| name | journal-submission-normalizer |
| description | Use when a researcher needs a manuscript checked and normalized against a target journal's official submission and formatting requirements, with a compliance report before submission. |
Journal Submission Normalizer
Normalize a manuscript to the official requirements of a target journal before submission.
This skill is designed for the detail work that often causes avoidable submission delays: formatting rules scattered across author instructions, PDF templates, style files, submission-system checklists, and publisher pages.
Core Principle
Submission formatting should be evidence-based:
- use official journal sources first;
- extract rules into a visible matrix before editing;
- separate verified rules from uncertain or missing rules;
- preserve scientific meaning while changing formatting;
- return both the normalized manuscript and a compliance report.
Reference
Load references/official-source-playbook.md when searching for author instructions, templates, journal policies, or submission-system requirements.
Workflow
1. Confirm scope
Collect:
- target journal name and publisher;
- manuscript file format: DOCX, LaTeX, Markdown, PDF-derived text, or mixed files;
- article type: original research, review, case report, meta-analysis, short communication, letter, methods, protocol, etc.;
- submission stage: initial submission, revised submission, final production, or resubmission;
- required output format: edited DOCX, LaTeX patch, Markdown checklist, or compliance report only.
If the target journal is not confirmed, ask the user to choose one before applying journal-specific formatting.
2. Search official requirements
Use current online sources and prioritize:
- official journal author instructions;
- publisher submission guidelines;
- official article templates, style files, or sample manuscripts;
- submission-system checklists;
- official reference-style examples;
- official ethics, data, funding, conflict-of-interest, and AI-use policies.
Do not rely on third-party summaries unless official sources are unavailable, and label third-party information as unverified.
3. Extract a rule matrix
Before editing, build a rule matrix covering:
- article type and word limits;
- title page fields;
- abstract type, length, and structure;
- keywords;
- font, font size, line spacing, margins, page numbering;
- heading levels and numbering;
- figure size, resolution, file format, color mode, and caption rules;
- table formatting and footnotes;
- abbreviations, units, symbols, superscripts, and subscripts;
- reference style, citation style, DOI/PMID requirements, maximum references;
- ethics approval, consent, trial registration, data availability, funding, author contributions, competing interests, acknowledgements, and AI-use statement;
- cover letter, highlights, graphical abstract, supplementary files, file naming, and submission checklist.
Mark each item as:
verified;not specified;conflicting sources;needs user confirmation.
4. Normalize the manuscript
Apply only changes that are supported by the rule matrix or by standard scholarly formatting norms when the journal is silent.
Typical operations:
- normalize title page order and required fields;
- adjust heading hierarchy;
- standardize abstract and keyword formatting;
- normalize font, spacing, paragraph style, and page numbering;
- standardize figure and table callouts;
- check captions and legends;
- fix obvious superscript/subscript formatting issues without changing scientific meaning;
- align reference and citation style as far as possible from available metadata;
- add or flag required declarations;
- prepare a submission file checklist.
For DOCX, preserve track changes only if the user asks. For LaTeX, prefer a patch or edited source files. For PDF-only input, state that formatting edits require a source file.
5. Produce a compliance report
Return a clear report with:
- sources consulted;
- extracted rule matrix;
- changes made;
- unresolved requirements;
- user confirmations needed;
- final submission checklist.
Output Contract
Return one or more of:
- normalized manuscript file or patch;
- rule matrix;
- compliance report;
- unresolved issue list;
- final submission checklist.
Guardrails
- Do not invent journal rules.
- Do not silently change scientific meaning, results, units, author list, affiliations, ethics statements, or references.
- Do not fabricate missing metadata such as DOI, funding number, ethics approval, trial registration, or author contribution.
- Do not claim the manuscript is accepted or guaranteed submission-ready; say it is formatted against the checked rules.
- If official requirements conflict, show the conflict and ask the user or use the most journal-specific current source.
