Science Pre Submission Checklist: 12 Items Editors Verify Before Peer Review
Before submitting to Science, verify these 12 items covering scope-fit, methods completeness, data availability, ethics, and reference cleanliness. Each is something Science editors check at desk-screen.
Readiness scan
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Run the Free Readiness Scan to catch the issues most likely to stop the paper before peer review.
Science at a glance
The figures Science publishes about speed, selectivity and cost, each linked to the page we read it on. They describe the journal, not your manuscript's chances.
Quick answer: Use this Science pre-submission checklist to test what an editor can judge immediately: broad-interest significance, evidence-to-claim alignment, reporting completeness, data availability, and a package that can be assessed without reconstruction. It is a readiness framework, not a prediction of timing or acceptance.
Evidence basis: We rechecked Science's current author and submission materials on October 8, 2026. The requirements below come from those materials. The order of checks and hold/submit decisions are Manusights editorial judgment; unpublished desk-rejection rates and guaranteed timelines are not treated as journal facts.
The five-minute Science readiness map
Read this artifact | Pass when | Hold when |
|---|---|---|
Title and summary | A scientist outside the specialty can name the discovery and why it changes a larger question | The consequence appears only after specialist background |
First result figure | It independently supports the central claim | The headline depends on a secondary or post-hoc analysis |
Methods and reporting | A reviewer can trace design, exclusions, statistics, and availability statements | Essential decisions are hidden in unavailable materials |
Cover letter | It explains broad significance without overselling certainty | It repeats the abstract or relies on prestige language |
Upload package | Authors, files, declarations, and versions agree | The portal record and manuscript contradict one another |
Read the title, summary, first figure, and conclusion consecutively. If they describe different advances or certainty levels, stop and reconcile them before polishing the package.
Run the Science 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 Science journal overview.
The Manusights Science readiness scan. This guide tells you what Science'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 Science 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.
Before relying on a number: article types and package requirements can change. Confirm the current limit and file prompt for your selected article type in Science's author instructions and submission system on the day you upload.
What does the Science pre submission checklist look like?
For Science-targeted manuscripts, the 12 items below organize into 5 verification groups tuned to Science's specific desk-screen patterns. Three items address scope and significance, calibrated to the broad-impact research signal that Science editors look for in the abstract and cover letter. Three items cover methods and data with Science's reviewer-pool expectations on protocol detail, repository deposits, and code availability. Two cover ethics and compliance against Science's declarations regime.
Two items address citation cleanliness with retracted-DOI auditing tuned to Two items cover submission-package framing, including reviewer-suggestion list quality and adherence to Science's figure and word-count constraints. Each item is verifiable against the manuscript before you click submit at AAAS journal page.
Scope and significance
- [ ] Scope-fit named in abstract. The abstract names broad-impact research within the first 100 words. Science editors triage on scope-fit at the abstract level; manuscripts that defer the contribution to the discussion section get desk-screened.
- [ ] Cover letter explicit on contribution. The cover letter explicitly addresses why this paper fits Science's editorial scope, not generic "we believe this work would be of interest." Editors at Science look for that fit signal in the first paragraph.
- [ ] Significance visible in title. The title makes the contribution visible without requiring specialist translation. Two-line titles with subordinate clauses signal scope-bounded papers, which Science editors triage out faster.
Methods and data
- [ ] Methods section reviewer-complete. Science asks for the Materials and Methods in the supplementary materials, with sufficient detail to allow replication of the study. Manuscripts that require specialist translation in the discussion get desk-rejected by bore within 7 days.
- [ ] Data-availability statement names a repository. "Available on request" is not accepted at Science: its editorial policies do not permit stipulations for readers to contact the authors, with rare exceptions for third-party datasets that must be discussed with the editor. Use a repository with a DOI: Zenodo, Dryad, or a domain-specific equivalent, with the DOI active at submission time.
- [ ] Code-availability statement (where applicable). If the analysis depends on custom code, the statement must point to code archived in a permanent public repository such as Zenodo or Code Ocean (Science asks that code kept on GitHub be archived in its current form in a permanent repository), not a generic "code available on request."
Ethics and compliance
- [ ] Ethics declarations complete for Science. IRB approval ID with institution name for human-subjects research at Science, animal-care protocol number for animal research, or explicit statement that the work does not require ethics approval. Science's editorial policies require a statement that informed consent was obtained and IRB (or equivalent) approval for research on humans, and institutional animal care and use approval for animal research. Identifiers make the statement easy to check.
- [ ] Conflict-of-interest disclosure follows Science's policy. All authors fill out Science's Authorship Form and Statement of Conflicts of Interest, and competing interests are listed in the Acknowledgments. Funder statements include grant numbers.
Citation cleanliness
- [ ] Reference list audited against Crossref + Retraction Watch. Citing a retracted paper without a retraction-notice acknowledgment is an automatic desk-screen flag.
- [ ] References reflect current state of the field. Reference list contains citations from the last 18 months covering the headline finding's most recent counter-evidence. Science reviewers frequently flag manuscripts that ignore work published after the project started.
Submission-package framing
- [ ] Reviewer-suggestion list contains up to 5 names. Science lets you suggest up to 5 potential reviewers, and name and email are required for each. None should be a co-author or close collaborator within the last 5 years.
- [ ] Figures and tables follow Science's constraints. 125-word abstract limit; main-text cap is article-type dependent (Research Articles: 3,000 words and 3 to 5 display items, or up to 6,000 words and 6 display items in the extended online format). Supplementary figures supplement, not replace, main-text content.
Readiness check
Run the scan while Science's requirements are in front of you.
See how this manuscript scores against Science's requirements before you submit.
What manuscript requirements does Science enforce?
Requirement | Science expectation | What desk-screen flags |
|---|---|---|
Abstract length | 125-word abstract limit; main-text cap is article-type dependent (Research Articles 3,000 words, or up to 6,000 in the extended online format) | Abstracts over 125 words |
Methods placement | Materials and Methods in the supplementary materials, detailed enough to allow replication | Methods too thin to replicate extend review rounds |
Data availability | Repository DOI named | "Available on request" is not accepted |
Reference list | Clean of retracted DOIs | Cited retractions get desk-screen flag |
Reviewer suggestions | Up to 5 names, each with name and email | Close collaborators or co-authors on the list |
The data row trips more papers than its one line suggests. Before you tick it, compare your draft with the Science data and materials availability requirements, especially if any code or reagent is only available on request.
| Cover letter | Explicit scope-fit framing | Generic framing extends editorial-board consultation |
Source: Science author guidelines (information for authors), accessed 2026-10-08.
Desk-screen risks we see before submission
For Science-targeted manuscripts, three patterns most consistently predict desk-screen failure at Science. Of the manuscripts we screened in 2025 targeting Science and peer venues, the patterns below are the same ones our reviewers flag in real time.
Scope-fit ambiguity in the abstract. Science editors move fastest on manuscripts whose contribution is obviously aligned with the journal's editorial scope (broad-impact research). The named failure pattern: manuscripts that require specialist translation in the discussion get desk-rejected by BoRE within 7 days. Check whether your abstract reads to Science's scope
Methods package incomplete for the journal's reviewer pool. Science reviewers expect specific methodological detail. Cover letters that don't name the multidisciplinary audience the work targets extend editorial consultation. Check if your methods package is reviewer-complete
Reference-list and clean-citation failure. Editorial team at Science screens reference lists for retracted-paper inclusion. Check whether your reference list is clean against Crossref + Retraction Watch
What is the Science pre submission timeline?
The pre-submission checklist itself takes 60-90 minutes of focused work for a complete manuscript. The full sequence from manuscript-finished to submission-clicked at Science typically runs 1-2 weeks for thorough authors:
Stage | Duration | What happens |
|---|---|---|
Manuscript finalization | 2-3 days | Final author read-through, figure polish |
Cover letter drafting | 2-3 hours | Scope-fit framing, contribution statement |
Reference audit (Crossref + Retraction Watch) | 1-2 hours | Retracted-DOI check, recency audit |
Reviewer-suggestion list research | 1-2 hours | Up to 5 names, no recent collaborators |
Ethics + COI form completion | 1-2 hours | IRB ID, Science conflict-of-interest form for all authors |
Pre-submission checklist run-through | 60-90 minutes | The 12 items above |
Final submission package upload | 1 hour | Upload at AAAS journal page |
Source: Manusights internal review of Science-targeted submissions, 2025 cohort.
The bottleneck is usually the reference audit, especially for manuscripts with 80+ citations. Authors who skip this step often see retracted DOIs flagged in the desk-screen response 7-14 days after submission, which forces a full rework before resubmission.
Test the field-level consequence in one minute
Before submitting to Science, give the title, abstract, first figure, and final paragraph to a knowledgeable scientist outside the immediate specialty. Ask them to complete this table without help.
Prompt | A ready answer should contain | Warning sign |
|---|---|---|
What changed? | One result stated without promotional adjectives | A list of methods or several competing claims |
Why is it general? | A mechanism or principle that matters beyond the system | Prestige, scale, or topicality alone |
Why believe it? | The decisive experiment, observation, or derivation | The strongest support is indirect |
Where does it stop? | A boundary that preserves trust without erasing importance | No limitation survives into the abstract or discussion |
If the reader reconstructs a different claim, change the compressed surfaces before adding more background. Broad readership is not achieved by removing technical substance; it comes from making the dependency between result, evidence, and consequence visible.
Official sources accessed 2026-10-08.
- Science information for authors (accessed 2026-10-08)
- Crossref retraction registry (retracted-DOI checks against the Science corpus, accessed 2026-05-08)
- Retraction Watch database (cross-checked Science retractions, accessed 2026-05-08)
- ICMJE recommendations (ethics + COI requirements, accessed 2026-05-08)
- Manusights internal preview corpus (2025 cohort)
- SciRev community review-time data for Science
Submit If
- The headline finding fits Science's editorial scope (broad-impact research) and the abstract names that fit within the first 100 words.
- The methods section is detailed enough for Science reviewers to evaluate without follow-up; protocol and reproducibility detail is complete in the supplementary materials where Science asks for it.
- All cited DOIs verified clean against Crossref + Retraction Watch.
- Reviewer-suggestion list contains up to 5 names, with name and email for each, and no close collaborators.
Think Twice If
- The methods section relies on a single subgroup analysis or post-hoc figure to carry the headline claim that Science reviewers will probe.
- The cover letter spends a paragraph on background before the new finding appears in the abstract; Science's editorial culture treats this as a scope-fit warning.
- The reference list cites a paper that has since been retracted without acknowledging the retraction notice.
- Key evidence for your central claim sits only in supplementary figures instead of the main text for Science's reviewer pool.
Manusights submission-corpus signal for Science. Of the manuscripts our team screened before submission to Science and peer venues in 2025, the editorial-culture mismatch most consistent across the cohort is Science Board of Reviewing Editors (BoRE) screens for cross-disciplinary impact in the first 7-10 days; subfield-bounded papers get desk-rejected fast.
In our analysis of anonymized Science-targeted submissions, the documented review timeline shows a bimodal distribution between manuscripts that clear Science's scope-fit threshold within the first week and those that get extended editorial-board consultation.
Frequently asked questions
The 12 items below cover scope-fit, methods completeness, data and code availability, ethics declarations, reference cleanliness against retraction registries, cover letter framing, and reviewer-suggestion list quality. Each maps to a specific Science desk-screen check.
For most Science-targeted manuscripts, the full checklist takes 60-90 minutes if the underlying work is solid. Pages where authors uncover real issues during the checklist often take longer because fixes are needed before submission. The time saved on revision rounds outweighs the upfront verification.
Science's author guidelines list submission requirements but do not provide a checklist authors can verify item-by-item against editorial expectations. This guide fills that gap, grounded in pre-submission reviews on Science-targeted manuscripts plus public author guidelines.
Fix it before you submit. Each item is a known desk-screen failure mode at Science. Submitting with a known gap means the gap will be flagged in 1-2 weeks and you will lose the time to peer review.
Final step
Submitting to Science?
Run the Free Readiness Scan to see score, top issues, and journal-fit signals before you submit.
Target journal Science
Private API processing. Your manuscript is not used to train models.
See example reportsPut the guidance to work
Turn the guide into a complete submission package.
Use one final checklist, then verify the journal rule that controls the files, declarations, and reporting details you will submit.
Where to go next
Start here
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