When is a difference really package-changing?
Ask learners to point to the action the team would take differently, not merely a difference in wording.
Free institutional teaching resource
Teach the comparison, not a generic submission checklist.
A 25-minute activity for librarians, writing centers, graduate seminars, and research offices. Learners compare two candidate journals around one real package decision, then leave with a source-backed next action.
Learning outcomes
A compact exercise in publishing judgment
- 01Find the difference that changes the work
Identify the journal-specific instruction that changes what a research team prepares, declares, selects, or submits.
- 02Keep source authority attached
Distinguish the controlling publisher or journal source from a convenient summary, a sibling journal, or an inferred practice.
- 03Preserve uncertainty honestly
Record what the source does not settle, including manuscript-specific questions that still need live verification.
Facilitator flow
Run the exercise without a slide deck
Use a learner’s active manuscript when possible. If the group does not have one, choose a shared scenario and two plausible candidate journals, then keep the lesson anchored to the current publisher pages.
- 0–4 min1
Frame the comparison
Give learners one manuscript decision, such as article type, required disclosure, or a package artifact. The job is to compare a real decision, not to rate journals.
- 4–9 min2
Choose two candidates
Learners select two journals from the Observatory or two realistic candidates for the same manuscript. They state the decision that could change the package or route.
- 9–17 min3
Trace the official evidence
For each journal, learners open the linked source, record what it visibly says, and name exactly what the instruction changes before upload.
- 17–22 min4
Separate evidence from inference
Learners mark the difference between a publisher instruction, their interpretation, and a question that still needs a current source or editorial clarification.
- 22–25 min5
Leave a reproducible decision
Learners record the source date, next verification, and the package consequence so a coauthor can repeat the comparison without relying on memory.
Learner activity
The comparison must leave a trace.
The deliverable is not a verdict on either journal. It is a compact evidence record that states the package consequence, the current source, and the work still required before upload.
- Choose one submission decisionWhat could change the package, route, or disclosure?
- Trace each official sourceWhat does each source visibly require, and when was it checked?
- Name the real deltaWhat would the research team prepare or do differently?
- Record the next verificationWhat stays uncertain until the live source is checked again?
Discussion prompts
Move from lookup to judgment
Why might two official pages need to be read together?
Ask which source owns the exact decision and whether a publisher-wide page leaves a journal-specific exception unresolved.
When is a comparison not enough to act on?
Ask what current evidence, local policy, or editorial clarification would be required before the team turns an interpretation into a submission decision.
Copy into a syllabus or LibGuide
A stable description with a visible boundary
Comparing Journal Submission Requirements (25 minutes). Learners use the Manusights Journal Requirements Observatory to compare two candidate journals around one submission-package decision. They trace each requirement to a current official source, distinguish a package-changing instruction from general guidance, and record the verification that must happen before a manuscript is submitted.
Use boundary
Teach the comparison without replacing the source.
- The Observatory is a maintained pilot, not a complete directory or journal ranking.
- The live official journal or publisher instruction controls the submission decision.
- A record makes a comparison easier to investigate; it does not certify compliance or predict editorial treatment.
- Evidence status and review date matter. Recheck the live source before the team submits.