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Step by step

1. Prepare your submission

Before you start, make sure you're ready by going through the checklist and reading the common issues section. This means that you won't waste time having to make revisions to your submission, or risk a rejection.

Prepare your manuscript following the instructions for double-anonymous peer review journals.

If you need help, we have a range of author services designed to help you present and promote your work. Our experts can help with English language issues, scientific assessment and editing, manuscript and figure formatting.

2. Write a cover letter

Your cover letter gives you the chance to sell your manuscript to the journal editor. It introduces your work and explains why it would be of interest to readers. Keep it focused and to a single page.

  • State the title of your manuscript and what prompted you to write it.
  • Explain briefly what research was undertaken and what the results show.
  • Describe why you think your work will be of interest to the journal’s readers. 

3. Go to the journal homepage 

Select 'Submit manuscript'. From there you'll be directed to Snapp if your journal is using it. You will be asked to log in or register with your email if you don’t already have an account.


Screenshot of journal showing option to submit manuscript

4. Upload your manuscript and cover letter

Depending on your area of research, your submission will either be a Word document with embedded image files, or a .zip file containing LaTeX files. If a .zip containing LaTeX files is submitted, our system automatically compiles them into a PDF for peer review. You will also be asked to upload your cover letter.


Screenshot of author submission process in Snapp, showing the manuscript file upload tab

5. Complete the form

Key data, such as the title, abstract, and author details, are automatically extracted by the system. These details are used throughout the peer review and publication process. You'll be asked to confirm these details and provide extra information including:

  • author details and affiliations
  • details of the corresponding author
  • funding details
  • authorship statement

Screenshot of author submission process in Snapp, showing the manuscript details tab  


Screenshot of author submission process in Snapp, showing the authors tab, including entry of affiliated institutions and fundi


You will also be asked to agree to our policies and open access requirements, and disclose any competing interests, dual publication, or use of third-party material.


Screenshot of author submission process in Snapp, showing the declarations tab


Finally, you can review the submission and revisit any previous stages to make changes. There is also the option to share your work as a preprint on Research Square.

Once you are ready to submit, select 'Submit Manuscript'.

6. Track your submission

On successful submission you will have access to a tracking tool where you can monitor the progress of the submission, perform additional actions, and get help if needed. This tool will also help you track all your submissions to journals on Snapp.

What happens after submission?

After you submit, your manuscript will go through these steps on its journey to publication:

Technical check

The first stage involves an initial check when the manuscript is examined to make sure it is readable, formatted properly and that the necessary declarations have been made.  

For example, we check that: 

  • all declarations are present for ethics or competing interests
  • all the authors have been identified

We need to make sure all the required data is present to support the onward processes.

We use AI technology to check for plagiarism and we may reject a manuscript on this basis - even if it's unintentional. 

If you're using a well-known method or reproducing parts of data from elsewhere, you must be transparent and state this in your manuscript.

During this process, we might ask you to clarify or amend your manuscript.

Read our Common issues section to see how you can avoid any unnecessary delays.

Editorial assignment

If you see this status, your submission has passed the technical check, and the editorial team is selecting an editor. This involves finding an editor with expertise in your manuscript's subject matter to oversee the peer review process. The editor’s responsibilities across the process include choosing the right reviewers, assessing their feedback, and deciding whether your manuscript is accepted, rejected, or needs a revision.

Depending on the journal, several factors may affect turnaround times for assigning an editor, such as:

  • journal process journals differ in how they handle submissions, affecting how quickly an editor is assigned
  • matching expertise finding the appropriate editor may take longer if the manuscript's topic is niche
  • editor workload finding an editor available to review your work can take time
  • journal policies some journals have specific policies affecting editor ass