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Academy · Concepts & Definitions · Before you submit
Before You Submit: Declarations, Reporting Checklist, Figures, References — in the Order a Screening Editor Applies Them
A screening editor works through a submission in a fairly consistent order. Checking your manuscript in that same order, before you upload, catches what they would catch — just earlier.
A manuscript's technical screening, before it reaches a handling editor, commonly runs through four checks in sequence: that the required declarations and disclosures are complete, that the applicable reporting-guideline checklist is attached and filled in, that figures meet the journal's technical specifications, and that references are correctly and completely formatted.
What you will learn
- The four-part order a technical/screening check commonly follows.
- What 'complete' means for declarations, specifically.
- Why checking in this order, rather than any order, saves rework.
What to unlearn
- “A technical screening check is mostly about formatting.” Declarations and reporting-guideline compliance are substantive checks, not formatting ones, and they are commonly checked before the more cosmetic figure and reference checks.
- “Reference formatting errors are a minor, easily-fixed-later issue.” Incomplete or incorrectly formatted references are a common reason a submission is returned at screening, since many systems check reference completeness before the manuscript is passed to an editor at all.
1. Declarations and disclosures
Confirm every ICMJE-expected declaration is complete and consistent across all authors: authorship criteria met and disclosed, conflicts of interest and funding sources stated, and any generative AI tool use disclosed per the journal's current policy1. This is checked first because an incomplete declaration is often the fastest reason for a submission to be returned before any further review.
2. The reporting-guideline checklist
Confirm the applicable reporting guideline for the study design (CONSORT 2025, PRISMA 2020, STROBE, STARD 2015, TRIPOD+AI, or ARRIVE 2.0, among others) is identified and its checklist is completed with page or line references, and attached to the submission where the journal requires it.
3. Figures, and 4. references
Only once declarations and reporting-guideline compliance are confirmed does a screening check typically move to figures (resolution, file format, and labelling against the journal's technical specifications) and finally references (completeness, correct formatting per the journal's citation style, and that every in-text citation has a corresponding reference entry and vice versa).
Take-home message
Take-home message
A screening check commonly runs declarations, then reporting-guideline compliance, then figures, then references — checking your own manuscript in that same order, before submission, catches the same issues earlier and avoids a returned-for-completion delay.
How to apply this to your work
How to apply this to your own work
- Check declarations first, not last. An incomplete authorship, conflict-of-interest, or AI-disclosure statement is a common, fast reason for return.
- Confirm the reporting-guideline checklist is both complete and attached. Not just drafted internally but actually included with the submission package.
- Do a dedicated reference cross-check. Confirm every in-text citation has a matching reference and vice versa, in the correct journal-specific format.
Common questions
The specific sequence varies by journal and system, but these four categories — declarations, reporting guideline, figures, references — are consistently among the most common screening checks.
Most systems return the submission to the authors for completion before it proceeds to editorial assessment, adding a delay rather than an outright rejection.
Many journals expect one, though it's typically assessed by the handling editor for fit and significance rather than as a technical screening item.
References and sources
- International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals. read 10 October 2026. View ICMJE Recommendations
Every source above is a peer-reviewed article, a publisher’s record of one, or a standard issued by the body that owns it. Each carries the date it was last read. Where a standard moves, this article is revised rather than left up with a note.
How to cite this article
Pick your referencing style and copy it. Your university or target journal may vary the punctuation — check its guide if it has one.
Pubrica Academy. (2026, October 10). Before You Submit: Declarations, Reporting Checklist, Figures, References — in the Order a Screening Editor Applies Them. Pubrica. https://pubrica.com/insights/checklist/before-you-submit-checklist/
Pubrica Academy. “Before You Submit: Declarations, Reporting Checklist, Figures, References — in the Order a Screening Editor Applies Them.” Pubrica, 10 Oct. 2026, pubrica.com/insights/checklist/before-you-submit-checklist/.
Pubrica Academy (2026) Before You Submit: Declarations, Reporting Checklist, Figures, References — in the Order a Screening Editor Applies Them. Pubrica. Available at: https://pubrica.com/insights/checklist/before-you-submit-checklist/ (Accessed: 15 October 2026).
Pubrica Academy. “Before You Submit: Declarations, Reporting Checklist, Figures, References — in the Order a Screening Editor Applies Them.” Pubrica. October 10, 2026. https://pubrica.com/insights/checklist/before-you-submit-checklist/
Pubrica Academy, ‘Before You Submit: Declarations, Reporting Checklist, Figures, References — in the Order a Screening Editor Applies Them’ (Pubrica, 10 October 2026) <https://pubrica.com/insights/checklist/before-you-submit-checklist/> accessed 15 October 2026.
Pubrica Academy. Before You Submit: Declarations, Reporting Checklist, Figures, References — in the Order a Screening Editor Applies Them. [Internet]. Pubrica; 2026 Oct 10 [cited 2026 Oct 15]. Available from: https://pubrica.com/insights/checklist/before-you-submit-checklist/
Pubrica Academy, “Before You Submit: Declarations, Reporting Checklist, Figures, References — in the Order a Screening Editor Applies Them,” Pubrica, Oct. 10, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://pubrica.com/insights/checklist/before-you-submit-checklist/
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title = {Before You Submit: Declarations, Reporting Checklist, Figures, References — in the Order a Screening Editor Applies Them},
howpublished = {Pubrica},
year = {2026},
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}This article is written to be learned from. Cite it if you are referring to what it says; if you are using the evidence behind it, cite the sources listed above instead.
Pre-submission check, in order
Work through in this sequence.
[ ] 1. Declarations: authorship, conflicts of interest, funding, AI-tool disclosure — complete and consistent across authors [ ] 2. Reporting-guideline checklist: identified, completed with page/line references, attached [ ] 3. Figures: resolution, format, and labelling against journal technical specifications [ ] 4. References: complete, correctly formatted, every citation matched to an entry and vice versa
Pubrica AcademyWritten and maintained by the subject matter experts of Pubrica who do this work. Articles are revised when the standard underneath them moves, and each one carries the date it was last checked.
How Pubrica helps
We run every manuscript through this exact four-part screening check — declarations, reporting guideline, figures, references — before it goes to a journal.