`/submission-prep`¶

Pre-submission checklist for the Journal of Finance, Review of Financial Studies, Journal of Financial Economics or another target journal.

Pack: ai-asset-pricing (Alex Dickerson)

Category: submission

Field: finance

Updated: 2026-03-11

Stages: dissemination

↗ view SKILL.md on source · GitHub stars

Submission Prep Skill¶

Run a pre-submission checklist tailored to the target journal. Catches common rejection-worthy issues before you submit.

Examples¶

/submission-prep -- run full checklist (uses target journal from project's CLAUDE.md)
/submission-prep JF -- run checklist with JF-specific requirements
/submission-prep --strict -- flag warnings as failures

Workflow¶

Step 1: Load Target Journal¶

Read the project's CLAUDE.md for the target journal. If not specified, ask the user. Common targets: JF, RFS, JFE, RoF, JFQA, MS.

Step 2: Run Checks¶

2a. Document Structure - [ ] Abstract present and within word limit (100--150 words for JF/RFS/JFE) - [ ] Title length reasonable (<15 words recommended) - [ ] All expected body sections present (check project's CLAUDE.md for section list) - [ ] Page count within typical range (40--60 pages including appendices for top-3)

2b. Content Completeness - [ ] No [HUMAN EDIT REQUIRED] tags remaining in any .tex file - [ ] No TODO, FIXME, XXX comments in .tex - [ ] No \lipsum or placeholder text - [ ] No commented-out sections that should be removed or restored

2c. Terminology Compliance - [ ] Project-specific terminology used consistently (check project's CLAUDE.md) - [ ] No banned words from academic-writing.md Section 1

2d. Tables and Figures - [ ] All tables have self-contained captions (sample period, units, variable definitions) - [ ] All figures have self-contained captions with axis labels - [ ] All tables and figures are referenced in the text (\ref check) - [ ] Numbers use 2--3 significant digits (not computer output) - [ ] Tables use booktabs style (\toprule/\midrule/\bottomrule, no vertical lines) - [ ] Figures use vector format (PDF) where possible

2e. Bibliography - [ ] All \cite{} keys resolve to .bib entries - [ ] No unused .bib entries - [ ] No duplicate .bib entries - [ ] Consistent BibTeX format (all @article have journal, year, volume, pages) - [ ] Proper nouns protected in titles: {CAPM}, {U.S.}, {NYSE}, etc.

2f. Cross-References - [ ] All \ref{} and \eqref{} resolve to valid labels - [ ] Equations use \eqref not \ref - [ ] Non-breaking spaces used (Table~\ref, Eq.~\eqref, Figure~\ref)

2g. Writing Quality - [ ] No banned words (run /style-check if not done recently) - [ ] No AI-marker words (see academic-writing.md for full list) - [ ] No em-dashes (---) in prose - [ ] No structural AI tells: naked "this", adverb openers, "Together, these results..." - [ ] Soft-ban words within limits: "highlights" (max 2/paper), "insights" (max 1/paper) - [ ] No hedge words: somewhat, quite, very (intensifier), arguably, perhaps - [ ] No previewing: "as we show below", "we will show", "Recall from" - [ ] Active voice throughout - [ ] Specific numbers for quantitative claims - [ ] First sentence is concrete, not throat-clearing

2h. Compilation - [ ] Clean compile with no errors - [ ] Acceptable warning count (flag if >10 non-font warnings) - [ ] PDF renders correctly (no missing figures, no ?? references)

2i. Journal-Specific Requirements - [ ] Author information complete (names, affiliations, emails) - [ ] Acknowledgments section present - [ ] JEL classification codes present - [ ] Keywords present (if required by target journal) - [ ] Data availability statement present (increasingly required)

2j. Key Results Verification - [ ] Key claims in the project's CLAUDE.md match the numbers in tables/text - [ ] Sample period stated consistently across abstract, introduction, and table captions - [ ] Main results discussed in both introduction and results section

Step 3: Output¶

Text Only

SUBMISSION PREP CHECKLIST
=========================

Target: [journal]
Paper: [title from project CLAUDE.md]

PASS: N checks passed
FAIL: M checks failed
WARN: K warnings

--- FAILURES ---
[ ] Line X: [HUMAN EDIT REQUIRED] tag found in section Y
[ ] Table Z: caption missing sample period
[ ] \cite{smith2023}: key not in .bib

--- WARNINGS ---
[!] Abstract is 168 words (target: 100-150)
[!] 14 compilation warnings (non-font)
[!] Page count: 65 pages (typical: 40-60)

--- PASSED ---
[x] All body sections present
[x] All figures referenced in text
[x] Clean compile (0 errors)
[x] Terminology compliant
[etc.]

RECOMMENDATION: [READY TO SUBMIT / FIX N ISSUES FIRST]

/submission-prep¶