Submission Preflight (aeri-submission)

When to trigger

• "Submitting tomorrow" — last check before pressing submit on the AEA portal
• Verifying the word count and exhibit count clear the auto-return gates
• Unsure which files, fees, and declarations the AEA system expects
• Confirming single-blind author metadata, declarations, and the data/code statement

Process facts (official AEA baseline checked 2026-06-20)

• AER: Insights is an AEA journal for short, single-idea general-interest papers. Submission is through the AEA-linked ScholarOne Manuscripts system.
• Hard length gate: main text ≤7,000 words with no exhibits; each exhibit subtracts 200 words; maximum five exhibits (figures + tables combined), each ≤1 page. The word count includes body, footnotes, endnotes, and in-paper appendices; it excludes title, authors, abstract, acknowledgement footnote, references, exhibits, and the Supplemental Appendix. Papers over the word or exhibit limit are returned unreviewed.
• Abstract: ≤100 words.
• Fees: AEA members — high-income US$200 / middle-income US$100 / low-income US$0; nonmembers — US$300 / US$200 / US$0; papers rejected without review receive a 50 percent submission-fee refund. Publication fee: US$15 per typeset page for applicable submissions.
• Single-blind review: author identity is visible to referees; referee identity remains anonymous to authors. The manuscript should include title, byline, and author affiliations on the first page, not a separate title page.
• Metadata: prepare keywords and JEL classifications if the portal prompts for them; use the AEA JEL guide for classification choices.
• Data and code: submission must comply with the AEA Data and Code Availability Policy; data, code, and documentation sufficient for replication are required before acceptance, verified by the AEA Data Editor (deposit to the AEA Data and Code Repository / openICPSR). See aeri-replication-package.

Preflight checklist

Length & format (the auto-return gates)

• Main text ≤ 7,000 − 200 × (#exhibits) words, counted per the AEA scope rules above
• ≤5 exhibits (figures + tables), each ≤1 page
• Abstract ≤100 words
• No asterisks/boldface for significance; SEs / confidence sets reported
• Supplemental Appendix carries everything pushed out of the main text

Author metadata & declarations

• Title, byline, and author affiliations appear on the manuscript first page; no separate title page
• Acknowledgement footnote covers email, author order, funding, personal acknowledgements, IRB details if applicable, and RCT registration if applicable
• Keywords and JEL classifications prepared if requested by the portal

Files, fees & declarations

• Main manuscript PDF, word-count PDF/record, and Supplemental Appendix uploaded as the system expects
• Submission fee ready for the correct member/income band; publication-fee implications understood
• AEA Data and Code Availability Policy acknowledged; data/code plan ready
• Separate disclosure statement for each author; AI not listed as an author; AI use disclosed if applicable; not under review elsewhere

Counting words the way the AEA counts them

The auto-return gate is enforced on a specific scope, so count it correctly:

• Include: the main body, footnotes, endnotes, and in-paper appendices.
• Exclude: title, author names, abstract, the acknowledgement footnote, the reference list, the exhibits themselves, and the Supplemental Appendix.
• Then subtract 200 words per exhibit from the 7,000 ceiling: a paper with five exhibits has a 6,000-word main-text budget. A common mistake is counting only the body and forgetting footnotes/in-paper appendices, then discovering the true count is over at the portal.

Reconcile this with aeri-writing-style (cutting to the cap) and aeri-tables-figures (the exhibit budget) before you reach the portal.

Anti-patterns

• Submitting over the word or exhibit cap (auto-return without review)
• Abstract over 100 words; exhibits over one page
• Stripping author information as if identities were hidden from referees, contrary to AEA single-blind instructions
• Significance asterisks/boldface in exhibits
• Treating the data/code policy as a post-acceptance afterthought

Output format

【Word count】main text = __ ; cap = 7000 − 200×__ = __ ; under? [Y/N]
【Exhibits】__ / 5, each ≤1 page? [Y/N]
【Abstract】__ words (≤100?) [Y/N]
【Author metadata】title/byline/affiliations and acknowledgement footnote complete? [Y/N]
【Classifications】keywords/JEL ready if portal prompts? [Y/N]
【Fee + declarations + data/code】fee ready; disclosures/AI/data policy acknowledged? [Y/N]
【Next step】submit via AEA portal → aeri-referee-strategy for what to expect

Supplementary resources

• templates/checklist.md — full pre-submission self-check
• ../../resources/official-source-map.md — official AEA / AER: Insights URLs behind every fact