Pre-Submission Manuscript Check
A final technical check of your manuscript before journal submission. The manuscript check is for authors who are ready to submit and want to confirm that nothing will cause the journal to return the paper before review. It is not an edit or a peer review. Pubrica’s subject editors check similarity, AI screening results, the journal’s technical requirements and the required declarations, and give you a written verdict on whether the manuscript is ready.
- Similarity report with the matches interpreted, because overlap in a methods section and overlap in a discussion have very different implications
- AI screening, with the result explained rather than handed over as a number
- Technical check against your target journal: word counts, structure, figure and table limits, reference style and file requirements
- Declarations audited: ethics, consent, conflicts, funding, registration and data availability
- A verdict: ready, ready with fixes, or not ready, with the reasons stated
Similarity and AI screeningIncluded
Technical and format checkIncluded
Declarations auditIncluded
Readiness verdictIncluded
Editing or improving the paperNot included
Manuscript → screened → checked → audited → verdict
- Similarity matches interpreted
- AI result explained
- Checked against your named journal
- Declarations audited
- A plain verdict
Deliverables
Four Components of Every Manuscript Check
Each check covers one manuscript against one named journal, and that journal’s requirements define the scope.
From the reportSimilarity: 24%.24% overall: 19 points from the methods section matching your own previous protocol paper, which most editors accept; 3 points across reference strings; 2 points in the discussion, which is the part to look at.
From the screeningDetection tools produce false positives, particularly for authors writing in English as an additional language and for heavily edited text. A score without an explanation is not a finding.
From the technical checkJournals return manuscripts for technical reasons before any editorial assessment. These returns can cost a week and are entirely preventable.
From the verdictThe check is designed to support a fast decision. If the manuscript needs editing or a statistical review, we say so; if it is ready, we confirm that.
The samples shown are illustrative and anonymised. Hover over a sample to replay it.
Compliance and Standards
Author Instructions, ICMJE, COPE and ISO 9001:2015 Standards
The journal’s author instructions govern the technical requirements, and the standards below govern authorship, disclosure and quality.
Author instructions (limits, structure, style, files)
The mechanical requirements a submission is returned for: word counts, structure, figure limits, reference style and file specification.
ICMJE Recommendations (authorship and disclosure)
Authorship criteria, declarations, and the requirement to disclose use of AI tools in manuscript preparation — AI cannot be an author.
COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics)
COPE sets the standards a journal applies to authorship, disclosure and representation, including what may be claimed about a paper.
Quality management (cert. H3CR9TCU20251212INDQM10N)
Our certified quality system governs how work is run, recorded and released.
Responsible Use of AI
Our Approach to AI Use and Disclosure
Journals now ask authors to declare any AI tools used in preparing a manuscript. Pubrica therefore treats the declaration as a deliverable: we tell you exactly which tools were used on your manuscript so that you can complete the declaration accurately.
Why We Do Not Publish AI Accuracy Figures
Accuracy figures for AI tools are usually reported by the companies that sell them.
Pubrica therefore does not quote its own accuracy figures, as they would carry the same conflict of interest. Instead, we tell you which tool was used on your project, at which stage, and what a specialist changed afterwards.
How It Works
How Our Manuscript Check Process Works
The manuscript check is a fast, fixed-scope service with three steps.
Order and Target Journal Details
Send the manuscript and name the journal you intend to submit to, because the check is run against that journal’s current requirements.
Screening and Technical Check
We run similarity and AI screening, check the technical requirements and audit the declarations.
Written Verdict in Two Business Days
You receive a short report with the findings interpreted and a clear verdict on readiness.
Our Experts
Your Manuscript Check Team
A named team of subject specialists stays with your project from scoping to delivery. Your project coordinator introduces each team member by name before work begins.
Reviews the scientific content for accuracy and confirms that each conclusion is supported by the evidence. Each expert is matched to your field of research.
Edits for clarity, grammar, structure and consistency while preserving the author voice and scientific meaning.
Checks the finished work independently against the agreed scope and the applicable checklist. Findings are logged and resolved before delivery.
Manages the timeline, keeps you informed at each stage and coordinates the team so that questions are answered and deadlines are met.
Pricing
Manuscript Check Pricing
The manuscript check is a fixed-price service for authors, including first-time clients, who want to know whether a manuscript is ready before committing to a larger service.
Manuscript check
Authors preparing to submit
Quoted per projectFixed quote · per manuscript
Delivery Two business days
- ✓Similarity report with matches interpreted
- ✓AI screening with the result explained
- ✓Technical check against your target journal
- ✓Declarations audit
- ✓Plain readiness verdict
- ✓Credited against a larger service if you go on to buy one
Fixed quote, fixed scope and delivery in two business days. If the manuscript needs more than a check, we will tell you.
Deliverables Request a quoteIf the check identifies work that needs doing, its cost is credited against the next service you order. The purpose of the check is to show you where the manuscript stands, not to sell additional services.
FAQs
Manuscript Check FAQs
If your question is not answered here, please ask an expert. No quote is required.
Neither. It is a technical check of the issues that cause journals to return manuscripts before the science is assessed.
If the check shows that the paper needs editing or a statistical review, the report says so, and the cost of the check is credited against your next order.
On its own, very little. A methods section that matches your own earlier protocol paper is usually acceptable, whereas the same percentage concentrated in a discussion is not.
For that reason, the report interprets where the matches occur rather than giving you only a number.
They are not reliable enough to be reported without explanation. They produce false positives, particularly for writing by non-native English speakers and for heavily edited text.
We report what was flagged and whether it appears to be a genuine finding, because a score without interpretation causes unnecessary concern.
The check has a fixed scope and is largely technical, and it is designed as a low-cost way to try Pubrica’s services.
It is intended as an entry point to our services rather than a high-margin product.
Related Services
Related Publication Support Services
The check will indicate which of these services, if any, your manuscript needs.
1IF IT NEEDS WORKcommon next steps
Manuscript editingA full copyedit with journal formatting. Statistical reviewReview of methods and statistical analysis.2IF IT IS READYsubmitting
Journal submissionPortal submission, files and declarations. Cover letterA cover letter written for the journal editor.3IF THE TARGET IS WRONGchoosing a suitable journal first
Journal selection$130, with 3 to 5 recommendations. Pre-submission peer reviewExpert peer review before you submit.Order a Manuscript Check with a Readiness Verdict in Two Business Days
If the check identifies work that needs doing, its cost is credited against your next order.