| 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. |
AER Submission
Overview
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.
When to Use
- Within 48 hours of submission
- After every R&R, before resubmission
- When the user is undecided between AER and AER: Insights as the final target
- After a rejection elsewhere, when routing into the AEA family
Hard Format Constraints
| 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.
Length Audit (AER)
The 40-page guideline counts:
- Main text
- Footnotes
- In-paper tables and figures
- References
- In-paper appendix
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.
Length Audit (AER: Insights)
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:
- One exhibit costs ~200 words
- Five exhibits leave 6,000 words
- Zero exhibits leave 7,000 words
If you cannot fit, the paper is an AER (or AEJ) paper, not an AER: Insights paper.
Manuscript Structure
[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.
File Package for ScholarOne
Prepare in advance:
- Manuscript PDF — single file: text + references + tables + figures + in-paper appendix
- Supplemental Appendix PDF — optional, separate file
- Cover letter — only if needed (see below); via form field, not separate document
- JEL classification codes — primary and secondary
- Disclosure Statement PDFs — one separate PDF per coauthor; if nothing to disclose, say that explicitly
- Coeditor conflict disclosures — list any coeditor who has a personal or professional conflict
- Suggested editor — optional, in form field
- AI usage disclosure — required if AI software was used in drafting or editing; brief description
If the paper has supplementary materials (videos, large datasets), provide URLs to a public repository.
Cover Letter — When and How
AER does not require a cover letter. Use one only to communicate substantive information:
- Conflict of interest with a coeditor (e.g., recent coauthor, advisor, family member). Identify by name.
- Data access limitations that the editor needs to know in advance (e.g., restricted data with specific replication arrangements).
- Previous submission history to another AEA journal if relevant.
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:
- Pitch the paper's contribution (the abstract does that)
- List the seminars where the paper was presented (the title-page footnote does that)
- Argue against potential referees (this is counterproductive)
Routing Decision: AER vs. AER: Insights vs. AEJ
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:
- Submitting a long-form paper to Insights "in case." Insights requires brevity by design, not by truncation.
- Submitting to AER when the contribution is solidly within one subfield. AEJ acceptance is faster, cheaper, and similar in audience for many topics.
- Treating the AEJ family as a fallback after AER rejection. The clock resets; conditional probability of acceptance is unchanged. Submit where the paper actually fits.
Submission Fees
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.
Final Preflight Checklist
After Submission
- Expect 8-12 weeks to first decision for AER (median); shorter for Insights
- Desk rejection: typically within 2-4 weeks
- A "reject and resubmit" (rare) signals interest but requires substantial restructuring
- Track via ScholarOne; do not email the editorial office for status before 12 weeks
Handoff
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>
Anti-Patterns
- Submitting a manuscript whose abstract is 108 words "but should be fine"
- Including a 600-word cover letter that pitches the paper
- Uploading the LaTeX source as the review PDF
- Listing JEL codes that do not match the paper's content
- Submitting an Insights paper at 7,800 words because it has only two exhibits — the formula gives ≤ 6,600
- Holding the replication deposit until "after acceptance" — the Data Editor delay is now part of the publication timeline
