Prl submission

PRL Submission Preflight (prl-submission)

When to trigger

• "Submitting tonight" — the last check before the upload button
• You are unsure which files the APS submission system expects
• You need to confirm the manuscript passes the automated length check
• You want a single gate before handing off to peer review

Pre-submission checklist

Length and format

• Manuscript passes the current APS automated length check (body + figures + equations + references; verify the limit)
• Prepared in REVTeX (the APS LaTeX class) or an accepted format
• Submitted in the Letter article type, not a regular article
• Abstract within the current length limit and self-contained
• Figures embedded for review; production-quality source files ready
• SI units, consistent significant figures, defined notation throughout

Files

• Main Letter source (LaTeX/REVTeX) + a compiled PDF
• All figure files at production resolution (vector for line art)
• Supplemental Material as a separate file, clearly labeled
• Cover letter (see prl-cover-letter)
• Bibliography / .bib file as required

Classification and metadata

• Subject area / editor track selected accurately
• Current APS subject classification applied (verify the scheme in use)
• Title, abstract, and author list entered consistently with the manuscript
• Funding / acknowledgments handled per APS instructions
• Any required statements (data availability, ethics if applicable) present

Authors and integrity

• All authors meet authorship criteria and have approved submission
• Corresponding author and contact details correct
• ORCID / affiliations complete
• Originality / not-under-consideration-elsewhere confirmed
• Prior arXiv / conference version disclosed
• Competing-interest statement if required

Referees

• Suggested referees entered (see prl-referee-strategy)
• Opposed referees entered with brief, professional rationale

Self-consistency

• Every "see Supplemental Material" pointer resolves
• Figure/equation/reference numbering continuous and matching in-text callouts
• SM figures/tables use the S-prefix and are cited from the body
• The Letter stands alone without the SM (cross-check prl-supplementary)

Submission-system notes

• Submit through the APS editorial system; verify the current portal URL and account requirements on the PRL author page.
• The automated length check runs at submission — fix overages before uploading (use prl-length-management).
• Keep the SM as a distinct upload, not appended to the Letter PDF.
• Review is single-blind with subject-area / divisional editor tracks; the classification you pick steers which desk triages the Letter.
• Fees are no blocker under the subscription route: the page charge is optional, CC-BY open access carries an APC (~$2,700 — confirm live), and SCOAP3 covers eligible high-energy-physics Letters.

Night-before dry run

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

1. Clean compile. Build the REVTeX source from scratch in a fresh directory to catch machine-local dependencies.
2. Length estimate. Apply the current APS formula — body, figures by printed area, equations, references — and leave a margin below the limit.
3. Pointer audit. Confirm every "Supplemental Material" mention maps to real SM content, and no S-prefixed item goes uncited.
4. Metadata dry-fill. Draft the portal fields 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 length check and pointer audit.

Desk-return triggers to eliminate

Trigger	Why editors bounce it
Fails the automated length check	Hard gate; no editorial discretion
Wrong article type (regular article)	Routed off the Letter track entirely
Abstract in portal differs from manuscript	Ambiguous record of submission
SM appended inside the Letter PDF	Breaks separate-SM production

Anti-patterns

• Discovering an over-length only when the automated check rejects it
• Uploading the SM glued onto the end of the Letter PDF
• Wrong article type (regular article instead of Letter)
• Broken "see SM" cross-references after last-minute trimming
• Outdated subject classification or missing required statements
• Forgetting to disclose a prior arXiv version

Output format

【Length check】pass (per APS formula) / fix
【Format】REVTeX / accepted; article type = Letter?  yes / fix
【Files】Letter / figures / SM / cover letter / bib — all present?
【Classification】subject area + current scheme applied?  yes / fix
【Authors】criteria, ORCID, originality, prior-version disclosure
【Referees】suggested + opposed entered?  yes / fix
【Stands alone】yes / fix
【Next】await reports → prl-revision; plan referees → prl-referee-strategy

Attached resources

• templates/checklist.md — full pre-submission self-check across length / format / files / classification / authors / referees / self-consistency
• templates/manuscript_template.md — Letter skeleton (title, abstract, body sections, figure/equation/reference budgeting, SM outline)
• ../../resources/external_tools.md — REVTeX/LaTeX, figure tools, data repositories, and physics computation packages

Portal URL, length formula, classification scheme, and required statements are volatile — verify all on the official APS / PRL author page before submitting.