/amj-submission

name: amj-submission
description: Use when running the final pre-submission preflight for an Academy of Management Journal (AMJ) manuscript — ScholarOne portal, anonymization for double-blind review, AOM house-style formatting, files, and ethics declarations. Checks readiness to submit; it does not handle the post-decision response (amj-rebuttal).

Pre-Submission Preflight (amj-submission)

When to trigger

• "We're submitting this week" — the last check before hitting submit
• Unsure what ScholarOne requires (anonymized manuscript, title page, cover materials)
• Need to confirm double-blind anonymization is complete
• Verifying the manuscript matches current AMJ/AOM formatting requirements

> Always re-verify current limits and required files on the official AMJ submission page and the AOM Style Guide before submitting — specifics change. As of 2026-05-30 the verified key specs are below.

Verified AMJ/AOM specs (confirm current values)

• **Length:** full manuscripts have a **40-page maximum for the main body**, which *includes* text, references, and appendices but *excludes* tables and figures. (AOM uses a **page** limit, not a word cap.)
• **Formatting:** double-spaced throughout (including references and notes), **Times New Roman 12-point**, **1-inch margins** on all sides, pages numbered consecutively.
• **Abstract:** no more than **200 words**.
• **Keywords:** **three** keywords supplied at submission.
• **Submission portal:** ScholarOne Manuscripts at **mc.manuscriptcentral.com/AMJ**.
• **Review:** blind review; desk review typically takes ~1-2 weeks, and AMJ targets developmental feedback to authors within roughly **60 days**. Authors who submit are expected to reciprocate by reviewing for AMJ when asked.
• **Style:** APA conventions per the AMJ Style Guide for Authors (citations, reference list, headings, tables).
• **Integrity:** manuscripts are screened with **iThenticate**; no simultaneous submission; any preprint posted online must be **removed during the review period**.
• **Fees:** AOM charges **no submission fee** and **no author-paid APC**. AMJ is subscription-published, and AOM **does not support Gold (author-funded) open access**; the only open-access route is **Green OA (self-archiving)**, where authors may post the accepted (pre-copyedited) manuscript and the Version of Record may be made open only after a **12-month embargo**, at no fee (verified on the AOM open-access page 2026-06-23). Re-verify on the AOM/AMJ open-access page before submission, as policy may change.
• **AI disclosure:** any use of AI tools must be disclosed in the **cover letter** and the **acknowledgements**, with confirmation that you have read the AOM AI policy; AI cannot be listed as an author.

Pre-submission checklist

Anonymization (double-blind)

• [ ] Manuscript file contains **no** author names, affiliations, or acknowledgments
• [ ] Self-citations are worded neutrally ("prior research (Author, 2020)"), not "our earlier work"
• [ ] Acknowledgments, funding, and author bios live on a **separate title page**, not in the manuscript
• [ ] File metadata/properties scrubbed of author identity
• [ ] File names contain no author or institution identifiers

Format (verify against the current AOM Style Guide)

• [ ] Title page (separate): title, authors, affiliations, contact, acknowledgments, funding
• [ ] Abstract ≤ 200 words; **three** keywords supplied
• [ ] AOM/APA-style citations and reference list, alphabetized and complete
• [ ] Headings follow the AOM hierarchy; **double-spaced, Times New Roman 12-pt, 1-inch margins**
• [ ] Tables and figures placed/numbered as the portal requires; each self-contained
• [ ] Main body **≤ 40 pages** (text + references + appendices; tables/figures excluded)

Files for ScholarOne

• [ ] Anonymized main document (manuscript + tables + figures, or as the portal specifies)
• [ ] Separate title page with all identifying information
• [ ] Cover letter to the editor (concise: fit, contribution, not under review elsewhere)
• [ ] Any required supplementary/online appendix files
• [ ] High-resolution figure files if requested separately

Declarations & ethics

• [ ] Human-subjects/IRB approval stated where applicable (separate from anonymized text)
• [ ] Data-availability/transparency statement as required by current policy
• [ ] No concurrent submission; prior conference/working-paper versions disclosed in the cover letter
• [ ] **AI use disclosed** in the cover letter and acknowledgements per the AOM AI policy (AI is never an author)
• [ ] Conflicts of interest and funding disclosed on the title page
• [ ] Authorship and contribution roles agreed by all authors

References & consistency

• [ ] Every in-text citation appears in the reference list and vice versa
• [ ] Canonical theory works for the focal domain are cited (a frequent reviewer check)
• [ ] Hypothesis labels, construct names, and table/figure numbers are consistent throughout

ScholarOne operation notes

• AMJ submits through ScholarOne Manuscripts at **mc.manuscriptcentral.com/AMJ**; create/keep your author account and ORCID current.
• Select the correct article type and the most fitting division/keywords so the manuscript routes to an appropriate action editor.
• You may be asked to suggest qualified, non-conflicted reviewers — propose people in the focal conversation without recent co-authorship.
• Upload anonymized files and the title page in the slots the system designates; preview the built PDF before final submission.

Anti-patterns

• Submitting with self-identifying language ("in our 2019 study") intact.
• Acknowledgments/funding left inside the anonymized manuscript.
• Reference list in a non-AOM default style straight from the reference manager.
• Missing data-availability/ethics statement, or undisclosed AI use, where the policy requires one.
• Inconsistent hypothesis labels or table numbers between text and exhibits.
• Letting the main body exce