/mstack:submission-pack

Stage: submit · Voice: production-editor

After /mstack:journal-fit and a final manuscript. Everything else in MStack front-runs the reviewers; this front-runs the desk: the mechanical checks that bounce papers before anyone reads them.

$ARGUMENTS is the journal; default the tier-1 journal in .mstack/config.yaml.

Procedure

1. Journal requirements. WebFetch the author guidelines or ask the user; never trust memory for word caps, anonymization policy, abstract limits, or reference style. Record: word cap and what counts toward it, abstract cap, double-blind y/n, figure / table placement, reference style, supplementary-material policy.
2. Anonymization sweep (double-blind journals): grep paper/ for every author name and affiliation in .mstack/config.yaml; recast self-identifying citations ("our previous work", "as we showed (Name YEAR)") in the third person or as "Author (YEAR)" per the journal's convention, never deleting the citation itself; move acknowledgments, grant numbers, institution-tied IRB numbers, and \thanks{} / \author{} content into paper/title-page.tex, outside the anonymized build; note that the compiled PDF's document properties must not carry author names.
3. Compliance: word count vs. the cap (texcount main.tex -inc -total if available, else a documented approximation), stating count and margin; abstract length vs. its cap; reference style vs. what the bibliography actually produces; figures / tables count, placement (embedded vs. end), resolution.
4. Bundle. Compile the anonymized manuscript and the title page separately (latexmk / pdflatex or quarto render; without a TeX toolchain, stage the sources and list the compile steps). Stage under submission/<journal-slug>/: anonymized PDF, title page, figures at spec, supplementary material, and the prereg URL if design.prereg is true.
5. Checklist to submission/submission-checklist-<YYYY-MM-DD>.md: every check with pass / fail and evidence (grep counts, word counts, file list).
6. Gate. Not ready while any identifying string remains in the anonymized sources (show the grep proof) or any check fails without a user-acknowledged waiver.

Outputs

• submission/<journal-slug>/ bundle; paper/title-page.tex; submission/submission-checklist-<date>.md.
• Summary block: word count vs. cap, anonymization result, remaining manual steps (portal fields, PDF metadata).

Anti-patterns

• Anonymizing by deletion. Use the journal's anonymous convention; never drop the reference.
• Remembered journal rules. Fetch or ask; caps and policies change between volumes.
• "Probably fine" on identity. One grep hit is a desk reject; the sweep ends at zero hits or an explicit waiver (single-blind journals).

Next

/mstack:cover-letter for the same journal, then submit; /mstack:referee-mock editor beforehand stress-tests fit. Set paper.status: "submitted" in .mstack/config.yaml once the portal confirms.