submit-check

name	submit-check
description	Validates a manuscript against target journal requirements before submission. Checks word count, section structure, figure/table count, reference format, and geo-specific reporting standards. Writes a PASS/FAIL checklist report to output/reports/.
tools	Read, Write, Bash

Skill: submit-check

You validate a paper manuscript against a target journal's requirements and geo-domain reporting standards. You read the paper and journal template, run through each checklist item, and produce a submission readiness report.

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Inputs

• Argument: journal code (e.g. IJGIS, RSE, IEEE_TGRS, GRL, ISPRS, TGIS, AAG, CEUS)
• Paper file: output/papers/<slug>/paper_final.md or the path provided by the user
• Journal template: templates/<domain>/<journal>.md

If no paper path is given, look for the most recently modified .md file under output/papers/. If no journal is given, read the target journal from research_contract.md.

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Checklist

Run each item and record PASS, FAIL, or WARN with a specific note.

1. Structure

Item	How to check
All required sections present	Look for headings: Abstract, Introduction, Methods/Methodology, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, References
Abstract within word limit	Count words in abstract block; limit from journal template
Total word count within limit	wc -w on paper file (excluding references); compare to template limit
Keywords provided (5–8)	Look for "Keywords:" line after abstract
Highlights provided	Required for Elsevier journals (RSE, CEUS); 3–5 bullet highlights ≤ 85 chars each
Author contributions statement	Required by most journals since 2022

2. Content

Item	How to check
Research objectives explicitly stated in Introduction	Scan for "The objectives of this study are..." or equivalent
Methods reproducible	Check that software names, library versions, and key parameters are listed
All figures referenced in text	Every "Figure N" in text must have a corresponding figure caption
All tables referenced in text	Every "Table N" in text must be referenced
Statistical results include effect sizes	R², p-values, confidence intervals, not just "significant"
Limitations explicitly discussed	Scan Discussion or dedicated Limitations section
Ethical statement / data access statement	Required by most journals; check for presence

3. Geo-Specific

These items apply only when the paper's claims actually depend on them. For each conditional item, mark PASS, FAIL, WARN, or N/A with a one-line reason. Do NOT mark FAIL when an item is genuinely irrelevant to the paper's question — mark N/A with reason.

Item	Conditional?	How to check
CRS / EPSG specified for all spatial data	Always when spatial data is used	Every dataset description must include CRS (e.g. WGS84 EPSG:4326, UTM Zone 10N EPSG:32610)
Spatial resolution of all datasets stated	Always when spatial data is used	E.g. "30 m resolution", "500 m MODIS grid"
Map projections appropriate for study area	Always when distance/area is computed	No distance/area analysis in geographic (degree) CRS
Moran's I (or equivalent) reported for regression residuals	Only if the paper fits a regression that assumes residual independence on spatially structured data	Check Results section. Mark N/A for non-regression papers, descriptive cartography, deep-learning models reported by held-out spatial CV, or non-spatial outcome models.
Moran's I p-value reported	Only if Moran's I is reported	Statistic alone is insufficient when reported
Scale of analysis justified	Always when an aggregated areal unit is chosen by the researcher	Why this spatial scale? Discuss MAUP only when the conclusion could plausibly change at a different aggregation; otherwise a one-line "fixed unit by data-generating process" is sufficient.
Open data with DOIs or repository links	Always	Every dataset must have a citable source
Software citations included	When the listed library is load-bearing for a reported result	mgwr, statsmodels, geopandas, etc. cited with version and DOI

Reviewer principle: a paper whose research question is non-spatial in substance (even if the data have coordinates) should not be penalized in this section for omitting spatial diagnostics. When uncertain whether an item applies, ask the user before marking FAIL.

4. References

Item	How to check
All in-text citations appear in reference list	Cross-reference citation keys
All reference list entries cited in text	No orphan references
Reference format matches journal style	APA 7th (most geo journals), or IEEE, or Chicago — check template
DOIs included where available
Self-citations within normal range	Typically < 15% of total citations

5. Figures and Tables

Item	How to check
Figure files exist at stated paths	Check output/figures/
All map figures have scale bar, north arrow, legend	Read captions in output/figures/captions.md
CRS stated in each map caption
Color maps accessible for color-blind readers	Prefer viridis, RdYlBu, cividis; avoid pure red-green
Figure captions are self-explanatory	Caption alone must describe what is shown, data source, CRS
Tables have clear headers and units	All numeric columns must include units

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Journal Word Limits Reference

Journal	Main text limit	Abstract	Figures
IJGIS	9,000 words	250 words	10
RSE (Remote Sensing of Environment)	10,000 words	300 words	12
IEEE TGRS	8 pages (double column)	250 words	8
GRL (Geophysical Research Letters)	4,000 words	150 words	4
ISPRS JPRS	10,000 words	300 words	12
TGIS (Transactions in GIS)	8,000 words	200 words	10
AAG Annals	10,000 words	200 words	10
CEUS (Computers, Environment and Urban Systems)	9,000 words	250 words	12

If journal template file exists at templates/<domain>/<journal>.md, use that as the authoritative source — it overrides this table.

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Output

Write the report to output/reports/submit_check_<journal>_<YYYY-MM-DD>.md:

# Submission Check Report — <JOURNAL> — <DATE>

Paper: <path>
Journal: <journal>
Run by: submit-check skill

## Summary
- Total items checked: N
- PASS: N
- FAIL: N
- WARN: N

**Overall verdict: READY / NOT READY**

## Failed Items (must fix before submission)
| Section | Item | Issue |
|---|---|---|
| Geo-Specific | Moran's I p-value | Not reported for GWR residuals in Results §3.2 |
| References | DOIs missing | 4 references lack DOIs |

## Warnings (review before submission)
| Section | Item | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Content | Self-citation rate | 18% — above typical 15% guideline |

## Passed Items
[collapsible list or count]

## Recommended Fixes
1. [Specific, actionable fix]
2. [Specific, actionable fix]

After writing the report, display the Summary and Failed Items sections in the response so the user sees them immediately.