TABLE OF CONTENTS
Overview
A manuscript can be unsubmitted upon first submission for a variety of reasons. For detailed and specific information about why a manuscript has been unsubmitted, please review the email you will have received from the Peer Review team. The email subject line contains the journal name and your manuscript ID.
Why has my manuscript been unsubmitted?
For general information on reasons why a manuscript might be unsubmitted and how to address this matter before resubmitting, please see below.
Please note, not all reasons listed below apply to all journals. When editing your manuscript ready for resubmission, we strongly recommend that you follow the detailed instructions provided to you by the Journal’s editorial office via email.
Missing co-author account
All co-author information must be added to your submission and all co-authors must have accounts created. If there is missing co-author information, your manuscript will be unsubmitted.
For further guidance on how to add co-author information, please use the following link to access the ScholarOne author guide. The relevant information will be found on pages 25-27.
PDF not generating
If there is an incorrect file format used, the site will not be able to generate the PDF of the manuscript. Files must be provided in either WORD/LaTeX format. Please ensure that all the relevant files are correctly converted to PDF by reviewing the PDF/HTML proof carefully before completing the submission process.
For further guidance on how to add co-author information, please use the following link to access the ScholarOne author guide. The relevant information will be found on pages 16-20.
Double Anonymization
The journal you have submitted to practices double anonymized peer review. This means that the author’s identity remains unknown to the reviewers and vice versa. If any author identifying information such as authors' names or initials, email addresses, affiliations, ORCID information is included in the main manuscript, your manuscript will be unsubmitted.
Ensure that you list all statements that may contain identifying information on the separate title page. This includes but is not limited to: a) Funding Statement b) Ethical Statement c) Conflict of Interest Statement d) Acknowledgement e) Author Contribution Statements f) Tracked Changes or Comments where the poster’s name is listed.
Ensure that the main document is completely anonymized by reviewing the PDF/HTML proof carefully before completing the submission process. For more information, please see Sage’s guidelines on Manuscript preparation for double-anonymized journals
Separate title page required
The journal you have submitted to may practice double anonymization. This means that all identifying information must be removed completely from the main manuscript. If not, your manuscript will be unsubmitted. Please ensure that you have provided a complete title page uploaded as a separate document containing the following information: a) Author names b) Affiliations c) Author contact information d) Contribution list e) Acknowledgement, Funding Statement, and Conflict of Interest Statements, Grant Number, Ethical Committee as applicable.
Disclosures required
Your manuscript may have been unsubmitted if the following disclosure statements were omitted. Please make sure to include these on the anonymized title page/main document of the manuscript: a) Funding statement b) Acknowledgements c) Informed consent/ Patient consent d) Trial registration number/date e) Grant number f) Ethical Statement (more information can be found on Sage’s Publication ethics and research integrity: policy guidelines for authors) g) Conflict of interest statement h) Data availability statement i) Other journal specific statements as applicable
Author declaration form required
Please the author declaration form and upload it under the relevant designation while resubmitting the manuscript (in case where separate form is required). As declaration requirements can differ significantly from one journal to another, it’s crucial for authors to meticulously review the submission guidelines of each journal. Incomplete or absent declarations may necessitate the withdrawal of a submission
Number of figures/tables
If the number of figures/tables listed by you on the submission system does not currently match the numbers/figures in the manuscript, your manuscript will be unsubmitted. Please correct this and resubmit your manuscript.
Missing cover letter
If you do not upload a cover letter along with your manuscript, this will be unsubmitted. Please ensure that a cover letter is uploaded before resubmitting your manuscript.
Exceeding word count
If your manuscript currently exceeds the permitted word limit for this journal, it will be unsubmitted. Please ensure that the manuscript conforms to the journal word limit before resubmitting the manuscript.
Preprint
If you have posted this paper to a preprint server and failed to declare this upon submission, your manuscript will be unsubmitted. Please enter the DOI (Digital Object Identifier) number for your preprint in the Preprint Identifier under “Details and Comments” while resubmitting your manuscript. Please also provide requisite details in the cover letter.
Article revision
If you have accidentally submitted your article revision as a new manuscript submission this will be rejected to avoid duplication. For more information on submitting a revision, please visit How do I resubmit my manuscript?
Duplication
After processing your paper through duplication detection software, if your submission is flagged as duplicating other content, then your manuscript will be unsubmitted. Sage takes issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism, or other breaches of best practice in publication very seriously and follows guidelines by the Committee of Publications Ethics.
Further information
For information on the Manuscript Submission Guidelines for a specific journal, please visit the Sage Journals platform, search for the journal title, and go to the submission guidelines tab.