// Use when running the final pre-submission audit for an AER, AER:Insights, or AEJ manuscript — length, format, cover letter, per-author disclosure statements, file packaging, and routing among the AEA journal family. Apply immediately before clicking submit.
| name | aer-submission |
| description | Use when running the final pre-submission audit for an AER, AER:Insights, or AEJ manuscript — length, format, cover letter, per-author disclosure statements, file packaging, and routing among the AEA journal family. Apply immediately before clicking submit. |
The final submission audit catches the formatting and routing mistakes that produce avoidable desk rejections. AER's editorial office returns submissions for non-compliance with length, format, or policy requirements before the editor sees the paper — a turnaround that can cost weeks.
This skill is the last gate.
| Item | AER | AER: Insights |
|---|---|---|
| Abstract length | ≤ 100 words | ≤ 100 words |
| Main text length | ~40 pages (11-pt, 1.5-spaced, 1" margins) | ≤ 7,000 words minus 200 per exhibit; ≤ 6,000 with five exhibits |
| Maximum exhibits | No formal cap | 5; each exhibit reduces budget by 200 words |
| Word-count basis | Page guideline includes figures, tables, references, and in-paper appendices | Main body, footnotes, endnotes, and in-paper appendices; excludes references, exhibits, and Supplemental Appendix |
| File format | Single PDF for review | Single PDF for review |
| Separate title page | None — title and byline on page 1 | Same |
| Cover letter | Optional | Optional |
| Submission system | ScholarOne (mc.manuscriptcentral.com/aer) | ScholarOne |
Manuscripts exceeding AER: Insights length are returned without review. This is enforced automatically.
The 40-page guideline counts:
The 40-page count does not include: title, abstract, supplemental appendix, online appendix.
If over 40 pages: cut, then cut again, then move material to the online appendix. AER editors explicitly state that excessive online-appendix reliance is itself a desk-rejection signal. The supplemental appendix is for additional material, not for the main result.
Count main-body words including footnotes, endnotes, and in-paper appendices; exclude title, byline, abstract, acknowledgement footnote, references, exhibits, and Supplemental Appendix. Word-count discipline:
If you cannot fit, the paper is an AER (or AEJ) paper, not an AER: Insights paper.
[Title]
[Authors and affiliations]
[Abstract — ≤ 100 words]
[JEL codes]
[Keywords]
[Introductory paragraphs — NO heading "Introduction"]
\section{Data} (or whatever the next titled section is)
\section{...}
...
\section{Conclusion}
\bibliography{...}
[Tables in numerical order]
[Figures in numerical order]
\appendix
\section{...} (in-paper appendix only — short)
Move long appendices to a separate Supplemental Appendix file.
Prepare in advance:
If the paper has supplementary materials (videos, large datasets), provide URLs to a public repository.
AER does not require a cover letter. Use one only to communicate substantive information:
If you include one, keep it ≤ 200 words and submit via the ScholarOne form field, not as a separate uploaded document.
Do not use the cover letter to:
Run this decision tree before submission:
Is the contribution sharp enough to fit the AER: Insights word/exhibit formula?
├── Yes → Is it cross-subfield interest?
│ ├── Yes → AER: Insights
│ └── No → AEJ: Applied / Policy / Macro / Micro (by subfield)
└── No → Does it have broad cross-subfield interest?
├── Yes → AER
└── No → AEJ (most fitting)
Common mistakes:
AER charges a submission fee that scales with AEA membership status and country income group. Authors from low- and middle-income countries pay reduced or waived fees. Verify current fee schedule on the AEA submissions page before the corresponding author finalizes the form.
TARGET VENUE: <AER | AER:Insights | AEJ:...>
LENGTH AUDIT: <pass / fail with details>
FORMAT AUDIT: <pass / fail with details>
COVER LETTER: <none / drafted, <n> words>
DISCLOSURE STATEMENTS: <complete / missing>
CONFLICTS DISCLOSED: <list / none>
REPLICATION DEPOSIT STATUS: <planned / drafted / complete>
READY TO SUBMIT: <yes / no — with blockers>
NEXT SKILL: <none — submit | aer-rebuttal once decision arrives>
Use when selecting, implementing, or stress-testing the causal identification strategy for an empirical economics manuscript — difference-in-differences (including staggered designs), instrumental variables (including weak-IV-robust inference), regression discontinuity, synthetic control, or shift-share / Bartik. Apply before writing the introduction or results.
Use when drafting or rewriting the introduction of an economics manuscript targeted at AER, AER:Insights, or an AEJ, or when compressing an abstract to the mandatory 100-word limit. Implements the Keith Head / Bellemare five-paragraph formula and AER-specific formatting conventions.
Use when responding to a Revise & Resubmit decision from AER, AER:Insights, or an AEJ, and a point-by-point response letter plus aligned manuscript revisions are needed. Handles triage, the concede / clarify / push-back decision, and the response-letter format that editors actually read.
Use when assembling the AEA Data and Code Availability deposit for an AER, AER:Insights, or AEJ acceptance, writing the README, or auditing a replication package before the AEA Data Editor review. Implements the current AEA policy, including the February 2026 Data and Code Availability Policy.
Use when constructing or revising regression tables, descriptive statistics tables, or figures for an AER, AER:Insights, or AEJ manuscript. Implements AER booktabs house style, the standard regression-table layout, and the figure-notes convention.
Use when the main empirical results exist but the manuscript lacks the robustness, heterogeneity, mechanism, and placebo checks that AER referees will demand. Apply after aer-identification and before aer-introduction so that the value-added paragraph can reference these tests.