) / Open Option US$3,000
【Next step】mksc-review-process
```