ACS Catalysis Pre Submission Checklist: 12 Items Editors Verify Before Peer Review

Run the ACS Catalysis pre-submission readiness check to score your manuscript against this checklist automatically, or work through the items manually below. Need broader cluster context? See the ACS Catalysis journal overview.

The Manusights ACS Catalysis readiness scan. This guide tells you what ACS Catalysis's editors look for in the first 1-2 weeks of triage. The scan tells you whether your paper passes that check before you submit. We have reviewed manuscripts targeting ACS Catalysis and peer venues; the named patterns below are the same ones the journal's handling editors and outside reviewers flag at desk-screen. 60-day money-back guarantee. Your manuscript is not used for model training, and access is limited to the review workflow.

Editorial detail (for desk-screen calibration). Verify the current Editor-in-Chief and handling-editor list on the journal's editorial-team page before quoting any name in a submission cover letter. Submission portal: ScholarOne submission portal. Current ACS Catalysis guidance says Article abstracts are typically limited to 300 words, Letters use abstracts under 100 words, and original research Articles must include a separate Methods section in the main text rather than only in Supporting Information.

How this page was created: we checked the current ACS Catalysis author guidelines on July 7, 2026, ACS ethical-policy materials, the ACS Catalysis cluster pages on Manusights, and anonymized Manusights pre-submission review patterns for catalysis manuscripts. The checklist uses public ACS requirements for compliance items and Manusights interpretation for the failure-pattern judgment.

Official ACS Catalysis guidance points authors to journal-specific editorials on catalyst characterization and comparison, benchmarking, unsupported superlatives, and reference titles. The examples cited from the author-guidelines page include DOI 10.1021/cs501043q, DOI 10.1021/acscatal.6b00183, DOI 10.1021/acscatal.7b00566, and DOI 10.1021/acscatal.8b00238.

For ACS Catalysis-targeted manuscripts, verify these 12 items before upload. The list is intentionally concrete: each item can be checked against the manuscript, cover letter, figures, Supporting Information, or submission form before the corresponding author clicks submit.

1. Catalytic turnover is explicit. The manuscript shows that the reported molecules, macromolecules, or materials are catalytic in nature, with turnover frequencies and fundamental kinetic parameters where relevant. A performance-only table without turnover logic reads like an application note, not an ACS Catalysis submission.

1. Characterization supports the catalyst claim. The catalyst is characterized to the extent needed for the claim, using appropriate spectroscopy, microscopy, surface analysis, NMR, HRMS, elemental analysis, crystallographic data, or domain-specific characterization. Do not rely on a single activity result to carry structural identity.

1. Benchmarking compares against the right prior catalyst. The main comparison is not just the easiest older paper to beat. It should compare against the relevant state of the art for selectivity, activity, stability, substrate scope, reaction conditions, or catalyst loading.

1. Main-text Methods are reviewer-complete. ACS Catalysis says original research Articles must include a separate Methods section in the main text. Supporting Information can carry expansion, but the core experimental or computational route should not be hidden there.

1. Article type and abstract length match ACS Catalysis. Use Article for a full, complete study and Letter only for short results whose fast availability matters. Articles typically use a 300-word abstract; Letters use a brief abstract under 100 words.

1. Title and abstract avoid unsupported superlatives. ACS Catalysis guidance discourages "new," "novel," "first," and broad praise words unless the comparison is rigorous. If the paper claims the best catalyst, the benchmark table has to prove it.

1. Cover letter makes the ACS Catalysis fit case. The cover letter must explain why the manuscript is appropriate for ACS Catalysis and what key advances are described. This paragraph should name the catalysis advance, not repeat the abstract.

1. Prior ACS Catalysis history is disclosed. If the manuscript was previously rejected by ACS Catalysis, include the earlier manuscript number and a detailed response to each reviewer comment.

1. Prior publication, preprint, and related-submission status are clean. The cover letter must state that the manuscript or its contents have not been published previously and are not under consideration elsewhere. Preprints such as ChemRxiv or bioRxiv are allowed, but must be noted.

1. Supporting Information is structured for ACS intake. Supporting Information should be uploaded as separate files and should use ACS-style labels such as Table S1, Figure S1, and Scheme S1. It should support the main-text argument, not replace the Methods section.

1. Suggested reviewers meet ACS Catalysis conflict rules. ACS asks for names and email addresses for at least four possible reviewers. Suggested reviewers must not be former mentors, mentees, collaborators, or coauthors from the past five years; ACS also prefers geographic separation where possible.

1. ACS Ethical Guidelines and citation hygiene are checked. Confirm author contributions, conflicts, permissions, image handling, and any human, animal, biosafety, or sensitive-materials approvals against ACS Ethical Guidelines. Audit references for retracted or corrected papers before submission.