---
name: amanthro-submission
description: Use when running the final pre-submission preflight for American Anthropologist (AA) via the Research Exchange platform — section selection, anonymization, word/abstract caps, Chicago author-date (free-format accepted), DOIs, ORCID, ethics statement, and figure permissions/alt text. Final checks; it does not draft content.
---

# Submission Preflight (amanthro-submission)

The last check before submitting on **Research Exchange** (AA's platform since 15 April 2025). AA review
is **anonymous**, so the most common avoidable failure is an under-anonymized file. AA accepts
**free-format** submissions (you need not perfectly style-conform up front), but ethics, anonymization,
permissions, and section fit must be right. Verify volatile specifics on the official page before
relying on them.

## When to trigger

- "Submitting tomorrow" — last pass before upload
- Unsure which files/metadata Research Exchange expects
- Confirming the chosen section's caps are met and the manuscript is anonymized
- Finalizing the ethics statement and figure permissions

## Process facts (checked 2026-06-20; verify live portal prompts)

- **Owner / publisher:** American Anthropological Association (AAA) / **Wiley**.
- **Portal:** **Research Exchange** for new manuscripts since **15 April 2025**.
- **Review model:** **anonymous / double anonymized** — anonymize the manuscript and **file name**; supply a separate title
  page with author details.
- **Sections & caps:** Research Article **≤ 8,000 words** (incl. figures, tables, references, notes;
  excl. transcriptions + abstract; extendable to ~10,500 on acceptance); Essay 2,000–3,000; Commentary
  ≤ 1,500; Interview ~2,000; Review Essay ≤ 5,000 (2–5 books); Book Review ≤ 1,000.
- **Abstract:** **200 words.**
- **Style:** **Chicago Manual of Style author-date** (final accepted files); **free-format** accepted at
  submission; references **alphabetical** (not embedded in endnotes); include **DOIs** where available.
- **Manuscript prep:** Word document; **12-pt Times New Roman**; **double-spaced**; **left-justified**;
  **endnotes** (not footnotes); no tracked changes/macros/fields in the final file. Figures as **TIF at
  ≥ 300 dpi**; tables as Word with title, description, and alt text.
- **Special sections:** AA is **currently NOT accepting proposals for special sections or Vital Topics
  Forums** (verify live — section availability changes).
- **Preprints / sharing:** the Wiley record for AA reads **"Does Not Accept Preprints"**; however AA lets
  authors deposit the **submitted version** in AAA's **Open Anthropology Research Repository** before peer
  review. Do not assume a generic preprint server is allowed — use the AA repository route.
- **ORCID:** **required** for AAA journals (corresponding author).
- **Fee:** **no submission or publication fee** (verified 2026-06-22); OnlineOpen (open access) is
  **optional** and only after acceptance. APC ~**USD 3,570** (per source map; verify the current Wiley
  OnlineOpen amount before paying); license choice is **CC BY, CC BY-NC, or CC BY-NC-ND**.

## Preflight checklist

### Section & length
- [ ] Section chosen and its word cap met (Research Article ≤ 8,000; shorter sections per their caps)
- [ ] Abstract = 200 words, states question + approach + contribution
- [ ] Transcriptions excluded from the count are clearly delimited

### Anonymity (anonymous review)
- [ ] No author names/affiliations/acknowledgments in the manuscript
- [ ] **File name** carries no author info
- [ ] Self-references neutralized ("as the author showed…") **and omitted from the reference list** at this stage
- [ ] Identifying **file metadata stripped** (document properties, comments)
- [ ] Separate (non-anonymous) title page prepared as a distinct file

### Format & metadata
- [ ] Chicago author-date; one consistent style; **DOIs** included where available
- [ ] Corresponding-author **ORCID** ready
- [ ] Figures self-contained with **alt text** and **permissions/credits** (see `amanthro-tables-figures`)

### Ethics & files
- [ ] **Ethics statement**: informed consent, IRB/ethics approval where applicable, anonymization
- [ ] Heritage/repatriation and vulnerable-community obligations addressed (see `amanthro-transparency-and-data`)
- [ ] Image/media consent and permissions secured; sensitive material withheld appropriately
- [ ] Original work, not under review elsewhere; for a preprint, use AAA's **Open Anthropology Research Repository** (no generic preprint server)
- [ ] If targeting a special section / Vital Topics Forum, confirm it is **open** (currently paused — verify live)

## Anti-patterns

- Leaving author identifiers in the text, acknowledgments, or **file name/metadata** (breaks anonymity)
- Abstract over 200 words; mis-sized piece sent to the wrong section
- Missing figure permissions or alt text; publishing images without consent
- No ethics statement, or one that ignores consent/heritage/vulnerability
- Budgeting for a submission fee that AA does not charge (verify OnlineOpen APC only if going OA)

## Output format

```
【Section】Research Article / Essay / Commentary / Review Essay / etc. (cap met? Y/N)
【Anonymized】text + self-refs + file name + metadata clean? [Y/N]
【Abstract】word count (= 200)
【Chicago author-date + DOIs + ORCID】[Y/N]
【Ethics statement】consent / IRB / heritage / anonymization present? [Y/N]
【Figures】alt text + permissions + consent? [Y/N]
【Next】await decision → amanthro-rebuttal on R&R
```

## Supplementary resources

- [`templates/checklist.md`](templates/checklist.md) — full pre-submission checklist for AA
- [`../../resources/official-source-map.md`](../../resources/official-source-map.md) — official AA / AAA / Wiley URLs behind every fact in this pack