Use to understand how the American Political Science Review (APSR) evaluates a manuscript — double-anonymous review, desk-rejection screening (remit / ethics / substance), the reject / accept / revise-and-resubmit decision categories, editor discretion, and the Registered Reports route. Sets expectations and shapes the paper to survive review; it does not contact editors.
SkillScore91Maintained
Automatic
◆Research pack
Last verified 8/15/2026
What it changes
Passed 20 of 22 test cases with the skill, and 14 of 22 without it.
Without skill64%
With skill91%
Checks it passed that the model alone missed
The response designates the standard submission track for the completed paper.
The response lists remit, ethics, and substance as the three desk rejection grounds.
The response states that an ethics desk rejection ground cannot be repaired after submission.
and 4 more in the full report
7 fixed13 passed either way1 still failing1 broke
Pass-rate lift
+27 pp
Tokens
+19%
Agent turns
0%
Response time
-45%
Model gemini-3.6-flashMeasured 8/15/2026v120 of 22 cases passed with skill
Tokens, turns and time describe resource use, not a dollar price.
See it in action
One of 7 test cases the skill fixed. Same model, same prompt, with and without the skill.
1 of 7
Prompt
What are the three specific categories of grounds on which the American Political Science Review desk screens submissions prior to external review?
What was checked, without and with the skill
Checked
Without skill
With skill
The response lists remit, ethics, and substance as the three desk rejection grounds.
Missed
Passed
case-22 · gemini-3.6-flash · 8/15/2026 · answers are capped and redacted
What's inside
The instructions your model reads when the skill loads.
SKILL.md95 linessingle file
Review Process (apsr-review-process)
Knowing how APSR screens and decides lets you pre-empt the failure modes before submitting. APSR is
double-anonymous and screens hard at the desk before external review.
When to trigger
Before submitting, to stress-test against desk-rejection grounds
Deciding whether to use the Registered Reports (Stage 1) route
Interpreting a decision letter and setting expectations
Understanding what reviewers are instructed to weigh
How APSR review works
Double-anonymous. Reviewers do not know the authors and authors do not know reviewers.
Anonymize the manuscript accordingly (see apsr-submission).
Desk screening first. Every paper is considered for desk rejection on three grounds:
Remit — not research, not political science, out of scope, or not in adequate English.
Ethics — plagiarized/unattributed text, or research based on unethical procedures.
Substance — missing a key element of an article, insufficiently significant findings, or
failure to engage the relevant literature(s).
Substantive desk rejections require at least two editors to agree.
External review. Papers passing the desk are sent to expert reviewers.
Decision categories: reject, accept, or revise and resubmit — where R&R is
reserved for papers very close to publishable quality. Strong support from all or nearly all
reviewers is generally necessary, but the decision is at the editor's discretion.
Review transfer. Anonymized manuscripts/reviews may be forwarded only to journals that also use
double-anonymous protocols (an opt-in initiative).
Registered Reports route (prospective designs)
Submit a Stage 1 package — theory, design, and analysis plan — that is reviewed before data
collection/analysis. In-principle acceptance commits the journal to publish regardless of results if
you execute the plan. Choose this before you have results (see apsr-topic-selection).
Audit yourself against the desk (three grounds, three tests)
Run each desk-rejection ground as a self-test before upload:
Remit test. Recognizably political science, with a research contribution, in publishable
Use to understand how the British Journal of Political Science (BJPS) evaluates a manuscript — double-blind review with at least two referees, the desk screen, decision categories, and what reviewers are asked to weigh. Sets expectations and shapes the paper to survive review; it does not contact editors.