Angewandte Chemie Pre-Submission Checklist: Novelty, Characterization, and What Editors Screen

1. Is the result genuinely novel, not incremental?

Angewandte Chemie screens for novelty above all else. A better catalyst, a more selective ligand, or a higher-yielding synthesis is not enough unless it enables something that was not possible before. The editorial question is: "What can researchers do with this result that they could not do yesterday?" If the answer is "the same thing, slightly better," the paper belongs at a specialty journal.

2. Does the cover letter make the novelty case in the first 3 sentences?

Angewandte Chemie editors read cover letters carefully. The letter is not a summary of the paper. It is an argument for novelty. The first 3 sentences should state what was discovered, why it is new, and why it matters to broad chemistry. "We report the synthesis of compound X" is not a novelty argument. "This is the first demonstration of [specific capability] in [context], which enables [specific application] that was previously impossible because [reason]" is.

3. Does the result matter to chemists beyond your immediate subfield?

Angewandte Chemie publishes across all chemistry. The editorial test is whether an organic chemist would find an inorganic chemistry paper interesting, or whether a materials chemist would care about a biochemistry result. If the significance is field-internal, a specialty journal (JACS, ACS Catalysis, etc.) may be a better fit.

4. Is every new compound fully characterized?

For new molecules: 1H NMR, 13C NMR, high-resolution mass spectrometry, and purity data are the minimum. For crystalline compounds, single-crystal X-ray data strengthens the submission. For materials, the appropriate characterization suite for the compound class must be complete. Reviewers will immediately flag missing characterization, and at a journal of this selectivity, one gap can sink the paper.

5. Are reaction yields, selectivities, and scope clearly reported?

For synthetic chemistry: substrate scope tables with yields for each entry. For catalysis: turnover numbers, selectivity data, comparison with existing catalysts under identical conditions. For materials: performance metrics benchmarked against published alternatives. Vague claims about "good yields" or "high selectivity" without specific numbers are not acceptable.

6. Is the data presentation publication-ready?

Angewandte Chemie Communications are limited to roughly 4 printed pages including figures, schemes, tables, and references. Every figure and scheme must earn its space. Redundant panels, figures that could be tables, or data better placed in supporting information weaken the main manuscript.

7. Is the manuscript the right length for the article type?

Communications: approximately 2,000 to 2,500 words equivalent (measured by character count including spaces), fitting 4 printed pages. Research Articles: up to approximately 5,000 words. If the story requires more than a Communication allows, submit as a Research Article rather than compressing and losing clarity.

8. Is the supporting information complete and organized?

Supporting information at Angewandte Chemie should include complete experimental procedures, all spectral data, additional figures and tables, and computational details if applicable. Reviewers check the SI carefully. A disorganized SI with missing spectra or vague procedures undermines the paper.

9. Are ORCID and CRediT author roles provided?

Angewandte Chemie requires ORCID authentication for submission and CRediT author contribution statements for all authors.

10. Has iThenticate plagiarism check been considered?

All submissions are checked with iThenticate. Significant text overlap with previous publications (including your own prior work) will be flagged. Ensure methods descriptions are rewritten for this manuscript rather than copied verbatim from prior papers.

Angewandte Chemie Communications are limited to four journal pages (approximately 20,000 characters including spaces, references, and figure captions). This is a hard constraint, not a guideline. Manuscripts that exceed this length are returned before editorial evaluation. The communication format forces authors to present only the core result and its most compelling evidence. Supplementary Information can carry additional data, but the main argument must be complete within the page limit.

Check your Angewandte Chemie readiness automatically. The Manusights free scan evaluates your manuscript against the journal's editorial standards in about 1-2 minutes, checking methodology, citations, journal fit, and overall readiness.

For deeper analysis, the Angewandte Chemie submission readiness check provides verified citations from 500M+ live papers, figure-level feedback, and a prioritized revision checklist. Citation verification is especially valuable in chemistry because citing superseded methods or outdated catalysts signals that the literature review is incomplete.

• the advance is incremental rather than genuinely novel
• the cover letter summarizes rather than argues for novelty
• characterization is incomplete for new compounds
• the manuscript is too long for a Communication but submitted as one
• the result is significant within one subdiscipline but not broadly interesting
• the supporting information is disorganized or incomplete
• significant text overlap is detected with prior publications

For more detail, see How to Avoid Desk Rejection at Angewandte Chemie and the Angewandte Chemie Submission Process.

Worth the investment if:

• You are targeting Angewandte Chemie where desk rejection is high
• A rejection would cost 3-6 months in resubmission cycles
• The paper is career-critical
• You want an independent assessment before submission

Skip it if:

• You have a strong track record at Angewandte Chemie and know the editors
• Experienced colleagues have already reviewed the manuscript thoroughly
• Your timeline is too tight to act on the feedback
• The study has fundamental design issues needing new experiments