--- name: msom-submission description: Use when running the final pre-submission preflight for a Manufacturing & Service Operations Management (M&SOM) manuscript — the ScholarOne portal, double-anonymous anonymization, the 32-page typeset cap on the official template, the four-part structured abstract, author-chosen Department routing with two preferred Department Editors, and data/code disclosure. Checks readiness to submit; it does not handle the post-decision response (msom-rebuttal). --- # Pre-Submission Preflight (msom-submission) ## When to trigger - "We're submitting this week" — the last check before hitting submit - Unsure what ScholarOne requires or which Department/Department Editors to pick - Need to confirm double-anonymous anonymization is complete - Verifying the manuscript fits the 32-page typeset cap on the official template > Always re-verify current limits, fees, department rosters, and required files on the official M&SOM submission-guidelines page before submitting — specifics change. As of 2026-06-01 the key specs are below; items marked 待核实 must be confirmed live. ## Verified M&SOM specs (confirm current values) - **Length:** **32-page maximum** for a new submission, **including** all references, tables, graphs/figures, and appendices, typeset on the official **M&SOM LaTeX/Word style files** (one column, **11-point** font, **1-inch** margins on all sides). **Online supplement ≤ 16 pages** for new submissions. - **Abstract:** **structured, ≤ 300 words**, no technical jargon, with four subsections — **Problem definition / Methodology / Results / Managerial implications** (exact middle-subsection wording **待核实**). - **Submission portal:** ScholarOne Manuscripts at **mc.manuscriptcentral.com/msom**; submit as a **single PDF**. - **Department routing:** choose a primary editorial **Department** and name **two preferred Department Editors**. The Manufacturing-and-Supply-Chain rule applies — if that department is chosen, the **first** DE choice must be from it and the **second** from a different department. - **Review:** **double-anonymous** — author identities are known only to the EIC, Department Editor, Associate Editor, and editorial staff; remove names, institutions, and acknowledgments from the manuscript. - **Style:** **INFORMS author-year (author-date)** citations; reference list ordered by first author, number of authors, then year (INFORMS style file v1.6). - **Data & code:** manuscripts must permit replication; be prepared to share raw data on request and to retain it; provide your own code plus access/linking instructions for licensed data (Census, Compustat, CRSP, FactSet, WRDS). - **Fees:** treat M&SOM as **fee-free** but **待核实** — there is no direct official statement; the inference is that Management Science is the INFORMS journal charging a submission fee. Confirm on the live submission page. ## Pre-submission checklist ### Anonymization (double-anonymous) - [ ] Manuscript PDF contains **no** author names, affiliations, or acknowledgments - [ ] Self-citations worded neutrally ("Author (2020) shows"), not "our earlier work" - [ ] Funding/acknowledgments removed from the manuscript (supplied separately as the portal requires) - [ ] File metadata/properties scrubbed of author identity; file names carry no identifiers ### Format (verify against the official style files) - [ ] Typeset on the official **M&SOM LaTeX/Word template**: one column, 11-pt, 1-inch margins - [ ] Main submission **≤ 32 pages** including references, tables, figures, appendices - [ ] Online supplement **≤ 16 pages** (full proofs, extra numerical studies, notation table) - [ ] **Structured abstract** ≤ 300 words with all four required parts, jargon-free - [ ] INFORMS author-year citations; reference order per style file v1.6 ### Routing & files for ScholarOne - [ ] Primary **Department** selected; **two preferred Department Editors** named (with the M&SC first/second rule respected) - [ ] Correct **article type** chosen (standard research vs. OM Forum vs. Practice Platform) - [ ] Single anonymized **PDF** uploaded; supplement uploaded as required - [ ] Cover letter (concise: operations problem, contribution, fit, not under review elsewhere) ### Declarations & data/code - [ ] Data-and-code statement: replication detail provided; raw-data sharing/retention acknowledged - [ ] Licensed-data access/linking instructions prepared - [ ] No concurrent submission; prior conference/working-paper versions disclosed in the cover letter - [ ] Operations-centrality reaffirmed — the operations decision is the primary contribution ## Anti-patterns - Submitting with self-identifying language ("in our 2019 study") intact. - Choosing a Department the paper does not actually fit, or ignoring the M&SC first/second rule. - Letting references/appendices push the typeset manuscript past 32 pages. - A structured abstract missing the Managerial-implications part. - Reference list in a non-INFORMS style straight from the reference manager. ## Output format ``` 【Anonymization】pass / fix ... 【Format vs. style files】32-page cap, 11-pt template, structured abstract: pass / fix ... 【Department routing】primary + two DEs (M&SC rule respected) ... 【Files】single PDF / supplement / cover letter: ready? ... 【Data & code】replication detail; licensed-data access instructions ... 【Next step】await decision → msom-review-process; on R&R → msom-rebuttal ``` ## Resources - [`templates/manuscript_template.md`](templates/manuscript_template.md) — M&SOM manuscript skeleton (structured abstract, model/design, results, numerical/empirical study, managerial insights, references) with verified specs - [`templates/checklist.md`](templates/checklist.md) — pre-submission self-check (anonymization / format / routing / files / data-code) - [`../../resources/external_tools.md`](../../resources/external_tools.md) — OM modeling/solver and empirical tools (Gurobi / CPLEX / Stata / Python) - [`../../resources/official-source-map.md`](../../resources/official-source-map.md) — official INFORMS/M&SOM URLs behind every fact (accessed 2026-06-01)