I have just completed writing my research paper. What are some of the things I should check before submitting it to a journal?

Good job drafting your manuscript! Before you submit your manuscript to a journal, there are a few things that you should remember.

• Proofreading is absolutely essential before you submit your manuscript. You should proofread your manuscript at least 2–3 times to look for any errors that might have been missed before. You can also consider seeking professional help like Enago’s editing and proofreading services.
• In addition, it is a good idea to request your peers or supervisor to review your manuscript and offer feedback. This will help you improvise your manuscript and fix any existing gaps if applicable. This will also save your time during the peer-review process that would be undertaken by the journal. Often, reviewers request for changes to be made to the article to improvise it, which results is loss of time due to the to and fro between the journal and the author.
• You should also check for any conflicts of interest or copyright permissions for previously published data/images to avoid and problems during or after publication. Make sure that you cite all copyright for the original material, so readers can easily distinguish between your own contribution and already existing knowledge.
• Also, check and ensure that your manuscript is drafted in accordance with the guidelines of your target journal. Check for any word limit specifications and ensure that your manuscript meets them.
• Screen your manuscript for any plagiarized content. Any type of plagiarism, whether intentional or unintentional can have drastic consequences. Therefore, you need to be absolutely sure that you are not submitting any plagiarized content. Enago offers a plagiarism check service to ensure that your manuscript is plagiarism free.
• You would also need to prepare an effective cover letter addressed to the journal editor to highlight the significance of your research. This letter should be written in a clear and concise manner and justifying why your manuscript should be published