Guideline Compliance

Skip the desk-rejection drama. ReviewerZero's Guideline Compliance feature automatically retrieves your target journal's submission guidelines and checks whether your manuscript meets their requirements.

Journal Guideline Checks

Why Guideline Compliance?

Every journal has unique submission requirements, and missing them leads to preventable desk rejections:

• 30-40% of submissions are desk-rejected at many journals
• Each journal has different formatting, length, and content requirements
• Guidelines are often buried in lengthy author instruction pages
• Requirements vary by submission type (research article, review, letter, etc.)

Our system automatically finds and checks against your target journal's specific rules.

How It Works

1. Specify Your Target Journal

When you create a project, you specify the journal or conference you're targeting. This tells the system which guidelines to retrieve and check against.

2. Automatic Guideline Retrieval

The system:

• Searches for the official submission guidelines for your target venue
• Identifies the type of submission (research paper, review, etc.)
• Determines the submission stage (initial submission, resubmission, etc.)
• Extracts specific rules the manuscript must follow

3. Manuscript Analysis

Your manuscript is analyzed against each extracted rule:

• Each rule is checked for compliance
• Evidence is located within your manuscript
• A determination is made: met, not met, or unknown
• Specific reasons are provided for each assessment

4. Evidence Matching

For each rule, the system identifies:

• Where in your manuscript the rule is addressed (or should be)
• The specific text that satisfies (or fails) the requirement
• Page numbers and locations for easy reference

Types of Rules We Check

The system extracts and checks journal-specific rules including:

Document Requirements

Content Requirements

Submission-Specific Rules

Understanding Results

Rule Status

Each rule shows one of three statuses:

Rule Details

For each rule, you'll see:

• Rule name - What the requirement is about
• Description - Full explanation of what the journal requires
• Status - Whether your manuscript meets the rule
• Reason - Explanation of why the rule is or isn't met
• Evidence - Location in your manuscript where the rule is addressed

Visual Highlighting

When viewing your manuscript:

• Rules are linked to specific locations in your PDF
• Click on a rule to jump to the relevant section
• Highlighted regions show where requirements are addressed
• Navigate between findings using the sidebar

Managing Findings

Reviewing Results

For each guideline check:

1. Review the rule and its requirements
2. See the status and reasoning
3. Click to view the evidence location in your manuscript
4. Determine if changes are needed

Dismissing Findings

If a finding is incorrect or you've addressed it:

1. Click to dismiss the finding
2. The finding is removed from active results
3. Dismissals can be restored at any time

Making Corrections

For rules that aren't met:

1. Note the specific requirement
2. Locate where to make changes in your manuscript
3. Update your document accordingly
4. Re-upload to verify compliance

Best Practices

Before Checking

1. Know your target journal before starting
2. Have a near-complete manuscript ready
3. Ensure the PDF is text-searchable

Interpreting Results

• Focus on "Not Met" items - These need attention before submission
• Verify "Met" items - Double-check the evidence matches the rule
• Investigate "Unknown" - May require manual verification
• Cross-reference with journal site - Confirm current requirements

After Checking

1. Address all "Not Met" requirements
2. Re-check after making changes
3. Keep a record of your compliance verification
4. Submit with confidence

Supported Venues

The system can retrieve and check guidelines for:

• Major publishers (Elsevier, Springer Nature, Wiley, etc.)
• Society journals
• Open access journals
• Academic conferences
• Specialty and niche publications

For any venue with publicly available submission guidelines, the system can extract and verify requirements.

Limitations

What We Can't Check

• Requirements outside the document (e.g., suggested reviewers)
• Submission portal requirements
• Rules that require human judgment
• Very recently updated guidelines

Important Notes

• Guidelines are retrieved at the time of analysis
• Journals may update their requirements
• Always verify against the current author guidelines
• Some rules may require manual verification

Related Resources

• AI Review - Structured peer-review feedback
• Replicability Prediction - Assess reproducibility
• Journal Recommendations - Find the right venue