molcell-submission
GitHub用于 Molecular Cell 投稿前的最终预检技能，提供涵盖机制叙事、篇幅结构、前置材料、图表规范、STAR Methods、数据代码提交及参考文献的完整清单，并附带投稿信模板，确保稿件符合期刊要求。
触发场景
安装
npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill molcell-submission -g -y
SKILL.md
Frontmatter
{
"name": "molcell-submission",
"description": "Use as the final preflight before submitting to Molecular Cell — a complete checklist across mechanism, single-mechanism arc, length budget, figures, STAR Methods, data deposition, numbered references, front-matter artifacts, and required files. Bundles the checklist and cover-letter templates."
}
Submission Preflight & Cover Letter (molcell-submission)
When to trigger
- The manuscript is "done" and you're about to upload to Editorial Manager.
- You want a single gate confirming every other molcell-* skill's output landed.
- A revision is going back and you need to confirm nothing regressed.
Master preflight checklist
Mechanism & narrative
- Clears the deep-mechanism bar (
molcell-fitrung ≥ 3; orthogonal validation; physiological relevance). - Single-mechanism arc (question → mechanism → physiological consequence); no technique catalog.
- Separation-of-function / point-mutant evidence ties the mechanism to the phenotype.
- Title is declarative, names the molecular actor + molecular action.
Length & structure
- Main text ~7,000 words incl. main figure legends (or ~4,000 for a Short Article); confirm live cap.
- Display items within ~7; extras in Supplemental Information.
- Results have molecular-claim subheadings; Discussion interpretive (model + excluded alternative), not a recap.
Front-matter artifacts
- Highlights: 3–4 bullets, each ≤ 85 characters incl. spaces.
- eTOC / In Brief blurb: ~50 words, third person, accessible language.
- Graphical Abstract: single panel, clear flow, minimal text, RGB, correct size.
- Summary: single paragraph (~150 words), mechanism named, ≥1 quantified result, no citations.
Figures & display items
- Sized to 85 / 114 / 174 mm; min font ~6–7 pt; RGB.
- Data shown (points + n + replicate type); error bars defined; primary data (gels/traces/maps) shown.
- Blot integrity: uncropped key blots in supplement; source scans retained; splices disclosed.
- Structures: resolution/FSC/refinement reported; contacts supported by density.
- Genomics: normalization + replicate metric stated; colorblind-safe throughout.
STAR Methods
- Key Resources Table complete (antibodies w/ Cat#+RRID; plasmids/oligos/purified proteins; deposited data w/ accession; software w/ version).
- Resource Availability: Lead Contact / Materials Availability / Data and Code Availability.
- Experimental Model and Subject Details incl. ethics (IRB/IACUC, consent, authentication, mycoplasma).
- Method Details reproducible (purification/reconstitution/pipelines); Quantification and Statistical Analysis consolidated.
Data & code
- Data deposited (GEO/PDB+EMDB/PRIDE); accession numbers/DOIs in hand; mirrored into KRT "Deposited Data."
- Structures deposited with maps/structure factors; code public + archived (Zenodo/Mendeley DOI).
- Data and Code Availability statement complete (data / code / additional).
References
- Cell Press numbered superscript in text, in order of first appearance.
- Reference list numbered by appearance; full author lists; abbreviated journal names.
- Every superscript resolves to one entry; no uncited entries; single merged list incl. STAR Methods.
Required files & metadata
- Main text (Summary, Intro, Results, Discussion, STAR Methods, legends, references).
- Figures at required resolution + legends; Graphical Abstract file.
- Highlights and eTOC blurb files/fields.
- Supplemental Information (figures/tables/videos + captions).
- Cover letter (mechanistic-advance forward).
- Authors, affiliations, ORCIDs, corresponding author, Lead Contact.
- CRediT author contributions; competing interests; funding.
- Suggested / opposed reviewers (if used).
Final integrity sweep
- No over-interpretation beyond the evidence (re-read Summary + Discussion + structure claims).
- Every figure's n, replicate type, error bar, and test defined and consistent with QSA.
- All accession numbers/DOIs live and correct; structure map-model fit matches the deposited entry.
- Single-blind by default — do not anonymize unless double-blind requested. Confirm on the portal.
What the desk editor is deciding
Submission goes through Cell Press Editorial Manager to an in-house scientific editor who makes the review-or-reject call before any referee sees the file. Two things they cannot recover later must be right at upload: the mechanistic depth (is the molecular event proven, or only proposed) and the orthogonal validation (are the independent lines already in the manuscript, not promised in a rebuttal). The cover letter exists to state both in the editor's vocabulary. Everything else in the preflight is hygiene; these two are the gate.
Do not open the cover letter with "Please find enclosed our manuscript." Open with the mechanism. A serviceable first sentence: "We show that [molecular actor] [molecular action] by [mechanistic detail], resolving how [process] is controlled and why [physiological outcome] depends on it." Then one short paragraph naming the orthogonal lines of evidence (e.g., structure + reconstitution + separation-of-function genetics), one sentence on why Molecular Cell's mechanism-focused readership specifically, and — if relevant — a candid line on concurrent related work. Keep it to a page.
Revision-specific gate
When a revised manuscript goes back, run the checklist again but add: every promised experiment from the response letter is now in the paper or explicitly justified as out of scope; every referee-driven change is reflected in both text and figures (a common regression is updating a panel but not its legend or the QSA block); the response letter and the manuscript agree on every number; no new mechanistic claim crept in without new evidence; and any re-processed structure/genomics matches the deposited entry. Version figures so an old panel cannot ship by accident.
Metadata traps specific to Cell Press
- The Lead Contact is a distinct required role from the corresponding author and must match the Resource Availability statement exactly.
- Molecular Cell uses single-blind review by default; do not strip author identity unless double-blind was explicitly requested — confirm the current option on the portal.
- CRediT contributions, competing-interests, and funding statements must be structured fields, not only prose.
- Accession numbers and the Zenodo/Mendeley code DOI must appear identically in the KRT "Deposited Data" rows, the Data and Code Availability statement, and any Editorial Manager metadata field.
Templates
templates/checklist.md— copyable preflight checklist.templates/manuscript_template.md— Molecular Cell manuscript skeleton (STAR Methods, KRT, eTOC blurb, Highlights, cover-letter scaffold).
Output format
【Blocking gaps】 [...] (must fix before upload)
【Warnings】 [...] (should fix)
【Files ready】 main / figures+legends / GA / Highlights+eTOC / SI / cover letter / metadata
【Verdict】 GO / NO-GO + the top 3 fixes
【Next】 submit | molcell-rebuttal (after decision)
Anti-patterns
- Do not upload before accession numbers/DOIs (and deposited structures) exist.
- Do not ship Highlights over 85 characters or an eTOC blurb in the first person.
- Do not submit a free-text Methods section instead of STAR Methods.
- Do not leave author–date citations unconverted — Molecular Cell is numbered.
- Do not rely on memory; run the checklist top to bottom.
Confirm all caps and required files against the current Molecular Cell information-for-authors page before upload.
版本历史
- 9f86f09 当前 2026-07-19 17:05
