ngeo-submission

Nature Geoscience Submission Preflight (ngeo-submission)

When to trigger

• "Submitting tonight" — the last check before uploading to Editorial Manager
• You are unsure which files the Nature Portfolio system expects
• You need to confirm the Reporting Summary and data/code-availability statements are complete
• You want a single gate before handing off to the in-house editor

Pre-submission checklist

Scope and length

• [ ] The manuscript clears the broad-interest Earth-system gate (see ngeo-scope-fit)
• [ ] Main text within the ~3,000-word Article limit (excluding abstract/Methods/refs/legends)
• [ ] Abstract ≤ ~200 words, unreferenced, and uses "Here we show"
• [ ] Title ≤ ~90 characters
• [ ] Display items within the 4–6 ceiling; references near/under ~50

Format and structure

• [ ] Correct content type selected (Article or Brief Communication)
• [ ] Online Methods section present, divided by topical subheadings
• [ ] Results/Discussion organised with 3–4 topical subheadings (Article)
• [ ] SI units, consistent significant figures, every quantity with uncertainty
• [ ] Every acronym/symbol defined on first use; notation consistent throughout
• [ ] Nature reference style applied

Compliance files (these gate acceptance, not just submission)

• [ ] Data availability statement: repository + accession/DOI (community repo where available, e.g. PANGAEA)
• [ ] Code availability statement for custom analysis code
• [ ] Nature Portfolio Reporting Summary completed and consistent with Methods
• [ ] Any required ethics / sample-provenance / permit statements (fieldwork, cores, meteorites)
• [ ] Competing-interests statement
• [ ] Author-contributions (CRediT-style) statement

Files to upload

• [ ] Main manuscript (main text + online Methods, per the current template)
• [ ] All figures at production resolution (vector for line art; high-res raster for imagery)
• [ ] Supplementary Information file(s), items labeled Fig. Sn / Table Sn
• [ ] Reporting Summary
• [ ] Cover letter (justifies broad interest; not seen by reviewers — see ngeo-cover-letter)
• [ ] Source data for main figures if required

Editorial Manager metadata

• [ ] Corresponding author, ORCID, and all affiliations complete
• [ ] Title / abstract / author list entered consistently with the manuscript
• [ ] Suggested and excluded referees entered (see ngeo-referee-strategy)
• [ ] Double-blind review opt-in selected (and manuscript anonymised) if chosen
• [ ] Related manuscripts under consideration disclosed
• [ ] Prior preprint (ESSOAr / EarthArXiv) disclosed

Self-consistency

• [ ] Every "see Supplementary" / "see Methods" pointer resolves
• [ ] Figure/table/reference numbering continuous and matching in-text callouts
• [ ] SI items use the S-prefix and are each cited from the main text or Methods
• [ ] The main text stands alone without the SI (cross-check ngeo-supplementary)

Submission-system notes

• Submit through the Nature Portfolio Editorial Manager manuscript-tracking system; verify the current portal and account requirements on the author pages.
• No presubmission enquiries are accepted — the cover letter carries the full case (see ngeo-cover-letter).
• The in-house editor triages on interest before review; most submissions are declined without review, so scope and cover letter are decisive.
• Keep the Reporting Summary and availability statements accurate — they are checked and can hold up acceptance.
• Open-access: Nature Geoscience offers an OA option with an APC (re-check the current figure on the official site); a subscription route also exists.

Night-before dry run

Run this sequence the evening before, not at the upload screen:

1. Limit audit. Word count (main text only), abstract words, title characters, display-item count, reference count — all under their ceilings.
2. Compliance sweep. Reporting Summary complete; data DOI live; code repository accessible; ethics/permit statements present.
3. Pointer audit. Every "Methods"/"Supplementary" mention maps to real content; no S-prefixed item uncited.
4. Metadata dry-fill. Draft the Editorial Manager fields (referees, contributions, disclosures) in a text file so the live session is transcription, not composition.
5. Freeze. No content edits after the dry run; any change reopens the limit and pointer audits.

Desk-return / hold triggers to eliminate

| Trigger | Why it stalls or bounces |

|-----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------|

| Broad-interest case absent in the cover letter | Editorial reject before review |

| Over the word / display-item / reference limit | Returned for reformatting |

| Missing or inconsistent Reporting Summary | Held before acceptance |

| "Data available on request" only | Non-compliant data statement |

| Custom code with no availability statement | Held before acceptance |

| Main text depends on the SI | Referee friction / editorial return |

Anti-patterns

• Treating the Reporting Summary and data/code statements as afterthoughts
• Submitting a regional study with no broad-interest argument (editorial reject)
• Over-length discovered only at the upload screen
• Deposit-on-request data instead of a repository DOI
• SI items uncited or the main text silently depending on them
• Forgetting to disclose a preprint the editor will find

Output format

【Scope + length】gate cleared; main text ≤~3,000 / abstract ≤~200 / title ≤~90?  yes / fix
【Content type】Article / Brief Communication correct?  yes / fix
【Methods】online Methods with subheadings present?  yes / fix
【Compliance】data DOI / code / Reporting Summary / ethics — all present?
【Files】manuscript / figures / SI / Reporting Summary / cover letter — present?
【Editorial Manager metadata】ORCID / referees / disclosures / double-blind?
【Stands alone】yes / fix
【Next】await reports → ngeo-revision; plan referees → ngeo-referee-strategy

Attached resources

• [templates/checklist.md](templates/checklist.md) — full pre-submission self-check across scope / length / format / compliance / files / metadata / self-consistency
• [templates/manuscript_template.md](templates/manuscript_template.md) — Article skeleton (title, "Here we show" abstract, main text, online Methods, availability statements, SI outline, cover letter)
• [../../resources/external_tools.md](../../resources/external_tools.md) — reanalysis/satellite/proxy data sources, repositories, and the geospatial software stack

> Portal, content types, word/display-item limits, Reporting Summary, and required statements are volatile — verify all on the official Nature Geoscience author pages before submitting (Checked: 2026-07-16).