Submission Preflight (amann-submission)

When to trigger

A deadline is near — last check before uploading a proposal to Manuscript Central
A proposal was accepted and you are submitting the invited full review
Confirming format, CV, and anonymity requirements for the right route
Unsure which files the portal expects for a proposal vs. a full review

Process facts (检索于 2026-06；以官网为准 — re-confirm on the AOM/Annals pages)

Publisher / venue. Annals is the Academy of Management's review-of-the-field journal, published with Taylor & Francis. It is distinct from AMR (original theory) and AMJ (empirical). Submission is via Manuscript Central: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/aomannals.
Two routes, in order. (1) Proposal — the mandatory gate: ≤5 pages, single-spaced, 1-inch margins, 12pt, with the four headings (Focus of the review / Related reviews / Review scope and process / New insights); references and visuals do not count. (2) Invited full review — submitted only after a proposal is accepted; typically ~50 pages of text plus tables/figures/refs.
Deadlines. Proposals are on a twice-yearly cycle — April 1 and October 1; not reviewed until the deadline passes; decisions ~6 weeks after the deadline. Two issues publish per year (January and July).
Anonymity. Proposals are double-blind (reviewed by the Associate Editors) — anonymize the proposal. The invited full review forgoes double-blind (read by the Associate Editor and Editor), so anonymity requirements differ between the two routes — confirm current rules on the portal.
CV. A current CV may be required for the editors' eyes only (not seen by reviewers) — confirm at submission (待核实).
Style / format. Follow the current Annals/Taylor & Francis author guidelines for manuscript format and references (house style 待核实 — confirm APA vs. other on the live page). Length, abstract, and exact formatting specifics are volatile.
Fees / APC. Any submission fee or APC is volatile — re-confirm on the official pages; do not assert an amount.

Preflight checklist

Route & files

[ ] Route chosen: proposal (≤5pp, four headings) or invited full review (after acceptance)
[ ] Proposal uses the four required headings verbatim and meets the ≤5pp / single-spaced / 1-in / 12pt limit
[ ] Targeting the correct April 1 / October 1 deadline
[ ] Full review (if invited) within the expected ~50-page norm; tables/figures/refs prepared

Front matter

[ ] Title, abstract (review-style — contribution to the field), and keywords present
[ ] Author affiliations complete; CV prepared if required (editors-only)

Anonymity & declarations

[ ] Proposal anonymized for double-blind review (proposal route)
[ ] Full-review anonymity handled per current rules (it forgoes double-blind)
[ ] Confirmed not under review elsewhere; AI not listed as an author

Volatile re-confirms

[ ] Portal specifics, fee/APC, CV requirement, house style, anonymity — re-checked on AOM/Annals pages (检索于 2026-06)

Anti-patterns

Uploading a full review without an accepted proposal — out of process at Annals
A proposal that exceeds 5 pages or omits one of the four required headings
Missing the April 1 / October 1 window because intake was assumed to be rolling
Asserting a fee/APC or editor name from memory rather than the live page
Failing to anonymize the proposal (it is double-blind) or mishandling the full-review anonymity difference
A primary-paper abstract on a review submission

Output format

【Route】proposal (≤5pp, 4 headings) / invited full review (~50pp)
【Deadline】targeting April 1 / October 1? <which>
【Proposal headings】Focus / Related reviews / Scope & process / New insights present? Y/N
【Anonymity】proposal anonymized (double-blind); full-review rule confirmed? Y/N
【CV】prepared if required (editors-only)? Y/N
【Volatile re-confirms】portal / fee / style / anonymity checked on AOM page? Y/N
【Next step】submit via Manuscript Central → amann-review-process for what to expect

Supplementary resources

templates/checklist.md — submission self-check
templates/manuscript_template.md — lightweight manuscript scaffold