Use when running the final pre-submission audit for an AER, AER:Insights, or AEJ manuscript — length, format, cover letter, per-author disclosure statements, file packaging, and routing among the AEA journal family. Apply immediately before clicking submit.
SKILL.md
AER Submission
Overview
The final submission audit catches the formatting and routing mistakes that produce avoidable desk rejections. AER's editorial office returns submissions for non-compliance with length, format, or policy requirements before the editor sees the paper — a turnaround that can cost weeks.
This skill is the last gate.
When to Use
Within 48 hours of submission
After every R&R, before resubmission
When the user is undecided between AER and AER: Insights as the final target
After a rejection elsewhere, when routing into the AEA family
Hard Format Constraints
Item
AER
AER: Insights
Abstract length
≤ 100 words
≤ 100 words
Main text length
~40 pages (11-pt, 1.5-spaced, 1" margins)
≤ 7,000 words minus 200 per exhibit; ≤ 6,000 with five exhibits
Maximum exhibits
No formal cap
5; each exhibit reduces budget by 200 words
Word-count basis
Page guideline includes figures, tables, references, and in-paper appendices
Main body, footnotes, endnotes, and in-paper appendices; excludes references, exhibits, and Supplemental Appendix
File format
Single PDF for review
Single PDF for review
Separate title page
None — title and byline on page 1
Same
Cover letter
Optional
Optional
Submission system
ScholarOne (mc.manuscriptcentral.com/aer)
ScholarOne
Installs
0
Manuscripts exceeding AER: Insights length are returned without review. This is enforced automatically.
Length Audit (AER)
The 40-page guideline counts:
Main text
Footnotes
In-paper tables and figures
References
In-paper appendix
The 40-page count does not include: title, abstract, supplemental appendix, online appendix.
If over 40 pages: cut, then cut again, then move material to the online appendix. AER editors explicitly state that excessive online-appendix reliance is itself a desk-rejection signal. The supplemental appendix is for additional material, not for the main result.
Length Audit (AER: Insights)
Count main-body words including footnotes, endnotes, and in-paper appendices; exclude title, byline, abstract, acknowledgement footnote, references, exhibits, and Supplemental Appendix. Word-count discipline:
One exhibit costs ~200 words
Five exhibits leave 6,000 words
Zero exhibits leave 7,000 words
If you cannot fit, the paper is an AER (or AEJ) paper, not an AER: Insights paper.
Manuscript Structure
[Title]
[Authors and affiliations]
[Abstract — ≤ 100 words]
[JEL codes]
[Keywords]
[Introductory paragraphs — NO heading "Introduction"]
\section{Data} (or whatever the next titled section is)
\section{...}
...
\section{Conclusion}
\bibliography{...}
[Tables in numerical order]
[Figures in numerical order]
\appendix
\section{...} (in-paper appendix only — short)
AER numbers sections with Roman numerals (I., II., III.) and subsections with capital letters (A., B., C.); the introduction is unnumbered. In LaTeX, set \renewcommand{\thesection}{\Roman{section}} or use the AEA sample article class, which applies house style automatically.
Move long appendices to a separate Supplemental Appendix file.
File Package for ScholarOne
Prepare in advance:
Manuscript PDF — single file: text + references + tables + figures + in-paper appendix
Supplemental Appendix PDF — optional, separate file
Cover letter — only if needed (see below); via form field, not separate document
JEL classification codes — primary and secondary
Disclosure Statement PDFs — one separate PDF per coauthor; if nothing to disclose, say that explicitly
Coeditor conflict disclosures — list any coeditor who has a personal or professional conflict
Suggested editor — optional, in form field
AI usage disclosure — required if AI software was used in drafting or editing; brief description
If the paper has supplementary materials (videos, large datasets), provide URLs to a public repository.
Cover Letter — When and How
AER does not require a cover letter. Use one only to communicate substantive information:
Conflict of interest with a coeditor (e.g., recent coauthor, advisor, family member). Identify by name.
Data access limitations that the editor needs to know in advance (e.g., restricted data with specific replication arrangements).
Previous submission history to another AEA journal if relevant.
If you include one, keep it ≤ 200 words and submit via the ScholarOne form field, not as a separate uploaded document.
Do not use the cover letter to:
Pitch the paper's contribution (the abstract does that)
List the seminars where the paper was presented (the title-page footnote does that)
Argue against potential referees (this is counterproductive)
Routing Decision: AER vs. AER: Insights vs. AEJ
Run this decision tree before submission:
Is the contribution sharp enough to fit the AER: Insights word/exhibit formula?
├── Yes → Is it cross-subfield interest?
│ ├── Yes → AER: Insights
│ └── No → AEJ: Applied / Policy / Macro / Micro (by subfield)
└── No → Does it have broad cross-subfield interest?
├── Yes → AER
└── No → AEJ (most fitting)
Common mistakes:
Submitting a long-form paper to Insights "in case." Insights requires brevity by design, not by truncation.
Submitting to AER when the contribution is solidly within one subfield. AEJ acceptance is faster, cheaper, and similar in audience for many topics.
Treating the AEJ family as a fallback after AER rejection. The clock resets; conditional probability of acceptance is unchanged. Submit where the paper actually fits.
Submission Fees
AER charges a submission fee that scales with AEA membership status and country income group. Authors from low- and middle-income countries pay reduced or waived fees. Verify current fee schedule on the AEA submissions page before the corresponding author finalizes the form.
Final Preflight Checklist
aer-consistency audit reports all-pass on the final PDF's source
aer-referee-sim verdict is at least major R&R on a fresh run
Abstract ≤ 100 words (run a word count, not a glance)
Main text within length limit (≤ 40 pages for AER; word-count for Insights)
No "Introduction" heading; introductory material starts on page 1 after title
All tables use booktabs rules; captions positioned correctly
All figures are vector (PDF / EPS); each has a notes block
References complete; in-text citations match bibliography
JEL codes selected (primary + secondary)
Disclosure Statement PDF prepared for each coauthor
Coeditor conflicts disclosed
AI usage disclosed if applicable
Replication package deposit started (not required at submission but plan it now)
If field experiment: AEA RCT Registry entry exists and is referenced
Author contributions and acknowledgements present in the title-page footnote
No tracked changes, no comments, no draft watermarks in the PDF
Single self-contained PDF; supplemental appendix as separate file
Corresponding author email and ORCID up to date
Repository Resources
Bundled with the installed skill, no repository checkout needed --- read it
before the repo resources below:
